ABBA vs. Cher | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 27^th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2023), ABBA and Cher contend for the best rendition of “Dancing Queen.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 27^th edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2023), 🎙 ABBA and 🎙 Cher contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Dancing Queen”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. ABBA, “Dancing Queen”   

💿 Arrival • 🏷 Polar Music International AB • 📅 1976  

“You can dance, you can jive / Having the time of your life / Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene / digging the dancing queen.” Oh, the vibes, the vibes, the vibes!  🎼 ✍ Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson composed a masterpiece with 🎵 “Dancing Queen”, period.  This was by far the biggest hit by 🎙 ABBA. The Swedish collective brought this unique, Europop / Euro disco hit to worldwide success, including no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Surprisingly, “Dancing Queen” is the only song by ABBA to reach the penthouse 🤯. 

What makes “Dancing Queen” the sugar honey iced tea? Honestly, it is all the details – every musical cue soundly assembled.  The arrangement and production are nothing short of immaculate.  The groove established by the drums is noteworthy itself, with the song drawing inspiration from the drumming from the 1972 Dr. John album, Gumbo. Also, another disco hit, 🎵 “Rock Your Baby” by 🎙 George McCrae serves an influence. Beyond the drums, the keys are gorgeous, the bass line fat, and the strings soar. Of course, the bright vocals of 🎙 Anni-Frid Lyngstad and 🎙 Agnetha Fältskog play a huge role in the success, particularly in the chorus, among the best, most exuberant, and catchiest of all time.  🎵 “Dancing Queen” gets the job done, easily making you want to dance whether you are a girl or boy, young or old. Nearly five decades later, “Dancing Queen” remains a huge hit. Artists who have covered the record include 🎙 A*Teens and, of course, 🎙 Cher.   

Appears in 🔻:   

• ABBA, “Dancing Queen”: Dance Gemz 🕺 💎 🎶 7 (2023) 
• Incredible Songs: 1970s, Vol. 1 (2023)  
• 11 Songs All About Her Majesty, The Queen, Vol. 2 (2023) 
• 15 Epic Songs Fueled by DANCE (2023)

2. Cher, “Dancing Queen”

💿 Dancing Queen • 🏷 Warner • 🗓 2018

“You are the dancing queen / Young and sweet, only seventeen / Dancing queen / Feal the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah.” Woo! It is a tall task to cover one of the most beloved and most recognizable gems of them all: 🎵 “Dancing Queen”.  That 🎙 ABBA song right there… gargantuan.  Of course, iconic musician and 🏆 Academy Award winning actress 🎙 Cher wasn’t afraid to cover the 🏆 Grammy-nominated Swedish collective.  Not only did she take on “Dancing Queen,” but she recorded an entire ABBA covers LP: 💿 Dancing Queen (2018).  Rightfully, Dancing Queen commences with “Dancing Queen,” produced by 🎛 Mark Taylor.

“You can dance, you can jive / Having the time of your life / Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene / Digging the dancing queen.” Cher does “Dancing Queen” justice.  The recreated instrumental captures the disco vibes of the 1970s yet sounds fresh in the 2010s. Vocally, Cher brings contrast given her distinct, husky pipes. The huskiness doesn’t hinder “Dancing Queen” in the least, adding character – her own mark.  Furthermore, in the diva’s hands, this record sounds like one she could’ve nailed in her heyday, particularly given her success with other covers (her take on 🎙 Betty Everett’s “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” is a must hear). It’s arduous to recreate, reinvent, or transform a certified, worldwide classic like 🎵 “Dancing Queen”, but all in all, Cher does a bang up job with her cover.

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

🎙 ABBA or 🎙 Cher?  It’s a no brainer.  It’s ABBA, period.  Cher puts in work on her cover but at the end of the day, “Dancing Queen” will always belong to ABBA. Case closed.

ABBA vs. Cher: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 27 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Polar Music International AB, Warner; Hernán Toro, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels]