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Does Your Mother Know

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"Does Your Mother Know"
Single by ABBA
from the album Voulez-Vous
B-side"Kisses of Fire"
Released27 April 1979
RecordedFebruary–March 1979
StudioPolar, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre
Length3:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"Chiquitita"
(1979) 		"Does Your Mother Know"
(1979) 		"Voulez-Vous"
(1979)
Music video
"Does Your Mother Know" on YouTube

"Does Your Mother Know" is a song by the Swedish recording group ABBA, recorded for their sixth studio album Voulez-Vous (1979). It was taken as the second single from the record on 27 April 1979 via Polar Music; in North America, the song was released as the lead single in place of "Chiquitita". "Does Your Mother Know" is notable as the only major ABBA single and one of the group's few songs overall to not feature lead vocals by either Agnetha Fältskog or Anni-Frid Lyngstad, with Björn Ulvaeus performs the lead vocals instead. Fältskog and Lyngstad providing backing vocals.[5] The song's B-side was "Kisses of Fire". For the writing, Ulvaeus was inspired by a young fan he met, and who which he turned away from due to her age.[6]

A success for the group, "Does Your Mother Know" reached number one on the music charts in Belgium, and reached the top ten in eight other countries. Its North American chart performance was moderate, reaching numbers 12 and 19 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles and US Billboard Hot 100 charts. Ulvaeus later said that the track would have been a bigger hit if Fältskog or Lyngstad sang the lead vocals instead.[7] In 2019, the single was re-released as a vinyl picture disc.[8]

Composition and recording

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With lyrics described by ABBA biographer Carl Magnus Palm as "a daring tribute to cross-generational flirting in big city night clubs",[9] the track was recorded in February–March 1979 (initially under the working title "I Can Do It") and released as a single in April of that year.[10] The distinctive guitar riff was taken from the recording of an unfinished song in August 1975.[11] The middle section ("Take it easy...") was adapted from a track called "Dream World".[12] This was recorded in September–October 1978,[13] but not released until it was included on a 2010 deluxe edition of the Voulez-Vous album.[14]

"Does Your Mother Know" was composed by Benny Anderson and Ulvaeus at the beginning of 1979 on a songwriting trip to the Bahamas, rather than on the Swedish island of Viggsö [sv] in the Stockholm Archipelago, where much of their music had previously been written. The inspiration for the lyrics came from a newspaper article, whilst the title was a phrase Ulvaeus had seen in a book or magazine.[15] In a 2018 video interview with The Economist, Ulvaeus said that, in today's day and age, he would be more hesitant on writing the track in light of events like the MeToo movement.[6] The demo featured his guide vocal and it was decided to keep this during the recording process.[5] An early, rockier version of song (with a longer introduction) was performed partially live for the BBC TV special, Abba in Switzerland,[16] recorded in Leysin on 16 February and broadcast across Europe in April 1979.[17][18] The instrumental introduction on the released version featured a sound Anderson had created on an expensive Yamaha GX-1 analogue synthesizer, somewhat similar in its operation to the Minimoog.[15][19] The drumming style was influenced by Carmine Appice, whom Ola Brunkert had seen perform with Rod Stewart at a concert in Leicester, while ABBA were in the United Kingdom doing some TV promotional work.[20]

Critical reception

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Critics were mostly favorable to the song. In a contemporary review, Billboard felt the song sounds like those from the musical Grease, saying that "the sweet, airy vocals contrast effectively with the rocking instrumentation."[21] Cash Box said that it is a "rocking departure for the group, although the overall sound is still Europop."[1] Record World said that "this buoyant pop-rocker is destined to become a classic."[2] Cliff White from Smash Hits wrote a favorable review saying, "When it comes to pure, no-nonsense pop music performed with flair and no hint of condescension, Abba generally pull it off better than most. This time [...] they've excelled themselves with a lively rocker that I'll be happy to hear on my tranny any time over the next couple of months."[22] However, the Los Angeles Times was less liking of the song, with reviewer Robert Hilburn referring disparagingly to the song (and ABBA's output in general) as "cream puff" music.[a][23] Retrospectively, AllMusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco said of the song that "ABBA's recording balances the song's rock elements with dance music touches to create an intriguing dance/rock hybrid" and that its "macho feel is enhanced by a rockabilly-styled melody that flowers into a swinging chorus".[3]

Some critics have rated "Does Your Mother Know" as one of ABBA's best songs. In 2018, Rob Sheffield ranked "Does Your Mother Know" 11th in a list of ABBA's top 25 songs published by Rolling Stone.[24] In 2021, Total Guitar rated it the group's fourth best guitar song, after "Waterloo", "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and "SOS".[25] It was placed 18th in a 2024 BBC Radio 2 poll to find listeners' favourite ABBA song.[26]

Commercial reception

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"Does Your Mother Know" was another sizeable ABBA hit, hitting No. 1 in Belgium and reaching the top 5 in Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Finland. It was also a top 10 hit in Australia, Canada, West Germany, Rhodesia and Switzerland. As of September 2021, it is ABBA's 14th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams.[27]

Music video

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The video for the song was shot by Lasse Hallström, and like that for "Voulez-Vous", featured ABBA performing to a dancing audience as if in a discotheque.[9]

Usage in media

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The song featured prominently in the 2003 film Johnny English, starring Rowan Atkinson.[28] "Does Your Mother Know" is featured in the jukebox musical Mamma Mia! and its 2008 film adaptation. In this version the gender roles were reversed, so that the lead vocal involved an older woman singing about a younger male's attempt to seduce her. American rock group R.E.M. covered the original song live,[29] whilst British band Oasis used a variant of the opening guitar riff on their 2002 track "The Hindu Times".[30]

