"En Karusell" was originally released as a single A-side credited to Björn & Benny

ABBA

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

. It failed to enter Svensktoppen

Svensktoppen

Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...

 (a popular top ten chart for songs in Swedish), but the B-side of the single, "Att finnas till", lay on that chart for three weeks.

It was covered by Anita Lindblom in 1972. In 1975 it was covered by Birgitta Wollgård & Salut.

"Att finnas till" translates as "to exist".

Chart positions

Chart (1972)	Position
Svensktoppen ("En Karusell")	13 or 14
Svensktoppen ("Att finnas till")	6

Merry-Go-Round

On 29 March 1972, ABBA

ABBA

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

 recorded the song in English at Metronome Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. This English version was titled "Merry-Go-Round". "Merry-Go-Round" was used as the b-side to the single "People Need Love

People Need Love

"People Need Love" is a song recorded in March 1972 by Swedish pop grup ABBA, at the time known as 'Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid'. The song was on the group's first album, Ring Ring, released in 1973.-The song:...

" from the album "Ring Ring

Ring Ring (album)

-2001 re-release:Ring Ring was remastered and reissued in 2001 with three bonus tracks :-2005 re-release:...

".

"Merry-Go-Round" made its CD debut on the compilation "Thank You For The Music

Thank You for the Music (album)

-Disc 2:-Disc 3:-Disc 4:-Personnel:ABBA*Benny Andersson - synthesizer, keyboards, vocals*Agnetha Fältskog - vocals*Anni-Frid Lyngstad - vocals*Björn Ulvaeus - acoustic guitar, guitar, vocalsAdditional personnel*Ulf Andersson - saxophone...

". The song appeared as a bonus track on the 2001 re-issue of "Ring, Ring

Ring Ring (album)

-2001 re-release:Ring Ring was remastered and reissued in 2001 with three bonus tracks :-2005 re-release:...

".

Reception

The basic aim of the single was not to promote the quartet, since all four individuals had other commitments and did not have the time to form a permanent group (an example of this is the crediting; the single in most of the territories is credited to "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid"), but to promote the "Björn & Benny" duo, which was the singing and songwriting partnership of the two men. The women were simply guesting on the new "Björn & Benny" single. However, the positive audience reaction was unexpected.

The single made the Top 20 of the combined Swedish singles and albums chart, and "People Need Love" reached No. 3 on the Swedish radio chart show, Tio i topp (The Top Ten). Interestingly, it was the foursome's first charting record in the United States, where it peaked at No. 114 on the Cashbox singles chart and No. 117 on Record World

Record World

Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Box magazines. It was founded in 1946 under the name Music Vendor, but since 1964 changed it to Record World, under the ownership of Sid Parnes and Bob Austin, both...

 singles chart - impressive for unknown Swedish artists in America at the time. The Playboy Records

Playboy Records

Playboy Records was a record label in Los Angeles, California, and a unit of Playboy Enterprises. Artists recording for the label included Barbi Benton, Blue Ash, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, Brenda Patterson, Jeanne French , Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, Ivory, Wynn Stewart, Mickey Gilley...

 U.S. release was credited to "Bjorn & Benny (with Svenska Flicka)", and according to ABBA's manager Stig Anderson

Stig Anderson

Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...

, the single could have been a much bigger American hit, if not for the limited distribution resources of the label that was unable to meet the demand from retailers and radio programmers.

At the time of the single's release, the Ring Ring album had not been planned, since there was no intention to form a permanent group.

Chart positions

Chart (1972)	Position
Swedish Combined Singles/Albums Chart	17
Cashbox Singles Chart - USA	114
Record World Singles Chart - USA	117