Rules of Eurovision only allow for 6 people to be present on the main stage, There is an orchestra pit with all the other musicians. ABBA did win it with Olivia Newton John coming 3rd for the UK
So good. They actually sing it twice. They sing it again after they win and vocally it's even better. They were such a breath of fresh air here in the Eurovision Song contest. They really stood out when compared to the other performers.
Waterloo was the song that kicked it all off for ABBA. When I heard it, I was a teenager and I remember thinking who is this? Who is ABBA? Then came SOS, Mama Mia , Dancing Queen and the rest is history. I was obsessed with ABBA back then as a teenager. I am still a big fan of ABBA. Best group of alltime, in my opinion❤
Some particularities that some people might not know about «Waterloo» at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and AßßA, on this 6th April, 1974 : 1º Agnetha Fältskog, had celebrated her 24th birthday, the previous day (5th April). 2º They were all under the age of 30 (Agnetha 24, ßjörn, 28, ßenny, 27, Anni-Frid, 28. 3º Despite the U.K. being the «host» country, AßßA received 0 points from the U.K., when each country presented their awarded points voting for each respective song. 4º «Waterloo» was voted the best song to ever win the Eurovision Song Contest. 5º In order for AßßA to have made it to Brighton, they had to win their «home country's» Song Contest, the «Melodifestivalen», held in Sweden's capital city of Stockholm, and it had to be sung in their native Swedish language. In the previous year of 1973, AßßA had failed to do that with their «Ring Ring» entry. 6º Other than the «well-known» English version of «Waterloo», AßßA recorded the song in French and Swedish. 7º «Waterloo» went to Nº 1 in 8 European territories, and made it to the «Top 3» in 5 more European countries, and it was a «Top 10» hit, in 5 other countries,,,,,, including the United States (Nº 6).
The man wearing Napolean's outfit is the Swedish conductor of the orchestra; below the stage. There's not been a live orchestra at Eurovision since 1998. I wish it would come back :)
The Eurovision Song Contest had been dominated by female solo vocalists singing ballads in the previous decade, It was very much a ball gown and dinner suit affair. ABBA wanted to shake things up. It's partly why they went with 'Waterloo' instead of 'Hasta Manana' . This allowed them to wear the outrageous Glam Rock gear. As Bjorn said, 'Even if we didn't win, people would remember us'. No worries about that on the night. Can still recall their appearance. They were the sure-fire winners and quite obviously something a bit special.
Abba is universal, if you have a bad day, listen a little bit Abba and it become better! Last year I drive near waterloo and put this song 😂 the costumes are epics too!
They DID win it. It was ring ring that never made the finals and they lent ‘bang a boomerang’ to another group to st didn’t make the cut. I think this was a seismic change for everyone
On the very same day ABBA won the Eurovison the band Blue Swede as first Swedish artist ever reached #1 at the Billboard charts!! Like i say they did win the Eurovison with this one! This was in the mid '70s when music in Sweden wasn't supposed to be commercial. ABBA made no secrets about that they indeed wanted to become huge that's why the establishment didn't liked them. The people did though.
You should watch the movie Muriel’s Wedding with Toni Collette about a girl obsessed with ABBA’s music dreaming of getting married to escape her dead end town and domineering father.......
Well being tbe No1 Abba fan and being at my sister babysitting on April 6tb 1974 and able to watch it in colour as well as my parents still had a BW Tv Tbis was a night to remember and to go down in history as 1 big life changing experience in music for me and the worldwide fans Bring on the new material in Autunm 2021
I remember the first time I heard ABBA on the radio in 1975, and I thought, WOW! They are really great!! The song was "SOS"and that song , one of their best I think, really defined their style and identity thereafter.
I'm one of all the viewers watching it live on TV in Sweden back then, unfortunately my family still had a black and white TV. I was so happy when they won.
Sure it was the winning song. 1973 they could not win the swedish preselection with Ring,Ring. This night 8 6.april 1974) not only changed the lives of the four members of ABBA, but also mine. Their music is so important to me, through all the different times i had,the good ones and not-so-good ones, it was always the soundtrack of my life.
