"SOS" | ||||
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Single by ABBA | ||||
from the album ABBA | ||||
B-side | "Man in the Middle" | |||
Released | June 1975 | |||
Recorded | 22–23 August 1974 | |||
Studio | Glen Studio | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | Polar (Sweden) Epic (UK) Atlantic (US) Mushroom/Warner Bros. (Oceania) | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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ABBA singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"SOS" on YouTube |
"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. [3]
It was released with "Man in the Middle" as the B-side. Agnetha Fältskog, who sang lead, recorded the song in Swedish on her 1975 solo album Elva kvinnor i ett hus . [4] "SOS" was ABBA's first major worldwide hit since "Waterloo".
"SOS" (working title; "Turn Me On") was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson and was recorded at Glen Studio in Långängen, Sweden on 22–23 August 1974. [5] The title itself was coined by Stig, though the lyrics he provided were re-written by Ulvaeus. [3] "SOS" was among the first of three songs recorded for the group's 1975 album, ABBA and the opening track of their classic Greatest Hits LP released at the end of the same year.
The song opens with a piano intro, followed by the first verse sung by Fältskog. Biographer Carl Magnus Palm described it as 'Agnetha's first 'heartbreak classic, wherein the tear-filled vocal delivery, her trademark, would blend a pop melody, with a dash of melancholy. [3] The song features a heavy influence from the Wall of Sound instrumentation of Phil Spector and the melodies of the Beach Boys. [6]
Lyricist Ulvaeus has said that, after three years of trying to figure out what style would define them, ABBA found its identity as a pop group with the release of "SOS", [7] while Palm described it as 'pure ABBA'. [3]
During the band's first visit to the United States, ABBA performed "SOS" on the long-running television programs American Bandstand and Saturday Night Live on 15 November 1975. [8] [9] The promotional video was directed by Lasse Hallström and released in the same year, along with the single. [10] The video and three others (for "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", "Mamma Mia" and "Bang-A-Boomerang"), were completed in two days for a total cost of Kr 50,000 (£5,500). [5] The video was uploaded to YouTube on 8 October 2009, on the AbbaVEVO channel, and has 88 million views as of February 2024. [11]
The song is also featured in the concert film ABBA: The Movie (1977), Good Night Oppy (2022), and Live at Wembley Arena , released in 2014. [12]
I remember hearing "S.O.S". on the radio in the States and realizing that it was Abba. But it was too late, because I was already transported by it. I just thought it was such a great sound, you know – great bass drum and the whole thing...
"SOS" marked a significant turnaround in ABBA's fortunes and returned them to the Top 10 in many countries. [13] Reaching #6 and #4 respectively, "SOS" started a run of 18 consecutive Top 10 hits for ABBA in the UK and Ireland. [14] [15] "SOS" reached #1 in Australia, Belgium, France, West Germany (where it spent 7 weeks at the top), New Zealand and South Africa, and was a Top 3 hit in Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy (where it became ABBA's most successful hit), Mexico, Rhodesia and Switzerland. The song also became ABBA's second Top 20 hit in the United States, peaking at #15. [16] [17]
As of September 2021, it is ABBA's 19th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams. [18]
Chicago radio station WLS, which gave "SOS" much airplay, ranked the song as the 61st biggest hit of 1975. [19] It peaked at number six on their survey of 22 November 1975. [20]
"SOS" has been recorded and performed in concert by several prominent artists, including John Frusciante, Peter Cetera, Chris deBurgh, Cher, Portishead, Fozzy, and Canadian rock group Headstones. English synth-pop duo Erasure covered "SOS" and three other ABBA songs on their 1992 Abba-esque EP, reaching number one in the UK singles chart. [21]
Ray Davies of The Kinks said that he was taken with the song after seeing the group perform it on the BBC television show Seaside Special . [22] Pete Townshend said the song had "a great sound". [23]
American singer-songwriter and former Czars frontman John Grant has called "SOS" "one of the greatest pieces of music ever made", adding that Agnetha Fältskog's "perfect" lyrical interpretation and emotional delivery is "a beautiful thing". [7] British conductor and producer Charles Hazlewood called the song's "supersonic" transition from an acoustic D-minor key to an electric rock motif "absolutely genius". [7]
Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock has claimed to have been inspired to write the main riff of "Pretty Vacant" after hearing "SOS" on a jukebox. [24]
