The Name of the Game (ABBA song)

"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, and was released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album. It became a UK number one, topping the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in November 1977.^[1]

History

"The Name of the Game", first called "A Bit of Myself", was the first song to be recorded for ABBA's fifth studio album, following the band's European and Australian tour. It was their most complex composition yet – with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad sharing the lead vocals but with solo passages from both women – and contained the influences of the laid-back California sound of the day.

The opening riff on bass and synthesizer is inspired by Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" from the 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life, and both Andersson and Ulvaeus have acknowledged being inspired by Wonder's music during this part of ABBA's career.

A preliminary version of "The Name of the Game" was worked into the 1977 feature film ABBA: The Movie, for which it was written. When it was eventually finished, it was released as the lead single from ABBA: The Album in October 1977. Originally, another track entitled "Hole in Your Soul" was intended for release, but those plans were soon shelved. "The Name of the Game" was released with a live version of "I Wonder (Departure)" as the B-side. This B-side was one of several songs written for the mini-musical The Girl With The Golden Hair, written by Ulvaeus and Andersson and originally performed by ABBA on their 1977 world tour. The recording used on the "The Name of the Game" single was recorded at Sydney Showground, Sydney, Australia on 3 or 4 March 1977. A studio recorded version of the song was included on ABBA: The Album.

"The Name of The Game" also marks the last time Stig Anderson helped with the lyrics of a single.

Reception

"The Name of the Game" was not as successful as ABBA's previous singles since 1975. It was more of a Top 10 success, only topping the UK Singles Chart. It was the second of three consecutive UK No. 1 singles after "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and before "Take a Chance on Me".^[2]

The song was a Top 5 hit in ABBA's native Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa and Rhodesia, while peaking inside the Top 10 in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Mexico.^[3] On the US Billboard Hot 100, "The Name of the Game" almost reached the Top 10, peaking at No. 12 on 11–18 March 1978.

An edited version of "The Name of the Game", which omitted the entire second verse of the song, reducing the length of the track from its original 4:51 to 3:58, was released on a promotional single in the US. The US radio edit of "The Name of the Game" then – apparently by mistake – found its way onto the 1982 Polar Music compilation The Singles: The First Ten Years, and then onto a number of hits packages issued on both vinyl and CD in the 1980s and early 1990s. This edit also appears on the original 1992 version of the group's Gold: Greatest Hits album. Not until the 1999 remastered edition of Gold: Greatest Hits did the song appear in its entirety on that compilation.

When PolyGram released the first digitally remastered CD version of The Album in 1997, the fact that one of the nine tracks was nearly a minute shorter than it was supposed to be somehow managed to elude the remastering engineers – the US edit was again used by mistake and the first edition was subsequently withdrawn.^[4]

"The Name of the Game" was sampled in 1996 by the Fugees for their hit "Rumble in the Jungle", the first time that an ABBA song had been legally sampled by another act.^[5]

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Chart (1977-78)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	6
Austrian Singles Chart	12
Belgian Singles Chart	2
UK Singles Chart	1
Canadian Singles Chart	15
Canadian Adult Contemporary ^[6]	12
Dutch Singles Chart	2
Eurochart Hot 100	1
Finnish Singles Chart	5
French Singles Chart	12
German Singles Chart	7
Irish Singles Chart	2
Mexican Singles Chart	10
New Zealand Singles Chart	4
Norwegian Singles Chart	3
Rhodesian Singles Chart	4
South African Singles Chart	3
Swedish Singles Chart	2
Swiss Singles Chart	6
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	12
U.S. Cashbox Top 100 Singles^[7]	16

Year-end charts

Chart (1977)	Rank
UK^[8]	16

Chart (1978)	Rank
Australia ^[9]	84
Canada ^[10]	96
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 ^[11]	97

Preceded by "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" by Baccara	UK Singles Chart number one single 5 November 1977 – 3 December 1977	Succeeded by "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls' School" by Wings
Preceded by "Way Down" by Elvis Presley	Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number one single 10 November 1977 – 22 December 1977	Succeeded by "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls' School" by Wings

Music video

Like most of ABBA's videos, the video was directed and shot by Lasse Hallström. During the video, the four members of the group are shown playing the board game "Fia-spel", the Scandinavian version of the German board game "Mensch ärgere dich nicht", which is a variation of the English board game Ludo and American Parcheesi.

