United Kingdom - Additional Information

The week to week chart positions are from The Guinness Top 40 Charts by Paul Gambaccini, which was sent by Paul Campbell. Additional information from "The Top Twenty Book - The Official British Record Charts 1955 - 1987" compiled by Tony Jasper. The accreditations information is courtesy of BPI.

Additional weekly chart positions comes from New Musical Express (NME), Melody Maker and Record Business (which ran from March 1978 to January 1983 and surveyed 300 stores). All of these are via Colin Hughes. The end of decade charts came via Toby Petterson.

Thanks to Ian Price, Dean Scapolo, Vaughan Davies, John Boylan, Colin Hughes, Paul Warren, Michael Price, Gary Millar, Stephen Flanagan and Michael Hartmann for contributing the information that appears on this page.

Key to Abbreviations:

Title: The title of the single or album. With singles, if there are two titles listed on one line, that single was considered a double A side.
Date: This is the date the single or album first appeared in the chart. If the single week is in brackets, this position indicates the week prior to the listed date.
Positions: These are the Top 40 chart positions for a single or album. A couple of singles have a position in brackets at the beginning or end - this was the position outside the official Top 40. All other ABBA entered top 40 in its first week.
Reviews: Contemporary album reviews from the period.
Year End Charts: The position in the end of year charts based on sales over the year. In the UK, it was performance to the end of November until the year 1980.
Accreditations: Gold and Platinum awards for copies shipped to stores.
Sales Figures: Total UK sales for singles and albums.

Week to Week Charts

United Kingdom Singles
TitleDatePositions
Waterloo20/04/7417,2,1,1,2,6,15,23,33
Ring Ring20/07/74(48),34,32,37,(50)
So Long29/11/74(91)
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do02/08/75(50),(42),(41),38,(41),(44)
SOS27/09/75(47),31,16,13,7,6,6,7,21,33
Mamma Mia20/12/75(43),32,29,29,12,3,3,1,1,2,5,13,24,38
Fernando03/04/76(44),14,4,2,2,2,1,1,1,1,4,4,18,25,38
Dancing Queen21/08/7623,16,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,6,8,13,20,30,37
Money, Money, Money20/11/7634,10,6,3,5,3,3,4,3,8,17,34
Knowing Me, Knowing You05/03/77(48),18,7,2,2,1,1,1,1,1,7,12,30
The Name Of The Game22/10/7720,5,1,1,1,1,4,11,18,35,35,29
Take A Chance On Me04/02/7810,2,1,1,1,2,3,8,15,19
Summer Night City16/09/7821,7,8,5,12,20,34,(54),(72)
Chiquitita03/02/798,2,2,3,5,9,17,30,(52)
Does Your Mother Know05/05/7919,4,4,4,6,12,25,(41),(73)
Angeleyes / Voulez-Vous21/07/79(48),23,12,5,3,5,9,14,29,40,(66)
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!20/10/7930,6,4,3,6,7,19,34,(52),(68),(68),(74)
I Have A Dream15/12/7921,2,2,2,2,7,13,26,(43),(58)
The Winner Takes It All02/08/809,1,1,2,4,8,16,30,(41),(74)
Super Trouper15/11/8013,2,1,1,1,4,5,5,8,28,(48),(71)
Lay All Your Love On Me18/07/8117,7,9,14,24,28,(66)
One Of Us12/12/8111,3,3,3,5,6,17,22,30,(65)
Head Over Heels27/02/82(41),34,30,26,25,32,(52)
I Know There's Something Going On (Frida)21/08/8267,45,43,48,53,55,75
The Day Before You Came30/10/82(41),32,35,35,37,(46)
Under Attack18/12/82(46),31,26,26,26,26,(42),(73)
The Heat Is On (Agnetha)21/05/8384,47,35,37,36,43,53
Here We'll Stay (Frida)25/06/83100
Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Agnetha)06/08/8384,61,44,49,58,75
Can't Shake Loose (Agnetha)15/10/8376,63,79
Thank You For The Music26/11/83(64),(43),33,34,(43),(57)
Time (Frida)17/12/8361,48,48,45,49
One Night In Bangkok (Murray Head)17/11/8439,27,17,16,12,14,15,15,16,30
I Know Him So Well (Elaine & Barbara)12/01/8534,6,3,2,1,1,1,1,2,8,10,28,34
I Won't Let You Go (Agnetha)06/04/85100,84,100,92
The Last Time (Agnetha)06/02/8882,77,88
ABBA-Esque (EP) (Erasure)13/06/921,1,1,1,1,4,9,12,21,37
Dancing Queen05/09/9221,16,19,33,(50)
If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind (Agnetha)24/04/0411,22,31,44,55,0,0,0,91
Waterloo23/05/0420,43,70
When You Walk In The Room20/06/0434,59
Mamma Mia19/07/0886,57,56,71,68,68,83
Dancing Queen19/07/0890,82,95,90,96
I Should've Followed You Home (Agnetha)23/11/1399
I Still Have Faith In You16/09/2114,55
Don't Shut Me Down16/09/219,31,47,58,73,97
Just A Notion04/11/2159
Don't Shut Me Down18/11/2149,93
I Still Have Faith In You18/11/2160
When You Danced With Me18/11/2167
Little Things10/12/2161,73,0,96

