‘Summer Night City’: The Story Behind The ABBA Song
Written as a homage to Stockholm, ‘Summer Night City’ was a standalone release that became ABBA’s last No.1 single in their homeland.
The relentless demands of the music industry’s 70s release protocol meant the idea of not issuing at least a couple of singles during 1978 would have been unthinkable. “Take A Chance On Me” had been lifted from ABBA: The Album that January but it was clear the group’s next studio album was still some way off. To fill the gap, they took “Summer Night City” from sessions begun in May of that year and launched it as a standalone single on September 6, 1978.
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Writing and recording sessions
The Bee Gees’ enormous success that year had an obvious influence on “Summer Night City,” which, in its earlier incarnation, had the odd working title of “Charlie The Abuser” (the title is a playful pun on the work of popular comedian Kalle Sändare). Written in homage to Benny and Björn’s home city of Stockholm – famous for its balmy summer nights – the song began life at the band’s usual base of Metronome Studios but was one of the first cuts later completed at Polar Music Studio, the recording facility set up by the group in Stockholm.
Agnetha and Frida sang their solo parts first before overdubs from the whole group were added. “Summer Night City” then lay in the vaults until that August, when the track was mixed for release. Several attempts at perfecting the final version were attempted, and several variations now sit in the band’s archive.
The unlikely choice of B-side was a covers medley of American standards. It had been recorded more than three years earlier for a charity project but, newly dusted down, allowed “Summer Night City” to get to the pressing plant without the group having to rush another new song to completion before it was ready.
Release and reception
“Summer Night City” became the last No.1 single for the Swedes in their homeland, but its unexpected No.5 UK peak was seen as something of a failure by the group’s super-league standards. The song ended up being left off Voulez-Vous but was included on the band’s second greatest hits collection, issued the following year. It says something that a song as strong and successful as “Summer Night City” was marked as a misfire. For many acts, it would have been a game-changer.
