Hi Band Mates,
Back at our band meeting, I promised to provide a top 25 list of most “popular” Abba songs. That list would basically represent our “no regrets” songs, i.e., songs we can learn because we are bound to play them at some point. By focusing on the most familiar Abba songs, we are statistically playing the odds that people will recognize the songs and be more engaged in the show for that reason alone. Having done some digging already, I was already aware that no such definitive list is readily available. So, instead, I meticulously gathered data from a bunch of sources, such as Internet downloads, popularity on streaming services and Billboard rankings. With a bit of statistical help, I have put together something that closely resembles that elusive familiarity ranking. I have posted the songs here on the website. The songs are also flagged in the Song Summary page.
In the end, I am not suggesting that these are the songs we would use in the show we are developing. For example, a song like Happy New Year only makes sense to learn for a New Year’s gig. And in designing a show, we are unlikely to want to load up on too many slower songs like I Have a Dream and Thank You for the Music. And other songs that are familiar but repetitive like Ring Ring, Honey Honey and I Do I Do (even the titles are repetitive!) might be used sparingly so as to leave space for other more interesting songs that might provide higher value from a showmanship standpoint. (Did someone mention medley...?) However, they form part of the ingredients that we would use to build a full show.
The next step now, as discussed at the meeting, is for each of us to nominate 3 songs from the Abba material not on this list. This is where I am hoping to tap into your collective creativity. Rather than just pick three songs say because you like the tune, think about and share with us how the song might be used to build part of an exciting show, something that would keep people glued to their seats for 3 hours or so. What twist could we throw into the song? What dance or movements might we do to make the song interesting? That will probably give us somewhere between 35 to 50 songs to focus on. We won’t be able to use every song obviously but the no-regrets list and your nominations will give us a rich pool of songs to help build and evolve our show over time.
To get the ball rolling, here are my three ideas:
Arrival – A song that would never make the top 40 never mind the top 25 hits. But it could be a way to start a set, creating a slow build-up before the four ABBA characters come out. We could sing the choral parts of stage. The song could then transition into another fast beat song and that’s when the four of us hit the stage. It would basically be a device to build up anticipation to get the audience back into the show say after a break or even to start the show.
I am an A – Not a hit. Not even recorded in a studio. But something they did on at least one of their tours (check it out in our song summary list). Very authentic for that reason. And since we are not play-acting the roles of A, B, B and A throughout the show, we could use it as a theatrical device to tell a bit of the story of who ABBA was by singing their words. The song is slower (we could speed it up a bit) but we could make it a more intimate moment in the show sitting on stools at the front of the stage with acoustic guitar, etc. It would also showcase more intimately our vocal harmonies. Here is a clip of Bjorn Again (albeit playing Fernando) to get an idea of the intimate format that I am talking about.
So Long – Not as familiar a song but fast-paced with a basic rock and roll beat (more like Does Your Mother Know) that might appeal more to the non-Abba purists who were dragged to the show. And it feels like a great song to end the first set (like we’re saying so long to the first Act). It might also be the last bookend to a possible medley of more familiar/repetitive songs (like Ring, Ring, Honey, Honey, I Do, I Do, and On and On and On).
That’s my opening salvo. Let’s see what ya got in the way of creativity!
Kevin
- Log in to post comments