Super Trouper (song)

This article is about the ABBA song. For other uses, see Super Trouper (disambiguation).

"Super Trouper"
Single by ABBA
from the album Super Trouper
B-side	"The Piper"
Released	November 1980
Format	7" single
Genre	Pop
Length	4:10
Label	Polar Music
Writer(s)	Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
Producer	Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
Certification	Gold (UK)
ABBA singles chronology
"On and On and On" (1980) "Super Trouper" (1980) "Happy New Year" (1980)

"Super Trouper", at first called "Blinka lilla stjärna" (the Swedish title of nursery rhyme "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"), was a hit single for Swedish pop group ABBA, and was the title track from their 1980 studio album Super Trouper, written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The song, with lead vocals by Anni-Frid Lyngstad, was the last to be written and recorded for this album. "Super Trouper" is included on the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits compilation, as well as in the Mamma Mia! musical.

The name "Super Trouper" referred to the gigantic spotlights used in stadium concerts and such. ABBA were not always fond of performing onstage, preferring the confines of the studio to being on tour. This is reflected in the lyrics, which, in typical ABBA style, are presented as happy and upbeat, yet tinged with a hint of sadness.

Reception

"Super Trouper" was a yet another successful single for ABBA. It topped the charts in Belgium, West Germany, Great Britain (their 9th and final #1 in the UK), Ireland and the Netherlands. It reached the Top 5 in Austria, France, Norway, and Switzerland, while peaking in the Top 10 in Finland and Spain. In the United States, where ABBA never quite managed to achieve the same sort of popularity experienced elsewhere, the single reached #45. However, combined with "Lay All Your Love on Me" and "On and On and On", it topped the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Music video

In October 1980, the music video for "Super Trouper" used the largest number of artists that ABBA have ever used in a music video. Other than ABBA and their friends themselves, the rest were from a circus troupe based in Britain. It was to have been shot in Piccadilly Circus in London, but was shot in Stockholm after the British authorities did not allow the shoot to go ahead.

The spotlight featured throughout the music video is, in fact, a CCT Silhouette follow spot, as opposed to a real Super Trouper. The city of Glasgow mentioned in the lyric was suggested by Howard Huntridge who worked with their then-UK publishers Bocu Music.

Chart positions

Chart (1980)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	77
Austrian Singles Chart	3
Belgian Singles Chart	1
British Singles Chart	1
Canadian Singles Chart	32
Dutch Singles Chart	1
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	1
Finnish Singles Chart	8
French Singles Chart	4
German Singles Chart	1
Irish Singles Chart	1
Japanese Singles Chart	93
Mexican Singles Chart	3
Norwegian Singles Chart	2
Spanish Singles Chart	8
Swedish Singles Chart	11
Swiss Singles Chart	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	45
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	1
Zimbabwean Singles Chart	18

Preceded by "The Tide Is High" by Blondie	UK Singles Chart number-one single 29 November 1980 – 13 December 1980	Succeeded by "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon
Preceded by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand	Irish Singles Chart number-one single 29 November 1980 – 13 December 1980	Succeeded by "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma" by St Winifred's School Choir
	Belgian VRT Top 30 number-one single 29 November 1980 – 20 December 1980	Succeeded by "Santa Maria" by Roland Kaiser
Preceded by "Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Stephanie Mills	Dutch Top 40 number-one single 6 December 1980 – 13 December 1980
Preceded by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand	European Hot 100 Singles number-one single 18 December 1980 – 5 February 1981	Succeeded by "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon
	German Singles Chart number-one single (first run) 19 December 1980 – 26 December 1980	Succeeded by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand
	German Singles Chart number-one single (second run) 9 January 1981 – 23 January 1981	Succeeded by "Fade to Gray" by Visage
Preceded by "Your Love" / "You're My Magician" by Lime	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (with "Lay All Your Love on Me" and "On and On and On") 2 May 1981	Succeeded by "Paradise" / "Hold Tight" / "Heaven of My Life" by Change

A-Teens version

"Super Trouper"
Single by A-Teens
from the album The ABBA Generation
Released	29 November 1999
Format	CD Single Cassette vinyl (12") Airplay
Recorded	1999
Genre	Pop, Europop
Length	3:52
Label	Universal Music
Producer	Thomas Johansson Ronald Malmberg
A-Teens singles chronology
"Mamma Mia" (1999) "Super Trouper" (1999) "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" (1999)

"Super Trouper" was A-Teens' second single from their 1st album The ABBA Generation, a cover of ABBA's song. When the single came out in the fall of 1999, it became a hit around the globe, just as its predecessor "Mamma Mia", also an ABBA cover. "Super Trouper" debuted at No. 2 in Sweden and was later certified platinum .

It also became their only Top 5 hit in Germany peaking at #4. The single also reached No. 21 in the United Kingdom, No. 18 in Switzerland, No. 15 in Norway, No. 11 in Austria and No. 12 in Netherlands.

Music video

The music video was directed by Sebastian Reed and was filmed in Sweden. The video shows a girl obsessed with the band, she owns posters, magazines, mugs and clothing. She also copies the band's choreography that is shown on TV. Some of the articles that feature pictures of the band come to life in the video.

