Take A Chance On Me
by ABBA

Album: The Album (1977)
Charted: 1 3
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Songfacts®:

  • Bjorn Ulvaeus enjoyed jogging and as he ran he sang a "tck-a-ch"-style rhythm to himself. This evolved into the line "Take a Chance on Me," around which he wrote the rest of the words.
  • Ulvaeus in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: "I remember that Benny didn't like the line, 'We could go dancing, we could go walking,' but in the end we went with it."
  • This was also #1 in Austria, Belgium, Ireland and Mexico.
  • Although unlike "Dancing Queen" this didn't top the US chart, it did sell more than the chart topper.
  • The working title was "Billy Boy."
  • In 1992 Erasure recorded Abba-esque, an EP made up of 4 ABBA songs. It became their first UK #1 and kick-started an Abba revival. One of the songs on it was "Take A Chance On Me," which they did Techno style spliced up with a Ragga section. Andy Bell in 1000 UK #1 Hits recalls: "The ABBA EP was commercial and fun, but a throwaway project for us to do because it was only 4 songs. And because they were written by the same writers it was easy for us to do. The ABBA stuff was originally going to be an album project, but then we were glad we didn't do that, because we were pretty swamped by ABBA anyway." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for all above
  • John McCain is a huge ABBA fan and after being elected as the Republican candidate for the 2008 presidential elections, he vowed to have ABBA songs played "in elevators all over the White House" if elected. McCain apparently pumps himself up by listening to this song at full volume before making a big speech and he contacted the Swedish group to get permission to use this number as his official campaign anthem. However it appears they priced him out of the market, as McCain was forced to admit to reporters: "It gets expensive in a big hurry." It's possible that ABBA just didn't want to be associated with the Republican Party.
  • This song appeared, among others, in the Mamma Mia! soundtrack and musical starring Pierce Brosnan, Meryl Streep and Colin Firth. The song is performed in the movie by Julie Walters and Stellan Skargaard. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Logan - Troy, MT
  • In The Office episode "Launch Party" from season 4, Andy tries to woo Angela by singing this to her.

Comments: 13

  • Moanin' Lisa from Chillicothe Mo.Back in the 70s & 80s, I was a wild ABBA fan and loved this song. In fact, most ABBA songs had top quality production & arrangements. In one ABBA documentary years ago, their producer said he was inspired by some of Phil Spector's best productions with The Wall of Sound. ABBA has had so many world-wide #1 hits who can keep count? I love their CD, "ABBA: The Number Ones." Just listening to this song keeps me "moaning."
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 16th 1978, "Take A Chance On Me" by Abba entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #69; and on July 2nd it peaked at #3 (for 2 weeks) and spent 18 weeks on the Top 100...
    The two weeks it was at #3 on the Top 100; the #1 record was "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb and #2 was "Baker Street" by Jerry Rafferty for both those weeks.
  • Sioraf from Macroon, IrelandLarry's comment is a fine example of a mauldegrave; you write out what the lyrics sound like but aren't for humorous effect. YouTube has a number of these called "misheard lyrics".
  • Larry from Detroit, MiJackie Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Jackie ChanChan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Jackie Chan Chan
  • Camille from Toronto, OhThe words to this song are so simple, yet they so cleverly capture the words that many of us have at least thought of in our minds when we look at someone we want but that person is spending time with another. The tune is almost reminiscent of what you'd hear while riding a merry-go-round; I love how the words speed up and slow down thru out.
  • James from Colorado Springs, CoTo the last commenter, that Tick a ch sound that you are referring to was the sound that his pants actually made when the pant material was rubbing together while he was jogging. That is how he came up with the rythym in the first place.
  • Mike from Matawan, NjYes, Carrie, yes!!! And instead of ABBA music filling the White House, we have "Eve of Destruction". Yeah. Much better.
  • Nicole from Alexandria, VaBest use of this song was when Andy sang it to Angela on "the office"
  • Breanna from Henderson, NvThis is an awesome song I think it`s really funny in Mama Mia!
  • Carrie from Roanoke, VaCheers to ABBA for rejecting McCain's offer to purchase the song. A White House full of ABBA music would be great, but not with him in it!
  • Marissa from Akron, OhAre you KIDDING me? This was almost John McCain's campaign anthem? That's bananas. I love this song and I'm quite liberal politically (borderline socialist if you want to know the truth) so that kind of bothers me. Oh well, back to "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac. (Takes you back to 1992, doesn't it? Not that I'd remember, I was one year old...)
  • Shamomo Apolo Onono from Liverpool, OhOhhh! I just love this song. I went to see Mamma Mia the other day...remakes are never as good as originals, but it was a humorus scene anyway.
  • Leah from Brooklyn, NyThis is one of the many ABBA songs highlighted in the musical MAMMA MIA. It features a humorous romantic pursuit between one of the three former members of the heroine's band and the reluctant object of her affection, a Crocodile Dundee-like character who fears no man or beast...but he's terrified of commitment!
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