"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was a hit single for Swedish pop groupABBA, and was their next major worldwide hit after "Waterloo". It was the second single to be released from their ABBA album, and one of the last songs to be recorded for the album. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and their manager Stig Anderson, and was released in April 1975 with "Rock Me" as the B-side. The song was recorded on 21 February 1975 at Glen Studio, and was inspired by the European schlager music of the 1950s, as well as the saxophone sound of '50s American orchestra leader Billy Vaughn.
History
The song's release came shortly after their previous single, "So Long", performed disappointingly in terms of charts and sales. After the release of "Waterloo", ABBA were having difficulty establishing themselves as an act with longevity. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", in many cases, put ABBA firmly back in the spotlight. With a rousing saxophone tune and homage to 1950s Schlager music, "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" became a significant improvement on the international charts, although it made little impact in Britain. The song's popularity was boosted by the release of a promo clip shown on television. The song, presumably because of its title as much as the sentiment, is popular at weddings and was featured in the film Muriel's Wedding, when the ABBA-mad title character gets married.
Reception
"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was a sizeable hit in a number of countries, and was the song that sparked "ABBA-mania" in Australia, becoming ABBA's first chart-topper there. With "Mamma Mia" and "SOS" to follow, this gave the group a run of 14 consecutive weeks at the top of the Australian charts. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" also topped the charts in France, New Zealand, Switzerland and South Africa and hit the Top 5 in Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Rhodesia. The song also reached No.15 in the United States in early 1976. A notable exception to the song's success was in the UK Singles Chart, a market that ABBA was aiming to conquer, where the single stalled at No.38. Thus, the musical direction taken in the song was not used again for some time. This marked the only time that an ABBA song had more success in the United States than in Britain. Later in 1975, ABBA would find success in the UK with SOS, which would cement the group's success in Australia and elsewhere. Despite the song's UK chart performance, on 5 December 2010 in a British poll of The Nations Favourite ABBA song, the song was placed at #23.
The saxophone arrangement early made the song an ideal for several dansband covers, like Ingmar Nordströms on the 1975 album Saxparty 2.
In 1975, Seija Simola released the song as a single, rendered in Finnish as "Vai Niin, Vai Niin, Vai Niin, Vai Niin, Vai Niin" – vai niin translates as "I see". Under the title "Vai Niin" this rendering was also recorded by Lea Laven for her album Lea.
In 1978, a Swedish country band called Nashville Train covered the song in 1977 on their album ABBA Our Way, released on the Polar Music label in Sweden.
In 2000, Swedish band The Black Sweden recorded a version for their tribute albumGold. This version includes a riff from the ZZ Top song "Tush".
The song is sung in second act of the Mamma Mia! musical. In the context of the musical, Sky and Sophie call off the wedding. The song is used when Sam and Donna get married instead, after he explains that he is divorced and professes his love for Donna; thinking that a wedding shouldn't go to waste. Although it is one of several songs featured in the 2008 Mamma Mia! movie adaptation, it was not included on the official soundtrack.
Studio 99 performed a cover on their Studio 99 Perform A Tribute To ABBA, Vol. 1 album.
A cover of the song can be found on the tribute album ABBAration.
A dance version of this song produced by Dr. Octavo can be found on the ABBA cover albumCardio Pulse.