ABBA's performance of "SOS" on American Bandstand in 1975 has been included on lists of the most significant performances in the show's 31 seasons by several reviewers and critics. Bill Lamb put the song at number five, [25] as did Alicia Diaz Dennis [26] and Andres Jauregui. [27]
ABBA performed "SOS" on episode five of the inaugural season of the long-running comedy-variety show Saturday Night Live (SNL) on 15 November 1975. [28] SNL head writer Michael O'Donoghue staged the performance on a set of the deck of the Titanic and continued the sketch while the band were performing, according to bandleader Paul Shaffer, "They kept on singing like the pros that they are." [29]
To date, the song is the only US Hot 100 or UK Official Charts single (or #1 single in Australia [30] ) in which both the title and the artist are palindromes. [31] [32]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "SOS" |
| 3:24 |
2. | "Man in the Middle" |
| 3:04 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
France | — | 500,000 [65] |
Germany | — | 500,000 [66] |
Japan (RIAJ) [67] 2001 release | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [68] digital sales since 2004 | Gold | 400,000‡ |
Yugoslavia [69] | Silver | 60,000 [69] |
Summaries | ||
Europe | — | 4,000,000 [70] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"SOS" | ||||
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Single by Agnetha Fältskog | ||||
from the album Elva kvinnor i ett hus | ||||
B-side | "Visa I Åttonde Månaden" | |||
Released | November 1975 | |||
Studio | Glen Studio | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | Cupol | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Agnetha Fältskog singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"SOS" on YouTube |
Agnetha Fältskog's version was the second single from her fifth Swedish solo-album Elva kvinnor i ett hus (Eleven Women in One House). [3] It was the only song from this album not to have been composed by Fältskog herself.
Despite the fact that Fältskog never promoted the single in Sweden, it peaked at No. 4 on the singles chart on 1 January 1976 during a 20-week chart run, and it also became Fältskog's third No. 1 on radio chart Svensktoppen, entering the chart on 22 November 1975 and spending a total of eleven weeks on the listing. [71]
The B-side of the single, "Visa I Åttonde Månaden" (Song in the Eighth Month) was a song written from a very personal perspective, as it was composed during Fältskog's pregnancy with daughter Linda Ulvaeus in 1973. [5]
"SOS" | ||||
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Single by Cher | ||||
from the album Dancing Queen | ||||
Released | 23 August 2018 | |||
Recorded | 2018 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Mark Taylor | |||
Cher singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"SOS" on YouTube |
American singer Cher's version was the second single from her 2018 album Dancing Queen . It was released on 23 August 2018. [72] The song peaked at number 56 in the Scottish singles chart in August of that year. [73]
Writing for Rolling Stone , Brittany Spanos felt that "working with producer Mark Taylor who helped seal Cher’s legacy with the game-changing "Believe" in the late Nineties, she finds subtle changes that update ABBA classics without totally stripping them of the catchiness that made those songs beloved hits well beyond their heyday. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)," "SOS" and "Mamma Mia" are given just enough of a knob turn that they're transformed from upbeat FM radio pop into club bangers, pulsating with every beat." [74]
An accompanying music video for "SOS" was directed by Jake Wilson, and was premiered through Cher's official YouTube channel on 18 September 2018. The video features Rumer Willis, singer Betty Who, Transparent star Trace Lysette, comedian Sabrina Jalees, Elena of Avalor voice actor Aimee Carrero and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend cast member Vella Lovell. It was styled by fashion director William Graper in a similar fashion to the original ABBA video. [75] It was also listed as the 18th best music video of 2018 by Paper . Roytel Montero said that "in a studied homage to the original ABBA classic from 1975, [the] interpretation of the video renders it a poignant call to female solidarity". [76]
Cher appeared on The Ellen Show on 7 September 2018, to promote her ABBA tribute album, Dancing Queen. During her appearance on Ellen, Cher also performed her rendition of ABBA’s "SOS" and discussed her upcoming world tour. [77] During her Here We Go Again Tour she performs "SOS" together with "Waterloo" and "Fernando". [78] On 31 October 2018 "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" and "Take Me Home" were cut from her Classic Cher concert residency and "Waterloo", "SOS" and "Fernando" were added. [79]
Credits for Dancing Queen adapted from AllMusic. [80]
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
CIS Airplay (TopHit) [81] | 688 |
Scotland (OCC) [82] | 56 |
UK Singles Sales (OCC) [83] | 78 |
ABBA were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, 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.
