[MichaelA]

Hi all, the germ of this started when I was missing all the usual stuff I occasionally get up to - going to the odd concert, movie or football match. Then hearing friends and social media contacts say how kind of rudderless they feel at the moment, having nothing to focus on to make up the supporting positive good-stuff that we all need.

So the track started out as a backing track which I toplined at the end. In the chorus I was singing ‘waiting for Godot’, as though it was going to be about a lemming like race of people who had lost their religion. But that seemed a bit too deep and serious for a MichaelA song!  So I developed the idea around an obsessive fan of ABBA, particularly Agnetha, and that being a kind of life long religion.  Researching that band I learned they actually have an ABBA museum in Stockholm now. I imagined hoardes of their fans, of a certain age, going there feeling lost that something has gone from their lives forever. So in the end, this song is not one of my funny ones, although slightly curious I guess.

Instrumentally it started out with me playing around with a beats sequencer, first time ever. So sorry if my inexperience on that score shows. I think I got carried away with all the colourful lights in the boxes    but there’s nothing much else to say about it, just a few synths and a dodgy singer, ha ha! But do tell me if you missed the odd funny line 

https://soundcloud.com/michael-a-duffy/waiting-for-abba

Lyrics:

Waiting for ABBA

Fainting teenage boy 1974
Saw this Swedish girl
Pick me up off the floor
Brighton, England
Eurovision wars

Super troupers singing ‘Waterloo’
Smashed it up that night
In your shimmering blue
On our goggle box
I watched only you

Struck by ABBA gold that night
The day before you came
Without you, nothing right

Here we all are
Waiting for ABBA
To return

Hanging around at the ABBA museum
After so many years
Yet I still have a dream
Stockholm Sweden
Find my dancing queen

I’m talking to a wax sculpture of you
Did you get all my letters
The odd thousand or two?
But you won’t reply
Knowing me, knowing you

All these random souls like me
Living empty lives
All wandering aimlessly

Here we all are
Waiting for ABBA
To return

Feel free, call me Fernando
In your sequinned satin suit
The winner takes it all, that’s you
Can be no substitute

Agnetha I love you
Again won’t you sing?
Though I’ve never met you
You’ve meant everything

Here we all are
Waiting for ABBA
To return

I’m still waiting
For Agnetha

[Jamie]

@MichaelA
Hi Michael, my wife has been the ABBA museum, it's very good apparently. We used to live in Stockholm and ABBA is like religion there . Great synth sounds and some lovely chord changes.You usual excellent trademark lyrics, bit more bitter/sweet than your usual stuff? Nicely sung too!

Enjoyed it!

Cheers

Jamie

[jacksimmons]

You had me at ABBA.

It's cool that you've gone for something electronic and melancholy. I was expecting an ABBA style pop song but the juxtaposition works really well. This sort of went more in the direction of the Pet Shops Boys. (Another fav of mine).

Your melody is really nice. Quite a sad tune. I like the lyrics but personally think slipping so many ABBA song titles in pushed it into the realm of spoof. Perhaps one or two would have gotten the point across and kept it feeling a bit more serious. I don't know if serious is what you were going for, but it actually feels like a serious tune so maybe.

No qualms on the production front. Everything sounded glossy and neat.

I don't know if you could call this an ode to ABBA. I suppose you could substitute any band for ABBA and the story would remain the same. That's probably part of it's strength. Either way, and mention of ABBA makes any art an immediate 10/10 from me. They are in this humble little songwriter's opinion the best band EVER

Nice work

[PaulAds]

I don't think I see abba the way most people do.

I never got over their historical inaccuracy when they said the Napoleon surrendered at Waterloo. He didn't. Having lost the battle on 15th June, he legged it, abdicated on 22nd June and finally surrendered to the Royal Navy on 14th July at Rochefort.

That aside, I didn't really like any of their songs, or the sound of their records. I didn't particularly fancy either of the birds, and always assumed they only got married to save on hotel bills whilst gigging.

An abba museum? I've been to the Laurel and Hardy Museum in Ulverston, where Stan was born...and had a photo taken outside his old house.

