Voulez-Vous, by ABBA

This album must have been one of the favorite albums of the group ABBA by my stepfather, because on his large mixtape of ABBA songs (which I listened to often as a teenager), a lot of songs from this album were included, which means that even before listening to the album as a whole I have listened to and already know I am fond of a third of the album at least. In 1979, the group ABBA was riding high. They had proven themselves for several years to be reliable hitmakers in the United States, the UK, and around the world. They had popular tours and had seen massive success since the release of Waterloo some five years or so before this album came out. Yet this album, at least from the songs I know, has a characteristically complicated edge to it, the sunny music undercut by some seriously melancholy and reflective lyrics. Even some of the songs here are slower and less energetic. Does this album show some sort of crisis within the band? Can we find a consistent theme in the songs here and figure out what was going on in the band when this album came out? Are the more obscure songs from the album as good as the hits or the other songs that have populated many a best-of collection? Let’s find out.

The album begins with “As Good As New,” with a classical-era sounding intro moving into a funky secondary intro, shows a song about a second-chance romance where someone left a good relationship, got it back, and plans to keep it strong. The title track follows, with a somewhat ominous disco beat, with its confidence in knowing what to do and what is going on and its invitation to another (or others) to join them. This is followed by the slow and reflective “I Have A Dream,” with its touching and somewhat melancholy commitment to coping with reality and holding on to one’s hopes and dreams no matter what. “Angeleyes” continues the theme of angels from the previous song with a lovely and surprisingly upbeat beat about a woman seeing her beloved looking at a young girl (!) the way he once looked at her (!!) and seeking a return of the love that she feels. “The King Has Lost His Crown” begins with a surprisingly spare instrumental that ramps up into a somewhat driving disco beat where a woman teases her ex about his relationship trouble and poor emotional state. “Does Your Mother Know” follows with upbeat awkwardness about a grown man seeking flirtation and dancing with attractive underage girls who probably don’t belong at the club. “If It Wasn’t For The Nights” reflects on an imperfect person blaming her inability to struggle successfully for the nights, which sounds like an attempt to dodge accountability to me. “Chiquitita,” a truly gorgeous ballad with lovely instrumentation, shows a song of heartfelt devotion in the face of deep sorrow and suffering and depression, and is a standout here. “Lovers (Live A Little Longer)” has a flirtatious tone as the narrator calls on someone to enjoy the benefits of a good life from being her lover, which for many people would likely have been a very welcome invitation. “Kisses Of Fire” gives a passionate and enthusiastically song dance pop ode to passionate love combined with the fear of losing it. “Summer Night City” is a ominous and dangerous ode to the threats and allures of an attractive city. “Lovelight” is a touching if somewhat quirky song about the way that love makes life so much brighter tinged with anxiety about losing it. “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” is an almost obsessive song with somewhat ominous instrumentation about the desparation to find a partner, and it’s a great if rather dark song that sounds like the unhappier version of the title track, perhaps intentionally.

With “Voulez-Vous,” ABBA certainly continued their winning streak of successful albums, but this album has a darker edge than one would expect from a band enjoying marital bliss (?) in the midst of extraordinary popularity. This is not a happy album. There is certainly romance here, but it is undercut by the continually expressed anxiety about loss. There is flirtation, but it is not always between partners but sometimes it is observed by people who want the flirtatious party to be with them and not some young and pretty girl. The album as a whole is reflective of a certain world-weary cynicism that itself is undercut by a desperate hope in the power of love and devotion and hope to overcome the sorrow and darkness of life. This album, for all of its danceable beats, is full of darkness and desperation, full of angst and a defiant resolution to cope with sorrow through love and communication. This was certainly a popular album full of popular tracks, but how many of those listening understood the complex and toxic emotional blend that bubbled underneath the surface?