Swedish band ABBA headed into to the studio and recorded their iconic song Mamma Mia on this day in 1975.
The song would go on to be the lead single from their third album ABBA which was released in September 1975, a worldwide hit that would ensure through the decades, and it became the title of the band’s mega-hit musical.
Originally the song was offered to British group Brotherhood of Man, but they turned down the track. After that rejection the band recorded the song themselves, but it was not initially intended to be a single.
Four promotional videos were recorded for the album. At the time promotional videos were a new concept and ABBA’s created their signature moves of the singers faces juxtaposed next to each other.
The song and video became hugely popular in Australia, where ABBA had a massive fan following, and this led to be it be selected as a single.
It held the number one spot in Australia for 10 weeks. It’s now considered one of the band’s best tunes and it’s featured in the Australian films The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Muriel’s Wedding.
Mamma Mia is one of the band’s earliest hits. They won the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo the previous year, and were not being taken as a serious band.
Their ABBA album also included the hits I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do and SOS. It was the beginning of a huge run of success that would see the band top the charts and tour the world throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s.
