What makes a pop song perfect?
Is it an undeniable melody that sticks in your memory for years after the fact? What about lyrics that hit you all the way in the feels? Or maybe it’s dependent on a chorus that dares you not to stand up and sing along?
Any way you slice it, the best pop artists and songwriters excel in more than just one of those areas. Those who enjoy sustained excellence can tick all three boxes in the same song or hook. If you canvas pop music history, you’d be hard-pressed to find a group with more perfect singles in their arsenal than ABBA.
For a band that started as a Eurovision act, the Swedish foursome quickly transcended those novelty-ish origins to become one of the most respected pop acts ever. It’s not just because they recorded a bunch of catchy tunes—every one of their big hits remains a marvel of emotionally rich craftsmanship. In many cases, they were way ahead of their time.
This post presents my case, in 13 songs, that, more than 50 years after bursting onto the international scene, ABBA’s classics have endured because they are among the best pop music of all time. Along the way, I’ll share some of the most eye-watering stats about their commercial success.
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A Look at ABBA’s Unmatched Commercial Success
Most of you reading this will have some notion of ABBA’s popularity. Several of the hits I’ll get to later on in this post have attained a rare level of pop culture ubiquity, with new generations of fans latching onto their music every decade or so. But few realize just how successful they’ve been.
In no particular order, here are some statistical highlights from their career:
- ABBA’s record sales are estimated to be in the neighborhood of 400 million worldwide
- The group achieved nine number-one singles and eight consecutive number-one albums in the UK, making them the most successful Swedish act ever
- Their ABBA Gold compilation album has sold 30 million copies worldwide on its own, making it the second best-selling album ever in the UK
- The Mamma Mia! Broadway musical has raked in over $624 million, running for over 5,700 performances as of this writing
- The Mamma Mia! film adaptation has grossed over $611 million globally, becoming one of the highest-grossing musical films ever
Let those numbers sink in for a second. The Swedish superstars only have nine studio albums to their name, with all but one of those released between 1973 and 1980. They’re far from lightweights—they deserve to be touted as legends.
Let’s begin the list with their best-known hit:
1. “Dancing Queen” (1976) – The Ultimate Pop Anthem
My question is simple: Is “Dancing Queen” the greatest pop song ever written?
Subjective sentimentality aside, it’s hard to come up with a long list of songs, past or present, with a melody as uplifting or a spirit as pure as this one. Throw in some first-rate production from the group’s chief architects, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and bright, layered harmonies from Agnetha Fältskogand and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and you get an unparalleled, euphoric listening experience.
In his New York Times op-ed about the song, Jeff Tweedy called “Dancing Queen” “exuberantly sad,” which I suppose refers to its bittersweet lyrics, often interpreted as a melancholic pining for one’s youth. But I’ve never seen it that way. The song is about getting lost in music and living entirely in the moment, at least in part because it’s Friday night and the lights are low. Studies of the human condition don’t get much more universal than that.
"It's often difficult to know what will be a hit,” Fältskogand said later. “The exception was 'Dancing Queen.' We all knew it was going to be massive.”
2. “Mamma Mia” (1975) – The Hook-Filled Masterpiece
If you or someone you know is an aspiring musician and wants a crash course in writing hooks that instantly grab your audience, direct them to ABBA’s “Mamma Mia.” That hypnotic marimba rhythm kicks things off, followed by a sly bit of guitar that adds an extra layer of intrigue in the first few seconds. Once the piano and drums join the mix, you’re already off and running, and the song has been playing for about 10 seconds. It’s incredible stuff.
Behind the infectious energy is a theatrical bit of sad storytelling. The lyrics, about a woman who keeps running back to her lover despite rampant infidelity, are the first of several cases where ABBA sells a sonically incongruous premise with masterful technique and sheer charisma. They nearly gave the song away to another band and didn’t want to release it as a single even after it was recorded.
Suffice to say, everything worked out just fine.
3. “Take a Chance on Me” (1978) – Harmonies That Won’t Quit
When I first heard this song as a kid, I was blown away by how much was going on. I’d heard other ABBA songs by that point, but none reached the structural complexity level of “Take a Chance on Me.” For many folks, it may just be a sweet, irresistibly fun love song, but for yours truly, the clean, crisp lines it’s able to draw between its different elements, without any of them sounding out of step or overbearing in the mix, is astonishing.
It starts with that wonderful, syncopated vocal intro, with Fältskogand and Lyngstad’s bright harmonies perfectly counterbalanced by Andersson and Ulvaeus’ bouncy refrain. Once the central groove pops in out of nowhere, one that includes a much-imitated keyboard sound, you suddenly have layer after layer of melt-in-your-mouth texture that adds multiple dimensions to the central motif. Of all the classics on this list, “Chance” may have aged the best out of all of them.
