Take a Chance on Me
Encyclopedia
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by the Swedish pop
group ABBA
. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
.
and Björn Ulvaeus
, it opens as a cold intro and was sung by Agnetha Fältskog
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
, with Fältskog delivering the solo passages, with a constant uptempo throughout the entire recording. It was one of ABBA's first singles in which their manager Stig Anderson
did not lend a hand in writing the lyrics, firmly establishing Andersson and Ulvaeus as a songwriting partnership. The song's origins sprang from Ulvaeus, whose hobby was running. While running, he would sing a "tck-a-ch"-style rhythm to himself over and over again, which then evolved into "take-a-chance" and the eventual lyrics. The song'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 intended to be part of a mini-musical entitled The Girl with the Golden Hair that Andersson and Ulvaeus had planned, but ultimately shelved.
, becoming the third consecutive UK number 1 for the group after "Knowing Me, Knowing You
" and "The Name of the Game
". It also topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, and Ireland, while being a Top 3 hit in West Germany, the Netherlands, Rhodesia, Switzerland, and the United States, where it allegedly sold more copies than "Dancing Queen
". "Take a Chance on Me" also reached the top 10 in Canada, France, and Norway.
by English synthpop
duo Erasure
in 1992, as part of their Abba-esque
EP, with an additional ragga
-style rap performed by MC Kinky added to the song. The cover topped the UK Singles Chart
for 5 weeks in 1992.
and Andy Bell
recreated ABBA's "Take A Chance On Me" music video
playing dual roles — as themselves & in drag
— Clarke as Fältskog & Bell as Lyngstad.
song of the same name. Universal Music Spain released the song on Spanish radio, hoping to promote the band in Spain in the early 2000s. The song also became part of the Head Over Heels motion picture soundtrack in 2001.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group 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...
. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on September 21, 1992 through PolyGram, the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn...
.
History
The working title of "Take a Chance on Me" was "Billy Boy". Written & recorded in 1977 by Benny AnderssonBenny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
and Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
, it opens as a cold intro and was sung by Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
, with Fältskog delivering the solo passages, with a constant uptempo throughout the entire recording. It was one of ABBA's first singles in which their 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...
did not lend a hand in writing the lyrics, firmly establishing Andersson and Ulvaeus as a songwriting partnership. The song's origins sprang from Ulvaeus, whose hobby was running. While running, he would sing a "tck-a-ch"-style rhythm to himself over and over again, which then evolved into "take-a-chance" and the eventual lyrics. The song's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
was "I'm a Marionette", which, like "Thank You for the Music
Thank You for the Music
"Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album ABBA: The Album and was released as a single on November 6, 1983, to promote the Epic Records compilation album Thank You for the Music: A Collection of Love Songs...
" and "I Wonder (Departure)" (the B-side to their previous single, "The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game
"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, and was released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, The Album...
"), was intended to be part of a mini-musical entitled The Girl with the Golden Hair that Andersson and Ulvaeus had planned, but ultimately shelved.
Reception
"Take a Chance on Me" proved to be one of ABBA's most successful chart hits. It was released in January 1978 and spent 3 weeks at number 1 in the United KingdomGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, becoming the third consecutive UK number 1 for the group after "Knowing Me, Knowing You
Knowing Me, Knowing You
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1"...
" and "The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game
"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, and was released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, The Album...
". It also topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, and Ireland, while being a Top 3 hit in West Germany, the Netherlands, Rhodesia, Switzerland, and the United States, where it allegedly sold more copies than "Dancing Queen
Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...
". "Take a Chance on Me" also reached the top 10 in Canada, France, and Norway.
Chart positions
| Charts (1978) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
12 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 1 |
| British Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
2 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 10 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
3 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Japanese Singles Chart | 67 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 14 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
8 |
| South African Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
3 |
| Mexico | 1 |
| Rhodesia | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
3 |
Erasure cover version
The track was famously coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by English synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
duo Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
in 1992, as part of their Abba-esque
Abba-esque
Abba-esque is an EP by Erasure. It scored their first number one on the UK singles chart with the release in 1992. Always big fans of the Swedish quartet ABBA, performing various songs in concert for years, Erasure released this four-song covers EP, which was originally intended as a full...
EP, with an additional ragga
Ragga
-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...
