Chiquitita
"Chiquitita" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1979 as the first single from the group's Voulez-Vous album. Agnetha Fältskog sang the lead vocals. Originally, the track "If It Wasn't for the Nights" was going to be the album's lead single, but after "Chiquitita" was completed those plans were abandoned, and it would remain an album track.
History
Many preliminary versions of "Chiquitita" exist. It had working titles of "Kålsupare", "3 Wise Guys", "Chiquitita Angelina" and "In The Arms of Rosalita". A revised version, which had a sound that was influenced by the Peruvian song "El Condor Pasa " performed by Simon and Garfunkel, was recorded in December 1978 and released as a single in January 1979.With the success of the English version, ABBA also recorded "Chiquitita" in Spanish by phonetics, and it was one of the featured tracks on the Spanish-language release Gracias Por La Música.
Reception
"Chiquitita" proved to be one of ABBA's biggest hits. It was featured in a 1979 UNICEF charity event, the Music for UNICEF Concert, broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly. As a direct result of this event, ABBA donated half of all royalties from the song to UNICEF. "Chiquitita" hit #1 in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, South Africa and Rhodesia, and was a Top 5 hit in ABBA's native Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Norway, making it the most successful single from the Voulez-Vous album in terms of global charts and one of the most famous charity songs ever. To this day, 50% of the proceeds from the song go to UNICEF in recognition of the "International Year of the Child" in 1979. In 2014, all ABBA members agreed on donating 100% of the royalties from the song to UNICEF.In the United Kingdom, "Chiquitita" debuted at #8 in the singles chart, making it the highest place début for any ABBA single release.
In Argentina, sales figures up to the end of July 1979 on the single show 500,000 in the Spanish edition, and 25,000 in the original English language format.
Music video
"Chiquitita" was one of the very few singles ABBA released without a custom-made video. Since then, on compilations of the group's videos, a contemporary TV performance of the song has been used, recorded in March/April 1979, quite some time after the single's release. This clip was taped by the BBC during recording of the show ABBA in Switzerland, broadcast across Europe at Easter 1979, although this clip did not feature in the broadcast, being intended for a Christmas programme. ABBA is seen performing the song on a mountainside, with a snowman in the background. Throughout the clip, the bad weather and bad light caused problems during filming, which affected Anni-Frid Lyngstad; her hair constantly flew in her face, and she was forced to keep moving it out of her eyes, so it was not used. During the location shoot in Leysin, the BBC recorded two further versions of the group lip-synching to the song. The group performed the song inside the BBC Big Top used to host 'ABBA In Switzerland' which was included in the final broadcast and a second video was shot of the group sitting around a table in a cafe, for the show Christmas Snowtime Special shown on BBC1 on December 23, 1979, hosted by Dame Edna Everage. The clip of the group filmed outside with the snowman was originally intended for this Christmas show, but producer/director Michael Hurll recorded the second clip as he was not happy with the first.Personnel
- Agnetha Fältskog – lead vocals
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad – backing vocals
- Björn Ulvaeus – guitar
- Benny Andersson – keyboards
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Cher version
"Chiquitita" was originally featured on Cher's 2018 album, Dancing Queen. In 2020 following the Coronavirus pandemic, Cher announced she had re-recorded the song in Spanish with all proceeds going to UNICEF, similar to how ABBA had done in 1979 with the release of the same song.The official music video premiered on UNICEF's website on 9 May 2020.
Charts
Track listings and formats
Digital download
- "Chiquitita - Spanish Version" - 4:49
- "Chiquitita" - 5:14
Live cover performances, appearances in other media, etc.
- Menudo from Puerto Rico had an Album named Chiquitita with a cover of the ABBA song Chiquitita.
- The song is performed in the Mamma Mia! musical and film by the characters of Tanya and Rosie. In the context of the musical, Donna has been surprised by the arrival of the three possible fathers of her daughter, and the song is used by her friends in order to comfort her and to find out why she is so upset; in the film they have to coax her out of hiding. It is one of three songs not to be featured on the official soundtrack.
- Leona Lewis performed the song on the British TV show The X Factor.
- "Chiquitita" was used as the opening song for the Japanese drama Strawberry on the Shortcake.
- It was used in episode 2.04 of Queer as Folk at the end.
- Charo performed the song at her 1988 concert in Reno at Bally's.
- Stephen Gately recorded his version for the Abbamania: Tribute to ABBA album in 1999, and the ABBA – Forever album in 2004.
- The famous Hungarian female singer :hu:Harangozó Teri|Harangozó Teri sang the Hungarian Radio studio recording version in 1980.
- On 20 November 2014, Laleh Pourkarim performed the song live during a UNICEF event in New York City.
- Sinead O'Connor sang "Chiquitita" on the 1999 album "Across the Bridge of Hope". She also recorded a music video for the song.
- Chiquitita was later recreated as an instrumental song, played by pianist Raúl di Blasio in his 1991 album Alrededor Del Mundo.
- The Spanish singer Amaia Montero topped the Spanish charts in 2010 with her cover version of the song.
- Zdenka Vučković recorded a Croatian rendering of the song for inclusion on her 1980 album Zdenka.
- The song is used in the 2017 film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.