ABBA & BoneyM

nanRi DM, for pointing out the stereo "youtube" & also nanRi for the upload

I was trying to locate one with movie visuals

I think they didn't have stereo capability yet for the film version (while the disks and cassettes were "advanced")

ABBA - I have a dream (the song possibly got the title line from the famous MLK speech)

In a childish way, this is a special song for me - being the FIRST "western" song of which I could identify the words and understand most of the lines

Though this song is not a fast-tempo-dance-number that one expected to hear as a "western" song during school days, somehow I got hooked to it right from the first listen. May be the "Indian" feel in it (the main instrument that plays the prelude / background / postlude etc sounds sitar-like) got me.

Whatever was the reason, this song continues to be a great favourite even after 3 decades plus!

There are many youtube links, one for reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r82fyOb8F5w


I'm not aware of any IFM resemblances. However, I wonder if there were one - given the easy accessibility of this song from an Indian PoV, our kalaichchelvam fellows would have jumped to get it 

Well, if someone knows a connection, please post it here

After creating big sensation with their Daddy cools and Rasputins, the Boney M kind of lost steam. That way, their later day album "Boonoonoos" wasn't that popular, as per the articles I read around.

However, not caring about the hit status of that album - because of big piriyam with that band - my chithappa got the cassette anyways, in the early 80's and during a summer break I heard that cassette in Virudhunagar.

This song became my instant favourite - though I didn't know which language it was

Malaika  is a Swahili song and the first line simply means "I love you angel" it seems.

After many years, I was amused by listening to an indhi song in a Palakkad restaurant that was a ditto copy of this song. ( I wasn't surprised, by this time I was used to tons of Indian songs that borrowed from popular western numbers. Bappi Lahiri did it on a regular basis and those eventually made it to TFM as well via Bappi's dubbing fellows Shankar-Ganesh )

Well, the Hindi song that I heard in that restaurant was not by Bappi but Nadheen Shrawan as I later learnt from tfmpage.

(itwofs) Karthik documented all those he caught from tfmpage and started a website later on. (That one is now itwofs.com and he also runs a blog there called "milliblog")

Today I wanted to post that Boney M song and its Indian versions. While searching on youtube, I found out that the Boney M one was not the original, it was just a pop-version of an African folk song. One of the early versions, by Miriam Makeba, is on youtube...

Miriam Makeba's Malaika :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08wPHrnVKA0


There's another audio version too : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCh58peMl98

Now here is the Boney M version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvGxuuaIJGM


To get the equivalent Indhi, I paid a visit to itwofs (after a long time) and could notice that Karthik too documented the Miriam Makeba connection there :
http://itwofs.com/hindi-ns.html

Well, he is no longer quoting Boney M there but I found from there that there are two Indian versions for this song - One by Bappi as part of Runa Laila album "superuna" and the song is Pukaro : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCefeNkvV6M

And here is the Nadheem Shrawan verion from the movie Damini (gawA hEin):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z-xWMRZfoA

Another ABBA favourite - Voulez Vous  (French phrase, meaning roughly "would you?") has its presence on youtube much like other ABBA hits :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za05HBtGsgU


I'm not sure if this found its way to reach any "IFM-only" audience thru our kalaichchelvam fetchers.

One thing that strikes me is the "uh-hAh" sound that Biddu happily used for the "Disco Deewane" song which came a couple of years later. (That sweet Nazia Hassan song).

Even in general, the impact of this particular ABBA number on many of Biddu's songs (by way of arrangements / sounds etc) is unmistakeable

I haven't heard this ABBA song in many years - but listening to some of their songs in the recent weeks possibly did the trick...

This song had been playing in my mind since morning "Knowing me Knowing you it's the best I can do"

This "music wired inside our brains" thingy has never failed to surprise me!

This is just another example of what all things are dormant inside our brains that can spring up by some unusual triggers / stimuli

Here are a couple of youtubes of the mega hit song...

From their vevo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUrzicaiRLU


One of their 70's stage performances of the song, posted by someone with lyrics here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrfY7RNaBjw

This terrific ABBA number is on loop on drives frequently during recent times : Angel eyes

I used to love the brilliant prelude / postlude those days - extraordinary and impressive, to this day.

However, during the recent listens - when I can completely understand the lines / lyrics (unlike 70's when I could not identify the words / meaning) - IMHO the sadness / bitterness despite the upbeat rhythm music is the main USP of this song! Though from a girly perspective, the way in which the words fall in place, with such terrific and precise instrumental accompaniment makes one say "WOW"!

Much like some of IR's best!

Well, not for nothing ABBA had become the 2nd most popular band in history

Enjoy the song here in youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=728c7L_WjxQ

Surprisingly, not as many views as the other big hits of the band...

