On and On and On

Last updated

"On and On and On"
ABBA - On And On And On (Australia).jpg
Single by ABBA
from the album Super Trouper
ReleasedSeptember 1980
Recorded1980
Genre Pop rock
Length3:40
Label Polar
Songwriter(s) Benny Andersson
Björn Ulvaeus
Producer(s) Benny Andersson
Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"The Winner Takes It All"
(1980)
"On and On and On"
(1980)
"Super Trouper"
(1980)
Music video
"On and on and On" on YouTube

"On and On and On" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as a single in a limited number of countries in 1980 as the second single from their seventh studio album, Super Trouper .

Contents

Background

The track, which had the working titles "Esses vad det svänger när man spelar jazz" (roughly translated as "God Almighty How it Swings When You're Playing Jazz") and "'Til the Night is Gone", was released as a single in a few countries, namely Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Japan and the United States. The B-side in Australia and Japan was "The Piper"; in Argentina and Canada it was "Our Last Summer", and in the US it was "Lay All Your Love on Me"—all of which were also taken from the Super Trouper album.

"On and On and On" peaked at No. 9 in Australia, making it the 15th (and final) ABBA single to reach the Top 10 in that country. Although the song only managed to reach No. 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, its inclusion on a 12-inch single with the songs "Super Trouper" and "Lay All Your Love on Me" merits all three songs as having reached No. 1 on the American dance chart in May 1981.

An early mix of the song was used in the accompanying music video, but not released on record in stereo until 2011 on the Super Trouper Deluxe CD, and it features an extra verse:

"Standing up is scary if you think you're gonna fall /
Like a Humpty-Dumpty 'fraid of falling off your wall /
I say if you ever wanna know what's going on /
Gotta keep on rocking baby, 'till the night is gone..."

For the first time since ABBA made music videos, the clip for "On and On and On" did not feature any live movement from the group. Instead, a photo montage was made from their Las Vegas concert during their 1979 United States tour which attempted to match the action of the photos with the song.

The track is in the Mixolydian mode.[ citation needed ]

Record World said it was a "tasty, harmless, pop confection" and suggested that listeners "bounce, clap and smile along to [ABBA's] latest morsel." [1]

Personnel

ABBA

Additional personnel and production staff

Charts

Weekly Charts

Weekly chart performance for "On and On and On"
Charts (1980–81)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [2] 9
France (SNEP)7
Japan (Oricon)24
US Billboard Hot 100 90
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard) 1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "On and On and On"
Chart (1981)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [3] 84

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABBA</span> Swedish pop group

ABBA were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the best-selling music acts in the history of popular music.

<i>Super Trouper</i> (album) 1980 studio album by ABBA

Super Trouper is the seventh studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, released on 3 November 1980. It features the No.1 singles "The Winner Takes It All" and "Super Trouper". The album became the UK's biggest-selling album of 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Trouper (song)</span> 1980 song by ABBA

"Super Trouper" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and the title track from their 1980 studio album of the same name, written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was released in November 1980 as the album's third single. The song – with lead vocals by Anni-Frid Lyngstad – had the working title "Blinka Lilla Stjärna", and was the last track to be written and recorded for the album.

<i>The Singles: The First Ten Years</i> 1982 compilation album by ABBA

The Singles: The First Ten Years is a double compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released on November 8, 1982. Issued as a double album of their most famous single A-sides, the collection included two new tracks: "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack". Both songs were released as singles, with "Cassandra" and "You Owe Me One" as their respective B-sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One of Us (ABBA song)</span> 1981 single by ABBA

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Night City</span> 1978 single by ABBA

"Summer Night City" is a song recorded by the Swedish pop group ABBA, written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus as a tribute to their hometown of Stockholm. It is the group's second non-album single, released on 6 September 1978. It was recorded during the sessions of the group's upcoming Voulez-Vous album, but was eventually not included. However, it was included on the ABBA compilation album Greatest Hits Vol. 2 in October 1979, more than a year after its release. It was also featured as a bonus track on both the 1997 and 2001 CD re-issues of Voulez-Vous and as the full length version with the original intro on the 2010 re-issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Winner Takes It All</span> 1980 song by ABBA

