B-side "Rock Me" Length 3:18 | Format 7" single | |
Released April 1975
March 1976 (US) Label Polar (Sweden)
Epic (UK)
Atlantic (US)
CRI Records (China) Writer(s) Benny Andersson
Björn Ulvaeus
Stig Anderson | ||
"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was a hit single for Swedish pop group ABBA, and was their next major worldwide hit after "Waterloo". It was the second single to be released from their ABBA album, and one of the last songs to be recorded for the album. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and their manager Stig Anderson, and was released in April 1975 with "Rock Me" as the B-side.
Contents
The song was recorded on 21 February 1975 at Glen Studio, and was inspired by the European "schlager" music of the 1950s, and also by the saxophone sound of American 1950s orchestra leader Billy Vaughn.
History
The song's release came shortly after their previous single, "So Long", performed disappointingly in terms of charts and sales. After the release of "Waterloo", ABBA were having difficulty establishing themselves as an act with longevity. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", in many cases, put ABBA firmly back in the spotlight. With a rousing saxophone tune and homage to 1950s Schlager music, "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" became a significant improvement on the international charts, although it made little impact in Britain. The song's popularity was boosted (particularly in Australia) by the release of a promo clip shown on television. The song, presumably because of its title as much as the sentiment, is popular at weddings and was featured in the film Muriel's Wedding, when the ABBA-mad title character gets married.
Reception
"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was a sizeable hit in a number of countries, and was the song that sparked "ABBA-mania" in Australia, becoming ABBA's first chart-topper there. With "Mamma Mia" and "SOS" to follow, this gave the group a run of 14 consecutive weeks at the top of the Australian charts. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" also topped the charts in France, New Zealand, Switzerland and South Africa and hit the Top 5 in Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Rhodesia (all in 1975). The song also reached No.15 in the United States in early 1976. A notable exception to the song's success was in the UK Singles Chart, a market that ABBA was aiming to conquer, where the single stalled at No.38. Thus, the musical direction taken in the song was not used again for some time. This marked the only time that an ABBA song had more success in the United States than in Britain. Later in 1975, ABBA would find success in the UK with SOS, which would cement the group's success in Australia and elsewhere. Despite the song's UK chart performance, on 5 December 2010 in a British poll of The Nations Favourite ABBA song, the song was placed at #23.