Fernando by Abba

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

That chorus is dreary as fuck, though.

Madness, mate. Utter madness. As this thread has categorically proven, the minor to major shift into that lushly harmonised sunburst chorus is a transcendent moment of pop genius.

I agree about Does Your Mother Know, though. Musically it's fine, a catchy piece of glam pop, but Benny sounds like a leering pederast; Rod Liddle in satin strides. Ghastly.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

'Fernando' is great because of its glorious sun-bursting-through-the-cloud chorus, one of the very best examples of this. 'Daydream Believer' is another one.

And Happy Together by The Turtles. The Fernando chorus is on that level.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

'Fernando' is great because of its glorious sun-bursting-through-the-cloud chorus, one of the very best examples of this. 'Daydream Believer' is another one.

True, but neither of those do that so well as Everlasting Love by Love Affair.

[jobotic]

Yeah it's unpleasant.

I love Chiquatita though. The key change, the soaring singing at the end. It's naff as fuck but glorious.

[Twonty Gostelow]

I agree about Does Your Mother Know, though. Musically it's fine, a catchy piece of glam pop, but Benny sounds like a leering pederast; Rod Liddle in satin strides. Ghastly.

Björn, innit. You could argue it's almost the opposite and he has no intention of taking advantage of her. Or (less convincingly) even that the title's ironic and she's maybe 20 and he's 30.

[pigamus]

You're all daft incidentally. Their best single is without any doubt Money Money Money. It's a rich man's world apparently.

It's The Day Before You Came, but every time I say that somebody wanks on about Blancmange, FUCK BLANCMANGE

[Phoenix Lazarus]

It's The Day Before You Came, but every time I say that somebody wanks on about Blancmange, FUCK BLANCMANGE

Blancmange's deep, soulful vocal on that song is the only time I can imagine ever liking a cover of Abba more than an original.

[pigamus]

YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN

[Sex Festival Organizer]

Never mind ABBA, what's this I read about «unyielding broccoli»? Broccoli is great even raw, and if what I've heard about UK cuisine is correct (i.e. boil veggies until they beg for mercy), it could never be unyielding.

Perfect broccoli: Boil some water, add the broccoli, and boil for 1 to 2 minutes (and 2 is pushing it). Drain, and add a big dollop of butter (and a dash of soy sauce, depending on what else you're making), and toss until the butter is melted. Serve, and enjoy perfection.

Stop getting broccoli wrong! (And I could never dislike Fernando because of Alan P: «Can you see the stars, Fernandoooooo?»).

[Brundle-Fly]

I'm not a fan, I know they're clearly brilliant, but everything about them always left me cold. Maybe, it's because I grew up with Abba's ascent at the time and associate them with the drearier aspects of the 1970s, which is odd considering how flamboyant they were. At a push, I suppose I did like ' Money Money Money' and  'Take A Chance On Me' because they seemed punchier than their usual fayre.

[Sin Agog]

Madness, mate. Utter madness. As this thread has categorically proven, the minor to major shift into that lushly harmonised sunburst chorus is a transcendent moment of pop genius.

I'm all for key changes (especially if you live in a sketchy neighbourhood), but I'd never remember how to sing that verse if I chose it at karaoke.

[Brundle-Fly]

Never mind ABBA, what's this I read about «unyielding broccoli»? Broccoli is great even raw, and if what I've heard about UK cuisine is correct (i.e. boil veggies until they beg for mercy), it could never be unyielding.

Perfect broccoli: Boil some water, add the broccoli, and boil for 1 to 2 minutes (and 2 is pushing it). Drain, and add a big dollop of butter (and a dash of soy sauce, depending on what else you're making), and toss until the butter is melted. Serve, and enjoy perfection.

Stop getting broccoli wrong! (And I could never dislike Fernando because of Alan P: «Can you see the stars, Fernandoooooo?»).

To a British nine-year-old in the 1970s, hard wet tepid vegetables served on the dinner plate was tantamount to child abuse.

