| "Dancing Queen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for Scandinavian releases, also used for other releases in different layouts | ||||
| Single byABBA | ||||
| from the albumArrival | ||||
| B-side | "That's Me" | |||
| Released | 16 August 1976 (Sweden)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 4–5 August 1975 | |||
| Studio | Glen Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| ABBA singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Dancing Queen" onYouTube | ||||
"Dancing Queen" is a song by the Swedish groupABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album,Arrival (1976). It was written byBenny Andersson,Björn Ulvaeus andStig Anderson.[2] Andersson and Ulvaeus also produced the song. "Dancing Queen" was released as a single inSweden in August 1976, followed by a UK release and the rest of Europe.[3] It was a worldwide hit,[3] and is widely considered to be the band'ssignature song.[4] It became ABBA's only number one hit in theUnited States, and topped the charts inAustralia,Canada,Denmark,the Netherlands,Belgium,Czechoslovakia,Ireland,Mexico,New Zealand,Portugal,Norway,South Africa,Spain,Sweden,the United Kingdom,West Germany and theSoviet Union.[2] "Dancing Queen" also reached the top five in many other countries.[5][6]
Musically, "Dancing Queen" is aEuropop version of Americandisco music.[6][7] As disco music dominated the US charts, the group decided to follow the trend, replicating Phil Spector'sWall of Sound arrangements.[6] Andersson and Ulvaeus have citedGeorge McCrae's "Rock Your Baby" as a source of inspiration for the style of the song. The song alternates between "languid yet seductive verses" and a "dramatic chorus that ascends to heart-tugging high notes". It features keyboard lines by Andersson, which accentuate the melody's sophistication and classical complexity, while Ulvaeus and Andersson interlace many instrumental hooks in and out of the mix.[8]Agnetha Fältskog andAnni-Frid Lyngstad’s layered vocals have been noted for their dynamism,[6] "[negotiating] the melody's many turns flawlessly."[8] Lyrically, the song concerns a visit to the discothèque, but approaches the subject from the joy of dancing itself.[8]
In 2015, the song was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[9]
The recording sessions for "Dancing Queen" began on 4 August 1975. The demo was called "Boogaloo" and as the sessions progressed, Andersson and Ulvaeus found inspiration in the dance rhythm ofGeorge McCrae's "Rock Your Baby", as well as the drumming onDr. John's 1972 album,Dr. John's Gumbo.[2] The opening melody echoes "Sing My Way Home" byDelaney & Bonnie (fromMotel Shot, 1971).[citation needed] Fältskog and Lyngstad recorded the vocals during sessions in September 1975, and the track was completed three months later.
During the sessions, Benny Andersson brought a tape home with the backing track on it and played it to Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who apparently started crying when listening. Lyngstad said, "I found the song so beautiful. It's one of those songs that goes straight to your heart".[2] Agnetha Fältskog later said: "It's often difficult to know what will be a hit. The exception was 'Dancing Queen.' We all knew it was going to be massive."[10]
While working on the lyrics, the first half of the second verse 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..." It survives in footage from a recording session.[11]
The band (especially Andersson) wanted to release "Dancing Queen" as the follow-up single to "Mamma Mia" but their manager,Stig Anderson, insisted that the more sedate and folksy "Fernando" should be first,[2] as he felt it would appeal to a broader audience and so was more likely to be a hit.[12] Therefore, whilst "Dancing Queen" premiered on both German and Japanese television during the spring of 1976, the song did not appear on vinyl until later that summer, having had its first live and domestic performance on 18 June 1976 during an all-star gala staged byKjerstin Dellert at theRoyal Swedish Opera[13] (and shown onSwedish TV) in honour of KingCarl XVI Gustaf and his bride-to-be,Silvia Sommerlath, who weremarried the next day.[citation needed] For their 1980 Spanish-language compilation-albumGracias Por La Música, ABBA recorded a Spanish version of "Dancing Queen", renamed "Reina Danzante", with Spanish lyrics provided by Buddy and Mary McCluskey. The track was retitled "La Reina Del Baile" when included on the compilation albumABBA Oro: Grandes Éxitos in the 1990s.