In retrospect this moment is iconic and should be applauded as a historic milestone in modern music. What would the world of music be if this moment never happened? I shudder to think. And now, like everyone else, I’m going to spend the rest of my comment focusing on me and my selfish needs:) What you should listen to next: Elaine: B-side to Winner Takes it All. You will LOVE this song.....it has all the percolating synths that make you, Dereck, flood your basement every time you hear them. That’s Me: From the Arrival album, the B-side to Dancing Queen. See comment above. Synth heaven. Dream World: Recorded for the Voulez Vous album. Was one of the earlier recordings and for a while the album was going to be called DreamWorld but disco called and said it wasn’t finished with ABBA yet and they decided to shelve this track and go in a different direction. It’s a shame, this is a GREAT song with Agnetha in the lead sounding sassy and confident. You Owe Me One: the B-side to Under Attack. Recorded at the same time as Cassandra with lead vocals by Frida. Pop with a bit of new wave before new wave had a name. C’mon, we know you love Frida and this is rare occasion where Frida sounds like she’s really having fun, and not just constipated. King Kong Song: From the Waterloo album. Crunchy guitars, stomping beat, a credible attempt at glam rock. It’s so wrong, it’s right! And you get to hear Agnetha screaming such a high note it probably sterilized every cat within a 2 mile radius. Tiger: from the Arrival album. Great video! Interesting outfits....Gangsta Frida and Drag-Netha trying to get down with their dirty girl alter egos. Intermezzo # 1. An early song from the ABBA album. An instrumental with a glam rock orchestral vein. Sounds almost like vintage Queen. Move On: From The Album album. Has anthem written all over it. And its got those warbling flutes that you go all fan-girl over.....yeah, you’ll be putting your stamp of approval all over this one:) So Long: From the ABBA album. Very much in the same vein as Waterloo with a tinge more rock and roll to it. gotta watch this one with the “From Sweden” video. The Girls have got their hooker skirts and their go-go boots on and Frida is giving the audience spread leg snatch shots (in a tasteful manner) Finally, go listen to the Chess soundtrack and fall in love with “Nobody’s Side”....it will make you say, “Ummmm, Frida? Frida who?”
This day (April 6th 1974) was the birth of the "Swedish music wonder" with ABBA winning Eurovision on the same day that Blue Swede reached no 1 on Billboard hot 100 with "Hooked on a Feeling".
They did win !! both Frida & Agnethas most iconic outfits ! saw them at an exhibition in London a couple of years ago, i really tried to steal Agnetha's blue crotchet skull cap !!
4:20 The horns are sitting in the big orchestra on the lower floor. Eurovision always had a full orchestra in the 1960/70s/80s. That's why every contestant bring their own conductor. Abba had the guy dressed as Napoleon here.
As a Swedish band they felt that they had no shot at getting radio play in the English language countries - hence they took the Eurovision route to stardom as it would give them European exposure including into the UK. I remember watching this Eurovision at home in the Netherlands on the tv in our den and Bjorn was right, having seen them, in the context of what Eurovision was like in those days you would certainly remember them whether they finished first or 9th or 14th or whatever.
The horns will be in the orchestra pit in front of the stage. Part of the studio orchestra that adds a bit of depth to any of the live performances as and when needed. Ironic that this song won them the ESC in 1974, when they entered the Swedish entrant the year before with, 'Ring, Ring', but came second.
They were a real breath of fresh air at the time. They were not selected the previous year with the song Ring Ring. The UK judges didn't give ABBA any points for Waterloo.
I was four years old and do remember this night. I was allowed to stay up and watch this. And back then ALL music were live, that's why every country had their own conductor ( Napoleon). There was a eurovision orchestra that played on all the songs, not like today when everything is pre recorded and it's only sing back.
I remember watching it live and instantly liking the song and performance. The single went to no.1 in the UK (which never happened) so even if the UK jury were deaf the public were not and the band has always cited the UK as their crucial breakthrough market internationally.
The did win Eurovision 1974 for this exact song. This is what made them famous around the globe. This exact song is what the wrote and won for. Hellllo
Thanks for the memories Dereck! I remember the disco's I went to when I was 16 and this song started playing everyone rushed to the dancefloor. Great days thank you! I went through all my teenage years listening to them. We had a lot of fun!
Dereck! They did win!! They had some success in a bunch of European countries before the contest, but their victory was truly the beginning of their international breakthrough! ‘Waterloo’ is their first song to have charted in the US. Not to mention that they beat the one and only Olivia Newton John who was representing the UK in the very same year
LOVE this! You're studying ESC history here, because THIS is the song that changed the Eurovision Song Contest forever. The venue was The Dome in Brighton. The date was 6 April 1974. ABBA went on stage, of course they won the Contest and they are still here. I strongly recommend you also listen and react to their song "Ring, Ring", with which they took part in the Swedish national Eurovision selection in 1973. They only finished 3rd in the Swedish selection, which nobody understands today, because the song is a killer. Please listen and react to the original Swedish version of "Ring, Ring". There is also an English version, but the original one in Swedish is better :-)
ABBA was connected to a good few Eurovisions although this is the most obvious. In 1969 a song written by Benny (Hej Clown) came joint first but lost out in a tie break. Frida also competed in the 69 contest (Hsrlig Ar Var Jord)and a song by Agnetha was rejected. In 1972 Bjorn & Benny wrote a song for Lena Anderson that went to Melodifestivalen the swedish entry contest. In 1973 as Bjorn, Benny & Agnetha, Frida they came third in Melodifestivalen with Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal) and in 1975 their song 'Bang-A-Boomerang' (In Swedish form) came third for Svenne & Lotta, who had been members of Hep Stars with Benny. In 1981 Agnethas' 'Men Natten Ar Var' which went to Melodifestivalen and was peformed by Kicki Moberg. The last time I know of an ABBA conect was Bjorn and Benny writting the song 'We Write The Story' with Avicii which was used as the anthem of the 2013 contest. There are many other artists connected to both melodifestivalen and Eurovision that are also connected to ABBA but Waterloo is the defining moment.
