By far, the most famous and enduring hit from Swedish band ABBA, Dancing Queen is one of those party songs that simply cannot be left out. The opening keyboard glissando is the most recognizable of any song written and is the cue to get up and start dancing (preferably like a queen). It’s no wonder that this song remains a favorite among women, yet, there are many men out there who are ashamed to admit their love for this song. However, over time, the song has become of the most loved gay songs and is a favorite within the gay community.
As with some other ABBA songs, Dancing Queen is an interesting mix between disco and pop, yet it is too pop to be disco and too disco to be pop. However, at the time of its release in 1976, the disco movement had just entered the mainstream worldwide and there was no shortage of disco songs ruling the charts. As a result, Dancing Queen became a massive hit worldwide reached number 1 on both the US and UK charts.
The song’s lyrics talk about a young woman, “only seventeen”, who goes out clubbing at night looking for a king. When she gets in the mood for a dance, she dances like a queen and dances so well that she has a lot of fun while attracting the attention of onlookers. However, at the same time, she is a player and teases with the men she attracts, leaving them behind after a little while.
There are a lot of people who can associate with what the lyrics are saying. However, I can guarantee that there are a lot of people who love this song but have not bothered to understand the meaning of the lyrics.
Nonetheless, it’s a wonderful song from the classic era of the 1970s that will forever be played at parties throughout the world. ABBA’s unique sound and talent shines through in Dancing Queen and leaves all of us mesmerised and wanting more.