In 1993, in honour of SwedishQueen Silvia's 50th birthday,Anni-Frid Lyngstad was asked to perform "Dancing Queen" on stage, repeating ABBA's 1976 performance of the song at the pre-wedding gala for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Frida contactedthe Real Group and together they did ana cappella version of the song on stage at theRoyal Opera House in Stockholm, in front of the king and queen. The Swedish prime minister at the time,Ingvar Carlsson, was also in the audience that night and said it was an ingenious idea to perform "Dancing Queen" a cappella. The performance was recorded bySveriges Television (SVT) and is included in the biographical documentaryFrida – The DVD and the Real Group's 1994 compilation albumVarför får man inte bara vara som man är. When King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia attended theTramp nightclub in London, the King requested that the DJ would play "Dancing Queen" owing to its use shortly before their wedding as previously mentioned.[14]
For the soundtrack of the 1994 Australian filmMuriel's Wedding, songwriters Ulvaeus and Andersson allowed the use of "Dancing Queen" and other ABBA hits. "Dancing Queen" was among the ABBA songs included inMamma Mia!, the jukebox musical first produced in 1999 andadapted into film in 2008, as well as the sequel,Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
The firstInternational Standard Musical Work Code was assigned in 1995 to "Dancing Queen"; the code is T-000.000.001-0.[15]
"Dancing Queen" received widespread critical acclaim upon release. According to Donald A. Guarisco ofAllMusic, the track's "sincerity and sheer musicality have allowed it to outlast the disco boom and become a standard ofdance-pop."[8] The song's release also cemented ABBA as an international act and signified the beginning of the group's 'classic period', which would span the following four years.[3] It has become a standard for dancedivas likeCarol Douglas andKylie Minogue,[8] and it has been covered numerous times by acts including Ireland'sU2.[16] The song has been adopted by theLGBT community[3] and, according toMojo magazine, remains one of the most ubiquitous "gay anthems".[17][18]Billboard magazine found the theme of a person's greatest experience coming at a disco age 17 to be more substantive than most ABBA songs, and compared the vocal harmonies toThe Mamas and the Papas.[19]Cash Box said that the song is "backed by a strong upbeat, in keeping with the title" and "thehooks brought by lush vocal harmonies, as well as the reverb-soaked wall of sound that distinguishes this group, are present."[20]Record World wrote that "the disco-styled treatment should make it a favorite [in the United States]."[21] Matthew Lewin ofMagdalena Bay said in an interview in 2024, "It's just like the best feeling song of all time".
"Dancing Queen" was a worldwide No. 1 hit, topping the charts in more than a dozen countries including ABBA's native Sweden (where it spent 14 weeks at the top),[22] Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, West Germany, the United Kingdom,[23] Ireland, Mexico,[citation needed] the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway (where it charted for 32 weeks (VG-lista Top 10), making it the 11th best-performing single in that country),[24] South Africa andRhodesia. "Dancing Queen" also topped the charts in the United States, ABBA's onlyNo. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100,[25] and was a Top 5 hit in Austria, Finland, France and Switzerland. The song sold over three million copies.[26] The track was the fourth biggest single of 1976 in the UK.[27]
In theUK Singles Chart, "Dancing Queen" was the last of three consecutive chart-toppers for ABBA in 1976, following "Mamma Mia" and "Fernando" earlier in the year.[23] The song was re-released in the UK in 1992, taking advantage of an ABBA revival sparked by the success ofErasure'sAbba-esque EP. The re-issued "Dancing Queen" reached No. 16 in the UK in September 1992.