-style rap performed by MC Kinky added to the song. The cover topped the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for 5 weeks in 1992.
Music video
Erasure members Vince ClarkeVince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
and Andy Bell
Andy Bell (singer)
Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
recreated ABBA's "Take A Chance On Me" music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
playing dual roles — as themselves & in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
— Clarke as Fältskog & Bell as Lyngstad.
A-Teens cover version
"Take a Chance on Me" was an A-Teens promo single from their debut album The ABBA Generation, a cover of the ABBAABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
song of the same name. Universal Music Spain released the song on Spanish radio, hoping to promote the band in Spain in the early 2000s. The song also became part of the Head Over Heels motion picture soundtrack in 2001.
Other cover versions
- British synthpopSynthpopSynthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
duo ErasureErasureErasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
earned an award from the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for their release of Abba-esqueAbba-esqueAbba-esque is an EP by Erasure. It scored their first number one on the UK singles chart with the release in 1992. Always big fans of the Swedish quartet ABBA, performing various songs in concert for years, Erasure released this four-song covers EP, which was originally intended as a full...
, an ABBA cover EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
that included a cover version of "Take a Chance on Me". - Various eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
cover versions by Abbacadabra were released through British label Almighty RecordsAlmighty RecordsAlmighty Records is a British recording label and remix production team founded in 1989, releasing their first single in the same year. Producing mainly Dance-Pop and Hi-NRG music, the label is best known for releasing remakes and remixes of mainstream pop songs...
in the late 1990s. Audio samples can be heard on the official Almighty Records website. - Other dance covers have been recorded by Euphorica on their 2003 album ABBA Dance and Wildside.
- American musician/songwriter Pamela McNeillPamela McNeillPamela NcNeill is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in Winona, Minnesota. She studied classical music for 16 years and formed her first rock and roll band playing throughout the Midwest at the age of 16...
covered the song on her Tribute To ABBA album, which was produced by her husband Dugan McNeillDugan McNeillDugan McNeill, is an American musician and record producer who most notably worked with the 1980s Minnesota rock band Chameleon with members: Charlie Adams, Yanni, Mark Anthony, and Johnny Donaldson. The band recorded four albums together. Other recording credits include bass on the 1984 album...
. - Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
covered the song for their 1982 album Chipmunk RockChipmunk RockChipmunk Rock is a children's album by Alvin and the Chipmunks featuring covers of various rock hits, mostly from the late 70s and early 80s, plus one original tune...
. - A pseudo-instrumental version with minimal lyrics by Waterloop appears on the Lay All Your Love On ABBA compilation.
- An instrumental electronicaElectronicaElectronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
cover of the song by CicadaCicada (band)Cicada is the name of a United Kingdom based electronic music band. Members include producers Aaron Gilbert , Alex Payne and several guest vocalists including Tom Smith from Editors, Heidrun Bjornsdottir, Ben Onono, Max Berlin, Bjorn from Pacific! and most recently Megan Quashie, Joel Pott, Nik...
can be found on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA. - The song has been covered by Brighouse and Rastrick Brass BandBrighouse and Rastrick Brass BandThe Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band was formed in 1881. It is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.-History:The Brighouse and Rastrick Band is regarded by many as the best and most consistent ‘public subscription band’ in the world...
- An a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
version was recorded by the Belgian vocal group Voice Male for their 1999 album Colors. - Swedish studio musicians The Black Sweden included the song on their ABBA tribute album entitled Gold. Their version featured the opening riffRIFFThe Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
from "Enter SandmanEnter Sandman"Enter Sandman" is a 1991 song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the first single from their eponymous fifth album, Metallica. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich...
". - A pop/dance cover of the song by J'Nae Fincannon was included on the 2000 compilation Tokahits.
- In 2001, the tribute album ABBAMetal (also released as A Tribute to ABBAA Tribute to ABBA-External links:* on Nuclear Blast...
) included a heavy metal version by German band Rough Silk. - Swedish musician Nils Landgren includes a version on his 2004 tribute album Funky ABBA.
- For the British ABBAMania 2 album from 2004, the song was covered by British TV actresses Jodi AlbertJodi AlbertJodi Mary Albert is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Debbie Dean in the British soap opera Hollyoaks on Channel 4 from 2002 to 2004, returning for guest appearances in 2005 & 2006, and her inclusion as one fifth of Irish girl group Wonderland.-Biography:Albert attended the...
