"Why ABBA songs just hit different" Switched On Pop

    I would like to get one more post it and bless everyone with the latest news I have heard from Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding on Switched On Pop, as I listen to a recent post called “Why ABBA songs just hit different.” I was not ever really interested in ABBA, but when I moved to college I got a roommate who was obsessed with them! I chose this podcast post because maybe it will help me understand her obsession better and get to know ABBA themselves.

    They start off by explaining that for every ABBA stan, there was a hater. They gave an example of an interview where Robert Christgau says, “We have met the enemy, and they are them.” I guess to be popular, you have got to be able to handle the haters that come with them. Next, the hosts begin with speaking on their vocals. They play acapella clips showing how contrasting the singers are with each other, but how well they work. They go into the studio aspect as they talk about them laying their own voices over on another. ABBA harmonizes with their own voices thanks to layering, which I thought was really cool. They use the song “Super Trouper” as an example. The opening vocal is called somewhat of a “chant” and it is opened up by a chord progression.

    As well as mentioning some of the group’s other hits like “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen,” Nate and Charlie talk about ABBA’s latest album they were to be releasing. It is out now, but it wasn’t at the time of their recording. They bring up two of the songs on this album, with the two being “Don’t Shut Me Down” and “I Still Have Faith in You.” I thought it was a neat podcast and it definitely opened up my eyes a bit. Maybe I’ll respond by listening to more ABBA.


Sloan, Nate, host; Harding, Charlie, host. “Why ABBA Songs Just Hit Different.” Switched on Pop, Vox Media, Inc./ Apple Podcasts, 2 Nov. 2021. https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/why-abba-songs-just-hit-different

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