As of September 2021, it is ABBA's biggest song in the UK, being their onlymillion-seller with 1.65 million chart sales, including 93 million streams since 2014.[28] In 2023, it was listed as the 102nd best-selling single of all time in the UK.[29]
The song re-entered the SwedishSverigetopplistan in 2021 and 2024. In 2022 it was reported to be the fifth most profitable song in Sweden in 2021, and to have more than 19 million weekly streams onSpotify.[30]
The song was accompanied by a music video filmed in 1976 in Alexandra's discotheque in centralStockholm, Sweden directed by the Swedish film directorLasse Hallström.[31] It features all four members of ABBA singing and performing to dancing club patrons. On June 29, 2025 at 19:24 UTC the music video on YouTube reached 1 billion views. The video was remastered inultra-high definition in August 2021 to celebrate the 500 million view milestone.[32]
In 2000, "Dancing Queen" came fourth in aChannel 4 television poll of "The 100 Greatest Number One Singles".[33][34] It was chosen as No. 148 on the Recording Industry Association of America'sSongs of the Century list. It was ranked No. 171 onRolling Stone's 2004 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time",[35] the only ABBA song on the list. That same year, it madeVH1's "100 Greatest Dance Songs in Rock & Roll" at No. 97. Also in 2000, editors ofRolling Stone withMTV compiled a list of the best 100 pop songs; "Dancing Queen" placed 12th among songs of the 1970s.[36]Billboard andRolling Stone both ranked the song number one on their lists of the greatest ABBA songs.[37][38] In 2023, it was ranked No. 2 onBillboard's list of "The 500 Best Pop Songs".[39] On 9 November 2002, the results of a poll, "Top 50 Favourite UK #1's", was broadcast onRadio 2, celebrating the 50th anniversary ofThe Official UK Charts Company. 188,357 listeners voted and "Dancing Queen" came out at No. 8. On 5 December 2010, Britain'sITV broadcast the results of a poll to determine "The Nation's Favourite ABBA Song" in which "Dancing Queen" placed at No. 2.[40] In 2009, the British performing rights groupPhonographic Performance Limited celebrated its 75th anniversary by listing the 75 songs that have played most in Great Britain on the radio, in clubs and on jukeboxes. "Dancing Queen" was number eight on the list.[41]
Former US presidential candidateJohn McCain named "Dancing Queen" as his favourite song in a top-10 list submitted toBlender magazine in August 2008.[42] In August 2012, listeners to the 1970s-themed UK radio station "Smooth 70s" voted "Dancing Queen" as their favourite hit of the decade.[43] In October 2014, the musical instrument insurer Musicguard carried out a survey determining "Dancing Queen" to be the United Kingdom's favourite "floorfiller". Unlike its closest competitors, "Billie Jean" byMichael Jackson (No. 2) and "Twist and Shout" bythe Beatles (No. 3), it turned out to be very popular throughout the nation whereas the other two were strong regional favourites.[44][45] In June 2015, "Dancing Queen" was inducted into theRecording Academy'sGrammy Hall of Fame.[46] Online music magazinePitchfork positioned "Dancing Queen" at number 80 in its 2016 ranking of the 200 best songs of the 1970s. Reviewer Cameron Cook wrote it is "a song so confident in its structure that its starts from the middle of its chorus", adding that it "bottles the out-of-body euphoria that accompanies dancing for dancing's sake, with no agenda or motive other than pure joy." Eschewing the "disco" label sometimes attached to the track by latter-day critics, Cook called it "a pitch-perfect portrait of the hedonistic disco scene they were mimicking via their own, more down-to-Earth Europop".[47]
In September 2016,The Guardian ran an article byTim Jonze entitled "Why Abba's Dancing Queen is the best pop song ever". Jonze writes: "Dancing Queen is beautifully produced: catchy and euphoric, the perfect backdrop for a song that encapsulates the carefree bliss of youth". Several artists are cited as being influenced by the song, includingElvis Costello ("Oliver's Army"),MGMT ("Time to Pretend") andChris Stein ofBlondie ("Dreaming").[48]In 1993, Hong Kong singer Angela Pang covered this song in the Cantonese language. The British online music industry magazineNME placed "Dancing Queen" at number 27 in its 2018 listing of the top 100 songs of the 70s, reviewer Rebecca Schiller calling it "one of the greatest pop songs ever."[49] In 2022, "Dancing Queen" received aBMI Million-Air award, having been played 6 million times on radio in the United States.[50] Two years later, it was inducted into theLibrary of Congress'sNational Recording Registry along with all the other songs in Arrival.[51] In October 2024, during the "Heavenly Harmony in Concert", singerJulie Anne San Jose held a concert featuring this song and other secular songs at the altar of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Shrine and Parish inMamburao,Occidental Mindoro. She, Parish Priest Fr. Carlito Meim Dimaano, andSparkle GMA Artist Center then issued an apology.[52] In 2025,Billboard ranked "Dancing Queen" number 76 in their list of "The 100 GreatestLGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time".[53]