4. “The Winner Takes It All” (1980) – Pop Balladry at Its Finest
Plenty of pop songs have been written about heartbreak. Some even elevate that basic human sentiment into a form of high art, lyrically and melodically. However, few are as devastating and hauntingly beautiful as “The Winner Takes it All,” the single that became ABBA’s eighth global chart-topper and last Top 10 hit in the United States. It’s a song that stays with you long after it ends.
Contrary to popular belief, Ulvaeus is on record as saying this track isn’t explicitly about his messy split from Fältskogand, which was being finalized around that same time. "[It’s based on] the experience of a divorce, but it's fiction. 'Cause one thing I can say is that there wasn't a winner or a loser in our case,” he explained. Taking him at his word doesn’t diminish the song’s influence in the years since. 21st-century heartwrenching ballads from the likes of Adele and Halsey owe more than a passing debt to this ABBA classic.
5. “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” (1979) – The Song That Inspired a Generation
I wrote about this disco anthem in 2024, highlighting how it still sounds phenomenal when dropped into contemporary DJ sets worldwide. The post includes an example of this phenomenon, which I encourage you to check out.
Here’s an excerpt of my thoughts on “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!:”
Written in part to capitalize on the disco craze, Ulvaeus and Andersson deliver one of the most iconic melodies of the decade—maybe of all time. But, perhaps more importantly, they build an incredible amount of tension and intrigue in the opening seconds that preceded it. The synthesizer slices past your defenses, swirling into a beat drop that ranks among the best stompers of disco’s peak period. It’s enough to make you forget how much of a bummer the lyrics are, though I find it hard to believe that any self-respecting man would pass up the chance to help Agnetha Fältskog “chase the shadows away.”
If it’s good enough for Madonna to sample, then surely it’s good enough for us to enjoy.
6. “Waterloo” (1974) – The Eurovision Breakthrough That Never Gets Old
Claiming the top prize at Eurovision in 1974, “Waterloo” was the track that got the ball rolling for ABBA, albeit in an unorthodox fashion. It sounds much different than the bright, keys-and-harmonies sound the group would become known for a few years, with chugging rhythm guitar, baroque piano flourishes, and an out-of-nowhere saxophone on the chorus. It’s infectious but so, so odd.
And that’s before you get to the central metaphor, which compares a woman letting down her defenses against a man’s advances to Napoleon surrendering the battlefield following his defeat at the eponymous location in 1815. Listening to the song now, I think it’s such a flex that ABBA got their first hit from this track. Andersson and Ulvaeus wrote a tune so catchy that not even a weird historical reference could sink it.
7. “Super Trouper” (1980) – Melancholy But It’s a Singalong
One of the under-discussed aspects of ABBA’s career is that, as their lyrics got darker and demonstrably sadder, their melodies arguably got tighter, richer, and even more addictive. It’s quite a contrast to encapsulate purely in the abstract, so instead, I’m pointing you to “Super Trouper,” the title off their 1980 LP, as an example of how brilliantly they were able to execute this tricky juxtaposition.
The term “Souper Trouper” refers to massive spotlights used during live shows. The lyrics, which detail the loneliness that comes with standing in front of adoring audiences night after night when your heart’s not quite in it, are masked somewhat by the bouncy rhythm and earworm of a chorus. You have to be paying attention to fully grasp how much melancholy ABBA packs into its four-minute runtime.
That’s their brilliance, in a nutshell—pulling off the pop music equivalent of sneaking vegetables into your kid’s food without anyone noticing or caring. Top-notch craftsmanship, once again.
8. “Knowing Me, Knowing You” (1977) – Bittersweet Breakup Pop
For a long stretch of my adulthood, “Knowing Me, Knowing You” was my favorite ABBA song. I recognize it’s not necessarily their most popular or technically proficient achievement, but I had to include it on this list because it’s one of their most outwardly sophisticated. Unlike “Dancing Queen” or “Mamma Mia,” this cut won’t appeal to the kids or teens listening.
Songwriting-wise, it’s a straightforward breakup song, but sung so matter-of-factly that it hits much differently than recent albums covering the same subject matter. Lyngstad ends the first verse with a gut-punch (”Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes/Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye”) that segues into a chorus that’s even more anguished and, somehow, upbeat-sounding.
Have two women ever sounded this content to be out of a relationship vocally? I think not.
9. “Does Your Mother Know” (1979) – ABBA Rocks Out
Fun fact: Not all great ABBA tracks limit themselves to female vocals. “Does Your Mother Know” is the rare cut that sees the men take a turn behind the mic in addition to their instrumental contributions, giving fans a rock-focused gem that’s secretly one of their best. It falls somewhere between the Raspberries and Cheap Trick, both of whom had massive radio hits around the same time.