United Kingdom Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40
TitleDatePositions
Fernando14/10/20162,7,15,??
Dancing Queen14/10/20163,6,11,??
Money, Money, Money14/10/20164,8,18,??
Knowing Me, Knowing You14/10/20165,5,13,??
Super Trouper10/09/202139
Chiquitita10/09/202129
The Winner Takes It All10/09/202128,39
I Still Have Faith In You10/09/20211,1,5,

United Kingdom Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100
TitleDatePositions
Fernando14/10/20162,9,24,
Dancing Queen14/10/20164,8,21,
Money, Money, Money14/10/20165,12,27,
Knowing Me, Knowing You14/10/20166,5,23,
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!03/09/2193,75,
Happy New Year16/09/2165
Super Trouper16/09/2145
Chiquitita16/09/2135
The Winner Takes It All16/09/2134,48,76,
I Still Have Faith In You16/09/211,2,2,??,??,??,19,10,
Don't Shut Me Down16/09/212,3,6,??,??,??,21,11,
Lay All Your Love On Me23/09/2173
Voulez-Vous01/10/2195,
Just A Notion04/11/211,

United Kingdom Singles - New Musical Express (NME)
TitleDatePositions
Waterloo20/04/7421,4,1,1,2,3,10,25
SOS27/09/7527,16,9,8,4,6,8,13,26
Mamma Mia20/12/7527,25,19,17,5,2,1,1,2,3,6,17,29
Fernando03/04/7623,5,2,2,1,1,1,1,1,1,4,6,25
Dancing Queen21/08/7627,12,7,1,1,1,1,1,2,4,9,13,21
Money, Money, Money27/11/7615,5,5,2,4,4,3,3,6,13,21
Knowing Me, Knowing You05/03/7721,8,3,1,1,1,1,1,1,3,18,20
The Name Of The Game22/10/7718,5,3,1,1,2,4,11,25
Take A Chance On Me04/02/7816,4,1,1,1,3,5,8,9,26
Summer Night City16/09/7824,16,8,11,10,22
Chiquitita10/02/794,1,2,3,7,15,25
Does Your Mother Know12/05/7914,4,6,6,10,17
Angeleyes / Voulez-Vous21/07/7930,21,9,5,6,10,19,21
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!27/10/7915,6,3,2,8,14,21
I Have A Dream15/12/7923,7,7,7,2,3,9,21
The Winner Takes It All09/08/805,1,1,3,10,13,21
Super Trouper15/11/8029,5,2,1,1,2,2,6,10,8
Lay All Your Love On Me23/07/8110,5,7,17,21
One Of Us19/12/814,4,1,2,9,7,22,24
Head Over Heels27/02/8223,26,30,27,25
The Day Before You Came30/10/8225
Under Attack18/12/8223,25,25,25,28,23
The Heat Is On (Agnetha)04/06/8345,0,0,35,37
Thank You For The Music19/11/8346,40,0,46
Time (Frida & B.A. Roberson)24/12/8350,50,47,46

United Kingdom Singles - Melody Maker
TitleDatePositions
Waterloo20/04/7425,11,1,1,1,2,6,17,29
SOS27/09/7521,11,7,5,5,7,11,23,26
Mamma Mia03/01/7616,3,1,1,1,2,5,9,13,30
Fernando03/04/7620,9,2,2,1,1,1,1,1,2,7,9,20
Dancing Queen28/08/7618,7,1,1,1,2,1,2,5,10,14,18,24
Money, Money, Money27/11/7617,7,4,2,6,6,6,3,5,13,28
Knowing Me, Knowing You05/03/7726,8,4,2,1,2,1,1,1,4,17,16
The Name Of The Game22/10/7722,9,3,1,1,2,7,8,24,28
Take A Chance On Me04/02/7826,4,1,1,1,2,3,8,11,29
Summer Night City16/09/7827,14,9,10,11,18,29
Chiquitita03/02/7929,4,2,3,7,10,15
Does Your Mother Know05/05/7930,9,4,5,9,18,26
Angeleyes / Voulez-Vous21/07/7927,14,12,5,8,8,14,24
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!27/10/7914,4,2,2,8,15,29
I Have A Dream15/12/7928,7,7,7,3,7,12,24
The Winner Takes It All02/08/8023,3,1,1,4,4,4,10,13
Super Trouper15/11/8025,4,2,1,1,4,4,4,10,13
Lay All Your Love On Me18/07/818,5,6,23
One Of Us12/12/8124,4,3,3,3,9,14
Head Over Heels20/02/8228,21,30,28,29,30
The Day Before You Came30/10/8225,27
Under Attack25/12/8229,29,25

United Kingdom Singles - Record Business
TitleDatePositions
Summer Night City16/09/78missing
Chiquitita03/02/7929,4,2,2,3,8,13,27,44,71
Does Your Mother Know05/05/7933,9,3,5,5,11,20,54,60
Angeleyes / Voulez-Vous21/07/7987,26,16,7,12,11,5,13,24,40,55,80
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!20/10/7981,15,6,3,5,6,15,26,40,71
I Have A Dream15/12/7970,5,2,2,3,3,9,18,38,51,86
The Winner Takes It All02/08/8030,3,1,1,3,6,10,18,39,56,80
Super Trouper15/11/8034,3,2,1,1,3,5,5,5,9,23,52,73
Lay All Your Love On Me18/07/8146,8,7,10,20,28,40,62,96
One Of Us12/12/8129,9,3,3,3,3,12,22,30,60,83
Head Over Heels20/02/8240,30,27,30,26,28,37,70
The Day Before You Came23/10/8269,23,19,32,41,38,60,77
Under Attack11/12/8298,39,28,28,29,34,45,92

