B-side "The Piper" Format 7" single | Released 1981 Length 4:40 | |
Recorded April 9, 1980 at KMH Studios Genre Europop, pop, Swedish pop | ||
"Andante, Andante" was a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in only two countries: El Salvador and Argentina. It was written by Benny and Björn on April 9, 1980, at Polar Music studios. At the beginning, this song was called "Hold Me Close". Anni-Frid Lyngstad handles the lead vocals.
The lyrics were translated into Spanish by Buddy and Mary McCluskey and recorded in October 1980 at Polar Music studios, see abbaomnibus.net. This song was released for the first time in the album Super Trouper - Latin America version as track number 4 and it was reused in the album ABBA Oro as track number 12.
Abba - Uncensored on the Record explains "Andante Andante is a love song, and the repeated musical term of the title means gently, slowly or at a walking pace in Italian."
This song was never released as a single (only in the B side of "Happy New Year" in Portugal).
Because the song was released as a single in only two countries, it never achieved success and never appeared in the global charts.
Though the theme seems at first to be a treatise in love making: "Make your fingers soft and light/ Let your body be the velvet of the night", the sensual nature of the song is somewhat mitigated in the refrain as it becomes an invocation of the muse: "I am your music and I am your song/Play me time and time again and make me strong". Augmentation is used in the refrain with the melody sung at half the tempo of the backing tracks, both singing the same lyrics.
The Abba tribute choir "Andante Andante" takes its name from this song.
The Herald describes Andante, Andante as having an "Italian" flavour.