Dancing Queen | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 28, 2018 | |||
Recorded | October 2017 – August 2018 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Dance-pop [1] | |||
Length | 40:05 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | ||||
Cher chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Dancing Queen | ||||
|
Dancing Queen is the twenty-sixth studio album by American singer Cher, released by Warner Bros. Records on September 28, 2018. It is Cher's first album in five years, following Closer to the Truth (2013). The album contains cover versions of songs recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, with the title referencing their 1976 song "Dancing Queen". The album follows Cher's appearance in the 2018 musical film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again , based on the music of ABBA. [2] [3]
The album was a critical and commercial success, debuting at number three on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 153,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Cher's highest debut sales week for an album in the United States. The album also peaked within the top ten of charts in another 18 countries, with nine of those being top five entries. As of March 2019, Dancing Queen has been certified gold by Music Canada and silver by BPI.
To promote the album, Cher embarked on the Here We Go Again Tour, which began on September 21, 2018. It also marks her first worldwide tour since Living Proof: The Farewell Tour.
After previously appearing in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again , for which she recorded "Fernando" and "Super Trouper", Cher was inspired to do an ABBA cover album.
While recording, Cher hinted on her Twitter account that she might be releasing an ABBA cover album. On July 16, 2018, it was officially revealed in an interview with The Today Show that the album would consist of ABBA covers. She further stated:
"After filming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, I was reminded again of what great and timeless songs they wrote and started thinking, 'Why not do an album of their music?' The songs were harder to sing than I imagined but I'm so happy with how the music came out. I'm really excited for people to hear it. It's a perfect time." —Cher
Cher also said that "[she has] always liked ABBA and saw the original Mamma Mia! musical on Broadway three times".
In addition to that, Cher was asked about what people can expect from the album. She replied with saying, "It's not what you think of when you think 'ABBA', because [she] did it in a different way."
On August 9, 2018, it was announced that the album would be released on September 28, 2018. [4]
On August 8, 2018, Cher released a teaser of the album's first single "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" on her Twitter account. [5] The song was released the following day. [6] People who pre-ordered the album on iTunes immediately received a digital copy of the single. The song peaked at number four on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. An extended version of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was released on September 14, 2018. [7]
The second single, "SOS" was released on August 23, 2018. [8] It peaked at number 56 on the Scottish singles chart. [9] A music video for the song was released on September 18, 2018. [10]
Cher performed "SOS" at the Ellen Show in 2018. [11] On September 18, 2019, Cher performed "Waterloo" at the season 14 finale of America's Got Talent , to promote the album and her Here We Go Again Tour. [12]
A world tour, titled the Here We Go Again Tour, in support of Dancing Queen, began on September 21, 2018, in Auckland, New Zealand. It was officially announced on May 7, 2018. [13] [14] "Fernando", "Waterloo", and "SOS" were the only songs off the album Cher performed, however.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10 [15] |
Metacritic | 79/100 [16] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
attitude | [17] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [18] |
Gay Star News | [19] |
Gay Times | [20] |
Newsday | [21] |
NME | [22] |
Rolling Stone | [23] |
The Guardian | [24] |
The Telegraph | [25] |
Idolator | [26] |
According to Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 10 music critics, the album received "generally favorable reviews". [16] Gay Star News gave the album a positive review, saying: "If she'd approached this collection of ABBA re-recordings with the seriousness of, say, George Michael on the excellent Songs from the Last Century , she'd have been in big trouble. Instead, Dancing Queen is about fun, entertainment, dizzy abandonment. She knows how to please a crowd, while also acknowledging the desires of her die-hard fans." [19] Marc Snetiker from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a favorable review, calling it Cher's "most significant release since 1998’s Believe " and saying that "the album ender, 'One of Us,' is frankly one of Cher’s best recordings in years." [18]
Nick Levine from Gay Times praised Cher's vocals, calling them "glorious [...] – still rich and wonderfully androgynous-sounding" and pointing out that they "drive each song from beginning to end." [20] Rolling Stone 's Brittany Spanos commented that "the 72-year-old makes ABBA songs not only sound like they should’ve been written for her in the first place but like they firmly belong in 2018". [23] At Idolator , Mike Wass felt that "every track exudes the glitter, fun and nostalgia of a bygone era" and that "Dancing Queen, while disappointingly brief, covers all bases from dreamy disco moments and emotional ballads." [26]
In a positive review for The Guardian , it was noted that "occasionally Cher uses her trademark Auto-Tune like a crutch [...] but mostly it acts as a kind of interstellar portal that elevates Abba from the dancefloor to the cosmos." [24] In a review for The Times , Will Hodgkinson was less positive; he stated that the album delivered "exactly the results you would expect" and that "There's nothing to dislike, but also nothing to recommend beyond this being a fun, tacky choice for the Christmas party." [27]
Rolling Stone placed Dancing Queen on fifth place of all pop albums released in 2018, as well as placing Cher's version of "The Name of the Game" as the 22nd best song of the year. [28] [29] The album's music video of "SOS" was ranked as the 18th best music video of 2018 by Paper . [30]
Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Paper | Paper's Top 20 Music Videos of 2018 | 18 [B] | |
Rolling Stone | The 20 Best Pop Albums of 2018 | 5 | |
Rolling Stone | Rob Sheffield's Top 25 Songs of 2018 | 22 [A] |
In the US, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 153,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Cher's highest debut sales for an album in the United States. It also ties the record for Cher's highest-charting solo album on that chart, which she first reached when her album Closer to the Truth also debuted and peaked at number three. It went on to spend 8 weeks in the chart. [32]
The album also debuted at number two in Canada, Cher's highest peak for a studio album there since 1998's Believe . Dancing Queen went on to be certified gold by Music Canada for sales of over 40,000 copies.
