The Name of the Game
Encyclopedia
"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 pop group ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

, and was released as the first single from the group's fifth studio album, The Album. It became a UK number one, topping the charts for four weeks in November 1977.

History

"The Name of the Game", first called "A Bit of Myself", was the first song to be recorded for ABBA's 5th studio album, following the European and Australian tour. It was their most complex composition yet — with Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...

 and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...

 sharing the lead vocals but with solo passages from both women — and contained the influences of the laid-back California sound of the day.

The opening riff on bass and synthesizer is inspired by Stevie Wonder's "I Wish
I Wish
I Wish may refer to:* "I Wish" , 2000* "I Wish" , 2009* "I Wish" , 2000* "I Wish" , 2000* "I Wish" , 1994* "I Wish" , 1995...

" from 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...

and both Andersson and Ulvaeus have acknowledged being inspired by Wonder's music during this part of ABBA's career.

A preliminary version of "The Name of the Game" was worked into the 1977 feature film ABBA: The Movie
ABBA: The Movie
ABBA: The Movie is a 1977 film about the pop group ABBA's Australian tour. It was directed by Lasse Hallström, who directed most of the group's videos. The film has become a cult film among ABBA fans...

, for which it was written. When it was eventually finished, it was released as the lead single from The Album in October 1977. Originally, another track entitled "Hole in Your Soul" was intended for release, but those plans were soon shelved. "The Name of the Game" was released with a live version of "I Wonder (Departure)" as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

. This B-side was one of several songs written for the mini-musical The Girl With The Golden Hair, written by Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...

 and Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...

 and originally performed by ABBA on their 1977 world tour. The recording used on the "The Name of the Game" single was recorded at Sydney Showground, Sydney, Australia on 3rd or 4th of March 1977. A studio recorded version of the song was included on "The Album".

"The Name of The Game" also marks the last time Stig Anderson helped with the lyrics of a single.

Reception

"The Name of the Game" was not as successful as ABBA's previous singles since 1975. It was more of a Top 10 success, only topping the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 charts. It was the second of three consecutive UK #1 singles after "Knowing Me, Knowing You
Knowing Me, Knowing You
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1"...

", and before "Take a Chance on Me
Take a Chance on Me
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits.-History:The working title of "Take a...

".

It did reach the Top 5 in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

, while reaching the Top 10 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. On the Hot 100, where ABBA had not been embraced as strongly as in Europe, "The Name of the Game" bowed at #82 on 24 December 1977 and peaked at #12 on 11-18 March 1978.

An edited version of "The Name of the Game", which omitted the entire second verse of the song, reducing the length of the track from its original 4:51 to 3:58, was released on a promotional single in the USA. The U.S. radio edit of "The Name of the Game" then - apparently by mistake - found its way onto the 1982 Polar Music
Polar Music
Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...

 compilation The Singles: The First Ten Years
The Singles: The First Ten Years
The Singles: The First Ten Years is a double compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1982.1982 was ABBA’s final year together as a group. They had originally intended to record a new studio album, like they had done almost every year since they first came together...

, and then onto a number of hits packages issued on both vinyl & CD in the 1980s & early 1990s. It also appears on the original 1992 version of the group's ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on September 21, 1992 through PolyGram, the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn...

album. Not until the 1999 remastered edition of ABBA Gold did the song appear in its entirety on that compilation.

When PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...

 released the first digitally remastered CD version of The Album in 1997, the fact that one of the nine tracks was nearly a minute shorter than it was supposed to be somehow managed to elude the remastering engineers - the U.S. edit was again used by mistake and the first edition was subsequently withdrawn.

"The Name of the Game" was sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 in 1996 by the Fugees for their hit "Rumble in the Jungle", the first time that an ABBA song had been legally sampled by another act. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0880744/news

Chart positions

Chart (1977) Position
Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

6
Austrian Singles Chart
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...

12
Belgian Singles Chart 2
British Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

1
Canadian Singles Chart 15
Dutch Singles Chart
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...

2
Eurochart Hot 100 1
Finnish Singles Chart 5
French Singles Chart 12
German Singles Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

7
Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

2
New Zealand Singles Chart 4
Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

3
Swedish Singles Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....

2
Swiss Singles Chart
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...

6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

12
Rhodesia 4
Mexico 10
South Africa 3

Cover versions

  • A cover of the song was featured on the 1977 album Top of the Pops, Volume 62, using uncredited studio musicians and singers. The same recording was later featured on the ABBA tribute album Knowing Me, Knowing You
    Knowing Me, Knowing You (Top of the Poppers album)
    Knowing Me, Knowing You is a 2002 compilation album of ABBA cover versions. Although not noted on the album itself, the album consists of tracks recorded for Top of the Pops record series back in the 1970s and 1980s...

    , credited to Top of the Poppers.
  • On the 1995 New Zealand compilation Abbasalutely
    Abbasalutely
    Abbasalutely is a compilation album released in 1995 by New Zealand recording label Flying Nun Records as a tribute album to ABBA.-Track listing:-External links:*...

    the song is covered by Shaynie & Fifi '95 (a one-off duo comprising Shayne Carter
    Shayne Carter
    Shayne Carter is best-known for being the Straitjacket Fits' principal singer/songwriting/guitarist in the late 80s/early 90s, and later on a founding member of Dimmer.Carter comes from a musical family...

     and Fiona McDonald
    Fiona McDonald
    -Singer:McDonald was the lead singer of the band Headless Chickens in the early 1990s. In addition she was a singer and one of the songwriters for Strawpeople...

