Line #58 Music/ABBATheAlbum


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/r_6660460_1424082202_8688jpeg.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[IAmSong I'm an eagle that rides on the breeze...]]'']]
3
4	''ABBA: The Album'' (or just ''The Album'') is the fifth studio album by the Swedish pop group Music/{{ABBA}}, and was released sporadically between 1977 and '78.
5
6	You can think of this album as the official movie soundtrack for their [[FauxDocumentary mockumentary movie]] ''Film/ABBATheMovie'' that was released to cinemas throughout the two years as well, which documented how popular and well-received the band had become between this album and the ''Music/{{Arrival\|Album}}'' album two years before. Most of the songs on ''The Album'' made a cameo on the film, as well as a debut of a [[ShowWithinAShow mini-musical that Benny and Björn wrote]] when the band toured most of Europe and Australia; some of the musical's songs are featured on the album as well.
7
8	It's arguably the last album that was well-received (until ''Music/TheVisitors'') before ABBA began to be influenced by {{disco}}. The next album they made was ''Music/VoulezVous''.
9	----
10	!!Tracklist
11	[[AC:Side One]]
12	# "Eagle" (5:51)
13	# "Take A Chance On Me" (4:05)
14	# "One Man, One Woman" (4:25)
15	# "The Name Of The Game" (4:54)
16
17	[[AC:Side Two]]
18	# "Move On" (4:42)
19	# "Hole in Your Soul" (3:41)
20	# "Thank You For The Music" (3:48)
21	# "I Wonder (Departure)" (4:33)
22	# "I'm A Marionette" (3:54)
23
24	[[AC: 2001 CD re-release bonus track]]
25	# "Thank You For the Music (Creator/DorisDay version)" (4:03)
26
27	[[folder:Personnel]]
28	* Benny Andersson – keyboards, vocals, backing vocals, composer and songwriter
29	* Agnetha Fältskog – vocals, backing vocals
30	* Anni-Frid Lyngstad – vocals, backing vocals
31	* Björn Ulvaeus – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, backing vocals, composer and songwriter
32	* Ola Brunkert – drums
33	* Lars O. Carlsson – flute and saxophone
34	* Malando Gassama – percussion
35	* Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
36	* Roger Palm – drums
37	* Janne Schaffer – lead guitar
38	* Lasse Wellander – lead guitar
39	* Michael B. Tretow – engineer
40	* Rutger Gunnarsson – string arrangements
41	* Rune Söderqvist – design
42	* Barry Levine – photography
43	* Björn Andersson and Rune Söderqvist – illustrations
44	[[/folder]]
45	----
46	!!Tropes Included
47	* AllJustADream: "Eagle"
48	* {{Animorphism}}: Implied in "Eagle".
49	* CerebusSyndrome: "I Wonder" and "I'm A Marionette". Considering the mini-musical was about a singer struggling to stay calm in the height of her fame, it's not surprising.
50	* DayInTheLife: The narrator of "Hole in Your Soul" describes what her friends like to do.
51	-->''My friend Sam is a chauffeur, Annie goes to school''
52	-->''Jerry works at the office, Sue lies by the pool''
53	* FifteenMinutesOfFame: The premise of the mini-musical on the concert/arena tours.
54	* GaussianGirl: Agnetha and Frida during the "Take a Chance on Me" video.
55	* HeroicBSOD: "I Wonder".
56	** "Move On" can be seen as this, seeming how it's '''heavily''' implied that the narrator is [[UsefulNotes/{{Depression}} depressed]] and having suicidal thoughts.
57	-->''What really makes the difference between all dead and living things?''
58	-->''The will to stay alive?''
59	* IAmSong:
60	** "Eagle" is sort-of like this, for the narrator (dreams that she) has turned into a eagle... [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane maybe.]]
61	** "Thank You For the Music" is this for the title character in "The Girl With The Golden Hair".
62	* IAmBecomingSong: "I Wonder".
63	* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: The narrator throughout the "The Name Of The Game".