I always think it's amazing that one person can think something is fantastic and someone else thinks it's shit.

People say "What a terrible world it would be if we all thought alike" but we don't and what a terrible world it is.

Anyway...really enjoyed the song...totally different from what I was expecting by way of music...and very well done on that front. I wouldn't have expected anything less than excellence in the lyrics and that's what I got. The "knowing me, knowing you" lines were the highlight, I thought...

Great stuff all-round. I'm amazed at how you can keep thinking of things to write top-quality lyrics about.

You are better than abba...you can have that for your album cover, if you like

[jacksimmons]

I never got over their historical inaccuracy when they said the Napoleon surrendered at Waterloo. He didn't. Having lost the battle on 15th June, he legged it, abdicated on 22nd June and finally surrendered to the Royal Navy on 14th July at Rochefort.

"MY-MY, at Waterloo Napoleon did retreat to later abdicate
and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way."

a possible answer

[PaulAds]

I was being absolutely serious.

[jacksimmons]

I was being absolutely serious.

In that case, so was I

[PaulAds]

Fine. Let’s just leave Michael’s song thread alone now, eh?

[MichaelA]

Thanks for these early replies and it’s really interesting to see that ABBA, like most commercial mega successes, divide opinion so much. It’s one reason I chose to centre the song around them. I probably only secretly liked them in my twenties, as it was not cool to do so in the miserable indie scene that I was part of  In my late forties I went to a sing-along-a-ABBA night at the Liverpool Empire, put on by a tribute band. We all dressed up in glam rock gear and had a big laugh, like being at a kind of pantomime. But there were some serious super fans there - and I realise they were a bit of a cult still for some. So that’s why we are here in this song!

Thanks @Jamie, very interesting about the Stockholm museum and how they are regarded over there. Shame you never went, even out of curiosities sake. But thanks for the positive comments on the song.

Hey @jacksimmons , well you are a real fan of 70’s bands it seems.  Maybe you are living a reincarnated life or something. Glad you like the song and its melody. I did want achieve a fairly hooky melody, given the subject. I take your point on the littering of song titles, I will have a think about that. But not sure if your rewrite of Waterloo is quite a catchy as the original, ha ha! But very good attempt 

Hi @PaulAds, how do you know Napoleon didn’t surrender at Waterloo? Have you been reading fake news on the internet again? Next thing you’ll be telling me that Fernando is not a true historical figure and MaMa Mia The Musical did not happen in real life. Sheesh! 😀 Besides all that thanks for saying I am ‘better than ABBA’. I must dash and tell the wife. It will be only the second time she might be impressed by something about my music. The first time was when I lost my iPad for a fortnight and couldn’t record anything. Anyway thanks genuinely and see you in a bit in the bar maybe.

[Wicked Deeds]

@MichaelA,  I've listened to your song which, I think is ace!  However, I will save my review 'til later.  First of all, I need to take @PaulAds to task as I believe that Agneta is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen!   

Paul

[PaulAds]

I believe that Agneta is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen

in Abba...

[MichaelA]

I won’t be there til 7-15 ish, so no fighting until I get there! 😀

[Wicked Deeds]

Too late @MichaelA,it's pistols at dawn! 🤣😁😂

[moraamarolaloba]

Hola @MichaelA

hahaha Wonderful ode to ABBA, yes, you did a wonderful, sweet and funny song saying so much things that people think and felt...
I like it a lot, the instruments give a warm color to the song, the lyrics are very descriptive and the organ puts the so special sound to the arrangement.
I enjoyed it very much, your voice sounds great also.

Mora

[PaulyX]

Hello.  First up I have to award PaulAds and JackSimmons 10/10 for their excellent & amusing debate.
On to the song... well, it's great, innit.  I love it when you go downbeat and melancholy Michael.  The synth backing sounds even slightly trip-hop... a bit Massive Attack.  And to layer on top of that those crushing lyrics... about someone who has wasted years waiting for a glam-pop dream to return that never will... that is both funny and tragic in the same heartbeat.  I live out my days hoping The Kinks will reform and am rapidly running out of time for that remote possibility, so it resonates.  Cruelly.
I really liked this, and the discussion it provoked.