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Hades - 12.07.2007, 21:05

I think you're quite right there, Merton. 'The name of the game' hardly ever gets played on the radio these days. Maybe the complexity of the song makes it a less obvious hit than others, I don't know. Personally, I think this is one of ABBA's best songs. I love the sexy way the verses start, shifting into Agnetha's lead vocal, followed by the multi-harmony chorus, which ends with an almost a-capella Frida lead vocal. An unusual, but magnificent song.
It was very daring of ABBA to release it as the first single off 'The Album', when there were more obvious commercial choices (f.e. 'Take a chance on me').
In the TV-special 'ABBA's Greatest Hits' Sophie Ellis Baxter talks very appreciative about it. I believe she even put it at number 1 in her personal ABBA top 20.

abbascots - 12.07.2007, 23:26

Hi Merton
I also think its one of Abba's underrated songs,Not the most underrated thou :wink: ,I do like the vocal performances from both ladies it is a unique song as both Agnetha and Frida are leads with this song,I do realise what you mean its not a song thats at the top of lists when discussing Abba or being played on radio stations,I have seen the video thou a few times on mtv and vh1 magic channels but i do agree its not a song you hear or see as much as others!
Johnsteven

DancingQueen - 13.07.2007, 11:25

I found your comments really intresting. I agree with those mixed vocals: it really gives something special to the song. And it might be the first song which goes a bit more personal written in 1979. KMKY is a good example too, but when you listen to the intro, I don't hear as much hapiness as you could hear in Take A Chance On Me or in Tiger for example. It could be a hit in these days.

Polargirl - 13.07.2007, 14:00

I really like this song though I could think of a couple better songs to have released as a single such as Hole in Your Soul and Eagle.

Toni - 13.07.2007, 14:58

Fire&Ice wrote: I must admit I wasn't that much hooked on it when it was released so many years ago, but it is certainly a grower.

I agree with you, Ivana.

In the end of 1976 I fell in love with "Money Money Money" and later in 1977 "Knowing Me Knowing You" sounded absolutely great to me, but "The Name Of The Game" was a single that I hardly was recognizing.

Later when I already was a die-hard ABBA fan, I loved it more and more, and found out, that it is a masterpiece.

By the way, I donŽt think itŽs so much underrated, because itŽs on "Gold".


Toni :wink:

ABBAnator - 14.07.2007, 07:14

I'm not sure if it was underrated as it was one of the bigger ABBA hits here in America, although TACOM was the big hit from The Album. That says alot I think as ABBA rarely charted that well here. Some might say it was overrated relatively speaking as far as the US charts were concerned, considering the so many ABBA hits in europe that in some cases didn't even chart here. :?

It definitely was one of those ABBA songs that marked a different direction for ABBA. Something that they really hadn't done before. It is often described and appreciated for being that in many articles I've read over the years. So from a historical point of view I think it is properly regarded.

I'm not sure if it's on everyones top 10 (it is mine I think, top 15 for sure) but rarely is it described in somone's least liked list either. :wink:

Bruce

Charles - 14.07.2007, 09:16

Back then, I too had some problems with the song. It was so...serious, and I was a teen that had fallen in love with the happy-go-lucky Abba. But the song really has grown on me and it has become one of my favourites. There are times that I go wild about the song. It has an unusual structure for an Abba song.

I don't know if the song is underrated or understated. It was one of their biggest hits in the UK (number 1) and the US.

Also part of the song (the bass line from the verses) has even been sampled, or copied/newly recorded, I don't know that. Was that by The Fugees? I believe it was a movie song. I also don't know if this was approved by the Abba guys. Anyhow, this shows that other artists also recognise this song. Also, Abba got told back then that the bass line seemed inspired a lot by a Stevie Wonder song ("I Wish"?)

Charles

merton - 14.07.2007, 22:06

Thanks for the replies. :D

For sure the song is represented on Abba Hits, how could it be left out - so in effect, I suppose the song should therefore be well known to the public, but I suspect because these days so many people consider Abba a party band(whether we like it or not) they may skip to the danceable feel-good tracks rather than Name of The Game.

[Let's face it Name of the Game is a moody old masterpiece so is probably best left for the party's end rather than to start it]

I liked some of the descriptions mentioned here, Unique, unusual, understated for the song.

My original thought when first hearing it was:

a) surprise - that Abba should start with a quite undramatic intro.
b) thrills - hearing the vocals for the first time sent shivers down the spine

I always felt this was "intellectual Abba" compared to "popcorn Abba". A song to discover with all its interesting twists & turns.

[Hades - interesting that Sophie Ellis has praised the song. (P.S. Is her new album worth getting)].

