Take a Chance on Me

This article is about the ABBA song. For other uses, see Take a Chance on Me (disambiguation).

"Take a Chance on Me"
Single by ABBA
from the album The Album
B-side	"I'm a Marionette"
Released	January 1978
Format	Vinyl
Recorded	15 August 1977 at Marcus Music Studio
Genre	Pop, dance-pop
Length	4:05
Label	Polar Music, Atlantic
Writer(s)	Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus
Producer	Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus
Certification	Gold (UK), Gold (USA)
ABBA singles chronology
"The Name of the Game" (1977) "Take a Chance on Me" (1978) "Eagle" (1978)

"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits.

History

The working title of "Take a Chance on Me" was "Billy Boy". Written & recorded in 1977 by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, it opens as a cold intro and was sung by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, with Fältskog delivering the solo passages, with a constant uptempo throughout the entire recording. It was one of ABBA's first singles in which their manager Stig Anderson did not lend a hand in writing the lyrics, firmly establishing Andersson and Ulvaeus as a songwriting partnership. The song's origins sprang from Ulvaeus, whose hobby was running. While running, he would sing a "tck-a-ch"-style rhythm to himself over and over again, which then evolved into "take-a-chance" and the eventual lyrics. The song's B-side was "I'm a Marionette", which, like "Thank You for the Music" and "I Wonder (Departure)" (the B-side to their previous single, "The Name of the Game"), was intended to be part of a mini-musical entitled The Girl with the Golden Hair that Andersson and Ulvaeus had planned, but ultimately shelved.

Reception

"Take a Chance on Me" proved to be one of ABBA's most successful chart hits. It was released in January 1978 and spent 3 weeks at number 1 in the United Kingdom, becoming the third consecutive UK number 1 for the group after "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "The Name of the Game". It also topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, and Ireland, while being a Top 3 hit in West Germany, the Netherlands, Rhodesia, Switzerland, and the United States, where it allegedly sold more copies than "Dancing Queen". "Take a Chance on Me" also reached the top 10 in Canada, France, and Norway.

Chart positions

Charts (1978)	Position
Australian Singles Chart	12
Austrian Singles Chart	1
Belgian Singles Chart	1
British Singles Chart	1
Canadian Singles Chart	7
Dutch Singles Chart	2
Eurochart Hot 100	1
French Singles Chart	10
German Singles Chart	3
Irish Singles Chart	1
Japanese Singles Chart	67
New Zealand Singles Chart	14
Norwegian Singles Chart	8
South African Singles Chart	6
Swiss Singles Chart	3
Mexico	1
Rhodesia	2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3

Erasure cover version

The track was famously covered by English synthpop duo Erasure in 1992, as part of their Abba-esque EP, with an additional ragga-style rap performed by MC Kinky added to the song. The cover topped the UK Singles Chart for 5 weeks in 1992.

Music video

Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell recreated ABBA's "Take A Chance On Me" music video playing dual roles — as themselves & in drag — Clarke as Fältskog & Bell as Lyngstad.

A-Teens cover version

"Take a Chance on Me"
Single by A-Teens
from the album The ABBA Generation
Released	2000
Format	Airplay
Recorded	1999
Genre	Europop
Length	3:52
Label	Universal Music
Writer(s)	B. Andersson B. Ulvaeus
Producer	Thomas Johansson Ronald Malmberg
A-Teens singles chronology
"One of Us" (1999) "Take a Chance on Me" (2000) "Dancing Queen" (2000)

"Take a Chance on Me" was an A-Teens promo single from their debut album The ABBA Generation, a cover of the ABBA song of the same name. Universal Music Spain released the song on Spanish radio, hoping to promote the band in Spain in the early 2000s. The song also became part of the Head Over Heels motion picture soundtrack in 2001.