Agnetha Åse Fältskog, known as Agnetha Fältskog and AnnaFältskog, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and a member of the pop group ABBA. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 self-titled debut album. She rose to international stardom in the 1970s as a member of ABBA, which is one of the best-selling music acts in history. She is the youngest member of ABBA, and the only one born in the 1950s.
"Mamma Mia" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It is the opening track on the group's third album, the self-titled ABBA (1975). The song was released in September 1975 as its sixth single. It tells the story of the narrator's on-again, off-again relationship with a lover who is repeatedly unfaithful to her. The song's name is derived from Italian and literally translates as "my mother", but is used as an interjection in situations of surprise, anguish, or excitement. The song was ABBA's first number one in the UK since "Waterloo" in 1974.
"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.
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.
"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, reaching number one in several countries. It was the group's ninth and final number one on the UK Singles Chart and the fourth best-selling single in the UK that year, selling over 700,000 copies in that country alone.
Wrap Your Arms Around Me is the seventh studio album, and first English-language album, by Swedish singer and ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog. It was released on 31 May 1983, by Polar Music, and on 8 August in North America, by Polydor. Following the break-up of ABBA in late 1982, she met with record producer Mike Chapman in London, known for his work with Blondie. He began collaborating with Fältskog to take role by coming up with the album title and produced it thereafter. As with post-1979 ABBA releases, recording for Wrap Your Arms Around Me took place at Polar Music Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where Fältskog collaborated with songwriters and ABBA studio musicians to complete the album. The recording lasted for a span of three months during that time.
Elva kvinnor i ett hus is the fifth studio album by Swedish pop singer Agnetha Fältskog, released on 1 December 1975 by Cupol Records.
"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.
"Chiquitita" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1979 as the first single from Voulez-Vous (1979), the group's sixth album. Agnetha Fältskog performs the lead vocals. Originally, the track "If It Wasn't for the Nights" was going to be the album's lead single, but after "Chiquitita" was completed these plans were abandoned, and it remained an album track.
"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. It has since been covered by Pandora in 1995, A-Teens in 1999 and Cher in 2018. In 2017, Billboard named "One of Us" the fifth best Abba song in their list of "The 15 Best Abba Songs".
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses and choruses, with Fältskog singing two bridge sections solo. The song reached the top ten in both the UK and US, and was notably covered by the British band Erasure in 1992.
"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.
"Ring Ring ", in English: "Ring Ring ", titled simply as "Ring Ring" in the English single version, is a song by Swedish group ABBA, released as the title track of their 1973 debut album.
"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.
"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.
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"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the third single to be released from their third studio album, ABBA (1975). The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and their manager Stig Anderson, and was released in April 1975 with "Rock Me" as the B-side.
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"When You Walk in the Room" is a song written and recorded by Jackie DeShannon. It was initially released as a single on November 23, 1963, as the B-side to "Till You Say You'll Be Mine". It was re-released as an A-side in September 1964, and later included on the album Breakin' It Up on the Beatles Tour. The single charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 99.
It was another triumph for the group, mainly in Europe where it sold four million