United Kingdom Albums
TitleDatePositions
Waterloo08/06/7446,28
Abba31/01/7642,23,13,13,16,18,32,30,43,40
Greatest Hits10/04/7638,5,5,4,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,4,7,6,9,7,7,7,6,4,3,2,2,1,1,3,4,7,12,
11,9,8,10,7,7,6,2,4,5,9,11,13,17,16,17,16,14,13,10,8,8,5,6,8,9,
14,15,17,28,13,17,20,17,26,21,19,26,27,22,25,34,43,32,46,42,47,58,
9,12,17,19,20,18,17,18,22,22,19,15,17,12,24,28,21,17,14,18,19,16,
21,27,23,28,31,36,28,34,28,33,40,42,43,0,40,49,55,58,59,50,48,36,43,39,
36,46,35,47
Arrival27/11/766,3,2,2,2,2,3,1,2,2,5,10,11,14,9,11,9,3,3,2,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,3,3,5,
5,6,9,14,13,13,12,10,13,18,9,17,25,37,34,33,39,25,31,30,25,
30,21,19,21,21,20,21,12,22,25,30,23,19,13,15,17,19,29,22,25,38,35,
37,47,32,38,58,44,49,40,0,54,0,46,0,52,0,56,0,58,0,60,52,53
Abba - The Album04/02/781,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,3,5,5,5,6,5,5,4,5,2,4,5,7,6,9,14,14,
15,18,22,27,20,20,20,22,24,38,36,49,59
Arrival13/01/7973
Abba - The Album13/01/7953,61,62,50,57,54,69,42,51,58,55,56,72,69,0,0,66,70,69,71,65,57,62
Voulez-Vous19/05/791,1,1,1,2,2,4,6,8,12,10,7,7,4,4,4,5,7,10,12,24,20,38,25,36,53,43,43,
69,70,47,35,35,33,37,35,33,40,51,57,74,65
Greatest Hits Vol.210/11/798,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,1,2,4,5,11,11,17,19,25,35,33,41,31,43,55,
64,72,0,0,63,71,55,0,67,60
Greatest Hits Vol.216/08/8075,32,39,61,40,37,43,48,53,0,64,0,0,0,0,72,62,60,49,44,44,59,
62,69,65,71,0,68,0, 0,0,74,45,46,53,56
Super Trouper22/11/801,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,5,10,13,24,22,23,36,36,43,38,41,44,49,37,41,42,50,
0,68,70,0,0,0,65,65,55,51,36,41,52,38,55,58,72
Greatest Hits Vol.225/07/8171,0,90,76,64,94
The Visitors19/12/811,1,1,2,3,4,6,11,15,21,19,26,25,28,28,37,77,64,86,88,94
Super Trouper26/12/8190,90,85,79
Something's Going On (Frida)18/09/8218,20,19,40,60,85,95
Abba - The Singles20/11/826,1,2,2,3,2,2,2,9,14,21,22,27,46,51,60,51,64,81,91,66,0,76
Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Agnetha)11/06/8323,18,21,38,49,61,79,99,70,86,52,88,98
Thank You For The Music19/11/8344,28,17,19,21,28,28,38,45,73,73,100
Shine (Frida)20/10/8467
Eyes Of A Woman (Agnetha)04/05/8538,63,99
I Stand Alone (Agnetha)12/03/8872
Absolute Abba19/11/8899,80,70,79,74,82,86
Abba Gold03/10/921,3,3,5,4,4,5,7,8,8,7,8,10,10,10,9,13,13,18,
21,30,37,46,32,39,37,43,56,57,51,55,73,58,0,74,53,33,31,26,
29,32,36,38,8,14,11,16,18,20,30,36,55,53,46,45,52,58,63,67,70,
66,62,61,65,57,56,70,58,52,57,0,74,0,0,75
More Abba Gold05/06/9314,14,17,23,33,46,63,69,16,25,29,35,50,73,95
Abba Gold30/04/9424,11,10,22,22,26,26,39,53
Abba Gold24/09/9459,52,52,48,47,48,47,53,75
Abba Gold07/01/9560,73,69,0,67,75
Abba Gold13/05/9571,13,17,21,33,37,45,62,68,55,59,71,75,0,75,54,58,67,0,0,63,69,65,62
Abba Gold13/01/9674,74,72,69,65,70,68
Abba Gold11/05/9675,72,73,73,0,0,0,74,73,69,61,75,69,69,65,61,63,65,71,31,29,39,55,46,
55,64,60
Abba Gold25/01/9774,70,64,74,71
Abba Gold12/07/9774,73,72,72,65,66,72,0,0,65,48,49,58,60,71,0,0,66,59,71,69
Abba Gold24/01/9864
Abba Gold21/03/9821,15,21,27,34,39,46,39,19,26,25,28,30,29,26,27,35,38,39,
37,39,37,41,44,44,49,47,52,56,71,0,71,0,74,0,74,0,0,69,63,66,
67,0,0,0,64,68,53,44,13,12,16,13,18,11,8,
1,2,1,1,2,2,1,1,2,2,3,5,6,6,5,5,4,7,8,7,7,11,
10,16,20,25,18,10,15,17,21,10,14,13,14,15,16,12,8,10,10,11,14,14,
11,7,11,26,29,32,30,23,31,29,40,40,39,39,41,36,45,40,36,35,
35,32,36,37,37,29,37,37,36,33,29,38,41,40,44,48,59,57,
47,46,51,51,52,55,54,51,75,0,67,61,72,74,69,64,0,0,0,0,71,0,0,0,0,73
Love Stories07/11/9851,66
More Abba Gold07/08/9913,17,25,32,32,39,53,65,90,0,0,0,0,0,0,69,78,84,95
Abba Gold23/06/0172,64,0,0,66,0,75,69,67,68
The Definitive Collection10/11/0117,25,41,56,68,70,68,66,79,0,0,85,0,0,0,0,0,83,88
The Definitive Collection01/06/0299,89,100,100
Abba Gold23/08/0330,28,45,57,63
Abba Gold18/04/044,8,15,19,17,21,32,37,47,74
My Colouring Book25/04/0412,25,46,62,(98)
Abba Gold26/09/0451
Abba Gold26/11/0565,64,82,83,81,50
18 Hits27/05/0672,82,99,0,0,0,95
Number Ones12/11/0615,30,47,55,66,68,64,91,0,0,0,0,0,0,95
18 Hits21/01/0746,64
Abba Gold08/09/0764
Abba Gold29/10/0761,49,57,68,74
Abba Gold24/05/0863
Abba Gold16/06/0862
Abba Gold08/07/0843,12,5,2,1,1,2,2,6,6,9,14,20,25,27,33,37,51,59,67,67,
63,60,57,52,53,34,34,31,28,31,36,37,34,30,28,31,39,37,38,34,25,30,37,
41,40,39,42,47,50,57,50,56,49,55,41,38,37,36,
35,36,33,55,57,67,76,53,59,72,92
18 Hits19/07/0854,48,54,58,51,54,27,24,28,30,15,17,24,32,36,43,56,67,
72,86
More Abba Gold06/09/200863,86,99,63,75,97,82,71,85,85,90,97,0,0,99
The Albums (Box)06/12/200889,89,95
The Albums (Box)18/04/200994
18 Hits29/08/0964,63,71,87
Abba Gold19/12/0997,94,93,78,81,90,87,97
Abba Gold03/04/1091,95,83,85,89,0,0,100
Abba Gold07/08/1099,70,55,63,73,0,75
Abba Gold18/12/1031,42,42,66,68,75,77,93
Abba Gold23/04/1157,98
Abba Gold30/07/1193,83,79,68,65,65,78,74,78,90
Abba Gold22/10/1197,92
Abba Gold24/12/1198,89,71,45,56,67,89,73,89,89,89
18 Hits11/02/1296,0,0,0,74,58,58,63,75,96,98,83,83,78,??,82,53,71,79,99,92,65,78,65,
75,79,88,98,100
Abba Gold05/05/1290,0,0,0,100,
The Visitors05/05/1262
A (Agnetha)25/05/136,21,33,43,6,18,26,36,38,46,58,71,86,88,80
Abba Gold22/06/1395
Abba Gold16/11/1393,99,
Abba Gold28/12/1369,64,49,55,61,
A (Agnetha)11/01/1479
Abba Gold05/04/1431,48,57,79,97
Gold/More Gold - Greatest Hits19/04/1459
Waterloo19/04/1471
A (Agnetha)24/05/1432
Abba Gold24/05/14100
Live At Wembley Arena11/10/1430
Abba Gold08/11/1497,68,74,92,93
Abba Gold27/12/1480,58,52,45,44,92,90,72
A (Agnetha)27/01/1596
Abba Gold14/03/1584,83
Abba Gold02/05/1572,82,91
Abba Gold30/05/1559,65,88,80,71,81,88,76,50,53,68,57,43,34,46,64,48,57
Abba Gold08/10/1591,88,86
Abba Gold19/11/1571,56,66,79,74,60,54,35,41,58,74
Abba Gold26/05/1673,74,79,78,63,62,95,88,75,30,23,18,25,25,20,28,56,8181,82,82,88
Abba Gold10/11/1679,70,78,94,90,89,83,66,48,53,59,68,81,65,80,89,94,93,84,92,95,88,81,
73,69,82,67,73,65,78,84,82,97
Abba Gold13/07/1757,86,78,80,85,77,80,89,76,40,32,39,40,42,46,57,39,57,62,66
Piano (Benny)06/10/1712,49,36,29,54,65
Arrival10/09/21100
ABBA Gold - Anniversary Edition10/09/2172
Voulez-Vous10/09/2158
ABBA Gold12/11/21...9,14,25,25,27,22,12,11,20,19,
Voyage12/11/211,2,3,4,3,3,3,4,3,10,20,

