After the rather disappointing chart performance of their first single from the ABBA album “So Long”, it became clear that a different sort of song was necessary to obtain another hit. Indeed, the chosen follow-up single, “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do”, released at around the same time as its parent album, was almost totally different in terms of structure and rhythm.
The song’s sentimentality, both lyrically and musically, stemmed from its roots to European schlager music of the 1950s, which in many ways was somewhat similar to the schlager influences in “Honey, Honey”. However, what made the song stand out was its dual saxophones which featured prominently during the instrumental sections. Coupled with the sound of bells ringing at the close of the track, the song was brimming with sentimental feeling from start to finish.
When the song was released, in most countries it was the smash success that ABBA had been hoping for. However, their success was especially pronounced in Australia. To avoid having to visit the country itself, several promo clips of ABBA’s songs were shot (as well as this song, “Mamma Mia” and “SOS” were also filmed) and aired on Australian television.
The response was far beyond ABBA’s wildest expectations – the group were extremely well-received, and this sparked an incredible period in Australia known as “ABBAmania” – for the next two years, ABBA’s popularity rivalled that of the Beatles. “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” was the first of six of their singles to top the charts there, remaining in the top spot for three weeks. The song was also a huge success in many other countries, hitting the top spot in New Zealand, Switzerland and South Africa, and hitting the top 5 throughout continental Europe. It even managed to hit the top 20 in the United States and Canada, peaking at no.15 and no.12 respectively.
The one notable exception to this otherwise phenomenal success was the United Kingdom, where the song only just creeped into the top 40 at no.38. This was very worrying news for ABBA, who were desperate to get another hit single in the UK, even more than they wanted a hit in the United States. At this point, three singles had been released there since “Waterloo”, and none of them had managed to reach the top 30. The possibility of becoming known as “Eurovision one-hit wonders” forever was edging ever closer. In fact, the prospect was so frightening that despite the song’s enormous success elsewhere, the group was dissuaded from adopting this musical approach again for a considerable time.
Nonetheless, despite these fears there was also the relief of establishing themselves as respectable artists throughout most of Europe, and indeed most of the Anglophonic world outside of the UK. In particular, Australia would prove to be very loyal to ABBA for the next two years. However, it was not until the release of their next single, “SOS”, that the group finally managed to obtain a hit in the UK.
Matthew Hardy - I am a confident, determined and eager young writer, constantly improving my writing techniques, and I am very happy to be sharing my ...
Join the Conversation