ABBA
Additional personnel
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[96] | 89 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 84 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade Top 100)[97] | 93 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade Streaming Charts Top 100)[98] | 84 |
| USDance Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[99] | 4 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | 300,000[100] |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[101] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[102] | 2× Platinum | 180,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[103] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| Ireland (IRMA)[104] | Gold | 50,000[104] |
| Italy (FIMI)[105] Sales since 2009 | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
| Japan Physical sales | — | 350,000[106] |
| Japan (RIAJ)[107] PC download | Gold | 100,000* |
| Japan (RIAJ)[108] Full-length ringtone | Gold | 100,000* |
| Kenya | — | 10,000[109] |
| Netherlands | — | 150,000[110] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[111] | 5× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
| Portugal | — | 20,000[112] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[113] | 2× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[114] Sales since 2010 | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[115] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
| United States Digital | — | 597,000[116] |
| Yugoslavia[117] | Silver | 80,000[117] |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe | — | 3,000,000[118] |
| Worldwide | — | 4,000,000[118] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Dancing Queen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byA-Teens | ||||
| from the albumThe ABBA Generation | ||||
| Released | March 2000 | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | B. Andersson, S. Anderson, B. Ulvaeus | |||
| Producer | Ole Evenrude | |||
| A-Teens singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "A*Teens - Dancing Queen" onYouTube | ||||
"Dancing Queen" is a single released byA-Teens, an ABBAtribute band from Sweden. It is the fourth and final single from their first album,The ABBA Generation (1999). Released in March 2000, the song peaked at number 95 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and entered the top 100 in Germany and the Netherlands.
In Europe, "Dancing Queen" was released as a double A-side with "The Name of the Game".
Directed by Patrick Kiely, the video is set in a large high school. The video is a tribute to the 1980s filmThe Breakfast Club, where the group members are left in a classroom with other students which shifts into a nightclub.Paul Gleason, the actor who played the assistant principal inThe Breakfast Club, makes a cameo appearance.
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Czech Republic (IFPI)[119] | 18 |
| Germany (GfK)[120] | 64 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[121] | 88 |
| Netherlands (Tipparade)[122] | 13 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[123] | 95 |
| Chart (2000) | Rank |
|---|---|
| European Airplay (Border Breakers)[124] | 100 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 7 March 2000 |
| [120] | |
| 25 April 2000 | Contemporary hit radio | [125][126] |
In 1992, the British disco group, known for covers of ABBA's songs in a Hi-NRG style charted at number 57 on the UK singles chart[127] after the song was licensed from Almighty Records byPete Waterman's PWL, due to its popularity on his late-night television programThe Hitman and Her. The song peaked at number 104 on the Australian singles chart in November 1992.[128] In the US, the song was signed to BMG, where Abbacadabra's version became a club hit after being remixed by Love To Infinity.
In 1999, British pop groupS Club 7 recorded a version of the song for the one-offITV programmeABBAmania, and the tribute album of thesame name.[129] The pop group also performed a version on their own TV series,Miami 7.[130]
Naya Rivera andAmber Riley of theGlee cast performed the song in "Prom Queen". It charted on theBillboard Hot 100 at number 74 and in the United Kingdom at number 169.[131]
"Dancing Queen" was released on 13 July 2018 alongside theMamma Mia! Here We Go Again soundtrack, byCapitol andPolydor Records. It was released on 21 July 2018 as the fourth single from the soundtrack. The song is performed byPierce Brosnan,Christine Baranski,Julie Walters,Colin Firth,Stellan Skarsgård,Dominic Cooper andAmanda Seyfried; it was produced by Benny Andersson.
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[132] | 74 |
European sales were over 3 million before the disc was released in the U.S.A. where it sold another million plus. Total sales were over 4 million