United Kingdom Albums - New Musical Express
TitleDatePositions
Abba07/02/7619,14,14,17,12,12,22,29
Greatest Hits03/04/7624,15,13,4,4,2,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,5,7,7,7,8,11,
6,5,3,2,1,1,2,1,2,3,3,5,10,8,6,7,7,7,8,4,7,6,7,
11,12,13,16,11,12,13,16,11,12,13,12,8,9,8,5,5,7,5,7,9,
13,10,15,14,14,0,28,0,0,25,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,23,28,17,27,23,
19,20,18,19,17,17,21,16,15,21,13,22,20,24,12,20,21,23,24,23,0,0,29
Arrival20/11/7615,9,2,2,2,1,1,1,1,2,3,4,4,6,11,5,6,5,2,3,2,
1,1,1,1,1,2,2,1,1,2,4,4,3,5,9,10,9,12,9,10,13,18,15,22,23,28,
0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20,30,22,22,26,22,18,16,27,
26,0,19,0,17,19,26,19,0,18
Abba - The Album28/01/787,2,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,3,2,5,5,5,7,6,3,2,3,3,4,4,6,7,14,11,21,
23,20,21,26,20,18,26,30
Arrival13/01/7973
Abba - The Album13/01/7953,61,62,50,57,54,69,42,51,58,55,56,72,69,0,0,66,70,69,71,
65,57,62
Voulez-Vous12/05/7918,12,1,1,1,1,3,5,7,7,5,9,4,6,5,6,11,8,5,11,10,14,23,20
Greatest Hits Vol.210/11/79?8,3,2,1,1,1,1,1,1,3,1,2,5,9,14,18,29,24,30
Super Trouper22/11/8012,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,3,5,19,18,26,17
The Visitors19/12/8115,8,1,3,3,3,2,4,14,10,24,21,23,26,27
Something's Going On (Frida)02/10/8224,30
Abba - The Singles27/11/823,1,1,1,2,2,3,6,8,15,21,30
Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Agnetha)11/06/8341,27,24,28,37
Thank You For The Music19/11/8336,27,32,25,26,42,42
Chess26/01/8536,39,19,18,11,14,14,16,24,23,37,47

