Today marks 50 years since Dancing Queen was first performed live for a soon-to-be Queen, beginning ABBA's megastardom. On June 18, 1976, the day before their wedding, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and his bride-to-be Silvia were treated to a special performance at The Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. ABBA sang the new song Dancing Queen during the gala.
The Birth of a Hit
With its disco beat and catchy lyrics, Dancing Queen became a sure-fire hit. Exactly 50 years later, the song still fills dance floors and wedding parties. It has been number one in 16 countries, including the US, and sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Covered by Kylie Minogue, Cher, Lewis Capaldi, and Rita Ora, it features in the musical Mamma Mia and has surpassed two million streams on Spotify.
The song started as a working title 'Boogaloo', written by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and manager Stig Anderson. Inspired by George McCrae's 'Rock Your Baby', Stig suggested the title 'Dancing Queen'. Anni-Frid Lyngstad recalled: 'I cried when I heard it. I thought it was so incredibly beautiful.'
Recording and Legacy
Guitarist Janne Schaffer, now 80, remembers adding rhythm guitar in summer 1975. He told The Mirror: 'Michael said to me, Could you stay and check out this ABBA tune? I played along and left. There are marks on the master tapes saying Rhythm guitar: Janne.' He didn't hear the final version until it played on the radio in August 1976.
Janne played guitar on 46 ABBA tracks, including Mamma Mia, SOS, and Knowing Me Knowing You. He credits the album Arrival (1976) with their matured sound. ABBA's success continues with their Voyage avatar show and new recordings.
Dancing Queen has been remastered and will be released on two limited edition 10-inch vinyl singles on August 14 to mark its 50th anniversary.