Cover versions

In 1977, a cover of the song was featured on the album Top of the Pops, Volume 62, using uncredited studio musicians and singers. The same recording was later featured on the ABBA tribute album Knowing Me, Knowing You, credited to Top of the Poppers.
In 1995, on the New Zealand compilation Abbasalutely the song is covered by Shaynie & Fifi '95 (a one-off duo comprising Shayne Carter and Fiona McDonald).
In 1997, The SAS Band – Spike Edney's All Stars – covered the song on their eponymous debut album with English singer Chris Thompson on lead vocals.
In 1995 Any Trouble covered the song.^[12]
In 1999, Swedish pop group A-Teens covered the song on their debut album, The ABBA Generation. Their version, like the U.S. release, omits the second verse.
In the late 1990s, a dance cover by Abbacadabra was released through Almighty Records. An audio sample can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.^[13]
Musician/songwriter Pamela McNeill recorded a slow ballad version of the song on her Tribute To ABBA album, which was produced by her husband Dugan McNeill.
In 2004, American-born German singer Sydney Youngblood covered the song for the German compilation ABBA Mania.
In 2004, Swedish musician Nils Landgren includes a cover on his album Funky ABBA.
In 2006, a cover of the song by Eurosonic was included on the chill out music compilation ABBA Chill Out.
In the stage musical Mamma Mia!, the song is performed by the characters of Sophie and Bill. In the 2008 movie adaptation, Stellan Skarsgård performed the song in a deleted scene.

References

↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 345–6. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
↑ Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: ABBA: The Name of the Game, page 122. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
↑ "Mexico". Home.zipworld.com.au. 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
↑ ABBA – The Complete Studio Recordings, Palm, Carl Magnus, pg126.
↑ "News for Björn Ulvaeus". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
↑ Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank W (1994). Cash Box pop singles charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-56308-316-7.
↑ Hunter, Nigel; Scaping, Peter, eds. (1978). "Top 100 Singles in 1977". BPI Year Book 1978 (3rd ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 216–17. ISBN 0-906154-01-4.
↑ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1978/Top 100 Songs of 1978". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
↑ Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 209. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
↑ "Abbacadabra — The Name Of The Game — Almighty Records". Almightyrecords.com. Retrieved 2012-08-13.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

ABBA

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Björn Ulvaeus Benny Andersson Agnetha Fältskog

Studio albums	Ring Ring Waterloo ABBA Arrival ABBA: The Album Voulez-Vous Super Trouper The Visitors

Compilations	Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Gracias Por La Música The Singles: The First Ten Years Thank You for the Music Hits! Hits! Hits! The Songbook – Australian Chart Hits Gold: Greatest Hits Oro: Grandes Éxitos More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits Thank You for the Music (box set) Love Stories The Definitive Collection 18 Hits The Complete Studio Recordings Number Ones The Albums

Other albums	ABBA Live List of ABBA tribute albums Abba-esque The ABBA Generation ABBAmania Abbasalutely Rajaton Sings ABBA with Lahti Symphony Orchestra A Tribute to ABBA Mamma Mia Mamma Mia! Original Cast Recording Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack Live at Wembley Arena

Tours and TV specials	Eurovision Song Contest 1974 European & Australian Tour (ABBA) ABBA: The Tour Dick Cavett Meets ABBA Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

Films and musicals	ABBA: The Movie The Girl with the Golden Hair Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! (film)

Video games	SingStar ABBA ABBA: You Can Dance

Related music	Discography Awards and nominations Songs Just Like That Unreleased songs ABBA: The Museum Music of Sweden

Related individuals	Stig Anderson Ola Brunkert Rutger Gunnarsson Janne Schaffer Michael B. Tretow Lasse Hallström A-Teens Björn Again Linda Ulvaeus

Book:ABBA

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