Reviews and Chart Commentary

Eyes of a Woman LP Review from "Sounds", written by Barry McIlheney, 1985.

Life after Abba must be a fairly awful prospect for all those concerned. No more instant number ones, no longer the undying affection of boys and girls around the world. And for Agnetha Fältskog, the added bonus of knowing that grown men once wept over what they claimed was the most exquisite backside in Europe.

Don't really know too much about that one, being a bit of a song-man myself, and on this account alone Agnetha seems to have re-emerged as smelling of wonderful harmonies and first-class middle eights in the wake of the tragic split.

Naturally enough, she doesn't write anything herself here, quite content to grace the works of various other lesser mortals with her immaculate, sugar-sweet voice. Jeff Lynne and Justin Hayward, both of whom used to be quite well known, are just two of the desperadoes who obviously sweated blood to get on here and thus ensure endless respect from their grandchildren and, if their efforts are not quite up to the Benny Andersson is God standard, they are still considerably better than anything else they have done in the last 35 years.

Neither Paris Edvinson nor Marianne Flynner are even half as well known as Jeff or Justin, but their co-credit on the title track should go some way towards reversing this unfortunate position. Classic stuff really, three short introductory verses, and an essential Abba style chorus.

The Angels Cry is so good it immediately makes one harbour all sorts of uncharitable thoughts towards Bucks Fizz and wonder aloud why this woman does not have a BBC series of her own at the very least.

Eyes of a Woman LP Review from "NME", written by Simon Jones, 1985.

Well, here's a turn up for the book, this is a decent album... she's got in Eric Stewart and really gone to town. Stewart has introduced her to a barrel load of songs that suit her soft, delicate vocals. Names on here are as familiar as your back garden - there's Jeff Lynne, Justin Hayward, Wetton/Downes from Asia, and some of her own catchy ditties written in conjunction with Stewart.

While I came to this expecting a prop up job, actually in a solo guide she's produced a record that sounds 1985 and that's more than her contemporaries have done.

The Heat Is On Single Review, from "No.1" magazine, 1983.

Aggie is a beauty, while her oppo looks like a 45 year old housewife from Sevenoaks, but Frida's definitely the one one to watch in the solo stakes. This feeble pulp pop doesn't come close to the powerfully commercial sound of 'Something's Going On'. Ah well, theres always Benny's solo album to look forward to...

Wrap Your Arms Around Me LP Review, from "No.1" magazine, 1983.

'A' without her 'ABB' seems to have taken a while to find her feet. This is hardly in the class of the Swedish foursome's 'Knowing Me Knowing You'. But then neither is it nearly as bad as 'Chiquitita', so lets be thankful for small mercies and carry on with the washing up.

Thank You For The Music Single Review, from "Smash Hits", 1983.
ABBA are rumoured to make a bigger profit than Volvo and Bjorn Borg put together. Having decided we don't think much of the Swedes, we still give the record a sporting chance. The first line is 'I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a bore'. We take her word for it and go on to the next disc.

The Definitive Collection DVD Review, from "The Times", 10 August 2002.

Ignore the muso snobs who insist that the appeal of Abba is an ironic anomaly. First fact Abba were responsible for some of the best pop yet written. Second fact Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog's voices, combined, were incandescent. Third fact Abba were one of the first bands to use videos. And who directed the majority of their videos? Lasse Hallstrom, of The Cider House Rules renown.

Are they cool enough yet? No? Well, Fernando achieved a worldwide number one with lyrics about the Spanish Civil War.

