Swedish band ABBA released their only US No. 1 hit which is still a dance floor classic today

ABBA, the Swedish rock band, released "Dancing Queen" on August 15, 1976, and the song quickly became a hit worldwide. The song is a Europop version of American disco music still popular on the dance floor today.

ABBA was formed in Stockholm in 1972; the band's name is an acronym of the first names of the members, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, arranged as a palindrome. Fältskog and Ulvaeus were married, as were Lyngstad and Andersson, but the strains of life in a band and stardom wrecked havoc on the relationships, and both marriages ended. This would see a transformation from bright pop songs to darker, introspective lyrics.

In 1974, ABBA would be Sweden's first band to win the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo," a single from their second same-titled album. In 2005, this song was chosen as the best song from the competition series during the 50th Anniversary celebration. Winning the contest in 1974 would quickly propel the band into the limelight.

"Dancing Queen," the first single from their fourth album Arrival, would be the band's only single to top the US charts and hit number one worldwide. While writing the song, they knew it would be a hit. There is a lost lyric that was scrapped "Baby, baby, you're out of sight/hey, you're looking all right tonight/when you come to the party/listen to the guys/they've got the look in their eyes..."

This single would set ABBA's international status and begin their classic period, which lasted four years. The song has been listed on numerous "top songs" lists and was inducted into the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.

The Guardian would run a piece, "Why Abba's Dancing Queen is the best pop song ever" by Tim Jonze who had this to say about the song.

"Dancing Queen is beautifully produced: catchy and euphoric, the perfect backdrop for a song that encapsulates the carefree bliss of youth". "

-  Tim Jonze of the Guardian

Live performance of "Dancing Queen" from ABBA's 1979-80 tour of North America and Europe!

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