The Name of the Game (ABBA song)

For other uses, see Name of the Game (disambiguation).

"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1977). It became a UK number one, topping the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in November 1977.^[4]

"The Name of the Game"
Single by ABBA
from the album The Album
B-side	"I Wonder (Departure) (Live version)"
Released	17 October 1977 (Sweden)^[1] 14 October 1977 (UK)^[2] 14 October 1977 (US) ^[3]
Recorded	31 May 1977 at Marcus Music Studio
Genre	Progressive pop art pop
Length	4:51 (album version) 3:58 (US Promo Edit) 2:50 (Test Pressing Edit)
Label	Polar (Sweden) Epic (UK) Atlantic (US)
Songwriter(s)	Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus Stig Anderson
Producer(s)	Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"That's Me" (1977) "The Name of the Game" (1977) "Take a Chance on Me" (1978)
Music video
"The Name of the Game" on YouTube

Background and release

"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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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 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.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Billboard Magazine called "The Name of the Game" one of ABBA's "most stately, dramatic works to date."^[5] Cash Box said that "layers of acoustic guitars play a classic chord progression in the irresistable chorus."^[6] In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number six on their list of the 15 greatest ABBA songs,^[7] and in 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the song number three on their list of the 25 greatest ABBA songs.^[8]

"The Name of the Game" topped the UK Singles Chart for 4 weeks. It was the second of three consecutive UK No. 1 singles after "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and before "Take a Chance on Me".^[9]

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, West Germany, Switzerland and Mexico.^[10] 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.

As of September 2021, it is ABBA's eight-biggest song in the UK.^[11]

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 Promo 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,^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 Promo Edit was again used by mistake and the first edition was subsequently withdrawn.^[12]

"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.^[13]

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.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1977–1978) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)^[14] 6 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[15] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[16] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[17] 3 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[18] 15 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[19] 12 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[20] 5 Ireland (IRMA)^[21] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[22] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[23] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[24] 4 Norway (VG-lista)^[25] 3 Rhodesia (Rhodesian Singles Chart)^[26] 4 South Africa (Springbok Radio)^[27] 3 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[28] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[29] 6 UK Singles (OCC)^[30] 1 US Billboard Hot 100^[31] 12 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[32] 9 US Cashbox Top 100 Singles^[33] 16 West Germany (Official German Charts)^[34] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1977) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)^[35] 15 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[36] 58 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[37] 13 UK Singles (OCC)^[38] 16 Chart (1978) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)^[39] 84 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[40] 96 US Billboard Hot 100^[41] 97

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Sweden	—	140,000^[42]
United Kingdom (BPI)^[43]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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.^[44]
• 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.^[45]
• 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 film adaptation, Amanda Seyfried and Stellan Skarsgård performed the song in a scene that was ultimately cut.
  • The song was again performed in the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, this time by Lily James.
• In 2018, Cher covered the song on her twenty-sixth studio album Dancing Queen, an album made up of ABBA covers.
• In 2020, Gabi DeMartino covered the song, in a medley along with "Mamma Mia" titled "Mamma Mia 2 Medley" on her debut extended play, Gabroadway.

References

1. "ABBA - The Name Of The Game". 45cat.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
2. "ABBA - The Name Of The Game". 45cat.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
3. "ABBA - The Name Of The Game". 45cat.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 345–6. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
5. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 24 December 1977. p. 144. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
6. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 10 December 1977. p. 23. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
7. Benjamin, Jeff (14 August 2017). "ABBA's 15 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
8. Sheffield, Rob (2 September 2021). "The 25 Best ABBA Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
9. Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: ABBA: The Name of the Game, page 122. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
10. . Home.zipworld.com.au. 2 June 2013. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
11. UK Official Charts ABBA's Official Top 20 biggest songs
12. ABBA – The Complete Studio Recordings, Palm, Carl Magnus, pg126.
13. "News for Björn Ulvaeus". IMDb.com. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
14. 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.
15. "ABBA – The Name of the Game" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
16. "ABBA – The Name of the Game" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
17. "ABBA – The Name of the Game" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
18. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5550a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
19. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 5552." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
20. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
21. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – ABBA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
22. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1977" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
23. "ABBA – The Name of the Game" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
24. "ABBA – The Name of the Game". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
25. "ABBA – The Name of the Game". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
26. http://home.zipworld.com.au/~callisto/zimbabwe.html 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
27. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 4 November 2020.
28. "ABBA – The Name of the Game". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
29. "ABBA – The Name of the Game". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
30. "ABBA: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
31. "ABBA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
32. "ABBA Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
33. 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.
34. "Offiziellecharts.de – ABBA – The Name of the Game". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
35. "Jaaroverzichten 1977". Ultratop. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
36. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1977". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
37. "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1977" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
38. 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.
39. "Kent Music Report No 236 – 1 January 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1978". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 8 January 2022 – via Imgur.com.
40. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
41. "Hot 100 Songs - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
42. Schulman, Leif (26 November 1977). "ABBA Release Dates Seek to Bank Parallel Imports". Billboard. p. 84. Retrieved 4 November 2020 – via Google Books.
43. "British single certifications – ABBA – The Name of The Game". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
44. Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 209. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
45. "Abbacadabra – The Name of the Game – Almighty Records". Almightyrecords.com. Retrieved 13 August 2012.

External links

• "The Name of the Game" on YouTube