This week I’ll highlight the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees from the Class of 2010 as part of my ongoing Hall of Fame series.
2010 boasted a relatively modest lineup, size-wise, with only five acts entering the Hall. Six non-performers received the Ahmet Ertegun Award that year for behind-the-scenes contributions (including Otis Blackwell, who wrote Elvis Presley’s ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ and ‘All Shook Up,’ among other 50s classics).
First up, alphabetically, is ABBA, the Swedish pop band formed in 1972. ABBA was first eligible for inclusion in the Hall in 1999 and received their first nomination in 2003. They didn’t receive another nomination until 2010, the year they got in.
Comprised of two married couples (Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad), ABBA’s name is an acronym of its four members’ first initials. The band had its first hit with ‘Waterloo,’ which won the annual Eurovision competition and reached the top ten in multiple countries.
Many hits followed, particularly in Europe, and ABBA quickly became the most successful Swedish act of all time and one of the top-selling bands in history. They landed four top ten hits in the U.S., including a #1 with ‘Dancing Queen.’ The compilation ABBA Gold, released ten years after their unofficial 1982 breakup, has sold more than 33 million copies worldwide.
ABBA’s music was the basis of the hit stage musical Mamma Mia!, which ran for 14 years on Broadway and is still running in London’s West End. The show was adapted into a hit movie, which spawned a successful sequel.
There is no question that ABBA belongs in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame based on their massive success and large cultural imprint, but they earned their spot through sheer talent as well. Music snobs might look down on the pop/disco genre, but ABBA’s songs are extremely well-constructed and melodically intricate.
I’m frankly shocked it took more than 10 years for the Rock Hall to let them in.
I’ve seen you twice, in a short time
Only a week since we started
It seems to me, for every time
I’m getting more open-hearted
[Pre-Chorus]
I was an impossible case
No one ever could reach me
But I think I can see in your face
There’s a lot you can teach me
So I wanna know
[Chorus]
What’s the name of the game?
Does it mean anything to you?
What’s the name of the game?
Can you feel it the way I do?
[Post-Chorus]
Tell me, please, ’cause I have to know
I’m a bashful child beginning to grow
[Bridge]
And you make me talk (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
And you make me feel (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
And you make me show (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
What I’m trying to conceal (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
If I trust in you (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
Would you let me down? (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
Would you laugh at me (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
If I said I care for you? (Ah-ah)
Could you feel the same way too, I wanna know
The name of the game
[Verse 2]
I have no friends, no one to see
And I am never invited
Now I am here, talking to you
No wonder I get excited
[Pre-Chorus]
Your smile, and the sound of your voice
And the way you see through me
Got a feeling, you give me no choice
But it means a lot to me
So I wanna know
[Chorus]
What’s the name of the game?
(Your smile and the sound of your voice)
Does it mean anything to you?
(Got a feeling you give me no choice, but it means a lot)
What’s the name of the game?
(Your smile and the sound of your voice)
Can you feel it the way I do?
[Post-Chorus]
Tell me, please, ’cause I have to know
I’m a bashful child beginning to grow
[Bridge: Frida, Agnetha & Frida]
And you make me talk (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
And you make me feel (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
And you make me show (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
What I’m trying to conceal (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
If I trust in you (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
Would you let me down? (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
Would you laugh at me (Doo-doo, doo-doo)
If I said I care for you? (Ah-ah)
Could you feel the same way too, I wanna know
Oh, yes, I wanna know
[Chorus]
The name of the game
(I was an impossible case)
Does it mean anything to you?
(But I think I can see in your face that it means a lot)
What’s the name of the game?
(Your smile and the sound of your voice)
Can you feel it the way I do?
(Got a feeling you give me no choice, but it means a lot)
[Chorus]
The name of the game
(I was an impossible case)
Does it mean anything to you?
(But I think I can see in your face that it means a lot)
What’s the name of the game?
(Your smile and the sound of your voice)
Can you feel it…