64	-->''But I am here talking to you,''
65	-->''No wonder I get excited!''
66	* InformedLoner: The narrator in "The Name Of The Game", long before the other person came along.
67	-->''I have no friends -- no one to see,''
68	-->''And I am never invited...''
69	* LightIsNotGood: The girls donning white clothes and blonde wigs while singing "I'm A Marionette".
70	* LoveTriangle: Implied in "Take A Chance On Me".
71	-->''If you change your mind, I'm the first in line.''
72	* LyricalDissonance:
73	** "One Man, One Woman". An uplifting and joyous song with a cheerful chorus - a story of a woman who lives in a heavily abusive relationship and cannot escape from it, forgiving her man every time in the name of love 'worth the pain and the suffering'.
74	** "Move On" is a song trying to deter someone from committing suicide.
75	** "Hole in Your Soul" cheerfully states that we all have an emptiness inside that must be filled by rock'n roll.
76	** "Thank You for the Music" doesn't sound terribly grateful. The tone of it is that of someone dutifully writing a thank-you note.
77	** "I Wonder" is the calmest tone you'll ever hear the phrase and message "it's frightening" in.
78	** "I'm A Marionette" sounds upbeat, but is about someone feeling trapped in and strangled by a situation were people are only using her.
79	* NoPlotNoProblem: "The Name of the Game" has literally no plot; doesn't stop it from being one of ABBA's best videos.
80	* PowerOfRock: The narrator in "Hole In Your Soul" is highly convinced that the reason the person they're talking to is moody is because they're listening to boring music, like {{silly love songs}}, whereas rock music will cure them of the lowliness.
81	* ProductionForeshadowing: The live mini-musical written by Benny and Björn, of which some of its songs are featured on this album, foreshadows their later foray toward musical theatre with ''Theatre/{{Chess}}''. Its themes of someone's reactions to celebrity, including feeling trapped in and strangled by a situation were people are only using them, are similar to ''Chess'', albeit the protagonist here seems more sympathetic than ''Chess''[='s=] Freddie.
82	* RearrangeTheSong: The live version of "I'm a Marionette", performed on their 1977 tour of Europe, the UK and Australia, is starkly different to the version recorded later on for this album. The tempo is much faster (probably closer to 200 BPM while the album version is around 110), Benny's piano is more prominent, Agnetha and Frida's singing conveys more strain and panic, and the whole song has a more urgent feel.
83	* RockAndRoll: Apparently, ''"it's gotta be rock 'n' roll to fill the'' Hole In Your Soul''"''.
84	* SanitySlippageSong: "I'm A Marionette".
85	* SlaveToPR: "I'm A Marionette".
86	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Even though the narrator of "Eagle" doesn't show signs of this, they understand other eagles.
87	-->They speak strangely, but I understand.
88	* SpokenWordInMusic: The opening of "Move On", in which Björn tries to tell the suicidal person that things will get better.
89	* StalkerWithACrush: "Take a Chance On Me" is about a female stalker telling the object of her adoration that she has the patience to wait for him while he sees other women. ([[http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/abba/takeachanceonme.html Read the lyrics.]]) Agnetha and Frida sing the chorus together, but alternate singing solos in the verses. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-crgQGdpZR0&ob=av2e In the video,]] Agnetha plays it straight while Frida occasionally mugs and gyrates, possibly with the intent of portraying mental instability.
90	* ThankingTheViewer: "Thank You For The Music" wasn't originally supposed to be this, but it did when it was re-released as a single in 1983 to promote the label's cash-in compilation of the same name. It's erroneously thought to have been released to thank the fans for sticking by them.
91	* TitleDrop: "Thank You For The Music" in the mini-musical contains the line "I'm the girl with the golden hair".
92	* UnresolvedSexualTension: "One Man, One Woman", in which the man leaves the house for work in anger (presumably after an argument with his lover), and he returns to the house and they both realise that they need to change their ways.
93	* WhiteVoidRoom: The music video for "Take a Chance on Me".

Context Music / ABBATheAlbum