Maps of Music

Super Trouper (1980)

Where the lyrics of Super Trouper take you, and where it was really made.

The title comes from a brand of followspot, and the cover was shot not in London but at a film studio in Stockholm.

Key places

Where the five tracks were recorded and mixed (1980)

Recording site Polar Studios — After the Barbados writing trip, the group returned to Polar Studios in Stockholm to record and mix five new tracks for the album in 1980. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Super Trouper: seventh studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA
• Released 3 November 1980 via Polar Music
• A pop and pop rock record
• Title taken from the spotlight of the same name
• Led by the international hit "The Winner Takes It All"
• Became the UK's best-selling album of 1980 despite the late release into the year
• Last album recorded while Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson were married; the two divorced in 1981

Background

• The album followed Voulez-Vous, which was noticeably more dance-oriented
• Probably due to the disco backlash of the time, ABBA returned to a more straightforward pop sound
• The divorce of Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog in the previous year was explored in "The Winner Takes It All"
• The members' lives in Stockholm high society circles coloured the lyrics for "On and On and On"
• Other well-known songs include the hit single title track "Super Trouper" and the electro-dance "Lay All Your Love on Me"

Recording

• In January 1980, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson went to Barbados to write songs, which resulted in five compositions
• The sessions were interrupted by a short tour in Japan in March
• The group recorded and mixed the five tracks at Polar Studios in Stockholm
• "The Winner Takes It All" was written in June and released as the first single from the album in July
• The title track was written in the studio in October as the last track, after "Put On Your White Sombrero" was dropped

Cover

• Album cover designer Rune Söderqvist chose the spotlight theme with circus performers
• The group failed to gain permission to shoot at Piccadilly Circus in central London
• They invited members of two local circuses to Europa Film Studios in Stockholm instead
• Friends of ABBA also appear on the cover, including Görel Hanser, Berka Bergkvist, Tomas Ledin and Anders Anderson

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
• Their name is an acronym of the members' first names; it was officially adopted in 1973.
• Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson first collaborated as songwriters in 1966 and became hit writers in 1969.
• Stig Anderson, founder of Polar Music, pushed the pair toward international success.

Members

• Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus were married from 1971 to 1980.
• Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad were married from 1978 to 1981.
• Fältskog sang lead and backing vocals; Lyngstad sang lead and backing vocals.
• Ulvaeus played guitar and sang; Andersson played keyboards and sang.

Career

• The group won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 for Sweden with "Waterloo".
• Hits include "Dancing Queen", "Fernando", "Mamma Mia" and "The Winner Takes It All".
• They disbanded in December 1982 after their final public performance.
• ABBA Gold, released in 1992, became a worldwide best-seller.
• Mamma Mia! the stage musical premiered in 1999 and was adapted into a 2008 film.
• The group reunited in 2016 and released the album Voyage in 2021.
• ABBA Voyage, a concert residency with digital avatars, opened in London in May 2022.
• In 2024 all four members were appointed Commanders, First Class, of the Royal Order of Vasa.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Record Mirror: five-star review, saying the album "put to shame most [other artists]"
• AllMusic (William Ruhlmann): noted the album reflects the passing of disco and a return to the pop/rock sound of their early albums
• Blender (Douglas Wolk): four out of five stars, noting dark themes alongside "a lot of joy"
• The Daily Vault (Christopher Thelen): A−, calling it possibly their best album
• Record World and Cash Box: favorable reviews from American magazines
• Record Business: noted the group's melodic knack and production touches shine through
• The German counterpart of Rolling Stone and The Rolling Stone Album Guide: both gave four out of five stars
• Smash Hits and The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: mixed reviews

Reappraisal

• Some critics have named it the group's best studio album

Records

• UK best-selling album of 1980
• Reportedly one million advance orders in the UK
• Topped charts in Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden
• The group's sixth chart-topping album in the UK
• Reportedly sold over eight million copies worldwide

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was the last one recorded while Lyngstad and Andersson were still married.
• The title refers to a spotlight, and Super Trouper is a registered trademark of Strong Entertainment Lighting for its followspot brand.
• The album closes with "The Way Old Friends Do", a song recorded live on the 1979 tour and later released as a single in 1992.
• On some European vinyl issues, the cheering at the end of "The Way Old Friends Do" plays in an endless loop on manual turntables.
• The 2011 deluxe edition added five bonus tracks, including the full-length stereo version of "On And On And On".

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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