On and On and On
| "On and On and On" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by ABBA | ||||
| from the album Super Trouper | ||||
| Released | September 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | Polar | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| ABBA singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "On and on and On" on YouTube | ||||
"On and On and On" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as a single in a limited number of countries in 1980 as the second single from their seventh studio album, Super Trouper.
Background
[edit]The track, which had the working titles "Esses vad det svänger när man spelar jazz" (roughly translated as "God Almighty How it Swings When You're Playing Jazz") and "'Til the Night is Gone", was released as a single in a few countries, namely Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Japan and the United States. The B-side in Australia and Japan was "The Piper"; in Argentina and Canada it was "Our Last Summer", and in the US it was "Lay All Your Love on Me"—all of which were also taken from the Super Trouper album.
"On and On and On" peaked at No. 9 in Australia, making it the 15th (and final) ABBA single to reach the Top 10 in that country. Although the song only managed to reach No. 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, its inclusion on a 12-inch single with the songs "Super Trouper" and "Lay All Your Love on Me" merits all three songs as having reached No. 1 on the American dance chart in May 1981.
An early mix of the song was used in the accompanying music video, but not released on record in stereo until 2011 on the Super Trouper Deluxe CD, and it features an extra verse:
- "Standing up is scary if you think you're gonna fall /
- Like a Humpty-Dumpty 'fraid of falling off your wall /
- I say if you ever wanna know what's going on /
- Gotta keep on rocking baby, 'till the night is gone..."
For the first time since ABBA made music videos, the clip for "On and On and On" did not feature any live movement from the group. Instead, a photo montage was made from their Las Vegas concert during their 1979 United States tour which attempted to match the action of the photos with the song.
The track is in the Mixolydian mode.[citation needed]
Record World said it was a "tasty, harmless, pop confection" and suggested that listeners "bounce, clap and smile along to [ABBA's] latest morsel."[1]
Personnel
[edit]ABBA
- Agnetha Fältskog – lead and backing vocals
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead and backing vocals
- Björn Ulvaeus – backing vocals
- Benny Andersson – backing vocals, piano, synthesizers
- Additional personnel and production staff
- Janne Schaffer – guitar
- Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
- Ola Brunkert – drums
- Lars O. Carlsson, Katjek Wojciechowski, Jan Kling – saxophones
Charts
[edit]Weekly charts
[edit]| Chart (1980–1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] | 9 |
| France (SNEP) | 7 |
| Japan (Oricon) | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 90 |
| US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard) | 1 |
Year-end charts
[edit]| Chart (1981) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 84 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 6 June 1981. p. 12. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ David Kent (2006). Australian Charts Book 1993—2005. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-646-45889-2.
- ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". Kent Music Report. 4 January 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2022 – via Imgur.