This terrific DVD features 35 Abba "promo clips" (as they were called in the pre-MTV days). Apart from the odd clunker such as Thank You for the Music, there is barely a dud. Wonder at Bjorn Ulvaeus's romper suit and platform boots in Mamma Mia, and gasp at Anna-Frid's Rula Lenska-type tight perm in, well, just about every video.

Above everything, though, be astonished by how little these songs have dated. A lesser-known Abba track, Bang-a- Boomerang, stands out as a joyous anthem to love while The Winner Takes it All is tearjerking.

Oh, by the way, there is a fourth fact - Dancing Queen is the best pop song ever written

Agnetha "A" Re-Entry in May 2014, from "Music Week", by Alan Jones.

Swede Agnetha Faltskog's 2013 album A re-enters the chart at number 32 (2,560 sales) a year to the week after debuting and peaking at number six, thanks to BBC1's re-screening of the Faltskog documentary Agnetha: Abba & After immediately after the Eurovision Song Contest. A's total UK sales to date are 109,860.

Commentary on ABBA Picture Disc Singles entering the charts on 14 October 2016, from "Music Week", by Alan Jones.

There are no ABBA tracks in the Top 75, but the Swedish group dominate the 7-inch singles chart, where they have four of the top five following the release of new picture disc versions of Fernando (No.2, 225 sales), Dancing Queen (No.3, 219 sales), Money Money Money (No.4, also 219 sales) and Knowing Me, Knowing You (No.5, 213 sales). Jamie T's Power Over Men - also a picture disc - sold five copies more than Fernando to take the No.1 slot.

Year End Charts

At the end of each year, the top singles and albums for the year were compiled based upon sales. Below are the year-end positions for the ABBA material that made it into the year-end charts, sourced from this site.

Note: Often a preliminary end of year chart was published a couple of weeks before the end of the year. Some sites use this as the actual result, and as such there will be differences between my information and the other. To the best of my knowledge, the information here is from the 1/1 of a year, to 31/12 of a year.

1974 singles: Waterloo was number 16 for the year.

1975 singles: SOS was number 48 for the year.

1976 singles: Money, Money, Money was number 95 for the year.
1976 singles: Mamma Mia was number 21 for the year.
1976 singles: Fernando was number 7 for the year.
1976 singles: Dancing Queen was number 4 for the year.

1977 singles: The Name of the Game was number 16 for the year.
1977 singles: Knowing Me, Knowing You was number 6 for the year.

1978 singles: Summer Night City was number 73 for the year.
1978 singles: Take A Chance On Me was number 9 for the year.

1979 singles: Angeleyes / Voulez-Vous was number 56 for the year.
1979 singles: Does Your Mother Know was number 46 for the year.
1979 singles: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! was number 30 for the year.
1979 singles: I Have A Dream was number 27 for the year.
1979 singles: Chiquitita was number 17 for the year.

1980 singles: The Winner Takes It All was number 18 for the year.
1980 singles: Super Trouper was number 4 for the year.

1981 singles: One Of Us was number 76 for the year.

1976 albums: Abba was number 83 for the year.
1976 albums: Arrival was number 41 for the year.
1976 albums: Greatest Hits was number 1 for the year.

1977 albums: Greatest Hits was number 9 for the year.
1977 albums: Arrival was number 1 for the year.

1978 albums: Arrival was number 41 for the year.
1978 albums: Greatest Hits was number 35 for the year.
1978 albums: Abba - The Album was number 3 for the year.

1979 albums: Greatest Hits Vol.2 was number 8 for the year.
1979 albums: Voulez-Vous was number 5 for the year.

1980 albums: Greatest Hits Vol.2 was number 17 for the year.
1980 albums: Super Trouper was number 1 for the year.

1981 albums: Greatest Hits Vol.2 was number 127 for the year.
1981 albums: Super Trouper was number 40 for the year.
1981 albums: The Visitors was number 17 for the year.

1983 albums: Thank You For The Music was number 86 for the year.

Abba Gold: 12 in 1992 (525,000 estimated),
Abba Gold: 36 in 1993 (205,000 estimated), 63 in 1994 (168,000 estimated),
Abba Gold: 80 in 1995 (140,000 estimated), 87 in 1996 (130,000 sold),
Abba Gold: 100 in 1997 (110,000 sold), 55 in 1998 (211,000 sold),
Abba Gold: 4 in 1999 (1,253,187 sold), 41 in 2000 (367,000 sold),
Abba Gold: 148 in 2001 (107,080 sold), Not placed in 2002 (42,000 estimated),
Abba Gold: 193 in 2003 (95,000 sold), 47 in 2004 (380,000 sold),
Abba Gold: 118 in 2005 (160,000 sold), 194 in 2006 (94,000 sold),
Abba Gold: 166 in 2007 (91,800 sold), 19 in 2008 (410,119 sold),
Abba Gold: 54 in 2009 (248,500 sold), 90 in 2010 (150,900 sold),
Abba Gold: 130 in 2011 (95,400 sold), 140 in 2012 (81,300 sold),
Abba Gold: 119 in 2013 (77,250 sold), 103 in 2014 (70,300 sold),
Abba Gold: 79 in 2015 (84,000 sold), 72 in 2016 (88,500 sold).
Abba Gold: 77 in 2017 (91,000 sold), 20 in 2018 (174,000 sold).
Abba Gold: ?? in 2019 (??,000 sold), ?? in 2020 (??,000 sold).
Abba Gold: 13 in 2021 (178,250 sold).

