@@LoveLightLiberty6868 but where he definitely didn't surrender. He just ... ran away and was hunted by some Prussians. Which is an interesting thought in relation to the song.
The statue was of Napoleon Buonaparte (bone-a-part), who was defeated finally and irrevocably at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, by a coalition of European forces led by the British commander Sir Arthur Wellesley, The Duke of Wellington. To meet one's "Waterloo" is to finally give in, give up...or accept defeat, like Napoleon had to. This song was the winner of the Eurovision contest in 1974 and launched ABBA on their huge success!
@@BobSoltis1 Who said anything about semitic peoples? European Jews aren't semites, but that's beside the point. I don't assume the Rothschilds are Jews. Do you?
@@brushstroke3733 Thats RICH....the Rothschild's are apart of the deepstate, a banking family who have run this world since.the 1500's .....its not a conspiracy theory either. Just do some research, the info. is out there.
Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records.
In 1974 when they won the Eurovision Song Contest with this song, I was living in Waterloo Belgium where the battle took place. A couple of weeks after the contest, ABBA came and visited the town, to say thank you for inspiring their huge hit.
What a short yet amazing comment. A tidbit of their history I never knew. That they came to say thank you is so adorable. Its as innocent and cute as their songs. Love ABBA. Thanks for that. Amazing.
Someone once wrote that it seemed inevitable that a European song contest would be won by four Swedes (one of them Norwegian-born) singing in English about the defeat of a French military leader (of Italian origin) at a battle in Belgium - it kinda covers a lot of ground...
@@lena-mariag.louis-charles3579 "Tyskunge" as "we" called them back then. Kids born from German occupation of Norway. Kids that struggled majorly in Norway, that's why many moved to Sweden. Just to be bullied here.
Historical reference to Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. Here a female "surrendering" to a male. Loved this song in the 70s, really too young at the time to understand the historical significance used as a metaphor for a relationship. I just thought it was catchy as hell.
Funnily enough Napoleon never actually "surrendered" at Waterloo, he just lost and fled. ABBA playing around with history, but still a brilliant song 😂😂😂
One of the breakthrough songs for ABBA that help launch their careers WorldWide!!! Such a catchy tune when it played over the radio. Everyone just joined in and sang and were happy!!
This song was ABBA’s great breakthrough to the mass market when they won The Eurovision Song Contest with it and mad e them superstars. What followed was a string of highly catchy pop songs capturing the hearts of millions along the way. They were terrific live too. Great reaction Jamel.
Success after a difficult period of being ignored everywhere because winning Eurovision was a Kiss of death. Took success in Australia after their music videos were played on TV to finally spread to other countries. ABBA interviews confirm this problem they had.
Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision nearly strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html
Being a kid in the 70's I'll never forget my mother playing the radio in the car and hearing all these great 70's hits including this song from ABBA. GREAT times!
A band worth deep-diving their catalog. "SOS" one of my favorites, as a bonus, it's done in the key of D minor, the saddest key of all. Benny and Bjorn (the husbands) collaborated after the break-up. THey did the score for the musical "Chess", best known for the song "One Night in Bangkok".
B&B knew how to write a good song. Then they got A&A to add tje sublime vocals. There are two volunes of albums out of Sweden which a e e basically metal covers of ABBA songs and it is glorious.
Thank you a lot for covering this one. My great late wife look just like Agneta. She sadmly passed away 5 hours of her 61 st birthday. It going for 7 years now and i missed more and more every. We were married for 41 years. She was my one and only.
Australians caught onto ABBA very quickly. They came to Australia very early in their career and enjoyed their fame here. Their music was presented in "Muriel's Wedding", a quirky Australian arthouse movie .Their music is more sophisticated than many people realise.
The guys are such brilliant song writers. They wrote a Swedish and English version of this, The Swedish one got them to Eurovision for Sweden, The English one started their world conquering. We love ABBA down here in Australia. There is even a concert tour movie they made here.
