| Super Trouper | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by ABBA | ||||
| Released | November 3, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | Polar Studio February 4–October 15, 1980 |
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| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 41:57 | |||
| Label | Polar Atlantic Records (US original release) |
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| Producer | Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus | |||
| ABBA chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Super Trouper | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
Super Trouper is the seventh studio album by Swedish pop group ABBA, first released in 1980 (see 1980 in music).
Contents |
Led by the international hit "The Winner Takes It All", Super Trouper was the group's sixth chart-topping album in the UK. It was also the best-selling album in Britain for 1980. Super Trouper was first released on CD in 1983 by Atlantic Records, again in the 1980s by Polar International, and in the 1990s by Polydor in the USA. The album has been reissued in digitally remastered form four times; first in 1997, then in 2001, again in 2005 as part of the The Complete Studio Recordings box set and as a Deluxe Edition (containing a bonus DVD) in 2011. The previous year's divorce between Björn and Agnetha was explored in "The Winner Takes It All", and the members' lives in Stockholm high society circles coloured the lyrics for "On and On and On". Other well-known songs on the album include the hit single title track "Super Trouper", as well as the electro-dance of "Lay All Your Love on Me".
Probably due to the disco backlash of the time, the album saw ABBA returning to a more straight-forward pop sound,[2] as opposed to the preceding (and noticeably more dance-oriented) Voulez-Vous album.
Super Trouper is a registered trademark owned by Strong Entertainment Lighting, for their brand of followspots, i.e., directional spotlights used to follow a performer on stage. Album cover designer, Rune Söderqvist, decided to use the spotlight theme and photograph the group, surrounded by circus performers, at Piccadilly Circus, London. After discovering that there was a law preventing any entertainers or animals appearing in central London, they instead invited the members of two local circuses to Europa Film Studios, Stockholm to take the photograph there. Several of ABBA's friends were also invited to take part and the following also appear on the cover: Görel Hanser (vice-president of Polar Music who subsequently married the band's photographer Anders Hanser), Berka Bergkvist (another Polar Music employee), Tomas Ledin and Anders Anderson (ABBA's manager's son).[3] At the same time, Lasse Hallström also filmed scenes that were eventually used in the videos for "Happy New Year" and "Super Trouper" even though the latter had not even been composed at the time.
All songs written and composed by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus.
Side A:
Side B:
(P) 1980 Polar Music International AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
On the vinyl LP, the audience applause following the end of the "The Way Old Friends Do" continues into the run out groove meaning that it plays continuously if the turntable does not have an auto stop function. On the Cassette version and the subsequent CD re-issues, the applause simply fades out.
Super Trouper was remastered and reissued in 1997 and 2001 with two bonus tracks:
The 1997 remaster of the album also included "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", but the 2001 remaster did not, the song being shifted as a bonus track onto the Voulez-Vous album.
Super Trouper was remastered and reissued again in 2005 as part of the The Complete Studio Recordings box set with three bonus tracks:
Tracks 12–13 are from the Spanish and Latin American version of the album Super Trouper.
Super Trouper was reissued once again in 2008 as part of the The Albums box set but without any bonus tracks.
As announced, the album will be remastered and reissued again as part of the Deluxe Edition series. It will be released on May 9, 2011.[4]
"The Way Old Friends Do" was recorded live from ABBA's 1979 tour. The anthemic song was performed towards the end of each show with the four members linking arms around Benny's accordion.[5] Video footage of ABBA performing the song in Wembley was screened in Japan and the United States as part of the "ABBA in Concert" TV special. The song is included as an extra feature on the DVD of the special. All of the musicians involved with the Music for UNICEF Concert also sang this song along with ABBA as a short part of the concert telecast.
Although not released as a single with this album, the song was later released as a single in 1992 to promote the compilation "More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits".[6]
The song was later covered by The Alexander Brothers,[7] the Kingston Trio, Philomena Begley and Faryl Smith.
A country/rockabilly song recorded in 1980 with lead vocal by Ulvaeus. A brief excerpt of this track was released in the box set Thank You for the Music.
A song based on waltz with a latin american sound recorded in 1980 with lead vocal by Lyngstad. Originally the track was intended to be released on the 1980-album Super Trouper. It was however replaced by that albums' title track. The song remained unreleased until 1994, when it was included in the box set Thank You for the Music and the promo-cd-single "Dream World". It has since apperared as a bonus track on various versions of reissues of Super Trouper-and in the box set The Complete Studio Recordings.
ABBA
Additional personnel
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Argentina Album Chart | 2 |
| Australia Album Chart | 5 |
| Austria Album Chart | 3 |
| Belgium Album Chart | 1 |
| Canada Album Chart | 4 |
| Dutch Album Chart | 1 |
| Finland Album Chart | 2 |
| France Album Chart | 8 |
| Italy Album Chart | 13 |
| Japan Album Chart | 8 |
| Mexico Album Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Album Chart | 5 |
| Norway Album Chart | 1 |
| Spain Album Chart | 4 |
| Sweden Album Chart | 1 |
| Switzerland Album Chart | 1 |
| UK Album Chart | 1[8] |
| US Billboard 200 | 17 |
| West Germany Album Chart | 1 |
According to The Official Charts Company, the album spent 17 consecutive weeks in the Top 40 from 22 November 1980 to 14 March 1981. It then charted for another four weeks in the lower reaches of the Top 40 between March and August 1981. It went straight into the Top 40 at Number One.
Weekly chart positions from 22 November 1980 and 14 March 1981: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-5-10-13-24-22-23-36-36
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "The Winner Takes It All" | UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| "Super Trouper" | 1 | ||
| 1981 | "Lay All Your Love on Me" | 7 |
The UK release of Lay All Your Love On Me was limited to a 12" Single only. No 7" version was available. The 12" cut was the same length as the album track.
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "The Winner Takes It All" | Norwegian Singles Chart | 3 |
| "Super Trouper" | 2 | ||
| 1981 | "Happy New Year" | 11 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "The Winner Takes It All" | Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| Adult Contemporary | 1 | ||
| "Lay All Your Love on Me"/"Super Trouper"/"On and On and On" | Club Play Singles | 1 | |
| 1981 | "Super Trouper" | Billboard Hot 100 | 45 |
| Adult Contemporary | 14 | ||
| "On and On and On" | Billboard Hot 100 | 90 |
| Preceded by Guilty by Barbra Streisand |
UK Albums Chart number-one album 22 November 1980 – 23 January 1981 |
Succeeded by Kings of the Wild Frontier by Adam and the Ants |
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