Name of the Game's vocal journey has always reminded me of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, another lengthy 70s song which wanders off into different directions than expected and has been considered a critical masterpiece. When comparing the two though, if one can, I suspect
Bohemian Rhapsody may be the one most recognised for its cleverness and originality.

merton - 15.07.2007, 06:18

Good memory MMM, those were indeed interesting times....staying up all hours to write ABBA essays by candlelight (well OK not quite that romantic, more like PC glow really).....now all is buried within those Universal vaults (hmmm, that has a familiarity to it....)

I haven't forgotten your exquisite replies to those of us who dared to write a topic or two....We could always rely - and still can I'm sure - on your meticulous replies.

:applause:

Charles - 15.07.2007, 08:26

Yes, Merton, "intellectual Abba", maybe that is the right description. Although the lyrics and themes on "The Visitors" may be deeper and more intellectual than on "The Album", which features "The Name of the Game", I've always felt and still feel that "The Album" was/is Abba's most intellectual attempt. Mark the word "attempt", I don't think "The Visitors" was such an attempt. I believe their last album was a consequence of Abba having "matured" naturally. I truly believe that, after "Arrival", Abba wanted to surprise the world with quite a different album, although that decision may have been taken on a more or less subconscious level.

In 1977 - yes, although living in The Netherlands, I purchased the lp by the end of 1977 - the album was a little disappointment to me, though. As a teen, I expected another happy-go-lucky lp, and this one was sooo different from "Arrival" that I couldn't handle it at first. Same goes for its first single, "The Name of the Game". Believe me or not, I have seriously considered buying the new "Brotherhood of Man" releases around that time and leave Abba behind me. Brotherhood of Man sometimes sounded more like "old Abba" than Abba, with their "Angelo" and some other songs, and I just was so in love with that (old Abba) sound...

Charles

onlyabba4me - 15.07.2007, 17:22

I heard 'The Name of The Game', for the first time,
through an Office window, in 1977. It was played on
the ABBA loving, (apart from 1 DJ), Manchester Radio
Station, Piccadilly Radio. They were crazy about ABBA, there.

However, I was not impressed by the Single. It sounded
plodding to me, & disjointed. Also, the DJ, said, 'We here
at Piccadilly are disappointed with the new ABBA single'.

It was a UK Number 1, but had ABBA released something
more dynamic, & catchy, I am sure they would have had a No.1 in
more Countries. The UK was the only Country where that
Single was a Number 1. Contrary to popular belief it reached
Number 2 in Ireland, not Number 1.
It only reached Number 7 in West Germany, & that was terrible
for ABBA at that time.

It reached Number 6 in Australia, but RCA had wanted
'Hole In Your Soul' to be the Single there, & ABBA said no.
I am sure that, 'Hole In Your Soul', would have been a bigger
Hit, than 'the Name Of The Game', in most Countries - including
the UK, where 'The Name Of The Game' was the 18th Best Seller
of 1977. I am pretty sure that 'Hole In Your Soul' would have been
in the UK Top 10 Best Sellers of 1977 - joining 'Knowing Me,
Knowing You', which was 6th for the Year.

ABBA should have made 'The Name of The Game', a Double 'A'
Side with, 'Hole In Your Soul', & let DJ's choose the side that they
liked best.

The UK Critics tended to like, 'The Name Of The Game'. 'Record
Mirror' used to get its Staff to Vote for their favourite Singles of each
Year, & in 1977, they made the ABBA Single their 3rd favourite Hit
of the Year. It was the first - and last - time, that they picked an
ABBA Hit.

In the USA, they liked it too, & it became a Number 12 Hit there,
which made it one of only 5 ABBA Singles to reach the Top 12,
in the Billboard Hot 100.

abbagav - 15.07.2007, 21:06

When I got the Number Ones CD last year, I was most surprised to find out that TNOTG only got to number 1 in the UK - I'd just assumed for all those years that it had been a massive hit everywhere. Particularly seeing as it's their 5th best selling single here - I wonder why we loved it so much but the rest of the world wasn't quite so enthusiastic...

Still having said that, it was never a favourite of mine at the time - I can remember making a list of my favourite ABBA tunes once and TNOTG ended up at about 60 or 70 something - now it would top 20.

I suppose it's quite a grown-up song in a way and whereas I appreciate it so much now at the hideous age of 40, as a 10 year old it was a bit too much for me get to grips with... I dunno. I don't like to analyse too much.

I do hear it on the radio here though and I think it was given added kudos by being sampled on that Fugees thing a few years back.

abbagav

PeopleNeedLove - 16.07.2007, 01:14

I agree, Merton, but with a qualification- TNOTG is VERY underrated by the "casual" fan, but among we sweaty and obsessed, I consider it to be a favorite of many.