[Icehaven]

Never mind ABBA, what's this I read about «unyielding broccoli»? Broccoli is great even raw, and if what I've heard about UK cuisine is correct (i.e. boil veggies until they beg for mercy), it could never be unyielding.

Perfect broccoli: Boil some water, add the broccoli, and boil for 1 to 2 minutes (and 2 is pushing it). Drain, and add a big dollop of butter (and a dash of soy sauce, depending on what else you're making), and toss until the butter is melted. Serve, and enjoy perfection.

Stop getting broccoli wrong! (And I could never dislike Fernando because of Alan P: «Can you see the stars, Fernandoooooo?»).

Doesn't boiling veg leech all the goodness out? Steaming is the way.

[Sex Festival Organizer]

To a British nine-year-old in the 1970s, hard wet tepid vegetables served on the dinner plate was tantamount to child abuse.

Yah, I hear you, I'm a child of the 70s myself, and undercooked swede (especially served with liver in a cream sauce) still makes me shudder to this day. I was just riffing on the fact that it's practically impossible to undercook broccoli. But for a vegetable-averse child that will of course make no difference.

[Sex Festival Organizer]

Doesn't boiling veg leech all the goodness out? Steaming is the way.

You're not wrong, and I should perhaps have specified that you only have a quarter of an inch or so of water in the pan, which is basically the same as steaming when you boil the veggies for only a minute or so.

[DrGreggles]

I mean, we all know that S.O.S. is the best, right.
Deep down, we all have to know that.

[Sin Agog]

I mean, we all know that S.O.S. is the best, right.
Deep down, we all have to know that.

Truth. I think I prefer Th' Faith Healers' buzzsaw cover, but the original's synthy mid-'70s production is interesting.  It almost sounds like it belongs to a Dario Argento movie.

[jamiefairlie]

I mean, we all know that S.O.S. is the best, right.
Deep down, we all have to know that.

Yes.

[the science eel]

S.O.S. or Waterloo.

The version they play after winning Eurovision (live vocal to tape) is one of the most thrilling pop performances ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpKs_dt9KEM

[the science eel]

The descending sequence in the verse, the way they look at each other. Incredible.

[pigamus]

That's great but nothing beats them on Seaside Special in those cat outfits, nothing, mother of God

[Rizla]

Take a Chance is their best song, followed closely by Dancing Queen. SOS third.

[the science eel]

'Take A Chance' my eye!

[daf]

Here you go - 'If It Wasn't For The Nights' - particularly this performance for Japanese TV, where Frida has clearly been tucking into the backstage plonk with gay abandon!

[Dropshadow]

"Fernando" is a brilliant song. Their worst song is actually "Angelo" by the Brotherhood of Man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0fC_HL2NL8

[Menu]

Björn, innit. You could argue it's almost the opposite and he has no intention of taking advantage of her. Or (less convincingly) even that the title's ironic and she's maybe 20 and he's 30.

The thing is, wouldn't his wife be around anyway? Must have been fucking hard to be an ABBA groupie.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Björn, innit.

Oh yeah, Bjorn. Benny had his dirty fingers all over the song too, though. Guilty by association.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Winner Takes It All and Angel Eyes are up there with Fernando. 

[Gulftastic]

Historians will struggle to explain how ignored ABBA were after they split up and before ABBA Gold was released. Given how fanatical people are about them nowadays, it's almost inexplicable.

[Pingers]

Chiquitita was/is my favourite, with Gimme Gimme Gimme a close second. Continuing the ENT nostalgia theme, Chiquitita triggers a powerful memory of Kristian Brearley's birthday party in probably 1979. Hot dogs with ketchup and Soda stream cola. A savoury tang from the hot dogs. It was at his house and possibly the same party that I first heard Oliver's Army, which made a big impression on me. He got a racing bike for his birthday with derailleur gears cos his dad worked for BP and they had money, the lucky git. I can still picture aspects of that day ridiculously clearly for some reason. I want to say they had a Volvo but that might just be some kind of Scandinavian themed false memory mindfuck.

Fernando is rubbish though, the kind of thing the people who like Shirley Valentine would go for.