1999 albums: More Abba Gold was number 150 for the year (82,574 sold).

2001 albums: The Definitive Collection was number 154 for the year (101,620 sold).

2006 albums: Number Ones was number 158 for the year (115,500 sold).

2008 albums: 18 Hits was number 120 for the year (133,500 sold).

2012 albums: 18 Hits was number 183 for the year (63,100 sold).

2013 albums: A by Agnetha was number 98 for the year.

2021 albums: Voyage was number 3 for the year (400,475 sold).

2003 catalogue albums: Abba Gold was number 17 for the year.

2003 DVD: Abba Gold was number 97 for the year.
2003 DVD: The Definitive Collection was number 33 for the year.

End of Decade Charts

The UK charts have also been calculated to give the biggest hits of the decade. These are included below.

1970s singles: Dancing Queen was number 29 for the decade.
1970s singles: Knowing Me, Knowing You was number 47 for the decade.
1970s singles: Fernando was number 63 for the decade.
1970s singles: Take A Chance On Me was number 67 for the decade.
1970s singles: The Name Of The Game was number 90 for the decade.

1980s singles: Super Trouper was number 48 for the decade.

1970s albums: Greatest Hits was number 2 for the decade.
1970s albums: Arrival was number 7 for the decade.
1970s albums: ABBA - The Album was number 20 for the decade.
1970s albums: Voulez-Vous was number 55 for the decade.
1970s albums: Greatest Hits Vol. 2 was number 67 for the decade.

1990s albums: Abba Gold was number 9 for the decade.

2000s albums: Abba Gold was number 25 for the decade.

In addition, in September 1987 BBC Radio One had its 20th birthday. To celebrate, they compiled the UK's best selling albums from 1967 to 1987.

Greatest Hits was number 4, Arrival was number 17, Greatest Hits Vol. 2 was number 39, Super Trouper was number 41, and ABBA - The Album was number 70.

Sales at Number 1

Here are the weekly sales reported at number one for two singles in 1980.

09-Aug - The Winner Takes It All - ABBA - 111,000
16-Aug - The Winner Takes It All - ABBA - 147,000

29-Nov - Super Trouper - ABBA - 174,000
06-Dec - Super Trouper - ABBA - 136,000
13-Dec - Super Trouper - ABBA - 94,000

Accreditations & Sales Figures:

Total sales over all formats for Abba items in the United Kingdom. Items with a plus sign indicate that accurate numbers are not available, and this is based on the accreditation only. The figures below (except those with question marks) are the figures given out by Epic. Please note that only ABBA Gold and Greatest Hits have actually sold over 2,000,000 copies in the UK. The basis for this information is the "Top 100 Albums 1967 - 1987 List" (based on sales) compiled by Gallup. That organisation was responsible for the charts back then, and are considered an accurate representation of actual sales.

Among Abba fans, there is much speculation over the sales figures. Some people believe that some of these figures are inflated to a vast degree, evident by The Winner Takes It All single which has no accreditation (ie: less than 250,000 copies sold) and yet has a sales figure of 521,000. Others, more familiar with the industry, believe that Epic merely forgot to certify the single, which is a common occurrance around the world. As such, where a certification is listed in brackets, this means it was not certified for the sales it achieved but did achieve these sales. Please use any sales figures as a guide only, unless they are specific to the unit from a reputable source.

For singles in the UK, before 1 January 1987, a Silver award was for 250,000 copies, a Gold award was for 500,000 copies shipped to stores, and a Platinum award is for 1,000,000 copies shipped to stores. Post 1 January 1987, this was reduced for singles (not listed as not applicable here). Album accreditations were 60,000 / 100,000 / 300,000, with multiple platinum from 1987. Budget albums have to sell double to get accredited the same - so Gold is 200,000 copies and so on.

Abba no longer hold the record for the most advance orders for an album in the UK (1,000,000 for Super Trouper) - this was broken by Welcome to the Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes To Hollywood in 1984 with 1,150,000 advance copies ordered. In terms of singles, Abba are the 8th highest selling act in the UK ever.

United Kingdom Singles
TitleSalesAccreditation
Ring Ring500
Waterloo520,000Silver (2018)
Ring Ring (re-release)50,000
So Long10,000
SOS310,000
Mamma Mia530,000Silver
Fernando775,000Gold
Dancing Queen1,060,000Gold
Money, Money, Money510,000Gold
Knowing Me, Knowing You845,000Gold
The Name of the Game700,000Gold
Take A Chance On Me705,000Gold
Summer Night City250,000Silver
Chiquitita575,000Gold
Does Your Mother Know375,000Silver
Angeleyes / Voulez-Vous340,000Silver
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!490,000Gold
I Have A Dream570,000Gold
The Winner Takes It All551,000(uncertified)
Super Trouper815,000Gold
Lay All Your Love On Me200,000
One Of Us501,000Gold
Thank You For The Music80,000
I Know Him So Well823,000Gold
Dancing Queen (re-release)80,000
If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind21,000
Waterloo11,240
The Winner Takes It All (2004 Release)200,000Silver
Dancing Queen (2010 Download Release)600,000Platinum
Thank You For The Music (2004 Release - DL/STR)200,000Silver

Downloads below are through to 1 October 2015.
All items with an asterisk are through to 11 August 2016. So Long is through to 8 September 2016. Dancing Queen is to 21 June 2019.


