SOS (ABBA song)

"SOS"
Song
B-side	"Man in the Middle"

"S.O.S.", first called "Turn Me On", was the 3rd single from Swedish pop group ABBA's self-titled 1975 album, their 3rd for Polar Music and their 2nd for Epic and Atlantic. It was released with "Man in the Middle" as the B-side. Agnetha Fältskog, who sang lead, recorded the song in Swedish on her 1975 solo album Elva kvinnor i ett hus. "S.O.S." was ABBA's first major worldwide hit since "Waterloo)".

History

"S.O.S." was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson and recorded at Glen Studio on 22-23 August 1974. The title itself was coined by Stig, though the lyrics he provided were re-written by Ulvaeus. "SOS" was among the first 3 songs recorded for the group's 1975 album, ABBA.

Despite the song's catchiness, it was passed over as the lead single from the album; the track "So Long" was chosen instead. "So Long" was chosen primarily because it had the same uptempo beat as their 1974 hit single, "Waterloo".

The descending chords and ominous Minimoog synthesizer melody line of the introduction set the tone for Fältskog’s vocals, sounding almost as if she were breaking down in tears.

ABBA perform parts of the song live in the film ABBA: The Movie.

Reception

"S.O.S." was ABBA's British comeback single, reaching #6 (their first big hit there since Waterloo) and also became the group's third U.S. Top 20 hit. It reached #1 in Australia, Belgium, West Germany (where it spent 7 weeks at the top), New Zealand & South Africa, while reaching the Top 5 in Austria, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.

This song is the only palindromic title by a palindromic artist to hit number one in Australia.

"S.O.S." has a number of musical fans: John Lennon had declared that it was one of his favourite pop songs, and Pete Townshend in particular said it is probably his favourite pop song.

Chart positions

Chart (1975)	Position
Australian Singles Chart	1
Austrian Singles Chart	2
Belgian Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	6
Canadian Singles Chart	9
Dutch Singles Chart	2
German Singles Chart	1
Irish Singles Chart	4
Italian Singles Chart	2
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
Norwegian Singles Chart	2
Swiss Singles Chart	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	15
Mexico	2
South Africa	1
Rhodesian Singles Chart	2
Chart (2001)	Position
Japanese Singles Chart	15

Agnetha Fältskog's version

"SOS"
Song

Agnetha Fältskog's version was the second single from her fifth Swedish solo-album Elva kvinnor i ett hus (Eleven Women In One House). It was the only song from this album not to have been composed by Fältskog herself.

Despite the fact that Fältskog never promoted the single in Sweden, it peaked at #4 on the singles chart on January 1, 1976 during a 20-week chart run, and it also became Fältskog's third #1 on radio chart Svensktoppen, entering the chart on November 22, 1975 and spending a total of eleven weeks on the listing.

The B-side of the single, "Visa I Åttonde Månaden" (Song In The Eighth Month) was a song written from a very personal perspective, as it was composed during Fältskog's pregnancy with daughter Linda Ulvaeus in 1973.

