Voulez-Vous is the sixth studio album by the Swedish pop band ABBA.
At this point, the band were not as popular as they had been in Europe at the time of the 1977 tour, however, they managed to gain enough popularity in North America (a place that hadn't been into their music as much as the rest of the world) to have an arena tour in the summer of 1979.
This album is (arguably) heavily influenced by disco, which was a common reason why many fans disbanded the fanbase at this point, but managed to have some of the most memorable songs in the group's lifespan. Despite that, it was the start of the Creator Breakdown for Agnetha and Bjorn, who divorced during the recording process, making the media become interested in something other than the music. No doubt that the album would be filled with Lyrical Dissonance, considering that Bjorn was one of the songwriters.
Tracklist
Side One- "As Good as New" (3:22)
- "Voulez-Vous" (5:11)
- "I Have a Dream" (4:44)
- "Angeleyes" (4:20)
- "The King Has Lost His Crown" (3:30)
Side Two
- "Does Your Mother Know" (3:13)
- "If It Wasn't for the Nights" (5:13)
- "Chiquitita" (5:26)
- "Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" (3:28)
- "Kisses of Fire" (3:16)
2001 CD re-release bonus tracks
- "Summer Night City" (3:34)
- "Lovelight" (3:48)
- "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (4:52)
Personnel
- Benny Andersson – synthesizer, keyboards, vocals, composer and record producer
- Agnetha Fältskog – vocals
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad – vocals
- Björn Ulvaeus – banjo, guitar, vocals, composer and record producer
- Rolf Alex – drums
- Ola Brunkert – drums
- Lars Carlsson – horn
- Anders Eljas – horn
- Joe Galdo – drums
- Malando Gassama – percussion
- Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
- Paul Harris – piano
- Janne Kling – wind
- Nils Landgren – trombone
- Ish Ledesma – guitar
- Roger Palm – drums
- Halldor Palsson – tenor saxophone
- Arnold Paseiro – bass
- Jan Risberg – oboe
- Janne Schaffer – guitar, sitar
- Johan Stengård – tenor saxophone
- Åke Sundqvist – percussion
- George Terry – guitar
- Mike Watson – bass
- Lasse Wellander – guitar
- Kajtek Wojciechowski – tenor saxophone
- Michael B. Tretow – engineer
- Anders Eljas and Rutger Gunnarsson – arrangers
- Rune Söderqvist – design
- Ola Lager – photography
Tropes
- Alliterative Title: "Voulez Vous" and "Lovers (Live A Little Longer)".
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Check out Frida and Benny getting on each other's nerves in the "Summer Night City" video.
- The Big Damn Kiss: "Kisses Of Fire", to the point where the woman wants more.
- Break-Up Song: "Chiquitita" is about someone comforting a younger person following a soul-crushing event implied to be a break-up.
- Dramatic Choir Number: "I Have a Dream" has a children's choir singing the last verse and chorus of the song. The same is done with Westlife's cover of the song.
- "Double, Double" Title: "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)".
- Gratuitous French: "Voulez-Vous", meaning "Do you want it?"
- Gratuitous Spanish: "Chiquitita", meaning "little girl".
- Handsome Lech: The ex-boyfriend of the narrator of "Angeleyes", who she spots with another woman. The narrator is so concerned of the new woman's safety, she pulls her aside and warns her of his womanizing.Look into his angel-eyes — one look and you're hypnotized;
He'll take your heart and you must pay the price. - Heroic BSoD: "If It Wasn't For The Nights" is about a man who cannot handle being alone when he gets home from work because it reminds him of his breakup with his lover.Somehow I've been doing all right, it it wasn't for the nights.
If it wasn't for the nights, I think that I could make it. - Intercourse with You: "Kisses of Fire". To a lesser extent, "Voulez-Vous" is about the sexual tension between two regulars at a nightclub.
- "I Want" Song: "I Have a Dream".
- Jailbait Taboo: "Does Your Mother Know" is about a guy in a dance club who realizes that the girl flirting with him is (probably) underage. He's still willing to flirt and talk with her, though, but he's careful not to let things get too far.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Implied in "The King Has Lost His Crown". The narrator isn't sympathetic at all about her male friend's failing relationship.I believe your new girl turned you down,
And they say she's pushing you around.
How does it feel? I guess she hurts your pride.
Tell me, my friend — how many nights you've cried? - Lyrical Dissonance:
- "Chiquitita" is a very happy song about a very sad girl.
- See also "Angeleyes", the happiest I'm-genuinely-worried-about-my-abusive-ex's-new-girlfriend song you'll ever hear.
- And "If It Wasn't For the Nights", the happiest song about a stressed-out workaholic.
- Sensual Spandex: Frida's and Agnetha's costumes in the "Voulez-Vous" video.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: With one of the couples divorcing, some of the songs were about loneliness and bad relationships.
- Step Up to the Microphone: Bjorn for "Does Your Mother Know".
- This Is Reality: In "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!", the narrator watches tv and bemoans how the lives of movie stars are "so different from the world I'm living in".
- Title Track: "Voulez-Vous".
- Whoopi Epiphany Speech: "Chiquitita". The narrator identifies herself as the eponymous character's best friend, but the lyrics certainly come off as this.
