Waterloo
Studio album by
ABBA
Released4 March 1974 (1974-03-04)
Recorded24 September 1973 – 20 February 1974
StudioMetronome, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre
Length38:10 (original release)
44:47 (reissue 2001)
LanguageEnglish and Swedish
LabelPolar
Epic (UK)
Atlantic (US original release)
Producer
ABBA chronology
Ring Ring
(1973)		 Waterloo
(1974)		 ABBA
(1975)
Singles from Waterloo
  1. "Waterloo (Swedish Version)"
    Released: 4 March 1974
  2. "Waterloo (English Version)"
    Released: 4 March 1974
  3. "Honey, Honey"
    Released: April 1974
  4. "Hasta Mañana"
    Released: April 1974
  5. "Waterloo (German Version)"
    Released: 5 April 1974
  6. "Waterloo (French Version)"
    Released: 10 May 1974
  7. "Ring Ring (1974 Remix Version)"
    Released: 21 June 1974
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Waterloo is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and the first released internationally. It was originally released on 4 March 1974 in Sweden through Polar Music. The album's title track won ABBA the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and became a global hit, launching the group's career.[4]

Overview

Recording sessions for Waterloo began on 24 September 1973 with the track "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)". This song was unusual in that it is the only ABBA track not to feature member Benny Andersson on keyboards, instead featuring American pianist John "Rabbit" Bundrick who was in Sweden at the time.[5] Bundrick, however, was not credited on the album. Three weeks later the next two songs ("Suzy-Hang-Around" and "My Mama Said") went into the studio. A recording sheet from the day credits the artist as "ABBA", the first time the name was ever used in writing (the group had previously been called "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid"), although their manager Stig Andersson had informally been calling them ABBA with the media for some time. The former of these songs marks the only time Benny Andersson sang lead on a track. Two more tracks were recorded on 17 October; "What About Livingstone" and "Honey Honey" – the latter being the second single released from the album in most countries. "King Kong Song" was recorded on 14 November, a song which members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus today single out as one of their weakest tracks.[5] This was also the date in which it was announced that ABBA were to appear at the Swedish selection for the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. From that point, recording sessions sped up and the rest of the tracks were recorded. Two songs were up for consideration for their Eurovision entry; "Waterloo" and "Hasta Mañana". The group preferred the former but felt the latter was a safer bet. Ultimately they chose "Waterloo" as it was more the direction they wished to take the group. "Waterloo" and "Watch Out" were recorded on the same day, with the latter becoming the B-side to the former.[5]

"Waterloo" swept to victory at the Swedish heats and the group represented Sweden in Brighton for the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. ABBA won the contest and "Waterloo" became not only a massive hit in Europe but all over the world (peaking at No.6 in the US for example).[4] In Sweden, the album had already been released and topped the Swedish album charts for 12 weeks, becoming one of the biggest-selling Swedish albums ever to that point. In the UK the album made No.28,[4] the first time a foreign Eurovision act had charted an album and it performed well in the rest of Europe.[5]

Reviews of the album were positive with Phonograph Record's Greg Shaw stating that it "might just turn out to be one of the classic début LPs of the '70s". Rolling Stone also gave the album a favourable review.[5] In a 3-star review, AllMusic said that it was "a beautiful album".

Waterloo was first released on CD in Sweden in 1988 alongside Ring Ring and the self titled album. It is the only CD version of the album to follow the original Scandinavian LP's running order.[6] Polydor first released Waterloo, along with Ring Ring, throughout Europe in 1990, with the discs being pressed in West Germany. These discs follow the running order of the Waterloo LP that was released in The Netherlands, swapping Watch Out and What About Livingstone? in the tracklist.[7][8] In 1995, Polydor reissued their pressings of all of ABBA's albums in the United States.[9] The album has been reissued in digitally remastered form several times: in 1997 as part of "The ABBA Remasters" series,[10] then in 2001 with an updated cover artwork and some bonus tracks,[11] again in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set, and most recently in 2014 as a 40th anniversary "Deluxe Edition" reissue.[12] This version of the album entered the UK album charts.[13]