I find, at least here in America, when Joe Q Public is asked to rattle off ABBA songs, you'll get DQ (obviously), Mamma Mia (because of the musical), sometimes TACOM (A*Teens), and MAYBE Waterloo.......

Someone with more knowledge of this stuff needs to help me out, but in general, I think a LOT of ABBA's best work has gone unnoticed by the casual fan. If I'm correct, TNOTG was released as a single, but a lot of what I consider their best material hasn't (One Man One Woman, That's Me, If It Wasn't For The Nights, etc).........

TNOTG leaps to mind as one of the best examples of songs where Agnetha and Frida have distinct, separate parts as well as their typical unison parts.

Absolutely tremendous song. Was this ever performed live??

Matt

restareabear - 16.07.2007, 04:35

I don't think it's under-rated, it's under-PLAYED. I haven't heard this on the radio in years. ( I have to give one of our local stations credit, though, they play TACOM so often you'd think it was still on the top of the charts - yea!).

I don't know why it's not played anymore. I think it's the length. There were so many edited for AOR songs in the '70s. Those were only released on 45s and promo 12". Now the stations all use cds, which almost always contain the full version. When you're listening to the radio, 5 minutes plus is a long time for a slow ballad. It tends to instill a "mood" a little more than a 3.5 minute ballad. I think they're afraid if it's too much of a downer, people will turn the dial.

P.S. I agree with you Lammer, the edit version does not work with that second verse missing. I remember hearing it for the first time (I still remember which parking lot I was in): it was on the radio so it was the short version. I was thinking "This is a weird song, no structure." Of course after I got the LP and heard it the way it was meant to be, I loved it.

merton - 16.07.2007, 10:58

Glad Hole In Your Soul got mentioned here as it was an interesting decision for Abba to choose Name of the Game over it - the latter song being one more typical of Abba with its upbeat tempo and singalong style.

Wonder what changed their minds?

It must have been quite a tricky time for Abba trying to follow up the massive success of Arrival which containedso many mega-hits well entrenched in the public consciousness. Always very hard to repeat major success, especially when there's so much expectation at stake.

It's to Abba's credit that they did move in new directions withThe Album unlike many other aritsts who tend to repeat the exact same formula. And perhaps Name of the Game was the best example of a new maturity that they wanted to show off straightaway rather than the bubblegum (but catchy) pop of Hole In Your Soul.

Well that's my guess, Bright Lights Dark Shadows doesn't shed much light on it, perhaps one of the other Abba books does.

artemis - 16.07.2007, 14:55

actually i hear it a lot on radio heart. they are a fan of the song. but i do agree that people don't focus on that song as much as the others. a mistake becuase i think its one of their best

Bonnie - 16.07.2007, 23:51

Yes, it was the other way around Iv! :D

Lasse had this idea about a woman pouring her heart out on the couch, so he asked Björn to write lyrics about a woman seeing a psychiatrist.
But I think Björn did a great job not writing about it explicitely, now you can interpretate them in as a love song too. (the hugging and kissing scene with Benny and Frida from the video :kiss: )

One of my alltime favourites. Cool, laid-back, sexy but still very ABBA.

Zeebee - 17.07.2007, 07:14

onlyabba4me wrote: In the USA, they liked it too, & it became a Number 12 Hit there

Indeed, the song reached number 12 here in the USA. I'm surprised that this song got higher on the charts here than SOS (15), Fernando (13), Knowing Me, Knowing You (14), and Does Your Mother Know (19). It also got higher than Honey Honey (27), I Do x5 (15), Mamma Mia (32), Chiquitita (29), and When All Is Said And Done (27), but that doesn't surprise me, although I like those songs better.

Maxi-saxi - 19.07.2007, 05:10

I'll have to have another listen to the song

Maxi-saxi

Nantes - 19.07.2007, 11:20

I've just listen to The Name Of The Game and I would say it is NOW not but.

Now makes prefect sense to me.

John

Zeebee - 20.07.2007, 08:06

Nantes wrote: I've just listen to The Name Of The Game and I would say it is NOW not but.

Now makes prefect sense to me.

Yes, it makes sense, but "But I am here" makes more sense.

Bonnie - 20.07.2007, 16:29

You're right Astrid, I know some big ABBA fans who don't like The name of the game at all.

I have always loved it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I became a major fan in 1977 and I was overwhelmed by that video :lol: Ah, they were so good looking and so sweet and it had such a "cool" sound and I loved the soloparts by the girls!
Definitely an ABBA top 10 song for me.

Nantes - 20.07.2007, 16:36

Zeebee we'll have to agree to disagree on this one but I'm sure we can agree on the fact that The Name Of The Game is a great song.

John