As a musician I can the brunnete lady is in charge of the tone because of her powerful vocals. I don't know names but i do know she has a perfect tone by listening to many of their songs
What a beautiful surprise to see you with this reaction Dereck I did not expect it, although I think I was among the several who asked for it. I think it is, along with "Hole in your soul", of your best analyzes Is that this is very special It's "Waterloo" in Eurovision and in England Here is the birth of the glorious legend of ABBA Some context of Eurovision, annual contest since 1956 The whole world is televised Each country cannot vote for the song that represents it That year there were 10 juries per country and voting was by telephone or satellite The songs could not be longer than three minutes It was sung in the local language, but a modification from the previous year allowed singing in any language The last six winners had been female soloists Sweden had never stood out Some countries (like Sweden) had a previous contest to choose their representative All this was known to the ABBA manager, who sought to reach Eurovision as a launching pad He had tried the year before, but the song Ring Ring came third in the Swedish qualifier and failed to qualify. ABBA wavered between the glam rock "Waterloo" and the ballad "Hasta Mañana" with leading voice Agnetha "Waterloo" was chosen because it wanted to give the impact of the two girls together leading the vocalization "Waterloo" in Swedish won the Swedish tie very well, and won the right to represent Sweden in England For the final a change was made ABBA sang it in English for the first time He wore the same iconic special costumes (including the conductor), and re-adapted his choreography to draw more attention from viewers and jurors. ABBA were the ones that stood out because the girls came running towards the stage (all the other interpreters started in a fixed position) and had a happy and explosive interpretation that went beyond the screens ABBA went not only to compete but also to give a show ABBA deservedly won, still with 0 votes from England, and will repeat their performance, but now as winners That triumph opened the doors to all of Europe, "Waterloo" within a few weeks was his first # 1 in England and half Europe and even in South Africa, and reached # 6 in the U.S. and # 4 in Australia and several Top 10 in other countries That is why this presentation is the most important of ABBA, and the most important act in all the Eurovision Song Contest. (In 2005 Waterloo was chosen as the best song in the 50 years of Eurovision, and very little in another poll was ratified the validity and leadership of Waterloo and ABBA in the entire history of Eurovision Later, it was difficult to repeat that success (there was like a curse that he considered ephemeral and of a single success to the winners of the Contest) just a year and a half later "S.O.S." It repositions them at #6 in the UK and #15 in the U.S., and six #1 in several countries, and there yes, ABBA's sweeping machine extends success after success until almost They end as a group Thank you very much again for this beautiful surprise Now you too will understand better the legacy and strength of ABBA's songs, everything has its origin on this night of April 6, 1974 (the day after Agnetha's 24th birthday) GOD bless you and stay safe My best regards from Buenos Aires Argentina
The horns are from the BBC Orchestra in the pit below. If you listen, their timing is slightly off from the recorded version; they're trying to give it more of a jazz swing than the rock saxophone the song has. The hors sound square, in other words. ABBA overcame it like the pros they were.
Dereck: There is this Eurovision rule. Only 6 people are aloud on stage. That's why they work with a backing track with some instruments on it I guess.
The vocals were completely live but ABBA did actually use a pre-recorded backing track in combination with the live orchestra. Starting in 1973, Eurovision rules allowed for a pre-recorded backing track to be used, as long as the instruments on the backing track were 'mimed' on stage. ABBA was one of the first Eurovision acts to apply that new rule.
In 1972, the new seekers for the uk accompanied themselves with 2 acoustic and 1 bass guitar - they had to be plugged in and synchronised with the orchestra In 1973 cliff Richard used a backing tape with a drummer and 3 guitarists Cliff
Oh Derek they did win! I remember them talking about what it was like behind the scenes when votes were being counted how nervous they were and admitted to downing a couple of glasses of champagne before going on stage.