The cover features the sub-title "Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida" although some editions replaced 'Agnetha' with 'Anna' – by which Agnetha Fältskog was known in some countries.[14]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Waterloo" (Swedish version)
2:45
2."Sitting in the Palmtree"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:39
3."King Kong Song"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:14
4."Hasta Mañana"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
3:05
5."My Mama Said"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:14
6."Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:05
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Honey, Honey"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
2:56
8."Watch Out"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:49
9."What About Livingstone"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
2:54
10."Gonna Sing You My Lovesong"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:35
11."Suzy-Hang-Around"
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
3:11
12."Waterloo" (English version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
2:46
Total length:38:10
UK and US original release – Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Waterloo"2:46
2."Sitting in the Palmtree"3:39
3."King Kong Song"3:14
4."Hasta Mañana"3:05
5."My Mama Said"3:14
6."Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)"3:05
UK and US original release - Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Honey, Honey" 2:56
8."Watch Out" 3:49
9."What About Livingstone?" 2:54
10."Gonna Sing You My Lovesong" 3:35
11."Suzy-Hang-Around" 3:11
12."Ring Ring"
  • Andersson
  • Anderson
  • Ulvaeus
3:00
Total length:38:25
2001 CD edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Ring, Ring" (U.S. remix 1974)
3:06
13."Waterloo" (Swedish version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
2:45
14."Honey, Honey" (Swedish version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
2:59
30th anniversary edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Waterloo" (German version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Gerd Müller-Schwanke
2:44
16."Waterloo" (French version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Alain Boublil
2:42
30th anniversary edition (DVD)
No.TitleLength
1."Waterloo" (Eurovision Song Contest, BBC)2:46
2."Waterloo" (Melodifestivalen, SVT)2:56
3."Honey, Honey" (Star Parade, ZDF)3:19
4."Hasta Mañana" (Señoras y señores, RTVE)3:05
The Complete Studio Recordings
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Hasta Mañana" (Spanish version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Buddy McCluskey
  • Mary McCluskey
3:09
17."Ring Ring" (1974 remix) (single version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Sedaka
  • Cody
3:08
18."Waterloo" (French version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Boublil
2:42
40th anniversary deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Waterloo" (German version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Müller-Schwanke
2:44
16."Hasta Mañana" (Spanish version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • McCluskey
  • McCluskey
3:09
17."Waterloo" (French version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Boublil
2:42
18."Ring Ring" (1974 remix) (single version)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
  • Sedaka
  • Cody
3:08
19."Waterloo" (alternate mix)
  • Andersson
  • Ulvaeus
  • Anderson
2:45
40th anniversary deluxe edition (DVD)
No.TitleLength
1."Waterloo" (Eurovision Song Contest Performance I, BBC) 
2."Waterloo" (Melodifestivalen Performance I, SVT) 
3."Waterloo" (Melodifestivalen Performance II, SVT) 
4."Waterloo" (Eurovision Song Contest Preview Performance, SVT) 
5."Waterloo" (Eurovision Song Contest Performance II, BBC) 
6."Interview with Frida and Stig After the Eurovision Victory" (Rapport, SVT) 
7."Waterloo" (Top of the Pops Performance I, BBC) 
8."Honey, Honey" (Disco, ZDF) 
9."Waterloo" (Top of the Pops Performance II, BBC) 
10."Honey, Honey" (Spotlight, ORF) 
11."Waterloo" (German version; Musik aus Studio B, NDR) 
12."Honey, Honey" (Ein Kessel Buntes, Fernsehen der DDR) 
13."Waterloo" (Top of the Pops Performance III, BBC) 
14."International Sleeve Gallery" 

Notes

  • The international LP edition omits the Swedish version of Waterloo and moved the English version to the start of side one.
  • The American LP edition utilises the international tracklisting but added the US remix of "Ring Ring" to the end of side two.
  • The UK LP edition utilises the international tracklisting but added the original English version of "Ring Ring" to the end of side two.
  • The 1990 edition issued by Polydor swapped the tracks "Watch Out" and "What About Livingstone?"
  • The 2001 edition swaps the respective versions of the title track so that the CD begins with the English version.

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

  • Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus – producers
  • Michael B. Tretow – engineer
  • Ola Lager – photography
  • Ron Spaulding – original album design
  • Jon Astley; Tim Young; Michael B. Tretow – remastering for the 1997 Remasters
  • Jon Astley; Michael B. Tretow – remastered for the 2001 Remasters
  • Henrik Jonsson – remastering for The Complete Studio Recordings box set

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] 2× Platinum 100,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[31] Silver 25,000[32]
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[33] Gold 25,035[33]
Germany (BVMI)[34] Platinum 500,000^
Sweden (GLF)[35] Diamond 349,938[30]
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Silver 60,000^
Yugoslavia[37] Silver 18,000[37]
Summaries
Europe — 3,000,000[38]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic Review
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
  3. ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "ABBA". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 1. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. 1 2 3 Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1991). Guinness Book of Rock Stars. Enfield: Guinness Publishing Ltd. p. 1. ISBN 0-85112-971-4.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Sleeve notes, Waterloo re-issue, Carl Magnus Palm, 2014
  6. ↑ ABBA – Waterloo (1988, CD), retrieved 4 May 2021
  7. ↑ Björn, Benny, Anna & Frida, ABBA – Waterloo (1974, Vinyl), retrieved 4 May 2021
  8. ↑ ABBA – Waterloo (1990, CD), retrieved 4 May 2021
  9. ↑ ABBA – Waterloo (1995, CD), retrieved 4 May 2021
  10. ↑ ABBA – Waterloo (1997, CD), retrieved 4 May 2021
  11. ↑ ABBA – Waterloo (CD), retrieved 4 May 2021
  12. ↑ ABBA – Waterloo (2014, CD), retrieved 4 May 2021
  13. ↑ "waterloo | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  14. ↑ Abba The Book. Aurum Oress Ltd. 2000. p. 9. ISBN 1-85410-698-8.
  15. 1 2 3 Scott, Robert (2002) 'ABBA: Thank You for the Music – The Stories Behind Every Song', Carlton Books Limited: Great Britain, p.38
  16. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – Waterloo" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  18. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "ABBA". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 8. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – ABBA – Waterloo" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  20. ↑ "Charts.nz – ABBA – Waterloo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  21. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – ABBA – Waterloo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  22. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – Waterloo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  23. ↑ "Abba | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  24. ↑ "Abba Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – ABBA – Waterloo" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – ABBA – Waterloo" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  27. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – Waterloo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  29. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1974. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  30. 1 2 "ABBA The History". Billboard. 8 September 1979.
  31. ↑ "Copenhagen Awards". Billboard. 21 December 1974. p. 56.
  32. ↑ "Gold/Silver Record Chart". Billboard. 26 December 1974.
  33. 1 2 "Abba" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  34. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ABBA; 'Waterloo')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  35. ↑ "Polarization". Billboard. 2 November 1974. p. 50.
  36. ↑ "British album certifications – ABBA – Waterloo". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  37. 1 2 "ABBA fenomen ili fenomenalna ABBA". Džuboks. No. 33. April 1977. p. 5. Retrieved 16 March 2023 – via Popboks.
  38. ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 379. ISBN 0668064595. Following their staggering success with the single of the same title, this album sold 400,000 in Sweden and amassed thrree million in European sales
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