In the UK the album debuted at number two as well, giving Cher her highest-charting studio album there since 1992's Greatest Hits: 1965–1992 , with 22,677 units. [33] [34] The album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 60,000 copies [35] and landed at number 91 on the year end chart for 2018. As of October 2023, Dancing Queen had to-date consumption of over 92,000 units in the UK. [36] In Ireland, the album gave Cher her first top ten album in 20 years when it debuted at number ten. [37]
In Australia the album debuted at number two, making it Cher's highest-charting studio album there since Heart of Stone topped the chart in 1989. [38]
The album also reached the top five in Hungary, peaking at number five, as well as placing 61st in the country's year-end chart. [39]
All tracks are written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson and produced by Mark Taylor (tracks 1-7 and 9–10) and Benny Andersson (track 8), except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dancing Queen" | 3:42 | |
2. | "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" |
| 4:11 |
3. | "The Name of the Game" | 4:48 | |
4. | "SOS" | 3:22 | |
5. | "Waterloo" | 2:52 | |
6. | "Mamma Mia" | 3:34 | |
7. | "Chiquitita" |
| 5:14 |
8. | "Fernando" | Andersson, Taylor [a] | 3:57 |
9. | "The Winner Takes It All" |
| 4:32 |
10. | "One of Us" |
| 3:53 |
Total length: | 40:05 |
Notes
Credits for Dancing Queen adapted from AllMusic. [1]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [70] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [71] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
United States | — | 150,000 [72] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Dancing Queen" is a song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Arrival (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus also produced the song. "Dancing Queen" was released as a single in Sweden in August 1976, followed by a UK release and the rest of Europe. It was a worldwide hit. It became ABBA's only number one hit in the United States, and topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, West Germany and the Soviet Union. "Dancing Queen" also reached the top five in many other countries.
Arrival is the fourth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Sweden on 11 October 1976 by Polar Records. It became one of ABBA's most successful albums to date, producing three of their biggest hits: "Dancing Queen", "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You". The track "Fernando", which had been recently released as a single in March 1976, was included on the Australian and New Zealand versions of the album. Arrival was the best-selling album of 1977 in the United Kingdom and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The ABBA Generation is the debut studio album by Swedish pop group A-Teens. It was released on 25 August 1999 by Stockholm Records. The album is composed of cover versions of well-known ABBA songs. The album spawned four singles, "Mamma Mia", "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ", "Super Trouper", and "Dancing Queen".
The discography of Swedish pop music group ABBA consists of nine studio albums, two live albums, seven compilation albums, four box sets, five video albums, 50 singles, and 43 music videos. To date, ABBA have sold more than 150 million records worldwide becoming one of the best-selling music artists in history. They have scored 9 No. 1 singles and 10 No. 1 albums in the UK, becoming the most successful Swedish act of all time on the Official Charts.
"Waterloo" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, with music composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics written by Stikkan Anderson. It is first single of the group's second album of the same name, and their first under the Atlantic label in the United States. This was also the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA. The title and lyrics reference the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, and use it as a metaphor for a romantic relationship. The Swedish version of the single was backed with the Swedish version of "Honey, Honey", while the English version featured "Watch Out" on the B-side.
"Hung Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October 18, 2005. Written and produced by Madonna in collaboration with Stuart Price, "Hung Up" prominently features a sample from the instrumental introduction to ABBA's single "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ", for which Madonna personally sought permission from its songwriters, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. This is one of the few times Andersson and Ulvaeus have given permission to sample one of their songs, following "Rumble in the Jungle" by the Fugees and "Fly With Me" by 98 Degrees.
