Sounds on Sunday: 50 years ago – 1976-22

FIFTY YEARS AGO we were humming along to the hits of 1976. Some have magnificently stood the test of time; others have not. Join us on Memory Lane as we review them on their golden anniversaries.

We’re back on track (no pun intended). On 31st August 1976 Abba knocked Elton John and Kiki Dee off the top  of the Charts – with Dancing Queen, their third number one of the year (and only number one in the USA). It almost needs no introduction, so well has it stood the test of time. It’s still played at weddings around the UK.

Why? We have no idea. It’s a catchy tune and it plays a useful role at the said wedding celebrations as the word “dance” – in the title and repeated throughout the lyrics – is a reminder of what they are supposed to be doing during the ritual.

It’s lyrics are less catchy and peppered with Abba’s traditional interesting vocabulary which arises out of composing in a non-native language. The appearance of words common in the 1960s jars. “You can jive”? Not to that tune you can’t – it’s pure disco. “Watch that scene” is used to mean “look at that” (which is doesn’t). Dance to “rock music” – that’s unusual. And while you’re dancing disco to rock music, “feel the beat” of not the bass but the “tambourine”. Really? When did anyone do that, then? “Digging” as in “Digging the dancing queen” would not have been said since the 1960s and sounded out of date in 1976, let alone now.

What’s the song about, then? It suggests that a 17 year old girl who can dance well should go to a club in the hope of finding a husband.  That may work for some, we suppose. We await the song that contains the liberated sentiments of the 1970s: something like “Get a career and enjoy your independence”, perhaps. Oh well, we’ve been waiting half a century, so our hopes are not high.

●For more Sounds on Sunday, go to:
Sounds on Sunday