Probably my favorite ABBA song. Actresses Toni Collette and Rachel Griffith did this song for their talent show entry in the movie, Muriel's Wedding. It was awesome!
Not my favourite. Their other songs were deeper. This was written for the Eurovision song context, it had to be catchy one one listen. And it is, they played the Eurovision game superbly.
Napoleon's forces seemed unstoppable, and if he hadn't been defeated at the battle of Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington then he may have gone on to conquer the whole continent of Europe. At Waterloo, Napoleon surrendered and thusly Waterloo is now synonymous with the act of surrender. In the context of this song that surrender is to love.
i have a feeling that the late arrival of the prussians might have given the final push. Leading to an C19th build up by the Germans mainly of military arms to protect against another French Invasion, which led in part to WW1. Actually a united europe under bonaparte's semi- socialistic state of individual freedoms might have been better
@@highpath4776 there is also the theory that it was the weather that muddied the fields thus slowing Napoleon's forces and not allowing him to use his heavy weapons effectively that lead to his downfall. Then again, several scientists believe the weather was affected by a large volcanic eruption (Tambora) in Indonesia in April.
Napoleon did not lose by a lot at Waterloo. There was some communication problems before the Battle and his calvarly commander (Grouchy) basically ran his forces so far away from the main body that they couldn't help. However I believe that even had he won its likely there would have been a 7th coalition and they would eventually be defeated.
The song is about a woman surrendering to the pursuits of a man, for life. Waterloo is a metaphor of a Napoleon like surrender but to love. "Couldn't escape you if I wanted to...."
Thank you for another first reaction🌷🌷🌷🌷They won Eurovision 1974 with this song but the international breakthrough came a year later, all thanks to Australia - ABBA Nation No.1✌ Lot's of love from Sweden to you and all your subscribers 🇸🇪❤
Yes, Australia really saved them from being one hit wonders like most Eurovision winners. Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records.
SOS is another no. 1 hit by them. Loved waterloo. Memories and feel good songs. the blonde from Abba married a prince. Thats when the band ended the music. They were so popular and im sure it crushed alot of fans.
The saying "to meet your Waterloo" means you've come to a cataclysmic defeat. The two men, Benny and Bjorn, wrote the music, and were hands-on in production, and the girls sang really well together. They had their own soap opera, reflected in their music. The Fleetwood Mac of Sweden! They appeared on Eurovision, swept the board and in Europe, they went boom. For the next 10 years there was always an ABBA song in the charts.
BTW, Benny and Bjorn wrote some very successful musicals after the band split up. Chess, for instance, and of course Mamma Mia, the first juke box musical, used their songs.
Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records.
I just love how you love music. It’s a joy to watch you…you often react to my genre growing up and it’s comforting when I see the next generation appreciating our generation’s style. Keep on man!
I don’t remember knowing about ABBA until I heard this song back in ‘ 74, I was In middle school about 13 years old , even then I probably didn’t become a big fan until later in the late 70’s . I’ve heard that they didn’t have another hit after this song until around 76- or 77 when they began there almost non stop sting of worldwide hits . I was overseas in Okinawa Japan with my family for two years as my father was in his last years in the Air Force, this was a huge hit then, I’m sure people thought they would be a one hit wonder, but the rest is platinum ABBA history!
Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records. Took a while depending on the country.
This was ABBA's first big hit in America. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the early summer of 1974. Who knew that ABBA was one the biggest music acts of the 1970s!!!
This was my first memory of ABBA, but in retrospect, a cool one. My father loved this song and we disagreed on a lot of things, but we loved this song! He was homophobic, and I think he knew about me (he wanted a football player, but that didn't happen! He died when I was 18, just before I came out). But I know we connected on at least one level.