At that time the artists had to sing in their native language. ABBA sang in swedish in the competition. As the won and should sing the song again they sang in english, which is this video (you can see they look happy). I think that was the first time that was done, and was considered a "coupe" at the time.
Thanks Derek, much appreciated. They won....also, there is the second performance after they won..... :) The guy who was dressed as Napoleon was leading the band with the other instruments. Notice they confused Benny and Bjorn.
I can still remember watching this back in 1974 (as a 13 year old, living in Sweden at the time...) - and they won! Wow... The English speaking presenter BUTCHERED their names!😄
I remember being allowed to stay up to watch this. I was 6 years old. I was upset when they won, I was a kid and wanted the UK to win but really, they were fantastic.
The speaker mixed up Benny and Björn at the beginning. It was so difficult to remember 4 first names - two very Swedish ones at that! And then they also won! It was a great time back then. When you consider how badly ABBA was treated by the Swedish media, I am still pleased that they had such great success around the world. Incidentally, that was the appearance at the Grand Prix de la Chansong. They WON this and started their worldwide career. Then the songs that they had recorded earlier also became known.
I remember being so annoyed at the UK entry in 1974. 'Glam Rock' was huge at the time and I was a fan. Yet, the UK entered Olivia Newton John (not her fault). She wore a long dress like something my grandmother would wear and with the backing orchestra, everything was so old fashioned! Then came ABBA - they got it! Bjorn looked like one of the Glitter Band. I guess the UK never gave them any points because none of the younger generation were watching this old fashioned show!
Yes, ONJ has said that she did not like the song. It was her least favorite of the 6 songs the UK voted on. A very old-fashioned song. But it turned out great that she lost! It gave her the freedom to move to the US where her fans were eagerly awaiting her with open arms, allowing her career to take off.😃
They won bro!!
Defeating Olivia Newton John, who was also at the Eurovision representing UK
Rules of Eurovision only allow for 6 people to be present on the main stage, There is an orchestra pit with all the other musicians. ABBA did win it with Olivia Newton John coming 3rd for the UK
Dude.. they won that year..
@@robertdinmore1971 actually the Neutron Bomb came 4th
This performance and win was their international breakthrough.
and Swedens proudest moment
So good. They actually sing it twice. They sing it again after they win and vocally it's even better. They were such a breath of fresh air here in the Eurovision Song contest. They really stood out when compared to the other performers.
They won, was a perfect start to their interna career👍How we loved Agneta's costume, it was ridiculous😂
Thank you, Dereck🇸🇪❤😘
I remember that night. I was spellbound by Abba, especially Agnetha 😍
They did win.
Ironically the UK judges didn't award Sweden any points. But 'Waterloo' still went to number 1 anyway.
Imagine never hearing that song before and then hear it the first time performed like that… 🔥🔥🔥🔥
They changed the Eurovision song contest forever because it became the ultimate pop contest after their win
in those days the artists sang with a live orchestra - that's where you hear the sax from
I had no idea watching this in 1974 just how much this moment was going to impact on my life for over 40 years!
Waterloo was the song that kicked it all off for ABBA. When I heard it, I was a teenager and I remember thinking who is this? Who is ABBA? Then came SOS, Mama Mia , Dancing Queen and the rest is history. I was obsessed with ABBA back then as a teenager. I am still a big fan of ABBA. Best group of alltime, in my opinion❤
Some particularities that some people might not know about «Waterloo» at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and AßßA, on this 6th April, 1974 :
1º Agnetha Fältskog, had celebrated her 24th birthday, the previous day (5th April).
2º They were all under the age of 30 (Agnetha 24, ßjörn, 28, ßenny, 27, Anni-Frid, 28.
3º Despite the U.K. being the «host» country, AßßA received 0 points from the U.K., when each country
presented their awarded points voting for each respective song.
4º «Waterloo» was voted the best song to ever win the Eurovision Song Contest.
5º In order for AßßA to have made it to Brighton, they had to win their «home country's» Song Contest, the
«Melodifestivalen», held in Sweden's capital city of Stockholm, and it had to be sung in their native
Swedish language. In the previous year of 1973, AßßA had failed to do that with their «Ring Ring» entry.
6º Other than the «well-known» English version of «Waterloo», AßßA recorded the song in French and
Swedish.
7º «Waterloo» went to Nº 1 in 8 European territories, and made it to the «Top 3» in 5 more European
countries, and it was a «Top 10» hit, in 5 other countries,,,,,, including the United States (Nº 6).
Best ever song in the competition. Volare and Eres Tu competed for this title as well being not winners. They recorded it in German as well..
@@dreasbn 👍😀 yes, both «Eres Tu» and «Volare» are very good too,,,,,, but «Waterloo» is the best. 🌟 Merci beaucoup,,,Napoléon Bonaparte.
