Voulez-Vous
Occupation
- Synthesizer / Keyboard / Vocals: Benny Andersson
- Vocals: Agnetha Fältskog
- Vocals: Anni -Frid Lyngstad
- Banjo / guitar / vocals Björn Ulvaeus
Production
- Benny Andersson
- Björn Ulvaeus
Voulez -Vous is the sixth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in 1979 and is the only work of the group, which was not produced exclusively in Sweden, but also in Florida.
- 4.1 album
- 4.2 Singles
- 4.3 single releases in other countries
Music style
Voulez -Vous is now mostly considered that album of ABBA, which corresponded to the disco style of the late 70s already in broad outline. However, some pop ballads were among the recorded song, which Voulez -Vous also can not be defined as pure " disco album". In addition to comfortable dance beats and strong rhythms emphasized even gentle piano passages and quiet guitar accompaniment characterize the musical style of the album.
Genesis
After a further chart success with Take a Chance on Me, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus devoted to recording a new album in the spring of 1978. The aspect should be considered in particular to address with the new compositions also the U.S. market. In order to achieve this goal, they worked not only on the development of new songs, but also planned an advertising campaign for the U.S., which should be 1978 performed in the spring and summer and represent the taste of a planned concert tour in the spring of 1979 should. It was also planned at the beginning of the recording sessions to finish at the end of 1978, the album and publish it.
We started with the two songs Lovers ( Live a Little Longer ) and Lovelight in March 1978. According to a promotional visit to the USA from late April to early May, was taken in the coming month Summer Night City, which is thus the first in which at the same time opened " Polar Music Studio " recording, ABBA song. In August, the sessions were continued with The King Has Lost His Crown and in September finally appeared with Summer Night City the first single of the recording sessions. Although the piece in its development phase had been a problem child of the composer, it could become very successful place in the Swedish charts and reached # 1 on the charts, so it was the third number -one hit in Sweden after ABBA Dancing Queen. Although it was planned to publish the single in autumn in the U.S., but there was no publication date of the new album known and the president of Atlantic Records, Jerry Greenberg, a single would not go through without a rapid subsequent album, was Publish canceled.
After the two songs Angel Eyes and If It Was not for the Nights were recorded in October 1978, the group was dedicated in November, a ten-day promotional tour in Japan. Although Japanese music experts thought in advance, ABBA would reach there by far not the same success as in Europe and Australia, they convinced the Japanese audience through media interviews, TV appearances and a private TV special. Just one week after her departure arrived Summer Night City at # 1 in various singles charts, as well as the previous albums Greatest Hits, Arrival and The Album in the "Top Ten" of the album charts.
Between ABBA's return to Sweden, other promotional appearances for example, in the UK and the continuation of the recordings, the album's production was also overshadowed by the separation of Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus. After there had been private differences since 1977, the conflict came to a head until the end of 1978 so far that Fältskog moved out after Christmas with the kids out of the house. Later, she noted with regard to the album: "I 'm not sure if the production perhaps due to its was better. We threw all our feelings with the scales. Besides, we also talk to each other about the respective texts, of which at Voulez -Vous are some very personal nature. Many things run on an emotional level; on the stage, in the studio, but also private, and this resonates with the plates always with a little. "
In December, followed by the recording of Chiquitita, who finished in the same month, and was first performed in January 1979 as a contribution to UNICEF charity concert of the "International Year of the Child " in New York. Immediately released as a single, while the song became a hit in Europe, and he came to the U.S. to still unknown reasons until October on the market. Also in January 1979 came Andersson and Ulvaeus on a trip to the Bahamas in order to gain inspiration for new songs. Among other things, they were anxious to hear a lot of music from American radio stations and to gain as more distance from the more outdated hits from the Swedish radio. When the two returned from their trip to Sweden, and thereby also experience as well as basic tracks were made in the " Criteria Studios " based in Miami, was the recording of the album in late March 1979, the song Does Your Mother Know, Voulez -Vous, I have a Dream, Kisses of Fire and As Good As New are completed.
The LP Voulez -Vous was published on 23 April 1979 in Sweden and four days later in the UK. It includes a total of four single releases. Shortly before the group started in the autumn of 1979 on her next major tour of the United States and Europe, the new song was Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight ) recorded and released in October as a single. It is true that Summer Night City Lovelight and not included, in addition to the last -called Tracklist of the album, however, they were included on the International remastered CD of 2001.
Title list
Page 1
Page 2
Between 1997 and 2001 a digitally reworked version was released.
Publications and chart success
Album
Voulez -Vous reached # 1 on the album charts, including Germany, Switzerland, the UK and Japan in eleven countries. In seven other countries, the LP came in the top ten, for example, in Austria, France and Australia. Due to high demand on interviews of media from around the world, the group renounced after the publication on your own promotional tour.
Singles
The first single Chiquitita took place in February 1979 and was the first single in a year, their success to satisfied the band. It was a hit, but also in Spain and some Latin American countries, not only in many European countries. Published in the spring and summer singles Does Your Mother Know Voulez -Vous and could not build on this success and posted in the sales charts only mediocre success. In the UK, however, the title Angel Eyes was as a single A-side very popular and reached number 3 on the charts.
Following their major tour of the U.S. and Europe still came in December 1979 I Have a Dream on the market. This single was released with a live version of Take a Chance on Me on the B - side, which had been recorded at the Wembley Arena in London. This publication proved in numerous European countries as successful again.
Single releases in other countries
- As Good as New / I Have a Dream - Mexico (# 1 - october 1979-2 wk. )
- Angel Eyes / Voulez -Vous - United Kingdom ( # 3 - 7/14/1979 - 11 wk. )
Sources and Literature
- Carl Magnus Palm: Abba. Story and songs compact. Bosworth Edition, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-86543-227-8 ( German translation: Cecilia Senge )
- Carl Magnus Palm: light and shadow. ABBA - The True Story. Bosworth Edition, Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-86543-100-4 ( German translation: Helmut Müller)
- Http://www.abba-world.net/