The lyrics are also much cheekier than on other ABBA hits, which, as we’ve seen, are better known for their earnestness and, to a degree, naivety. Not so with “Does Your Mother Know,” a fun romp where the male protagonist starts out playing hard to get before suddenly becoming more chaste than we think possible, telling the woman in question to “take it nice and slow.” Whether he asks out of respect or nervousness, I’ll let you be the judge.
Either way, don’t sleep on this one. It’s so good.
10. “Voulez-Vous” (1979) – Disco Done Right
Let’s return to ABBA’s disco days for another dancefloor banger, “Vioulez-Vous.” Added to the eponymous album’s tracklist later on in the recording process, it’s the only single of theirs to be recorded outside of Sweden. The melody was written during a trip to the Bahamas, and the backing track was laid down at Criterion Studios in Miami, the same place where the Bee Gees committed some of their best material to tape.
“Voulez-Vous” became the group’s 10th Top 20 hit, a remarkable feat when you consider “Dancing Queen” had been released just three years prior. Billboard called this number “one of [their] most dynamic tracks,” citing the “Russian-sounding” (whatever that means …) accents as one of the main drivers behind a rhythm that won’t quit. Like “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!,” its ultra-cool club vibe manages to be of its era and way ahead of its time.
If you’re a DJ, it’s a sneaky little banger that will get a great reaction if you throw it into your sets.
11. “Chiquitita” (1979) – A Soothing, Uplifting Classic
I can’t listen to “Chiquitita” without picturing the serenity of its music video setting. The foursome is on a wintery mountaintop, three of whom are sitting in front of a massive, vaguely creepy snowman. Couple that visual with their elaborate ski vacation outfits, and it’s all adorably over-the-top and ridiculous, yet comforting at the same time. Every time I hear it, it warms me from the inside out.
Agnetha Fältskogand deserves a lot of the credit for setting such a soothing tone off the top. That initial vocal, which stands alone for the first minute of the song, is so direct and heartfelt that you can’t help but immediately connect with what she’s saying. Beyond its popularity with ABBA’s fan base, “Chiquitita” also did a lot of good globally, with the band donating 50% of the song’s royalties to UNICEF after playing it during a benefit broadcast live from the UN in 1979.
12. “Fernando” (1976) – A Storytelling Masterpiece
“Fernando” might be the most cinematic example of the group’s storytelling abilities. The opening flute and guitar accents lull you into a wistful state of comfort, but when the militaristic snare roll begins, you realize an emotional gear shift is coming quickly. Like “Chiquitita,” a single voice begins the track, though this time, it’s an understated Lyngstad leading the way.
She initially released the song as a solo effort before ABBA re-recorded it in 1976. Ulvaeus later said he wasn’t a fan of the lyrics, explaining:
[It was] so banal and I didn’t like it […] I inherited the word ‘Fernando’ and I thought long and hard, what does Fernando tell me? I was in my summerhouse one starry evening and the words came, ‘There was something in the air that night’ and I thought of two old comrades from some guerrilla war in Mexico who would be sitting in the porch and reminiscing about what happened to them back then and this is what it is all about. Total fiction.
Subject matter notwithstanding, the song would eventually top the Australian singles chart for 15 consecutive weeks.
13. “SOS” (1975) – The Perfect Fusion of Drama and Melody
Let’s end this list with the song Ulvaeus cites as the one that defined ABBA’s sound: “SOS.” It’s almost a best-of compilation in song form. You have the piano intro hook and the irresistible melody, with a dash of melancholy to amplify the theme and its emotional depth. The way the soft-sounding verses segue into a towering chorus also became a staple of their work, contrasting those two styles for added dramatic heft.
Commercially, “SOS” also helped the band rise out of a chart slump post-”Waterloo.” It’s funny to think of their career in these terms now, but before this track brought them back into the Top 10 and Top 20 in the UK and US, respectively, there were questions about the group’s sustainability on the international pop music circuit. Is there a world in which, without “SOS,” ABBA was a one-hit wonder?
Thankfully, it’s not a reality we live with now.
Why ABBA’s Influence Has Lasted for 50+ Years
As this list demonstrates, ABBA wasn’t just another run-of-the-mill 70s pop act. Viewed in hindsight, they defined an unprecedented amount of music composition and structure, influencing many artists. Madonna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and even BTS, among many others, have credited them as inspiration.
Long before you could produce an entire backing track on an iPhone, ABBA was building complex harmony layering and using cutting-edge studio tactics to make their songs sound bigger, shinier, and arguably more timeless than any other group from that era. Bolstered by nods in film and TV—never mind the Broadway stage—ABBA has captivated generations for one simple reason: their mastery of the art form is unmatched.
Which ABBA song is your favorite? Sound off in the comments!