The man wearing Napolean's outfit is the Swedish conductor of the orchestra; below the stage.
There's not been a live orchestra at Eurovision since 1998. I wish it would come back :)
The Eurovision Song Contest had been dominated by female solo vocalists singing ballads in the previous decade, It was very much a ball gown and dinner suit affair. ABBA wanted to shake things up. It's partly why they went with 'Waterloo' instead of 'Hasta Manana' . This allowed them to wear the outrageous Glam Rock gear. As Bjorn said, 'Even if we didn't win, people would remember us'. No worries about that on the night. Can still recall their appearance. They were the sure-fire winners and quite obviously something a bit special.
Abba is universal, if you have a bad day, listen a little bit Abba and it become better! Last year I drive near waterloo and put this song 😂 the costumes are epics too!
They DID win it. It was ring ring that never made the finals and they lent ‘bang a boomerang’ to another group to st didn’t make the cut. I think this was a seismic change for everyone
Everyone went nuts for the blonde back then but Frieda...my god...they just don't make 'em like that anymore. What a goddess!
@@verot8444
Your wrong and why do you write this false information as a comment?
@@Squad61 google it
On the very same day ABBA won the Eurovison the band Blue Swede as first Swedish artist ever reached #1 at the Billboard charts!! Like i say they did win the Eurovison with this one! This was in the mid '70s when music in Sweden wasn't supposed to be commercial. ABBA made no secrets about that they indeed wanted to become huge that's why the establishment didn't liked them. The people did though.
You should watch the movie Muriel’s Wedding with Toni Collette about a girl obsessed with ABBA’s music dreaming of getting married to escape her dead end town and domineering father.......
Brilliant film. Made a star out of Toni Collette.
Great movie!
Love muriels wedding
Yes loved that film!!
Great film, also should watch Precilla Queen of the Dessert
They did win. This was the performance that put them on the map.
This is where it all started and the rest is history
Well being tbe No1 Abba fan and being at my sister babysitting on April 6tb 1974 and able to watch it in colour as well as my parents still had a BW Tv Tbis was a night to remember and to go down in history as 1 big life changing experience in music for me and the worldwide fans Bring on the new material in Autunm 2021
Music for the masses - in the best sense.
I remember the first time I heard ABBA on the radio in 1975, and I thought, WOW! They are really great!! The song was "SOS"and that song , one of their best I think, really defined their style and identity thereafter.
Bearing in mind that this performance was done infront of a TV audience of two hundred nd forty million back in 1974
I'm one of all the viewers watching it live on TV in Sweden back then, unfortunately my family still had a black and white TV.
I was so happy when they won.
@@IngeNaning2 me too...amazing happy then and now🌟❣️🤗 Ewa from Sweden to🇸🇪
I freaking love their costumes for Waterloo! So colorful, sparkly, the boots and different!
Wish I could go back in time to see em LIVE
Dereck this actually WON Eurovision. ABBA is huge in Eurovision history.
This contest was the beginning of Abba's international career !
Sure it was the winning song. 1973 they could not win the swedish preselection with Ring,Ring. This night 8 6.april 1974) not only changed the lives of the four members of ABBA, but also mine. Their music is so important to me, through all the different times i had,the good ones and not-so-good ones, it was always the soundtrack of my life.
So you are a male Abba fanatic? Kind of? That's honestly interesting.
But I guess/hope you listen to other types of music as well? ;)
I was old enough to watch this!! Yipee!! I'm not Swedish but just adore ABBA! (I was 14 yrs old)
In retrospect this moment is iconic and should be applauded as a historic milestone in modern music. What would the world of music be if this moment never happened? I shudder to think.
And now, like everyone else, I’m going to spend the rest of my comment focusing on me and my selfish needs:)
What you should listen to next:
Elaine: B-side to Winner Takes it All. You will LOVE this song.....it has all the percolating synths that make you, Dereck, flood your basement every time you hear them.
That’s Me: From the Arrival album, the B-side to Dancing Queen. See comment above. Synth heaven.
Dream World: Recorded for the Voulez Vous album. Was one of the earlier recordings and for a while the album was going to be called DreamWorld but disco called and said it wasn’t finished with ABBA yet and they decided to shelve this track and go in a different direction. It’s a shame, this is a GREAT song with Agnetha in the lead sounding sassy and confident.
You Owe Me One: the B-side to Under Attack. Recorded at the same time as Cassandra with lead vocals by Frida. Pop with a bit of new wave before new wave had a name. C’mon, we know you love Frida and this is rare occasion where Frida sounds like she’s really having fun, and not just constipated.