Other cover versions

• British synthpop duo Erasure earned an award from the UK Singles Chart for their release of Abba-esque, an ABBA cover EP that included a cover version of "Take a Chance on Me".
• Various eurodance cover versions by Abbacadabra were released through British label Almighty Records in the late 1990s. Audio samples can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.
• Other dance covers have been recorded by Euphorica on their 2003 album ABBA Dance and Wildside.
• American musician/songwriter Pamela McNeill covered the song on her Tribute To ABBA album, which was produced by her husband Dugan McNeill.
• Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1982 album Chipmunk Rock.
• A pseudo-instrumental version with minimal lyrics by Waterloop appears on the Lay All Your Love On ABBA compilation.
• An instrumental electronica cover of the song by Cicada can be found on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA.^{[citation needed]}
• The song has been covered by Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
• An a cappella version was recorded by the Belgian vocal group Voice Male for their 1999 album Colors.
• Swedish studio musicians The Black Sweden included the song on their ABBA tribute album entitled Gold. Their version featured the opening riff from "Enter Sandman".^{[citation needed]}
• A pop/dance cover of the song by J'Nae Fincannon was included on the 2000 compilation Tokahits.
• In 2001, the tribute album ABBAMetal (also released as A Tribute to ABBA) included a heavy metal version by German band Rough Silk.^{[citation needed]}
• Swedish musician Nils Landgren includes a version on his 2004 tribute album Funky ABBA.
• For the British ABBAMania 2 album from 2004, the song was covered by British TV actresses Jodi Albert & Carley Stenson.^{[citation needed]}
• The song was covered by Cashetta on the 2004 album Abbalicious, a compilation of ABBA covers songs performed by various American drag queens.
• German AC/DC tribute band Riff Raff recorded a cover in AC/DC style for their 2006 album Rock 'N' Roll Mutation Vol. 1: Riff Raff Performs ABBA.
• The Mexican band Los Horóscopos de Durango released a Spanish cover called "Sólo Piensa En Mí" (Just Think About Me) in a renewed, folk Duranguense rhythm.^{[citation needed]}
• The song was covered in a jazz/lounge music style by American group BNB on their 2008 album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.
• The song is a number in the Mamma Mia! musical. In the context of the musical, the song is sung when Rosie realizes that she and Bill share a lot in common, including how he won't commit to anyone. However, she finally persuades him to "take a chance on [her]" and the two of them end up together. This also happens to Tanya and Pepper and Harry & Roberto (his gay friend) In the 2008 feature film adaptation Mamma Mia! The Movie, the song is performed by Julie Walters as Rosie, Stellan Skarsgård as Bill. Christine Baranski as Tanya, Philip Michael as Pepper & Colin Firth as Harry.^{[citation needed]}
• Polish group K&K Studio Singers recorded the song in their native language as "Proszę Pozwól Mi".^{[citation needed]}
• Scottish indie artist Colin Asquith recorded a cover of the song which retains the original lyrics, but features a completely reworked melody in the chorus. An audio sample can be heard on his official website.

Live cover performances

• American comedian Andy Dick did a rendition of the song (playing the melody on Kazoo) while he appeared on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Appearances in other media

• In the American version of The Office, Ed Helms as Andy sings the song a cappella with 2 friends on speakerphone filling in the harmonies to court Angela Martin in the fourth season episode "Launch Party" from 2007.

• In 2008, American politician John McCain, an avid ABBA fan, used the song at many rallies for his presidential campaign.

References

Preceded by "Figaro" by Brotherhood of Man	UK Singles Chart number-one single 18 February 1978 – 4 March 1978	Succeeded by "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush
	Irish Singles Chart number-one single 25 February 1978	Succeeded by "The Rare Auld Times" by Danny Doyle
Preceded by "I Had Words" by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley	Belgian Flemish VRT Top 30 number-one single (first run) 4 March 1978	Succeeded by "I Had Words" by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley
Preceded by "Mull of Kintyre" by Wings	Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single 8 March 1978 – 29 March 1978	Succeeded by "Stayin' Alive" by Bee Gees
Preceded by "I Had Words" by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley	Belgian Flemish VRT Top 30 number-one single (second run) 18 March 1978	Succeeded by "I Can't Stand the Rain" by Eruption
Preceded by "Mull of Kintyre" by Wings	Austrian Singles Chart number-one single 17 April 1978 – 8 May 1978	Succeeded by "Rivers of Babylon" by Boney M.