ABBA’s first hit. They won the Eurovision contest with this in ‘74. They only became a household name a year later when they toured Australia and the fans and media there really took to them, giving the band extensive coverage. Found this out only recently in a RU-vid documentary.
Living in Sweden at the time, I can still remember it like it was yesterday, watching the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1974, as a fresh faced 13 year old, sitting on the couch with my parents and younger brother, keeping my fingers crossed that "our" ABBA and their song "WATERLOO" would win... and they did!💙💛💙💛 ABBA is a DEEP rabbit hole - check out their track "MY MAMA SAID" - You won't regret it!
"My Mama Said", "Gonna Sing You My Lovesong", "Honey Honey", "Hasta Mañana", "Watch Out" and "Dance (While The Music Still Goes On) and "Suzy-Hang-Around"....excellent album besides the title track with lots of variety
This song put ABBA on the map. They basically won a talent contest with this one. 1974 EUROVISION grand prize. And they deserved it; it’s a cute reference between love and Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. Great song.
Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records.
With the win of 1974 Eurovision, with Waterloo, ABBA established themselves as what would become one of the very top bands for almost a decade. Eurovision winners typically don't realize success beyond the contest...ABBA shattered the stereotype,.obviously!!! Sooo much magic of ABBA, it's an endless treat to dive deep with analysis of their music... Arrangements and new techniques developed by ABBA we're iconic and incredible!!! Much more than a catchy tune and good, talented, fun music!!! 💜💜💜
Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records.
The story behind this song is incredible.... makes this song even more impressive sounding.... Basically as a Sweden band and new they thought in taking part in a Contest that only favored British musicians and frowned on "Outsiders" .... As a new band they thought they'd try their luck but lost....angered they worked al year on their next attempt and this was the result.....Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) they won and the rest is history.
The Eurovision Song Contest did not 'favour' British musicians lol. You need to check how many times we actually won! Waterloo was ABBA's winning song and they exploded onto the music scene worldwide. The rest is history.
They lost the Swedish Song for Europe with Ring Ring (later released after Waterloo world wide with added Sax track) , and recorded a more Swedish Folk Song as a potential entry to eurovision ,but in the end went with Waterloo. The good version is the live Winners reprise, from Eurovision at Brighton. (I dont recall seeing a YT of the competitive performance. - though I remember it live when first broadcast)
Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records.
This was the song that finally launched ABBA to worldwide success when they won the Eurovision song contest in 1974 .... (having lost in 1973 with "Ring Ring")
This song started their international career when they won the Eurovision Song Contest. Björn and Benny had made beautiful songs in Swedish earlier. As a Swede I am happy and so surprised that they are making a comeback. The song is about the battle Waterloo in Belgium where Napoleon was defeated.
Well, thank you, Jamel, for correcting me after all these years. I've been singing, "Knowing my baby would be with you." Totally different Jolene-style vibe. Thanks for straightening me out! 😁
These early ABBA videos are so fun and cheesy. Directed by Lasse Hallström who would go on to direct What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Something to Talk About, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, The Shipping News
This song won the Eurovision Song Contest representing Sweden. The ESC is a competition held between the countries of Europe every year since the late 50's, except for the 2020 one because of Corona. It is a huge event with over 200 million television viewers for the grand finale in recent years. When ABBA won there was no internet or streaming but the huge exposure of the televised contest meant that winning songs were often huge hits throughout the world. Celine Dion also won the contest in the 80's representing Switzerland. Anyhow, as big as the hits it created it could also be the kiss of death afterwards as it was difficult to get the same coverage for the following songs so that even ABBA had a year or two of (commercial) failure before they became the international sensation we all know today.
As a teenager, ABBA was one of my favourite bands and I just heard this as a lovely song with a nice bouncy beat. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s, that I got the relationship metaphor. And you picked that out first listen!! Amazing!!