United Kingdom Downloads
TitleSales
Ring Ring18,100
Nina, Pretty Ballerina3,000*
People Need Love2,000*
He Is Your Brother2,000*
Another Town, Another Train1,000*
Disillusion1,000*
I Saw It In The Mirror1,000*
Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)1,000*
Rock 'N Roll Band1,000*
Waterloo71,300
Honey Honey44,000
Hasta Manana6,000*
Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)5,000*
Sitting In The Palmtree1,000*
King Kong Song1,000*
My Mama Said1,000*
What About Livingstone1,000*
Gonna Sing You My Lovesong1,000*
So Long5,000**
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do35,300
SOS46,900
Mamma Mia140,700
Bang-A-Boomerang4,000*
Rock Me4,000*
I've Been Waiting For You3,000*
Hey Hey Helen1,000*
Tropical Loveland1,000*
Fernando43,100
Dancing Queen600,000
Money, Money, Money41,100
Knowing Me, Knowing You45,200
When I Kissed The Teacher8,200
My Love, My Life6,000*
Arrival5,600
Tiger5,000*
That's Me3,000*
Why Did It Have To Be Me3,000*
Dum Dum Diddle2,000*
The Name of the Game29,400
Take A Chance On Me56,300
Eagle24,200
Thank You For The Music54,200
Move On6,000*
One Man, One Woman4,000*
I Wonder (Departure)4,000*
Hole In Your Soul3,000*
I'm A Marionette2,000*
Summer Night City16,300
Medley4*
Chiquitita47,000
Does Your Mother Know57,100
Voulez-Vous38,000
Angeleyes21,000
I Have A Dream39,900
If It Wasn't For The Nights3,000*
Kisses Of Fire3,000*
As Good As New2,000*
The King Has Lost His Crown2,000*
Lovers (Live A Little Longer)1,000*
Lovelight1,000*
Dream World1,000*
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!66,700
The Winner Takes It All100,000
Super Trouper40,600
Lay All Your Love On Me37,800
Happy New Year31,000*
Our Last Summer26,400
Andante Andante6,900
The Way Old Friends Do6,300
The Piper6,000*
On And On And On3,000*
Me And I3,000*
Put On Your White Sombrero1,800*
One Of Us33,700
When All Is Said And Done11,400
Head Over Heels6,600
Slipping Through My Fingers50,100
The Vistors4,600
Soldiers3,000*
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room2,700
Should I Laugh Or Cry1,100
I Let The Music Speak1,000*
Two For The Price Of One1,000*
The Day Before You Came28,700
Under Attack7,300
Cassandra1,600
I Am The City1,200
You Owe Me One1,000*

United Kingdom Albums
TitleSalesAccreditation
Waterloo70,000Silver
Abba165,000Gold
Greatest Hits2,598,576Platinum x 8
Arrival1,653,225Platinum
Abba - The Album1,100,000Platinum
Voulez-Vous800,000Platinum
Greatest Hits Vol.21,200,000Platinum
Super Trouper1,150,000Platinum
The Visitors600,000Platinum
Something's Going On60,000+Silver
Abba - The Singles600,000Platinum
Thank You For The Music130,000Gold
Chess100,000+Gold
Absolute Abba100,000+Gold
The Hits Vol. 2200,000+Gold
The Collection200,000+Gold
Abba Gold6,000,000+Platinum x 20
More Abba Gold339,000+Platinum
Thank You For The Music (Box Set)24,600
My Colouring Book57,000Silver
Mamma Mia! Original Cast Recording407,200Platinum
The Definitive Collection229,600Gold
Abba - The Ultimate Collection (Readers Digest)200
The Music Still Goes On230,000Gold
The Name of the Game300,000Platinum
18 Hits512,000Platinum
Number Ones169,300(Gold)
Mamma Mia! Sountrack1,468,000Platinum x 5
Forever Gold61,600Platinum
The Albums (Box Set)65,700Silver
Love Stories52,000
The Essential Collection7,100
The Complete Studio Recordings5,000
Classic Abba - The Masters Collection38,500
Abba - The Vinyls (LP Box)300
A (Agnetha)124,000Gold
Abba Gold/More Abba Gold (2014 Triple CD)4,200
Live At Wembley Arena8,400
Story Of A Heart (Benny Andersson Band)22,000
Ring Ring (Deluxe Edition)26,000
Waterloo (Deluxe Edition)36,000
ABBA (Deluxe Edition)15,000
Arrival (Deluxe Edition)114,000
Abba - The Album (Deluxe Edition)49,000
Voulez-Vous (Deluxe Edition)41,000
Super Trouper (Deluxe Edition)107,000
The Visitors (Deluxe Edition)73,200
Greatest Hits (2006 Reissue)11,000
Gracias Por La Musica (2014 Reissue)2,000
Something's Going On (Box Set) (Frida)400
Chess (2014 Reissue)43,000
Gold/More Gold - Greatest Hits (3 CD Set)60,000Silver
Voyage400,475Platinum

United Kingdom DVD
TitleSalesAccreditation
The Winner Takes It All50,000Platinum
Abba Gold100,000Platinum x 2
Abba In Concert25,000Gold
Super Troupers25,000Gold
Forever Gold50,000Platinum

Maintained by Trent Nickson.
Last updated: 23 January 2022.