“Mamma Mia!” The Song That Took the World By Storm Again, Again, and Again

 

Photo Credit: ABBA and Polydor Records

“Mamma Mia!” The Song That Took the World By Storm Again, Again, and Again

The unmistakable crackles coming from the speakers called to us from wherever we were in the house. It meant that my dad had placed the needle on a 78 rpm record. More often than not, the next sound would be the unmistakable sound of the tick-tock marimba, followed by the recognizable guitar riff. If my mom was home, you could hear her unmistakable grumbling that we were listening to that song again. As kids, though, we never tired of listening to it. Even though it was the 80s, we were already unofficial members of the cult classic following of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia.” 

ABBA was a Swedish band that made their musical debut in 1974 when they unexpectedly won the Eurovision Song Contest with their hit song, “Waterloo.”  Unlike any other bands of the time, the ABBA quartet was comprised of two married couples: Bjӧrn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fӓltskog with Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid (“Frida”) Lynstad. The 1970s were an era of revolution, and the group fully embraced the newfound freedom. According to Musicology.Blog, “The mid-70s music scene was diverse, with disco, rock, and pop vying for listeners’ attention. ABBA blended these elements seamlessly, creating music that appealed to a broad audience.” 

Photo Courtesy: ABBA and Pinterest

Unlike other bands at the time, this unusual mixed-gender (married) group wrote songs highlighting the harmonies of the two women’s soprano voices. At the same time, the men served as songwriters and backup instrumentalists. The era of second-wave feminism allowed their on-stage presence to reflect the bold costume choices that have become the band’s hallmark, with one reviewer commenting, “Agentha and Frida’s energetic vocal performance(s) (were) matched by their appearance: a pair of dolls, two slightly surreal beauties in outlandish costumes.”       

Photo courtesy: ABBA and modachicago.org

“Mamma Mia” burst onto the music scene in September 1975 and rocketed to the top of the music charts across the globe. While both women take turns singing lead throughout the song, Agnetha Fӓltskog is primarily the lead throughout. Benny and Bjӧrn composed the music, but the band’s manager, Stig Anderson, contributed to writing the lyrics. Additionally, he is credited with suggesting the use of “Mamma Mia” as a double entendre representing the Italian word for mother and a common vernacular interjection of surprise or exasperation.            

For the song’s global audience, “Mamma Mia’s” tinkling marimba introduction and catchy music are a stark juxtaposition to the lyrics describing the demise of an abusive romantic relationship (let’s call it what it is). Storyofasong.com describes it as “a pop-rock song about [an] endless and toxic relationship that the protagonist can’t seem to get out of.” In the first verse, the narrator begins:

“I've been cheated by you since I don't know when

So I made up my mind—it must come to an end

Look at me now; will I ever learn?”

She continues to describe the toxic, on-again-off-again relationship between the two lovers in the second verse: 

“I've been angry and sad about the things that you do

I can't count all the times that I've told you we're through”

Despite the lover’s repeated infidelity, the chorus describes the narrator’s true feelings and the likelihood that she will take him back again:

“... I forget everything, woah

Mamma mia, here I go again

My my, how can I resist you?

Mamma mia, does it show again?

My my, just how much I've missed you

Yes, I've been broken-hearted

Blue since the day we parted

Why, why did I ever let you go?

Mamma mia, now I really know

My my, I could never let you go.”  

When looking at the song through a twenty-first-century lens, listeners should find it hard to ignore the meaning of the lyrics behind the tinkling music and extravagant costumes, but modern audiences seem to ignore the blatant misogyny, the context of the environment where women had few choices but to accept that behavior from their male partners, and the abusive behavior of a man that believes it to be acceptable to cheat on his mate continuously and expects repeated forgiveness.  

Maybe it’s because modern audiences recognize the song as a relic of the era in which it was recorded, but “Mamma Mia” continues to garner audience adoration and earn accolades fifty years after it was first released. On March 23, 1999, the song became the title track for London’s West End’s release of “Mamma Mia: The Musical.” It’s been estimated that it’s reached an audience of 60 million people worldwide. Based on the musical, a Hollywood adaptation was released in 2008, followed by two subsequent spin-off features based on their titles’ main track: “Mamma Mia.” 

Honestly, despite the song’s problematic message, one has to admit that it serves as both a history lesson and a prediction of times to come. Fifty years later, we all still know a version of the song’s protagonist and her partner: the person who takes advantage of her. Maybe that’s why audiences are still so drawn to the song after all this time. We might know better now, but the phenomenon still exists. It’s often said that “when you know better, you do better.” Maybe “Mamma Mia” serves as that reminder for those who may have forgotten it fifty years later and the continued reverberations through times to come.    

  

Source: Wikipedia

Ambigram logo for ABBA designed by Rune Söderqvist in 1976.