"The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group's seventh studio album, Super Trouper (1980), it is a ballad in the key of G-flat major, reflecting on the end of a relationship. The single's B-side was the non-album track "Elaine". The song peaked at No.1 in several countries, including the UK, where it became their eighth chart-topper. It was also the group's final top 10 hit in the United States. It was written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with Agnetha Fältskog singing the lead vocal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lay All Your Love on Me</span> 1981 single by ABBA

"Lay All Your Love on Me" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA for their seventh studio album, Super Trouper (1980). The song was not intended to be a single but after a remixed version gained popularity in nightclubs, the song was released as the album's sixth and final single in the summer of 1981, eight months after the album's release. At the time, it was the highest selling 12-inch record in UK chart history, where it peaked at No. 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)</span> 1979 song by ABBA

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle (ABBA song)</span> 1978 single by ABBA

"Eagle" is a song recorded in 1977 by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the opening track on their fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1978), and at 5 minutes 51 seconds, the longest they ever released. As the third and final official single from the album, it was issued in a limited number of territories. These did not include the United States, where an intended release was cancelled, or United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey, Honey</span> 1974 single by ABBA

"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo, after the success of the title track at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bang-A-Boomerang</span> ABBA song, first sung by Svenne & Lotta

"Bang-A-Boomerang" is a song by ABBA, first released by Svenne & Lotta. The track was first recorded as a demo with English lyrics in September 1974 by the ABBA musicians for their eponymous album ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson and at one point had the working title "Stop and Listen to Your Heart". The lyrics compare the "message of love" with the returning boomerangs which the Aboriginal Australians developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thank You for the Music</span> 1977 song by ABBA

"Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album, The Album (1977), and was released as a double-A sided single with "Eagle" in May 1978 in limited territories, namely Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and Australia. In South Africa where it peaked at number 2 in August 1978 and became the eighteenth best-selling single of that year.

<i>Oro: Grandes Éxitos</i> 1992 compilation album by ABBA

ABBA Oro: Grandes Éxitos is a greatest hits compilation album by ABBA, first released by Polydor in the United States in 1992, in which the songs are sung in Spanish. This album is the Spanish equivalent of their Gold: Greatest Hits album. The included songs were originally released on Gracias Por La Música in early 1980. It was certified Gold in Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When All Is Said and Done</span> 1981 single by ABBA

"When All Is Said and Done" is a song recorded in 1981 by Swedish pop group ABBA, and is featured on the group's eighth studio album, The Visitors. The track – with lead vocals by Anni-Frid Lyngstad – was released as a single in the United States on 31 December 1981 on Atlantic 3889, and reached No. 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Put on Your White Sombrero</span> Song by ABBA

"Put on Your White Sombrero" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA, recorded during sessions for the band's 1980 album Super Trouper. It had the working titles "Spansk II", "Pig Party On Mallorca" and "Padre". Although recorded in Polar Studios in September 1980, the song did not make it to the final track list of the album.

<i>Abbacadabra</i> French musical

ABBAcadabra is a French children's musical based on songs from the pop group ABBA. It was originally produced for French television in 1983 by Alain Boublil and Daniel Boublil, which was later also transferred to an English stage version and two other television programs. The story was not always the same as the selection of the chosen songs varied by productions.

"Andante, Andante" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA for the album Super Trouper. It was released as a single in only two countries, El Salvador and Argentina. It was written by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus on 9 April 1980 at Polar Music studios. Initially, this song was called "Hold Me Close". Anni-Frid Lyngstad handles the lead vocals.

"If It Wasn't for the Nights" is a song recorded in 1978 by the Swedish pop group ABBA for their sixth studio album, Voulez-Vous.

<i>Thank You for the Music</i> (album) 1983 compilation album by ABBA

Thank You for the Music is a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in November 1983 in the United Kingdom by the record company Epic. The compilation features 14 tracks, including the singles "I Have a Dream", "Chiquitita" and "The Day Before You Came". It also contains the Spanish version of "Fernando", which was the first time this version was released in the UK.

References

  1. "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 6 June 1981. p. 12. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  2. David Kent (2006). Australian Charts Book 1993—2005. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. p. 10. ISBN   978-0-646-45889-2.
  3. "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". Kent Music Report. 4 January 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2022 via Imgur.
  4. "Raffa – On And on And On (12") at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  5. "Abbacadabra | We Love ABBA: The Almighty 12" Collection". Almighty Records.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  6. On & On & On featuring Ebba - Congratulations Björn & Benny - 100 years of duality on YouTube