    ).
  • The SAS Band - Spike Edney
    Spike Edney
    Philip 'Spike' Edney is a British musician who, since early 1970s, has performed with a number of bands, most notably, Queen, where his participation, starting in 1984, has been so extensive that some writers have described him as the "fifth member of Queen". In the earlier phase of his career,...

    's All Stars - covered the song on their 1997 eponymous debut album with English singer Chris Thompson on lead vocals.
  • Any Trouble
    Any Trouble
    Any Trouble are a British rock band, originating from Crewe, England, best known for the early 1980s recordings.-Early days:Founding members were Clive Gregson, Chris Parks and Tom Jackson. Soon after, Mel Harley and Phil Barnes completed the line up. After Tom Jackson left, the band was fronted by...

     covered the song
  • Swedish pop group A-Teens covered the song on their debut album in 1999, The ABBA Generation. Their version, like the U.S. release, omits the second verse.
  • The 1999 album, ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration, includes a rendition by Swedish singer Irma which also eliminates the second verse.
  • A dance cover by Abbacadabra was released through Almighty Records
    Almighty Records
    Almighty Records is a British recording label and remix production team founded in 1989, releasing their first single in the same year. Producing mainly Dance-Pop and Hi-NRG music, the label is best known for releasing remakes and remixes of mainstream pop songs...

     in the late 1990s. An audio sample can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.
  • Musician/songwriter Pamela McNeill
    Pamela McNeill
    Pamela NcNeill is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in Winona, Minnesota. She studied classical music for 16 years and formed her first rock and roll band playing throughout the Midwest at the age of 16...

     recorded a slow ballad version of the song on her Tribute To ABBA album, which was produced by her husband Dugan McNeill
    Dugan McNeill
    Dugan McNeill, is an American musician and record producer who most notably worked with the 1980s Minnesota rock band Chameleon with members: Charlie Adams, Yanni, Mark Anthony, and Johnny Donaldson. The band recorded four albums together. Other recording credits include bass on the 1984 album...

    .
  • A electronica
    Electronica
    Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

    /dance version was recorded by Euphorica on the album ABBA Dance in 2003. However, this version omits some of the lyrics from the verses.
  • On the 2004 tribute album Abbalicious, which features ABBA covers performed by U.S. drag queens, the song is covered by June Bug.
  • American-born German singer Sydney Youngblood
    Sydney Youngblood
    Sydney Youngblood is an American born German singer, who had several successful dance/funk hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Career:...

     covered the song for the 2004 German compilation ABBA Mania.
  • Swedish musician Nils Landgren includes a cover on his 2004 album Funky ABBA.
  • A cover of the song by Eurosonic can be found on the 2006 chill out music
    Chill out music
    Chill out music is an umbrella term for several styles of electronic music characterized by their mellow style and mid-tempo beats — "chill" being derived from a slang injunction to "relax."Chill out music emerged in the early and mid-1990s in "chill rooms" at dance clubs, where relaxing music...

     compilation ABBA Chill Out.
  • Studio 99 did a full version on their Studio 99 Perform A Tribute To ABBA, Vol. 1 album.
  • In the stage musical Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...

    , the song is performed by the characters of Sophie and Bill. In the context of the musical, the song is sung, mainly, by Sophie, who is trying to persuade Bill not to talk to Donna about his possible paternity to Sophie. The song conveys that Sophie is taking a liking to Bill and she tells him she could really care about Bill, if he lets her in, emotionally, as her father. They come to the possible conclusion that he might be her father and he decides to walk her down the aisle at the wedding. Some of the lyrics in the song are altered to suit the story. In the 2008 movie adaptation of Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia! (film)
    Mamma Mia! is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson...

    , Amanda Seyfried
    Amanda Seyfried
    Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...

     in (the role of Sophie) performs the song in a deleted scene with Stellan Skarsgård
    Stellan Skarsgård
    Stellan John Skarsgård is a Swedish actor, known internationally for his film roles in Angels & Demons, Breaking the Waves, The Hunt for Red October, Ronin, Good Will Hunting, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,...

    .

Live cover performances, samples, appearances/references in other media, etc.

  • The original ABBA
    ABBA
    ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

     recording is featured in the film "ABBA: The Movie
    ABBA: The Movie
    ABBA: The Movie is a 1977 film about the pop group ABBA's Australian tour. It was directed by Lasse Hallström, who directed most of the group's videos. The film has become a cult film among ABBA fans...

    " (1977), as part of a dream sequence. This clip was also used as the video for the single in some territories.
  • The song is featured in the 1983 film Christine.
  • The song is sung in the Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia!
    Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...

    musical by Sophie to Bill, one of her potential fathers. She uses this song to convince him to stick around and try to be a father figure to her.
  • Dutch eurodance-group Vengaboys
    Vengaboys
    Vengaboys are a Eurodance pop group based in Amsterdam. The brainchild of two Dutch producers Wessel van Diepen and Dennis van den Driesschen , they enjoyed commercial success in the late 1990s. They are best known for their two UK number one singles, "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" and "We're Going...

     sampled this song in their hit "Boom Boom Boom Boom
    Boom Boom Boom Boom
    "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" is a song by the Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys. It was released as a single on 14 June 1999. It topped the UK Singles Chart on 26 June 1999. The song is not based on Paul Lekakis's "Boom Boom ", from 1987, despite similar lyrics.In the UK, the song is the Vengaboys'...

    " and ABBA was later given co-writing credits, after some threats of a lawsuit
    Lawsuit
    A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...

    .
  • It was also sampled by The Fugees
    The Fugees
    Fugees were a Haitian American hip hop group who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel...

    in their hit "Rumble in the Jungle".
  • Author Erin Smith and fiance Jonathon Grosskopf named this song as "Our Song" after Smith continued to quote lyrics from it at Grosskopf.
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