That was the song that got me into Music completely when I was a child. One of my first First Records was Abbas greatest hits volume two which had all the great stuff like dancing Queen and knowing me knowing you
They hit the air waves and never looked back! I still have the 45 I bought oh so many years ago! And it still plays! Yep, I'm that old! And still have a stereo that works! lol
Well I watched the whole song no probs. Yea Abba are so cute innocent but wild and fun-- talented graceful and sophisticated at the same time. Love em!
The Mighty English Army hereafter known as "The Good Guys" defeated The Horse Eating, Snail Chewing Garlic XXXX that was The French hereafter known as "The Bad Guys" in the famous and heroic Battle Of Waterloo en route ** to our quest for World domination and forming the largest and greatest Empire the World has ever known occupying 117 of The World 204 Countries while Land Of Hope And Glory played in the background but enough of this Pomp and Circumstance**, as even more importantly Abba won THe Eurovision Song Contest with this in 1974 which started their journey to World fame...(Got a bit carried away earlier ).....:) **It's all good stuff :)
Yes, J-aka-J, lots of informed commenters on this have already adequately laid out the historical significance of Waterloo, so I won't rehash that. I only have a personal anecdote to relate. I've actually been to the Waterloo battlefield in Belgium. The main thing you'll see there is a huge conical structure with an equestrian statue at the apex (very top of the cone). Inside that structure is the Waterloo museum, with everything you'd need to know about this historical event. Of course, the ABBA song was running on a loop in my brain as I took it all in.🤔🧐😜🎸🇧🇪
The song title refers to the 1815 defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte and the French army near "Waterloo" (obviously) in Belgium by a British-led coalition headed up by the Duke of Wellington. ABBA won the 1974 Eurovision contest performing this song, which was used as a metaphor for a romantic relationship.
Jamel, There are a couple of Australian Movies, were ABBA Music is prominent; my 1st recommendation - "Muriel's Wedding" ... 2nd - "Pricilla, Queen of the Desert". Bring the Popcorn ! ;-)
I was nine years old when I watched ABBA win the Eurovision Song Contest with this song! I've been a life-long fan ever since. It's catchy, it's fun, it's intelligent. It should feature as one of Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great?" series!
Hello, nice to see you again with your reactions to ABBA songs "Waterloo" (1974) is one of my favorites, and is in my Top 5 of all ABBA songs (with S.O.S. , Dancing Queen, Chiquitita & The winner takes it all) and I think that is the song that change history, not only for ABBA, for Sweden and Eurovision too "Waterloo" was the song that ABBA wrote especially to participate in the annual Eurovision Song Contest By the rules of the competition the songs could not exceed 3 minutes and ABBA made a masterpiece! ABBA sing it in Swedish, for the local selection in Sweden (February 1974) and finally ABBA sing it in English in the final held in England (April 1974) before 16 interpreters and songs from all over Europe. it's a link to that historic moment: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Vp1_OKawHYw.html "Waterloo" and ABBA win Eurovision for the first time for Sweden It will be Their first big global success: #1 in UK and half Europe (also South Africa), and Top 10 in U.S., Canada, Australia , New Zealand and the rest of Europe ABBA recording "Waterloo" in swedish, english, german and french Several years later, in 2005, to the 50th Eurovision anniversary, "Waterloo" was chosen as the Best Song in all the history of Eurovisión "Waterloo", with all the songs of my Top 5, and 14 more songs, was included in ABBA recopilation album 'GOLD' that two mounth ago arrives to 1000 weeks of permanence at Top 100 in UK Official Charts (first group singer or artist to do it in UK) I hope you have a nice week Kind regards from Buenos Aires Argentina South América
Although Waterloo won Eurovision and sold well as a record, Eurovision winners were classed as one hit wonders to be ignored. Bjorn of ABBA saying that Eurovision strangled them until they broke through in Australia by Countdown promoting them ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AkJ5RWZdT54.html After a huge string of being number one for weeks in Australia, record companies around the world then gave them the respect they deserved by releasing their records.