& Carley StensonCarley StensonCarley Anne Stenson is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Steph Cunningham in the Channel 4 series Hollyoaks. She also appeared as a performer in Abbamania, and is a member of the all-female band Diamond...
. - The song was covered by Cashetta on the 2004 album Abbalicious, a compilation of ABBA covers songs performed by various American drag queens.
- GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
AC/DCAC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
tribute band Riff Raff recorded a cover in AC/DC style for their 2006 album Rock 'N' Roll Mutation Vol. 1: Riff Raff Performs ABBA. - The Mexican band Los Horóscopos de DurangoLos Horoscopos de DurangoLos Horóscopos de Durango is one of the longest recording groups in the Regional Mexican genre performing Duranguense banda.This successful group was started by Dn. Armando Terrazas in Chicago during 1975...
released a Spanish cover called "Sólo Piensa En Mí" (Just Think About Me) in a renewed, folk DuranguenseDuranguenseDuranguense is a genre of Mexican music. It is popular among the Mexican-American community in the United States. Duranguense is closely related to the Mexican styles of banda and norteño. The main instruments, which are held over from banda, are the saxophone, trombone, and bass drum...
rhythm. - The song was covered in a jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/lounge musicLounge musicLounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
style by American group BNB on their 2008 album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA. - The song is a number in the Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
musical. In the context of the musical, the song is sung when Rosie realizes that she and Bill share a lot in common, including how he won't commit to anyone. However, she finally persuades him to "take a chance on [her]" and the two of them end up together. This also happens to Tanya and Pepper and Harry & Roberto (his gay friend) In the 2008 feature film adaptation Mamma Mia! The Movie, the song is performed by Julie WaltersJulie WaltersJulie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
as Rosie, Stellan SkarsgårdStellan SkarsgårdStellan John Skarsgård is a Swedish actor, known internationally for his film roles in Angels & Demons, Breaking the Waves, The Hunt for Red October, Ronin, Good Will Hunting, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,...
as Bill. Christine BaranskiChristine BaranskiChristine Jane Baranski is an American stage and screen actress, and is perhaps best known for her Emmy Award winning portrayal as "Maryanne Thorpe" in the sitcom Cybill, and her Emmy nominated portrayal of "Diane Lockhart" in The Good Wife...
as Tanya, Philip MichaelPhilip MichaelPhilip Michael is a British actor and tenor. He is best known for his role in the feature films Mamma Mia! as Pepper and the Irish Television soap series Fair City as Joshua Udenze....
as Pepper & Colin FirthColin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Harry. - Polish group K&K Studio Singers recorded the song in their native language as "Proszę Pozwól Mi".
- ScottishScottish peopleThe Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
indie artist Colin Asquith recorded a cover of the song which retains the original lyrics, but features a completely reworked melody in the chorus. An audio sample can be heard on his official website.
Live cover performances
- American comedian Andy DickAndy DickAndrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio...
did a rendition of the song (playing the melody on KazooKazooThe kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
) while he appeared on the talk showTalk showA talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
.
Appearances in other media
- In the American version of The Office, Ed HelmsEd HelmsEdward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
as Andy sings the song a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
with 2 friends on speakerphoneSpeakerphoneA speakerphone is a telephone with a microphone and loudspeaker provided separately from those in the handset. This device allows multiple persons to participate in a conversation...
filling in the harmonies to court Angela MartinAngela MartinAngela Noelle Martin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by American actress Angela Kinsey. She is an original character, and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
in the fourth seasonThe Office (U.S. TV series) season 4The fourth season of the American television comedy The Office premiered in the United States on NBC on September 27, 2007, and concluded on May 15, 2008. The season consisted of 9 half-hour episodes, and 5 hour-long episodes to comprise the 19 total episodes of material created...
episode "Launch PartyLaunch Party"Launch Party" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-eighth episode overall. The episode was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by Ken Whittingham...
" from 2007.
- In 2008, American politician John McCainJohn McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, an avid ABBA fan, used the song at many rallies for his presidential campaignJohn McCain presidential campaign, 2008John McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an unsuccessful bid to win the 2008 presidential election. His candidacy, in the works for a number of years, was informally announced on February 28, 2007 during a...
.