What About Livingstone?

Last updated

"What About Livingstone?"
Song by ABBA
from the album Waterloo
Released4 March 1974
Genre Pop
Length2:54
Label Polar
Songwriter(s) Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
Producer(s) Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
Audio
"What About Livingstone" on YouTube

"What About Livingstone?" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1974 album Waterloo .

Contents

Synopsis

The song is about the 19th-century British missionary and explorer David Livingstone. The Guardian described it as a song that "admonished Swedish youth for their disinterest in great explorers". [1]

The song mentions Livingstone "travelling up the Nile". Livingstone made 4 great journeys into Africa, three of them starting in Cape Town, South Africa and the last at Zanzibar. None of the routes travelled on the Nile which lay far to the north. He may have crossed sections of the headwaters of Nile on his final expedition but he would not have known so as these areas were not considered to be in the Nile watershed until much later.

Composition

The vocals are provided by Agnetha and Frida. The song has a "catchy bass synth riff" in the chorus. An "innovative vocal countermelody" in these choruses marks the start of a "steady rise in complexity when it came to vocal arrangements". [2]

Critical reception

The Guardian said the song had "weird lyrics". [3] The Telegraph seems baffled that such a song exists, commenting "believe it or not, there’s an Abba song called What About Livingstone?". [4] Abba - Uncensored on the Record suggests What About Livingstone? and King Kong Song were novelty songs. It said What About Livingstone? was "catchy" and "nice", though adds that there is nothing special about it. [5] Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba says that both songs "get by on their whimsical charm". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People Need Love</span> 1972 single by Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid

"People Need Love" is the debut single recorded in March 1972 by Swedish pop group ABBA, at the time known as 'Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid'. The song was on the group's first album, Ring Ring, released in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Day Before You Came</span> 1982 song by ABBA

"The Day Before You Came" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in October 1982 as the lead single from the compilation album The Singles: The First Ten Years.

"Intermezzo No. 1" is an instrumental track from Swedish pop group ABBA's self-titled third album, released in April 1975. It was the first of only two tracks by the group not to contain lyrics; the other was the title track of their 1976 release, Arrival. It is the only purely instrumental ABBA song however, as Arrival includes "a static layer of rich harmony vocals". On the cover, the song was credited as "Intermezzo No.1 featuring Benny Andersson".

"Dum Dum Diddle" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1976 album Arrival. In 1977 it was released as a promo single in Argentina on the RCA label.

"Me and I" is a song from ABBA's 1980 album Super Trouper. As with much of ABBA's 1980s output, the song features use of a synthesizer, and some have classified the song as synthpop. Anni-Frid Lyngstad handles the lead vocals.

"The Piper" is a track from the 1980 album Super Trouper, by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song is loosely based on the famous story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, but lyricist Björn Ulvaeus cites the novel The Stand by Stephen King as a source of inspiration. It is regarded by some ABBA fans as being very different from the more mainstream songs they had recorded until this time. In particular, the dark lyrics dealing with the seduction by fascistic leaders and a somewhat medieval sound are not seen in their earlier songs. It is also the only ABBA song where a part of the refrain is in Latin, and has gained a small cult following among ABBA fans.

"I Saw It in the Mirror" is a song by Swedish pop band ABBA, released on their 1973 album Ring Ring.

<i>Dick Cavett Meets ABBA</i> TV series or program

Dick Cavett Meets ABBA is a 1981 television special featuring the Swedish pop group being interviewed by the American television personality Dick Cavett. ABBA also took to the stage, performing nine songs in a so-called "mini-concert". A one-off broadcast was filmed and produced by Sveriges Television (SVT) in Stockholm, Sweden and broadcast 12 September 1981 as "Dick Cavett Meets ABBA".

<i>Dark Orgasm</i> 2005 studio album by Julian Cope

Dark Orgasm is the twenty-first solo album by Julian Cope, released in 2005. It contains eight songs of guitar-heavy hard rock split into two short CDs. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described the album as "a roughly recorded Stooges-meets-prog concept album about atheism and feminism". It was dedicated to "Freedom and Equality for Women".

"One Man, One Woman" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1977 album ABBA: The Album. It is that album's third track after "Eagle" and "Take a Chance on Me". Composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, it has appeared on several compilation albums over the years, such as 1998's Love Stories and 2012's The Essential Collection.

"Soldiers" is an ABBA song, released on their 1981 album The Visitors. Its working title was "Peasants".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovers (Live a Little Longer)</span> 1979 song by ABBA

"Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1979 album Voulez-Vous.

"Should I Laugh or Cry" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as the B-side to the 1981 singles "One of Us" and "When All Is Said and Done" for the album The Visitors. Lead vocals were handled by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It first appeared on the 1983 compilation album Thank You for the Music.

"I Let the Music Speak" is a song by ABBA, featured as the first track to side two of their 1981 album The Visitors. It is the fifth-longest ABBA track, after "Eagle", "The Day Before You Came", "The Visitors", and "Chiquitita".

"Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1973 album Ring Ring.

"Tiger" is a song by the Swedish pop band ABBA. The song was released on the 1976 album Arrival.

"I Wonder (Departure)" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1977 album ABBA: The Album. It was originally part of the ABBA-produced mini-musical The Girl with the Golden Hair, which they performed at the end of each of their 1977 concert tours.

"My Mama Said" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1974 album Waterloo. It was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

"Hole in Your Soul" is a rock 'n' roll song by ABBA, released on their 1977 album ABBA: The Album. The song was a reworking of "Get On The Carousel", a number featured in the mini-musical The Girl with the Golden Hair, written by the group for their 1977 concert tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Response</span> Song written by Benny Andersson

"No Response" is a song written by Benny Andersson, first recorded by Swedish rock group Hep Stars and released as a single in September 1965. The song was written in response to criticism drawn from other Swedish beat groups, including Shanes and Tages for their inability to write own material.

References

  1. Petridis, Alexis (2005-10-28). "CD: Abba, The Complete Studio Recordings". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  2. Tesch, Christopher Patrick (2008). ABBA : let the music speak : an armchair guide to the musical soundscape of the Swedish supergroup (1st ed.). Fairfield Gardens, Qld.: Christopher J N Patrick. p. 16. ISBN   9780646496764.
  3. Petridis, Alexis (2005-10-28). "CD: Abba, The Complete Studio Recordings". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  4. Spencer, Charles (2009-03-22). "Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Woody Allen's new film comes highly recommended". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  5. Tobler, John (2012-01-04). Abba - Uncensored on the Record. Coda Books. ISBN   9781908538239.
  6. Palm, Carl Magnus (2008-09-01). Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9781847724199.