King Kong Song: From the Waterloo album. Crunchy guitars, stomping beat, a credible attempt at glam rock. It’s so wrong, it’s right! And you get to hear Agnetha screaming such a high note it probably sterilized every cat within a 2 mile radius.
Tiger: from the Arrival album. Great video! Interesting outfits....Gangsta Frida and Drag-Netha trying to get down with their dirty girl alter egos.
Intermezzo # 1. An early song from the ABBA album. An instrumental with a glam rock orchestral vein. Sounds almost like vintage Queen.
Move On: From The Album album. Has anthem written all over it. And its got those warbling flutes that you go all fan-girl over.....yeah, you’ll be putting your stamp of approval all over this one:)
So Long: From the ABBA album. Very much in the same vein as Waterloo with a tinge more rock and roll to it. gotta watch this one with the “From Sweden” video. The Girls have got their hooker skirts and their go-go boots on and Frida is giving the audience spread leg snatch shots (in a tasteful manner)
Finally, go listen to the Chess soundtrack and fall in love with “Nobody’s Side”....it will make you say, “Ummmm, Frida? Frida who?”
THANKS for all your ABBA-Knowledge ❣️❣️❣️❣️
Which a lot of JOY🤗 Ewa from Sweden 🇸🇪🌟❣️
In the UK, if the winner of Eurovision wasn't British they were usually one hit wonders and never heard from again. Until ABBA that is.
They were the first group ever to win Eurovision - it had always been solo singers before this. This became the first of their 9 UK no 1 singles.
This day (April 6th 1974) was the birth of the "Swedish music wonder" with ABBA winning Eurovision on the same day that Blue Swede reached no 1 on Billboard hot 100 with "Hooked on a Feeling".
They did win !! both Frida & Agnethas most iconic outfits ! saw them at an exhibition in London a couple of years ago, i really tried to steal Agnetha's blue crotchet skull cap !!
THEY WON!!
They did win Eurovision with Waterloo
4:20 The horns are sitting in the big orchestra on the lower floor. Eurovision always had a full orchestra in the 1960/70s/80s. That's why every contestant bring their own conductor. Abba had the guy dressed as Napoleon here.
As a Swedish band they felt that they had no shot at getting radio play in the English language countries - hence they took the Eurovision route to stardom as it would give them European exposure including into the UK. I remember watching this Eurovision at home in the Netherlands on the tv in our den and Bjorn was right, having seen them, in the context of what Eurovision was like in those days you would certainly remember them whether they finished first or 9th or 14th or whatever.
The horns will be in the orchestra pit in front of the stage. Part of the studio orchestra that adds a bit of depth to any of the live performances as and when needed.
Ironic that this song won them the ESC in 1974, when they entered the Swedish entrant the year before with, 'Ring, Ring', but came second.
They were a real breath of fresh air at the time. They were not selected the previous year with the song Ring Ring. The UK judges didn't give ABBA any points for Waterloo.
And yes that performance was 100% live. Not my favourite ABBA song but a truly solid live performance.
I was four years old and do remember this night. I was allowed to stay up and watch this.
And back then ALL music were live, that's why every country had their own conductor ( Napoleon). There was a eurovision orchestra that played on all the songs, not like today when everything is pre recorded and it's only sing back.
I remember watching it live and instantly liking the song and performance. The single went to no.1 in the UK (which never happened) so even if the UK jury were deaf the public were not and the band has always cited the UK as their crucial breakthrough market internationally.
They won it!
Watched them on tv that night and it was like a breath of fresh air to the contest. Ive been a fan ever since.
YES..THEY DID WIN!!
The did win Eurovision 1974 for this exact song. This is what made them famous around the globe. This exact song is what the wrote and won for. Hellllo
They did win this 50 years next year
They won Dereck !!!!!.....
Thanks for the memories Dereck! I remember the disco's I went to when I was 16 and this song started playing everyone rushed to the dancefloor. Great days thank you! I went through all my teenage years listening to them. We had a lot of fun!
THEY DO WIN IT, IT WAS SWEDEN'S FIRST WIN. ABBA IS HUGE IN AUSTRALIA. WE MADE TWO MOVIES BASED AROUND THERE MUSIC.
i really love your react and explanations....
for me ABBA the #01great group....
Dereck! They did win!! They had some success in a bunch of European countries before the contest, but their victory was truly the beginning of their international breakthrough! ‘Waterloo’ is their first song to have charted in the US.