Angel Eyes is a great song.  Gets overlooked because it was on ABBA's 'disco' album Voulez Vouz.

Thanks App & CK for all the ABBA songs and recos. I haven't listened much to ABBA Should allocate some dedicated time to listen to the ABBA songs.  but have a most of the BoneyM albums in my collection. Still listen to them every now and then and I like them a lot. 

Got introduced to BoneyM by my Dad. All his cassette recordings would have BoneyM songs to fill the last few mins of empty spaces on both sides, a thing that lots of recording centers used to do back then.

The first BoneyM song I heard was Gotta Go Home from Oceans of Fantasy album (my most favorite album of them all). Some of my most favorite BoneyM songs are:
Bye Bye Bluebird, Brown Girl in the Ring, Rasputin, Ma Baker, No More Chain Gang, He was a Steppenwolf, Bahama Mama.

Would love to hear more about BoneyM from you guys.

Here's the funny thing.  I used to like Boney M more than ABBA when I was introduced to them (simultaneously in 9th standard or so).  A couple of years hence I was completely into IR's music and both these artists slipped out of my playlist.  When I did return to Western music, I found ABBA's music intriguing, in spite of what rock snobs had to say about them.  Because their arrangements are often quite brilliant.  But Boney M was already in the 'pure pop' slot for me by then and I could never get back to liking their stuff again. I don't grudge their choice to make pop music and they never pretended to be anything more.  Just that ABBA had the ability, often though not in all the songs, to add some depth to material that was still very catchy and infectious.

You're very welcome rajkumarc!

I must credit my 10-yr-older-sithappA (i.e. hubby of chithi) for feeding me all the "western music" those days. Though I've heard a lot of them from my neighbor in the village school campus, who had the LP's, it wasn't until later when I could sit and comfortably listen to the cassettes at sithappA's.

He had practically ALL the BoneyM / ABBA hits and more. Quite interesting collection. For e.g. he had a cassette called "oldies" (i.e. 20+ years older than 80's) which had songs like one way ticket, kiss me another etc in terrific quality (imported cassette) sung by superb singers. I didn't know before - that Eruption's one way ticket wasn't the original...

Of course, he was a BoneyM fan (had even that Xmas album). I liked many of their songs - rasputin of course tops and then there were sunny, daddy cool, by the rivers of babylon, brown girl in the ring, hooray hooray, take the heat off me, ma baker and such biggies.

As for me, from the beginning, I felt ABBA somewhat superior to BoneyM - though I could not explain in musical terms like CK here

p.s. Though it wasn't BoneyM, some youtubes credit 'one way ticket' to them
BTW, namma kalaichchelvam collector Bappi L got that one as "hari Om hari"

digression

Look at this youtube, with 12mn plus hits for 'one way ticket' 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DYA1raD-YY

Here's the eruption video:


end-digression

After that Men's Wearhouse event, now it's for Home Depot to pleasantly surprise me with an ABBA song - 'Ring Ring'.

This may not have the typical ABBA-sounding-music but enjoyable nevertheless (and was immensely popular) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL0EoXdpOqg


It's quite interesting that ABBA songs are loved and enjoyed in U.S. mainstream retail outlets decades after their release!

BTW, when I went to a "drive-thru-donation-center" yesterday to drop-off some used clothes and such stuff, my van was loudly playing Dancing Queen.

The girl who was collecting the boxes (African Amercian) started dancing

She didn't know which band etc but made a comment "AhA, I can dance to that music - very interesting" and as usual I had a few words to say to her on ABBA

Going on repeat on drives during this week is EAGLE
(Well, wife & child flew to home country and will be away for a couple of weeks - so some sort of "theme song" for the moment )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDI7x1nwTUw



ABBA has definitely done a tremendous job in this song! Though mildly bringing the "feel" of older movies (e.g. good bad ugly possibly influenced the "sounds"), the song is majestic and terrific!

BTW, a famous TFM song from 2010 has similar construct
#en_iniya_iyanthirA

Spent last evening with a few Detroit friends (all African Americans) and at least two of them are musicals. (One of them collects rare musical instruments from around the world and their home almost looks like a music museum).

During the course of conversation, I brought this topic - just for fun - if they've heard about Boney M.

Of course, none of them ever heard the name. (All except one are in the 40-65 age group)

Well, everyone had heard about ABBA and could quickly recall a number of songs.

I ended up showing Rasputin etc from youtube (on phone) as an "intro to Boney M"

'Lay all your love on me' - another lovely song from ABBA and long-time-fav!

