"Waterloo" is fifty years old

[Sits]

Just heard it playing in a cafe, checked and the single was released in March 1974

Still an absolute banger.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Although it didn't come to prominence until the following month, with the whole Eurovision-winning carry on.

The contest that year was held in Brighton, and I've used this in a quiz setting context, namely "which UK towns or cities have hosted the Eurovision Song Contest", and Brighton and Harrogate really do stretch people. Extending it to "which towns or cities in the UK and Ireland" really does set the cat among the pigeons.

Sorry yeah, it is indeed a banger.

[tee rex]

Terrific tune, no doubt.

I don't know if it was my ear wax, their diction or the sound quality of the time, but for years I heard "How does it feel that you won the war?" instead of "I was defeated ...". This was a confusing message but I sang along anyway.

Also: It's clearly "Mama", not "my my". The confusion in this relationship only grows.

[Sits]

for years I heard "How does it feel that you won the war?" instead of "I was defeated ...".

Until just now, in my case!

[tee rex]

Ah, good to know it wasn't just me, thanks.

I checked to see if the French gave them any votes but it seems they weren't there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovi...g_Contest_1974

And the UK gave Abba nothing! So, 50 years of hypocrisy ...

[Uncle Ethan]

Reminds me that the FM radio stations in Australia (well, most of them) play pretty much no music that is less than 40 years old; the equivalent of my generation being played only music from the 1930s and 1940s.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

for years I heard "How does it feel that you won the war?" instead of "I was defeated ...".

This is like finding out Darth was Luke's father. I'm going to struggle to concentrate on anything else today now.

[G-Man]

A few notes on ABBA's Eurovision win in 1974, and a mix of ABBA covers (their songs are very difficult to cover well).

[G-Man]

Terrific tune, no doubt.

I don't know if it was my ear wax, their diction or the sound quality of the time, but for years I heard "How does it feel that you won the war?" instead of "I was defeated ...". This was a confusing message but I sang along anyway.

Also: It's clearly "Mama", not "my my". The confusion in this relationship only grows.

Prompted by this thread, I was absent-mindedly singing "Waterloo" as I walked down the passage to the kitchen. Having just read this post and confirmed the misheard line by reading the lyrics, I was still singing: "How does it feel that you won the war?" I'm too old to change them now.

The lyrics do say "My my", however.

[Guy Profumo]

Just heard it playing in a cafe, checked and the single was released in March 1974

Still an absolute banger.

And famously nul points from the UK jury

[Sporting]

And famously nul points from the UK jury

As mentioned about three posts above.

[Guy Profumo]

At least they voted against it to try and scupper a rival, unlike the years when the Irish, Maltese, and French voted against the UK because they hated us

[slackster]

Another one here who always misheard the ‘I was defeated’ lyric. My world is now turned upside down.

[3 Colours Red]

At least they voted against it to try and scupper a rival, unlike the years when the Irish, Maltese, and French voted against the UK because they hated us

Only the Irish, Maltese and French? It seems like everybody's been at it the last 20 years or so, with one or two exceptions.

[Stumpy Pepys]

It only dawned on me fairly recently, how damned good the bass parts are on Abba recordings. I haven't looked up who played bass guitar for them in the studio, but they really drive the song.

[Guy Profumo]

It only dawned on me fairly recently, how damned good the bass parts are on Abba recordings. I haven't looked up who played bass guitar for them in the studio, but they really drive the song.

Something to add to my "thing I learnt today list"

Thanks for that!

[Jah Womble]

On first hearing Waterloo on the morning of the 1974 Eurovision, I told my sister that it would win. She (correctly, in theory) sneered at me, suggesting that, bar ONJ's rather limp UK offering, I hadn't heard any of the other songs. Which I hadn't.

But I was right, of course. Much to her chagrin.

[Sits]

A few notes on ABBA's Eurovision win in 1974, and a mix of ABBA covers (their songs are very difficult to cover well).

Thanks!

[Jon]

Having just read this post and confirmed the misheard line by reading the lyrics, I was still singing: "How does it feel that you won the war?" I'm too old to change them now.

Me too! This revelation is on a par with I wonder why/Oh what wow He's the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge.

[G-Man]

Ha, yeah, I was going to mention that.

[Sits]

I wonder why/Oh what wow He's the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge.

!

[diggedy derek]

Me too! This revelation is on a par with I wonder why/Oh what wow He's the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge.

“How does it feel to have won the war?” for me, too. It's... a much better lyric?

[Sits]

My particular version was “how does it feel now you won the war?”

[Gangster Octopus]

We grumpy teenage progs knew that Waterloo was a huge hit, when we saw the pre-competition films.

[tee rex]

It seems the people have spoken. Abba got it wrong.

Of course, what is written down as the intended lyric is not necessarily what is committed to vinyl and posterity. It's happened before in the music business. Especially when the young band has not yet made it big, so they're short on cash (therefore studio time), the sound engineer is tired and wants to go home, it's the 17th take and Agnetha and Frida are sick to death of the damn song. We can think of them as being like Bill Nighy in Love Actually, getting it wrong because they have one line stuck in their heads and it's better than the stupid one they're told to sing.

That's why I'll keep believing they open with "Mama" not "my my". Because with their Swedish accents, that's what they sing.

(To test this we'd need to find a focus group who have never heard it before, so probably about 5 years old. Any journalists reading, help yourselves to this idea, you could have a scoop).