"SOS" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in June 1975 as the fifth single from their self-titled 1975 album.
"Fernando" is a song written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, from the Swedish musical group ABBA. The song was written for their fellow group member Anni-Frid Lyngstad and was included on her 1975 album Frida ensam.
"One of Us" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in December 1981 by Polar Music as the lead single from the band's eighth studio album, The Visitors (1981). Written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who also produced it, the song has lead vocals by Agnetha Fältskog and is about a woman trying to revive a relationship she had ended. It would become ABBA's last major hit for 40 years, and the last No. 1 single of their career, topping the charts in Belgium, Denmark, West Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. "One of Us" was also a top-10 hit in countries like Austria, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. In the US, where it was released in 1983, it only charted on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart and the Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number 107 and 33, respectively. The music video for the song was directed by Lasse Hallström, featuring Fältskog as a woman moving into her new house. "One of Us" has since been covered by Pandora in 1995, A-Teens in 1999 and Cher in 2018.
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 21 September 1992 through PolyGram, making it the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music, and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue.
Living Proof is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Cher. It was first released on November 6, 2001 by WEA and distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Records in 2002. After the commercial success of Believe (1998), Cher began work on her twenty-fourth studio album in 2000. Rob Dickins was chosen as the executive producer for the album, enlisting producers such as Johan Åberg, Chris Cox, Tony Moran, Bruce Roberts, Wayne Rodriguez, Stargate, Chicane, Ray Hedges, and Mark Taylor. Its music incorporates dance-pop, disco and house styles.
Believe is the twenty-second studio album by American singer and actress Cher, released on October 22, 1998, by WEA and Warner Bros. Records. Following the commercial disappointment of her previous studio album It's a Man's World (1995), her record company encouraged her to record a dance-oriented album, in order to move into a more mainstream sound. Cher started working on the album in the spring of 1998 with British producers Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling at the Dreamhouse Studios in London. The album was dedicated to her former husband Sonny Bono, who had died earlier that year.
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! " is a song by Swedish band ABBA. It was recorded in August 1979 to help promote their North American and European tour of that year, and was released on ABBA's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 album as a brand new track.
American entertainer Cher has released 27 studio albums, 11 compilation albums, two soundtrack albums, and three live albums. Widely recognized as the Goddess of Pop, Cher has sold over 100 million records worldwide and a further 40 million as part of Sonny & Cher, making her one of the best-selling female recording artists in history. Billboard ranked her as the 109th Greatest Artist of all time and the 49th Greatest Hot 100 Artist of all time. According to RIAA, she has sold 12.5 million albums in the United States. Her signature hit "Believe" has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, and it is the UK's best-selling single by a female artist in history, and one of the best-selling physical singles of all time.
Number Ones is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA, released by Polar Music in 2006.
Mamma Mia! Original Cast Recording is the original cast album for the ABBA-inspired stage musical of the same name. The album was released in 1999 and it reached No.56 in the UK album chart, with 2 weeks on the chart. Re-interest in this 1999 Original London Cast album caused it to reach #12 in the UK Album Chart, having charted at #16 a week earlier. It features performances by the original London cast of the musical including Lisa Stokke, Siobhán McCarthy and Hilton McRae. The album was produced by the two male members of ABBA, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.
American entertainer Cher has released 80 official singles, 28 promotional singles and appeared in 36 other songs. On the Billboard Hot 100, she has achieved: 4 number 1 singles, 12 Top 10 singles, 22 Top 40 singles and a total of 34 charted singles as a solo artist. Combined with the entries she had as part of Sonny & Cher: 5 number 1 singles, 17 Top 10 singles, 32 Top 40 hits and a total of 52 singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Scandinavia on 17 November 1975 and in other parts of the world in 1976, notably the UK on 10 April, and on 18 September in the US and Canada. The 1976 version of the album included the band's most recent single "Fernando".
Closer to the Truth is the twenty-fifth studio album by American singer and actress Cher. It was released on September 20, 2013, by Warner Bros. Records. Opting to re-establish her music career, she began planning the project in 2011, shortly after her appearance in the movie Burlesque and the conclusion of her residency show at Caesars Palace. Work continued into 2012 and 2013. While the album was initially planned to be pop rock-oriented, Closer to the Truth ultimately became a prominently dance-inspired record. As executive producer, she enlisted longtime collaborator Mark Taylor to work alongside new producers such as Paul Oakenfold, Billy Mann, Timbaland and MachoPsycho to achieve Cher's desired sound.
Christmas is the twenty-seventh studio album by American singer Cher. It was released on October 20, 2023, through Warner Records. It is her first album featuring original material in ten years, following Closer to the Truth (2013). It was also her first Christmas album.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)