Not to mention that they beat the one and only Olivia Newton John who was representing the UK in the very same year
LOVE this! You're studying ESC history here, because THIS is the song that changed the Eurovision Song Contest forever. The venue was The Dome in Brighton. The date was 6 April 1974. ABBA went on stage, of course they won the Contest and they are still here. I strongly recommend you also listen and react to their song "Ring, Ring", with which they took part in the Swedish national Eurovision selection in 1973. They only finished 3rd in the Swedish selection, which nobody understands today, because the song is a killer. Please listen and react to the original Swedish version of "Ring, Ring". There is also an English version, but the original one in Swedish is better :-)
There was an orchestra involved hence Napoleon the conductor. The sound was saxophone. Keep up the journey with ABBA. You'll find more gems bro.
A groups that changed a lot of our lives. When I can’t listen to anyone or anything I always have time for ABBA x
I was sitting at the fireplace the night Abba won with Waterloo, thanks for this Dereck!
They won in that year Derreck. No worries man. Because of that ABBA became known to the rest of Europe and Australia.
ABBA was connected to a good few Eurovisions although this is the most obvious. In 1969 a song written by Benny (Hej Clown) came joint first but lost out in a tie break. Frida also competed in the 69 contest (Hsrlig Ar Var Jord)and a song by Agnetha was rejected. In 1972 Bjorn & Benny wrote a song for Lena Anderson that went to Melodifestivalen the swedish entry contest. In 1973 as Bjorn, Benny & Agnetha, Frida they came third in Melodifestivalen with Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal) and in 1975 their song 'Bang-A-Boomerang' (In Swedish form) came third for Svenne & Lotta, who had been members of Hep Stars with Benny. In 1981 Agnethas' 'Men Natten Ar Var' which went to Melodifestivalen and was peformed by Kicki Moberg. The last time I know of an ABBA conect was Bjorn and Benny writting the song 'We Write The Story' with Avicii which was used as the anthem of the 2013 contest. There are many other artists connected to both melodifestivalen and Eurovision that are also connected to ABBA but Waterloo is the defining moment.
One of the fav and earliest memories of my childhood. I was 4! I am 49 now. Abba won it.
"The judges" were the people of Europe.
Well 10 people from each country voted on it. Phone voting only cam in in 1997
There were only juries of 10 people then.
As a musician I can the brunnete lady is in charge of the tone because of her powerful vocals. I don't know names but i do know she has a perfect tone by listening to many of their songs
She’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad, a brilliant singer and beautiful person
Frida great singer . powerful vocals Agnetha's
Saludos desde Guatemala city 🏳️🌈🇬🇹 soy súper fan de ABBA, crecí con esta musica
What a beautiful surprise to see you with this reaction Dereck
I did not expect it, although I think I was among the several who asked for it. I think it is, along with "Hole in your soul", of your best analyzes
Is that this is very special
It's "Waterloo" in Eurovision and in England
Here is the birth of the glorious legend of ABBA
Some context of Eurovision, annual contest since 1956
The whole world is televised
Each country cannot vote for the song that represents it
That year there were 10 juries per country and voting was by telephone or satellite
The songs could not be longer than three minutes
It was sung in the local language, but a modification from the previous year allowed singing in any language
The last six winners had been female soloists
Sweden had never stood out
Some countries (like Sweden) had a previous contest to choose their representative
All this was known to the ABBA manager, who sought to reach Eurovision as a launching pad
He had tried the year before, but the song Ring Ring came third in the Swedish qualifier and failed to qualify.
ABBA wavered between the glam rock "Waterloo" and the ballad "Hasta Mañana" with leading voice Agnetha
"Waterloo" was chosen because it wanted to give the impact of the two girls together leading the vocalization
"Waterloo" in Swedish won the Swedish tie very well, and won the right to represent Sweden in England
For the final a change was made
ABBA sang it in English for the first time
He wore the same iconic special costumes (including the conductor), and re-adapted his choreography to draw more attention from viewers and jurors.
ABBA were the ones that stood out because the girls came running towards the stage (all the other interpreters started in a fixed position) and had a happy and explosive interpretation that went beyond the screens
ABBA went not only to compete but also to give a show
ABBA deservedly won, still with 0 votes from England, and will repeat their performance, but now as winners
That triumph opened the doors to all of Europe,
"Waterloo" within a few weeks was his first # 1 in England and half Europe and even in South Africa, and reached # 6 in the U.S. and # 4 in Australia and several Top 10 in other countries
That is why this presentation is the most important of ABBA, and the most important act in all the Eurovision Song Contest.
(In 2005 Waterloo was chosen as the best song in the 50 years of Eurovision, and very little in another poll was ratified the validity and leadership of Waterloo and ABBA in the entire history of Eurovision
Later, it was difficult to repeat that success (there was like a curse that he considered ephemeral and of a single success to the winners of the Contest)
just a year and a half later "S.O.S." It repositions them at #6 in the UK and #15 in the U.S., and six #1 in several countries,
and there yes, ABBA's sweeping machine extends success after success until almost They end as a group
Thank you very much again for this beautiful surprise
Now you too will understand better the legacy and strength of ABBA's songs, everything has its origin on this night of April 6, 1974
(the day after Agnetha's 24th birthday)
GOD bless you and stay safe
My best regards from
Buenos Aires Argentina
They won! the brass horns were live down in the orchestra pit.
