♫ Dancing Queen ♫

Posted on by under music

I was in the mood for something upbeat tonight, so I hope you are too.

Dancing Queen is a Europop song by the Swedish group ABBA (wait … they’re Swedish?  I never knew that!  Is that why they write one of the ‘B’s backward?) and was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson.  Released in 1976, it became a #1 hit in a number of countries, including both the UK and the U.S.  The genre is considered to be ‘Europop’, a version of American disco, and lyrically is about a visit to the discotheque, but approaches the subject from the joy of dancing itself.

The song has some claim to fame as it was televised on Swedish TV during an all-star gala staged by Kjerstin Dellert at the Royal Swedish Opera in honour of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his bride-to-be, Silvia Sommerlath, who were married the next day.  Then in 1993, in honour of Queen Silvia’s 50th birthday, Anni-Frid Lyngstad was asked to perform “Dancing Queen” on stage, repeating ABBA’s 1976 performance of the song at the pre-wedding gala.

Dancing Queen
ABBA

Ooh
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Dig in the dancing queen

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for a place to go
Where they play the right music
Getting in the swing
You come to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music’s high
With a bit of rock music
Everything is fine
You’re in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance

You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
Only seventeen
Dancing queen
Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Dig in the dancing queen

You’re a teaser, you turn ’em on
Leave ’em burning and then you’re gone
Looking out for another
Anyone will do
You’re in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance

You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
Only seventeen
Dancing queen
Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Dig in the dancing queen
Dig in the dancing queen

Songwriters: Benny Goran Bror Andersson / Bjoern K. Ulvaeus / Stig Anderson
Dancing Queen lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

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40 thoughts on “♫ Dancing Queen ♫”

  2. Pingback: ♫ Dancing Queen ♫ – Deborahs Designs

      • I put it off too long. I tend to avoid the hyped movies..my own little “tick”, especially anything dubbed ‘chick flick’. But that movie just makes you wanna danceand sing and hang out with old friends, love your kids, believe in lost love and visit Greece! It’s a great forray into fun with abandon.

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        • I absolutely avoid “chick flick” like the plague, both in movies and in books. Cannot read romance at all. That said, as long as the main theme is adventure or humour or intrigue, I can live with a bit of romance tossed in for balance. 😉 But so many readers have recommended Mama Mia that I just have to try it out.

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          • I look forward to your thoughts once you do. I have a top five and this one is in it. Notting Hill, Serendipity, Overboard, Phantom of the Opera, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hunger Games, Harry Potter…oh my! I am a movie addict. But only really good ones. 😏😉

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              • Oh my, between books and movies I need an entire room. Had to do a purge when we moved to Costa Rica. The thing is, when I love a film I have to buy it, just like my favorite books. 😱I have movies I msut had to own but would break my heart to watch again. Powder, Pay It Forward….

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                • I don’t watch many movies, for I am nearly deaf and have to have closed-captioning, the reading of which takes away from the entertainment of the movie. But books … they are my downfall, my vice … and I have so many that they have overflowed the shelves and every horizontal surface in this house! Like you, I have some that I will never read again, for there are simply too many left to read and too little time, but I am unwilling to part with them, for they are old friends.

                  Now, I must ask … do you still live in Costa Rica?

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                  • Sadly, no. Life circumstances brought us back to the states..twice. I miss it a lot and still have deat friends there. In fact, she just sent me a little care pkg the other day with some CR gifts. You can read about our life there on the old blog Tropicalaffair.me or costaricatropicalaffair. These days since I started the new blog and they are connected I have a tough time getting to those older posts. But they are there. Part of my heart will always be there. It was my husband’s dream to retire and move there. He would still like that….

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  5. I LOVE ABBA!!!! You did not know that ABBA is from Sweden? The name ABBA came from the first letters of each of the members names : Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid. The backwards B, if memory serves this devoted fan correctly, and I think it does this time…was an accident that happened during a photo shoot in about 1976. One of the guys, Benny I think, accidentally had the letter held backwards and from then on it appeared as such on album covers. The earliest ones were not that way and became collectors items. My favorite album is the 1977 The Album, that has some of my most favorite songs Take a Chance on Me and Thank You for the Music. I also love the later song The Winner Takes it All, although in truth I just love all of their songs. Dancing Queen is also one of the very favorite ones too! Watch their 1977 documentary “ABBA : The Movie”. The song Mamma Mia was also used in “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”…a 1994 Austrailian film about two drag queens, a transgender woman and a tour bus named Priscilla…many other artists songs are also in this hit! Thank-you for the music!

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    • WOW! You know more about this song and group than Songfacts & Wikipedia combined! No, I am a pop-culture dud … a regular nerd. When it comes to music, I know what I like and that’s about the extent of it. Thank YOU for the heads up about their documentary, and all the other information! Next time, I’ll just … Ask Ellen! ♫

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      • WOW…right back at you! YOU just made my day and it’s only 7:37 AM!! Take time from your busier than busy day to watch a few of these things, just for the pure fun of it!! Thank-YOU again!!

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        • I’m happy I could start your day with a smile, even though I cannot ensure that it will remain all day. I will … I’m trying to take a bit of time away from all the angst, but it draws me back like a magnet.

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    • Now, whyever would you be ashamed to admit to liking this song and having danced to it? Hmmm … The Village People … now there’s one I haven’t thought about for a while. Thanks for the idea! Hugs, Jack … smile & be happy! ❤

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  11. Oh, Jill, don’t tell me you haven’t seen Mama Mia (the first film)?!!! You MUST get a copy, however you can, I bought the DVD to play when Larry is away and I sing along to Dancing Queen waving my arms in the air and feel GREAT!! Seriously, do it, for me! I’ll feel better about how stressed you must be 🙂 And they have a karaoke version …

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