Waterloo (ABBA song)
| "Waterloo" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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A-side label of the Swedish vinyl release of the English-language recording
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| Single by ABBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Waterloo | ||||||||||||||||||||
| B-side | "Honey, Honey" (Swedish-language release) "Watch Out" (English-language release) |
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| Released | 4 March 1974 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format | 7" single | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 17 December 1973 Metronome Studios, |
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| Length | 2:42 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| ABBA singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 "Waterloo" |
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| Eurovision Song Contest 1974 entry | |
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| Final result |
1st
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| Final points |
24
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| Appearance chronology | |
| ◄ "You're Summer" (1973) | |
| "Jennie, Jennie" (1975) ► | |
"Waterloo" was the first single from the Swedish pop group ABBA's second album, Waterloo and their first under the Epic and Atlantic labels. This was also the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA.
On 6 April 1974 the song was the winning entry for Sweden in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The victory began ABBA's path to worldwide fame. The Swedish version of the single featured "Honey, Honey" (Swedish version) on the B-side, while the English version usually featured "Watch Out" on the B-side.
The single became a No. 1 hit in several countries. It reached the U.S. Top 10 and went on to sell nearly six million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
"Waterloo" is the quintessential Eurovision song, according to Dr Harry Witchel, physiologist and music expert at the University of Bristol. At the 50th anniversary celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005, it was chosen as the best song in the competition's history.
"Waterloo" was originally written as a song for the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, after the group finished third with "Ring Ring" the previous year in the Swedish pre-selection contest, Melodifestivalen 1973. Since it focused on lead vocalists Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson chose "Waterloo" in place of another of their songs, "Hasta Mañana".
"Waterloo" is about a girl who is obliged to surrender to the demands of her conqueror, as Napoleon had to surrender at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, as referenced in the song.
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Wikipedia