Other cover versions

• Released in the early 1980s, the "Stars on 45 Medley 2" started off with a bunch of 60's songs then ended the last third with several ABBA tracks. This section of the medley kicked off with "S.O.S.", followed by "Money, Money, Money"/"Knowing Me, Knowing You"/"Fernando"/"The Winner Takes It All"/"Super Trouper".
• In 1988, Kees Zaaijer released a fully synthesized version of "S.O.S.", which he recorded using the up-and-coming Commodore 64 synth.
• The song was covered in the 1990s by Los Angeles indie band Celebrity Skin for their album Melting Pot.
• The 1992 compilation ABBA: The Tribute contained a cover by Swedish band Stonecake.
• Dance covers of the song have been recorded by Abbacadabra (through Almighty Records), German Eurodance group E-Rotic on their album Thank You For The Music, The Element on the Lay All Your Love On ABBA compilation, Angeleyes on their album ABBAdance, Euphorica on their 2003 album ABBA Dance, Les Blue Belles, Kyria, and DJ Ensamble on the 2006 album Trancing Queen.
• An electronica version by Radha Kali is included on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA.
• Finnish rock group The Rasmus recorded a cover of the song for the 2006 compilation Come Together - A Tribute to BRAVO. An audio sample can be heard on the official German website for the compilation.
• British singer Hazell Dean recorded a dance-oriented version on her own ABBA tribute album.
• American singer/songwriter Pamela McNeill covers it on her album Tribute To ABBA, which was produced by her husband Dugan McNeill.
• Swedish studio musicians The Black Sweden included a version of the song on their ABBA tribute album Gold. This version includes a riff from the Kiss song "God of Thunder".
• Alternative U.K. band Th' Faith Healers recorded a cover of the song.
• Canadian rock band Harem Scarem recorded a cover of the song.
• Indie artists Brad Sucks and The Hip Cola recorded an acoustic version that was available for download on the Internet.
• In 1989, Canadian pop band Men Without Hats covered the song for their album, The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century.
• In 1992, the song was covered on Erasure's Abba-esque EP.
• The song was also covered in 1992 by Norwegian rock band Israelvis on their We Only Live Twice EP.
• In 1995, Russian black metal band Trizna included a cover of the song on their album Out of Step. It was also later included on their 1996 album Need For Speed.
• In 1995, Peter Cetera released a cover version of the song as a duet with singer Ronna Reeves on his album One Clear Voice. The song was also included on the 1999 compilation ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration. Cetera's love of ABBA is not only evident in his covering of "SOS," but in his producing of Agnetha Faltskog's 1987 solo album I Stand Alone, which included a duet with her on the track "I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)".
• The 1995 New Zealand compilation Abbasalutely includes a cover by the Able Tasmans.
• In 1998, alternative band The Fire Apes covered the song for their album A Perfect Day For Bananafish.
• In 1999, the Swedish pop group A*Teens did a cover of "SOS" for their debut album, The ABBA Generation.
• In 2000, the ska band Mad Caddies covered "SOS" on their "The Holiday Has Been Cancelled" EP.
• In 2000, a heavy metal cover of the song was included by At Vance on their album Heart of Steel.
• In 2001, 2 dance covers of the song by Donna Burke were included on the Japanese import ABBA Ibiza Caliente Mix compilation.
• In 2001, the tribute album ABBAMetal (also released as A Tribute to ABBA) included a heavy metal version by German band Paradox.
• Serbian punk rock band KBO! recorded a version on their 2001 cover album (Ne) Menjajte Stanicu ((Do Not) Change The Station)
• In 2002, the Meat Purveyors covered the song on their album, All Relationships Are Doomed to Fail.
• In 2003, American artist Lionel's Dad (a.k.a. Mark Towner Williams) covered the song for his album Break The Normal.
• In 2004, the song was covered by TV actress Tricia Penrose on the British ABBAMania 2 album.
• On Abbalicious, a 2004 compilation performed by American drag queens, the song is covered by Joie Starr.
• In 2004, Swedish musician Nils Landgren covered the song on his album Funky ABBA.
• On the 2005 German ABBA Mania compilation, the song was covered by Swiss actress/model/singer Michelle Hunziker.
• In 2005, the song was covered by indie band Dodd Ferrelle and The Tin Foil Stars on their album The Murder of Love.
• In 2006, American indie band Masonic recorded a cover of the song for their album Without Warning. A sample can be heard on their official website.
• In 2007, the song was covered by Dutch rock singer/musician Robby Valentine on his album Falling Down In Misanthropolis.
• In 2007, an acoustic cover of the song by indie band Nekked was included on their album A Barrier of Skin.
• In 2008, the song was covered in a jazz/lounge music style by American group BNB on their album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.
• Tribute band Gabba (band) recorded a cover of the song, in the style of The Ramones. A sample can be heard on their official website.
• The song is performed in the Mamma Mia! musical. In the context of the musical, the song is sung by Sam and Donna when they are expressing desire for each other, unbeknownst to each other. In the 2008 Mamma Mia! film adaptation, the song is performed by Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.
• American indie band Divorcee recorded a cover which was available for download on the Internet.
• Indie band Mortimer Bustos recorded a cover of the song. An audio sample was available on their official MySpace page in the past.
• The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded an instrumental cover of the song. [1]
• In 2009, a DNA-repair themed scientific reprise of the song appeared in the journal Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education [2] [3]
• Versant released a cover of the song on October 9, 2009

Live cover performances

• An acoustic version of the song was recorded by American rock band Tonic for the radio program Andrew Denton Breakfast Show. Their cover was included on the 2000 compilation Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge.
• In 2005, The Conway Sisters sang the song on Series 2 of The X Factor.
• In 2006, Dizzy Reed played an instrumental piano version of the song as his solo spot in Stockholm on the Chinese Democracy Tour.
• In 2007, John Frusciante sung the song six times during a solo portion of Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts on the Stadium Arcadium tour.

Appearances in other media

• In 2000, "S.O.S." was the main theme song in Lukas Moodysson's film Tillsammans.
• In 2001, ABBA's original version of "S.O.S." was used as the theme song of the Japanese TV drama Strawberry on the Shortcake. The song was re-released as a single, some twenty-five years after its original release, followed by a soundtrack album. Both the single and the album were successful on the Japanese charts, and the former became that year's best-selling single by an international music act in Japan, selling some 130,000 copies. The following year "SOS" won a gold prize at the 17th Japan Gold Disc Awards in honor of its renewed commercial success.
• The song frequently used as bumper music for the radio program Coast to Coast AM.

Sampling/Influence on other songs

• Punk rock band The Sex Pistols used the riff of "S.O.S." as the introduction to their track "Pretty Vacant". The chorus of "Pretty Vacant" was also inspired by "S.O.S.".
• The song's bridge melody (from "When you're gone" to "try to go on") was used in the 1983 hit country music song Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. The using remains uncredited, as the melody itself was slightly rearranged, with few notes being dropped from the original, and instead of the original piano and synth sounds, horns are used.
• In 1989, Austrian group Edelweiss used the melody behind "SOS" as part of their biggest-selling single "Bring Me Edelweiss".