The horns are from the BBC Orchestra in the pit below. If you listen, their timing is slightly off from the recorded version; they're trying to give it more of a jazz swing than the rock saxophone the song has. The hors sound square, in other words. ABBA overcame it like the pros they were.
Yes honey, they won and after their triumph they became worldwide famous
Now you opend the "Eurovision Songcontest" can of worms :-)
They did win
Derek love, second place was Italy 🇮🇹 with Si! Give that an appraisal! Beautiful. And the singer won in 1964. Now THERES a song! Xx
Dereck: There is this Eurovision rule. Only 6 people are aloud on stage. That's why they work with a backing track with some instruments on it I guess.
The vocals were completely live but ABBA did actually use a pre-recorded backing track in combination with the live orchestra. Starting in 1973, Eurovision rules allowed for a pre-recorded backing track to be used, as long as the instruments on the backing track were 'mimed' on stage. ABBA was one of the first Eurovision acts to apply that new rule.
In 1972, the new seekers for the uk accompanied themselves with 2 acoustic and 1 bass guitar - they had to be plugged in and synchronised with the orchestra
In 1973 cliff Richard used a backing tape with a drummer and 3 guitarists
Cliff
wrong, they had a full live orchestra backing them..
they did win with Waterloo.. and the rest is history
Oh Derek they did win! I remember them talking about what it was like behind the scenes when votes were being counted how nervous they were and admitted to downing a couple of glasses of champagne before going on stage.
They DID win!
'Me & I' live is wonderful.
They did win Eurovision with this song.
At that time the artists had to sing in their native language. ABBA sang in swedish in the competition. As the won and should sing the song again they sang in english, which is this video (you can see they look happy). I think that was the first time that was done, and was considered a "coupe" at the time.
wrong, that rule had been changed in 1972, they sang in English both in competition and after the win that night
Initially they wanted to perform "Hasta Mañana", but it was a good choice to go with a more upbeat song.
I♡ABBA
PLEASE "Whatch Out"
Thanks Derek, much appreciated. They won....also, there is the second performance after they won..... :) The guy who was dressed as Napoleon was leading the band with the other instruments. Notice they confused Benny and Bjorn.
I can still remember watching this back in 1974 (as a 13 year old, living in Sweden at the time...) - and they won!
Wow... The English speaking presenter BUTCHERED their names!😄
In 1974 all was “ Live “...the orchestra, the people on stage.. and the singers is live ....
I remember being allowed to stay up to watch this. I was 6 years old. I was upset when they won, I was a kid and wanted the UK to win but really, they were fantastic.
They wow. This was there start to fame
The speaker mixed up Benny and Björn at the beginning. It was so difficult to remember 4 first names - two very Swedish ones at that! And then they also won! It was a great time back then. When you consider how badly ABBA was treated by the Swedish media, I am still pleased that they had such great success around the world. Incidentally, that was the appearance at the Grand Prix de la Chansong. They WON this and started their worldwide career. Then the songs that they had recorded earlier also became known.
Back in the 70s they had live music, and Abba won.. :-)
They tried to enter in 1973 but were runners up in the national finale with «Ring Ring». :-)
I was stationed in Wurzburg, Germany that year and watched them win that year.
Off course they won!! 👍🏻
They win this Dereck...😁😁😁🤩🤩🤩
I waited to see this but,,,,my my it's great!
“I hear the horns but I don’t remember the conductor dressed as Napoleon entering the orchestra pit.”
This one is so much fun😁 My parents used ro losten to Abba a lot
They did win it
I remember being so annoyed at the UK entry in 1974. 'Glam Rock' was huge at the time and I was a fan. Yet, the UK entered Olivia Newton John (not her fault). She wore a long dress like something my grandmother would wear and with the backing orchestra, everything was so old fashioned! Then came ABBA - they got it! Bjorn looked like one of the Glitter Band. I guess the UK never gave them any points because none of the younger generation were watching this old fashioned show!
Yes, ONJ has said that she did not like the song. It was her least favorite of the 6 songs the UK voted on. A very old-fashioned song. But it turned out great that she lost! It gave her the freedom to move to the US where her fans were eagerly awaiting her with open arms, allowing her career to take off.😃
They won !!!
I love this song it has ALWAYS been my favorite. I particularly love the intro, Oh and the horn is a saxophone.