Personnel

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Taken from the Voulez-Vous album.[31]

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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ABBA version

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
France — 80,000[53]
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Mamma Mia! version

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ Hilburn used the term "cream puff" as opposed to "bubble gum", as he felt the latter was associated too much with the 1960s.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Singles". Cash Box. Vol. 41, no. 1. New York. 19 May 1979. p. 22.
  2. ^ a b "Hits of the Week". Record World. Vol. 35, no. 1662. New York. 19 May 1979. p. 1.
  3. ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. "Does Your Mother Know Review Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  4. ^ Cox, Jamieson (29 September 2019). "ABBA: Gold: Greatest Hits Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 December 2024. ...glammy stomper "Does Your Mother Know" is dumb, clean fun...
  5. ^ a b Elliott, Mark (27 April 2019). "'Does Your Mother Know': The Story Behind The ABBA Song". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b McElvoy, Anne (27 July 2018). "ABBA star, Bjorn Ulvaeus, on Mamma Mia and Brexit sadness". The Economist. Retrieved 6 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "In Focus: Does Your Mother Know – the anatomy of a hit single". ABBA. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  8. ^ "ABBA - Does Your Mother Know / Kisses of Fire". discogs. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  9. ^ a b Palm (2001), pp. 399–400.
  10. ^ Palm (1994), pp. 86–89.
  11. ^ Palm (1994), p. 53.
  12. ^ Scott, Robert (2002). Abba: Thank You For The Music – The Stories Behind Every Song. London: Carlton Books. pp. 108–109. ISBN 1842227939.
  13. ^ Palm (1994), pp. 81–82.
  14. ^ Egan, Sean (26 May 2010). "ABBA Voulez-Vous – Deluxe Edition Review". BBC Music. London. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b Anderson, Benny; Ulvaeus, Björn; Craymer, Judy & Dodd, Philip (2006). Mamma Mia! How Can I Resist You?: The Inside Story of Mamma Mia! and the Songs of ABBA. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 74–78. ISBN 978-0297844211.
  16. ^ "Abba in Switzerland". Radio Times. No. 2892. London. 12 April 1979. Retrieved 15 May 2024 – via Genome.
  17. ^ Snaith, Paul (1994). ABBA: The Music Still Goes On – The Complete Story. Chessington: Castle Communications. p. 107. ISBN 1898141355.
  18. ^ Potiez, Jean-Marie (2007). ABBA: The Book (Updated ed.). London: Quantum Publishing. p. 189. ISBN 978-1845733063.
  19. ^ Mason, Neil (18 May 2017). "ABBA: Thank You For The Music". Electronic Sound. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  20. ^ Paphides, Pete (2022). "The History of the Book on the Shelf". Record Collector. No. 539. London. pp. 89–99.
  21. ^ Harrison, Ed, ed. (19 May 1979). "Top Single Picks". Billboard. New York. p. 99. ISSN 0006-2510.
  22. ^ White, Cliff (3 May 1979). "Singles". Smash Hits. Vol. 1, no. 11. Peterborough. p. 24. ISSN 0260-3004.
  23. ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (21 September 1979). "Abracadabra From ABBA". Part IV (View). Los Angeles Times. Vol. 98, no. 292. pp. 1, 34 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2 September 2021) [11 August 2018]. "The 25 Best ABBA Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  25. ^ Scaramanga, Tony (November 2021). "Rock Me! ABBA's top 10 guitar songs". Total Guitar. No. 351. Bath. p. 26. ISSN 1355-5049.
  26. ^ "BBC Radio 2 listeners vote Dancing Queen their favourite ABBA Song" (Press release). London: BBC. 26 April 2024. Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  27. ^ Copsey, Rob (7 November 2021). "ABBA's Official Top 20 biggest songs". The Official Charts Company. London. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  28. ^ Sheridan, Simon (2009). The Complete ABBA. London: Reynolds & Hearn. pp. 108–109. ISBN 978-1904674030.
  29. ^ Palm (2001), p. 504.
  30. ^ French, Karl (2005) [2004]. ABBA unplugged. London: Portrait. pp. 158–159. ISBN 0749950706.
  31. ^ Voulez-Vous (LP sleeve notes). ABBA. New York: Atlantic Recording Corporation. 1979. SD 16000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ Kent, David (1994). Australian Charts Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 978-0646119175.
  33. ^ a b Kent, David (31 December 1979). "National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report. No. 288. p. 3. Retrieved 10 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  34. ^ "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  35. ^ "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  36. ^ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM Weekly. Vol. 31, no. 25. Toronto. 15 September 1979. Retrieved 14 October 2016 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  37. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Does Your Mother Know". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  38. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  39. ^ "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  40. ^ "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  41. ^ "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  42. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  43. ^ "ABBA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  44. ^ "ABBA Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  45. ^ Downey, Pat; Albert, George & Hoffmann, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950–1993. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1563083167 – via Internet Archive.
  46. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – ABBA – Does Your Mother Know" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  47. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1979". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  48. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  49. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1979". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1979". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  51. ^ "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 22 December 1979. p. 27.
  52. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  53. ^ Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Fabrice Ferment (ed.). "TOP 45 Tours – 1979". 40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles (in French). OCLC 469523661. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2022 – via Top-France.fr.
  54. ^ "British single certifications – ABBA – Does Your Mother Know". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  55. ^ "British single certifications – Original Cast Recording – Does Your Mother Know". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 January 2023.

Sources

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