Take a Chance on Me

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This article is about the ABBA song. For other uses, see Take a Chance on Me (disambiguation).

"Take a Chance on Me"
Single by ABBA
from the album ABBA: The Album
B-side"I'm a Marionette"
ReleasedJanuary 1978
Recorded15 August 1977
StudioMarcus Music Studio
Genre
Length4:05
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"The Name of the Game"
(1977) 		"Take a Chance on Me"
(1978) 		"Eagle/Thank You for the Music"
(1978)
Music video
"Take A Chance on Me" on YouTube

"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.

Background and release[edit]

The working title of "Take a Chance on Me" was "Billy Boy".[1] (An excerpt of “Billy Boy” was released on the 1994 box set Thank You for the Music, as part of the track ABBA Undeleted, which consisted of demos, early and alternate versions of completed songs, and unfinished songs.) Written and recorded in 1977 by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, the song was one of ABBA's first singles in which their manager Stig Anderson did not assist with writing the lyrics, confirming Andersson and Ulvaeus as a songwriting partnership.[2]

The song's origins sprang from Ulvaeus, a keen runner, who would repeat a "tck-a-ch"-style rhythm to pace himself.[2] This evolved into "take-a-chance" and the eventual lyrics.[3] Roger Palm, the drummer on the track, described the song as "ABBA at their most energetic and forceful".[2]

The single's B-side was "I'm a Marionette", which, like "Thank You for the Music" and "I Wonder (Departure)" (the B-side to their previous single, "The Name of the Game"), was part of a mini-musical entitled The Girl With the Golden Hair performed during their 1977 concert tour.[2]

Reception[edit]

Billboard described "Take a Chance on Me" as "one of [ABBA's] most busy, fast paced productions."[4] Cash Box said that the vocals "are intricately arranged to produce a wall of sound."[5] Record World called it a "pleasing tune, very well arranged" with "one of pop's most captivating acappella openings since Blue Swede tackled 'Hooked On A Feeling.'" [6]

"Take a Chance on Me" proved to be one of ABBA's most successful chart hits, becoming the group's seventh UK number one (and third consecutive chart-topper in the country after "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "The Name of the Game").[7] It was also ABBA's final number one in the UK of the 1970s and gave the group the distinction of being the act with the most chart-topping singles of the 1970s in the UK. It sold and streamed over 600,000 units to receive a platinum disc.[8] As of September 2021, it is the group's fourth-biggest song in the country with 950,000 chart sales (including 882,000 pure sales).[9]

In the United States it reached number three and was certified gold for one million sales.[10] The song peaked at number three in Canada and West Germany as well.[11][12]

"Take a Chance on Me" has been widely regarded as one of ABBA's finest songs. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number two on their list of the 15 greatest ABBA songs,[13] and in 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the song number nine on their list of the 25 greatest ABBA songs.[14]

Personnel[edit]

Additional musicians[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications and sales[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Gold 75,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[41] Gold 45,000‡
Kenya — 10,000[42]
Portugal — 20,000[43]
United Kingdom (BPI)[8] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 1,000,000^
United States
Digital 		— 234,000[45]
Summaries
Worldwide
physical sales 		— 2,000,000[46]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Erasure version[edit]

"Take a Chance on Me"
Single by Erasure
from the album Abba-esque
Released1 June 1992 (1992-06-01)[47]
Genre
Length
  • 3:45
  • 3:26 (radio edit)
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dave Bascombe
Erasure singles chronology
"Breath of Life"
(1992) 		"Take a Chance on Me"
(1992) 		"Who Needs Love Like That" (Hamburg Mix)
(1992)
Music video
"Take a Chance on Me" on YouTube

The track was covered by English synth-pop duo Erasure in 1992 as part of their Abba-esque EP with an additional ragga-style toast performed by MC Kinky added to the song. In a few countries, the cover was credited to "Erasure featuring Special K", due to MC Kinky referring to herself as "Special K" during the ragga rap. In the United States, it reached number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.[50] Although it had earned enough charting points to reach the publication's main Hot 100 chart, it was not eligible to enter as it had not been released commercially as a single.[51] The radio edit omits the ragga rap.

Critical reception[edit]

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Track maintains the cool kitsch of the original, while giving it electro-hip instrumentation and a jolting-but-pleasing toast interlude by MC Kinky. A must for adventurous popsters, while remixes have considerable club potential."[52] Amy Linden from Entertainment Weekly found that Erasure "reverently tarts up" the song "as keyboard whiz Vince Clarke pumps the '70s gems full of '92 club aggression." She also stated that the duo "pay respect with a frothy testimonial that has its tongue in the right place."[53] In an 2011 retrospective review, Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger noted that the whole project "roars to life exactly once, when MC Kinky takes over for thirty delightful, crass seconds in the middle of "Take a Chance on Me" and shows the song a little creative disrespect at last."[54] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report asked, "ABBA goes techno?", and concluded that this updated version "retains much of the flavor in the original with hip production elements added."[55] Howard Cohen from Knight-Ridder Newspapers declared it as a "bouncy remake".[56] Everett True from Melody Maker felt their cover of the song "bleeds. Seriously."[57] David Quantick from NME remarked its "sheer Swedishness".[58]

Music video[edit]

Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell played dual roles – as themselves and in drag (Clarke as Fältskog and Bell as Lyngstad) – in a music video heavily influenced by ABBA's original. It was directed by Philippe Gautier.[59] MC Kinky (aka. Caron Geary), who sings the reggae/dancehall rap part, also appears in an interlude in the video.[60]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1992) Peak
position
Europe (European Dance Radio)[61] 11
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[62] 14
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[63] 51
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[64] 10

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cole, Ian (23 February 2020). ABBA: Song by Song. Fonthill Media. p. 97.
  2. ^ a b c d e Palm, Carl Magnus (2005). Abba : the complete guide to their music. London: Omnibus Press. pp. 44–50. ISBN 1-84449-505-1. OCLC 60589495.
  3. ^ "Frida and Bjorn Interview - The Nation's Favourite ABBA Song - Part II". YouTube. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2014.[dead YouTube link]
  4. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 29 April 1978. p. 80. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  5. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 22 April 1978. p. 52. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 29 April 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. ^ Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 122. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
  8. ^ a b "British single certifications – ABBA – Take A Chance on Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  9. ^ UK Official Charts ABBA's Official Top 20 biggest songs
  10. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  11. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca.
  12. ^ "Suche - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de.
  13. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (14 August 2017). "ABBA's 15 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  14. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2 September 2021). "The 25 Best ABBA Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  15. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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  20. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "ABBA". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 8. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
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  43. ^ Fernando, Tenente (8 November 1979). "ABBA the World - Portugal". Billboard. p. ABBA-30. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
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  46. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 451. ISBN 0668064595. It sold over 500,000 in Britain, over 1,000,000 in the U.S.A. and with sales elsewhere an estimated tally of over two million
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  48. ^ Oliver, Nic (23 February 2009). "Erasure – Total Pop! The First 40 Hits". musicOMH. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
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  56. ^ Cohen, Howard (6 August 1995). "Can't duck disco". p. 4E. Wisconsin State Journal.
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  61. ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. 19 September 1992. p. 24. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
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  64. ^ "Erasure Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 January 2022.

External links[edit]

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