The video was a hit in most TV stations charting inside the Top 10 countdowns in late 1999 and early 2000.

Releases

European 2-Track CD Single

1. "Super Trouper" [Radio Version] – 3:52
2. "Super Trouper" [Super Radio Remix] – 4:04

European CD Maxi

1. "Super Trouper" [Radio Version] – 3:52
2. "Super Trouper" [Super Super Remix] – 8:58
3. "Super Trouper" [Pinocchio Remix] – 5:08
4. "Super Trouper" [Extended Version] – 6:05

German CD Maxi

1. "Super Trouper" [Radio Version] – 3:52
2. "Super Trouper" [Perre J's Remix] – 4:04
3. "Happy New Year" – 4:23
4. "Mamma Mia" [Radio Version] – 3:43

• Video: "Mamma Mia"

U.K. CD1

1. "Super Trouper" [Radio Version] – 3:52
2. "A*Teens Medley" [Pierre J's Full UK Mix] – 7:27
3. "Super Trouper" [Karaoke Version] – 3:52

• Video: "Super Trouper"

U.K. CD2

1. "Super Trouper" [Extended Version] – 6:05
2. "Super Trouper" [W.I.P.] – 6:10
3. "Super Trouper" [The Bold & The Glamour Mix] – 6:50

U.K. Cassette

1. "Super Trouper" [Radio Version] – 3:52
2. "Super Trouper" [Karaoke Version] – 3:52

Japan CD Maxi

1. "Super Trouper" [Radio Version] – 3:52
2. "Happy New Year" – 4:23
3. "Super Trouper" [Super Super Remix] – 8:58
4. "Super Trouper" [Extended Version] – 6:05

Sweden Promo CD

1. "Super Trouper" [Radio Version] – 3:52

12" Vinyl Promo (1 Track)

1. A. "Super Trouper" [Extended Version] – 6:05

UK 12" Vinyl Promo (3 Track)

1. A1. "Super Trouper" [Extended Version] – 6:05
2. B1. "Super Trouper" [The Bold & The Glamour Mix] – 6:50
3. B2. "Super Trouper" [W.I.P.] – 6:10

Other cover versions

• Another cover slightly similar to the A*Teens version was included on the tribute album ABBAdance by Angeleyes from 1999.
• A hi-NRG/techno dance version and various remixes by ABBA tribute group Abbacadabra were released through the English label Almighty Records in the late 1990s. It was included on the 2008 compilation We Love ABBA: The Mamma Mia Dance Compilation. An audio sample can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.
• Another dance version by Jaybee is on the compilation Lay All Your Love On ABBA.
• The ABBAMetal compilation (also released as A Tribute to ABBA) featured a cover by German heavy metal band Custard.
• The song was covered live by The Three Terrors (Stephin Merritt, LD Beghtol, and Dudley Klute) at their 2001 extravganza, The Saddest Songs We Know at The Knitting Factory, New York, in 2003; Klute sang lead. Author Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snickett, played accordion.
• The song was covered in a 1920s style by German singer Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester.
• On the 1995 New Zealand ABBA tribute album Abbasalutely, the song was covered by the band Headless Chickens.
• American musician/songwriter Pamela McNeill covered the song on her Tribute To ABBA album. Her husband, Dugan McNeill, helped produce the album.
• An electronica version of the song by Mitchell Sigman can be found on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA, with Roger Gisborne on vocals.
• A slower, ambient dance version is included on the tribute album ABBA Dance by Euphorica in 2003.
• The 2004 British ABBAMania 2 album includes a version sung by British TV actors Lucy Benjamin of EastEnders fame, and James Gaddas.
• Swedish musician Nils Landgren included a rendition of the song on his 2004 tribute album Funky ABBA.
• On the 2004 tribute album Abbalicious performed by various drag queens from the U.S., the song was covered by Betzy.
• A cover of the song by C.C. Miles can be found on the 2006 chill out music compilation ABBA Chill Out.
• Glasgow indie pop band Camera Obscura covered the song on the b-side of their 7" vinyl release Tears For Affairs single in 2007. A version also appeared on the compilation album, The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show (2007, EMI).
• The song was covered in a jazz/lounge music style by American group BNB on their 2008 album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.
• A cover of the song with slightly reworked lyrics was included on the 2008 album The Velvet Hour by indie group Somegirl. An audio sample can be heard here.
• The song was translated into Taiwanese and covered by Taiwanese musician Harlem Yu.
• German band Bella Vista released a German version of the song as a single in 2008.
• Ellie Goulding was featured in a Mash-up of 'Super Troupers', along with her song 'Lights'.

Appearances in other media

• The song is performed in the Mamma Mia! stage musical. In the musical, Donna, Tanya and Rosie perform the song at Sophie's hen party dressed in the tight Lycra suits they used to wear when they were a girl band called "Donna and the Dynamos". In the context of the musical, it explains that even though Donna has a hard life sometimes, all she has to know is that Sophie is there and that makes Donna feel much better. When Niklas Strömstedt wrote lyrics for the Swedish staging of the musical, "Glasgow" was replaced by "Gränna" as the place from which the singer calls in the lyrics.