The kind of "tension-building-and-then-explode" methodology employed in this song is one thing I always love in music. rAsA songs have many such examples and so are a number of popular western songs.

Folks who know the details of this "technique" please eloborate.
(I mean the section that goes like:

"But now it isn't true
Now everything is new
And all I've learned has overturned
I beg of you... "

before they bang on

"Don't go wasting your emotion
Lay all your love on me")

The youtube of this song is here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWI2bTckbgc

I don't know whether there's a specific name for it and if there is, what it would be called.  Generally the point where the tension releases and explodes is referred to as a 'crescendo' in Western music.  Perhaps you had that in mind?  Yes, building and releasing tension is what Western music is all about and very rightly observed that Raja uses it too.

nanRi CK, for throwing some light!

I've seen the word crescendo in song books (e.g. "poco poco a crescendo" in a song that goes on a similar tension building fashion, increasing in intensity with every note).

However, this kind of a wholesale exercise - increasing intensity by multiple means (increase not only in loudness / power but also in tempo and often in pitch as well) and finally exploding - gives one a real "jivv" feel...hmmm, equivalent of a rum-induced-kick

In addition to crescendo, there should be other musical terms that could be in play. And the application of many together could possibly be called some kind of "method" - or so I thought

(That I get max thrill out of this could be recently observed by my preference of 'mudhal muRai pArththa gnAbakam' as the top song of IR in recent times)...

சில நேரம் மாயம் செய்தாய்
சில நேரம் காயம் செய்தாய்

மடி மீது தூங்க வைத்தாய்
மறுநாளில் ஏங்க வைத்தாய்

வெயிலா மழையா வலியா சுகமா எது நீ ஈ ஈ ஈ ஈ ?

Then explode!

app_engine wrote:nanRi CK, for throwing some light!

I've seen the word crescendo in song books (e.g. "poco poco a crescendo" in a song that goes on a similar tension building fashion, increasing in intensity with every note).

However, this kind of a wholesale exercise - increasing intensity by multiple means (increase not only in loudness / power but also in tempo and often in pitch as well) and finally exploding - gives one a real "jivv" feel...hmmm, equivalent of a rum-induced-kick

In addition to crescendo, there should be other musical terms that could be in play. And the application of many together could possibly be called some kind of "method" - or so I thought

(That I get max thrill out of this could be recently observed by my preference of 'mudhal muRai pArththa gnAbakam' as the top song of IR in recent times)...

சில நேரம் மாயம் செய்தாய்
சில நேரம் காயம் செய்தாய்

மடி மீது தூங்க வைத்தாய்
மறுநாளில் ஏங்க வைத்தாய்

வெயிலா மழையா வலியா சுகமா எது நீ ஈ ஈ ஈ ஈ ?

Then explode!

That suggests you like the verse-chorus song format, especially when it is exploited well to build and release tension, like in these songs. Gimme gimme gimme is also similar. The final phrases/bars of the verse ("Now it isn't true.....")  have lot of quaver and semi-quaver notes adding to the urgency in the music. In contrast, the chorus that resolves the tension usually has notes of longer duration - whole notes and half notes. The chorus also generally starts takes off with the tonic chord which again adds to the sense of resolution. So, ya, combination of things, I'd say.

Btw, Ragu aNNan kooda idhE mAri verse-chorus format la neraya songs tune paNNirkArE 

Some Raguman songs I do enjoy
(mudhal vanE vanE vannE vannE vannE vannE leading to SJ's mudhalvanE is one of my thrills)

Unfortunately, often the ARR-HJ kinds inject 'hummA yammA hairabbA mukkAbulA ajibijugA' kind of irritating words that kill my thrill.

Also, none of their songs can ever give me a total high like the second interlude of 'madai thiRandhu'...which I would broadly classify under this umbrella, starting with harmonium and then strings build the tension in a terrific manner paving way for the superb women chorus to soar and make one fly)...

anga suththi inga suththi rAsA kittayE vandhudurEn

Second interlude of Madai thiranthu doesn't really have anything like a crescendo.  But the surprise change to the chorus can be quite exhilarating when it hits.  Maybe you like surprise in the melodic/harmonic patterns whether in the instrumental sections or just in the organisation of the verse.  Surprise again is a more Western concept. Interludes of old HFM classics would very often be tasteful but rarely unpredictable, with a few exceptions.  I have never understood how IR imbibed those concepts in the depth that his music evidences, so fast.  Because it seems it was Viji Manuel who introduced him to some rock music for the first time in maybe around mid 70s?  There's almost never any superficiality about the way he incorporates Western concepts in Tamil songs and that, especially given his background, is astounding.  He must be like the Chitti robo from Endhiran.  Just feed it once into his system and he knows it inside out.