Listening & Analysing ABBA's MONEY MONEY MONEY cos it's a bop! So much to learn!

[@CallMeCaroline]

Did you learn anything interesting from ABBA's song writing?? :D Me singing ABBA : kzbin.info/www/bejne/mF6nan97fpZnrK8

[@eddieboy4667]

Yes. Everyone loves watching an expert at work. You listening to ABBA, and me watching you. Great stuff. Thanks again Caroline. ABBA are a goldmine for you.

[@CallMeCaroline]

@@eddieboy4667 oh thanks Eddie, I’m far from an expert but maybe together we can all learn and get there one day haha thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@BDUBZ49]

I was listening to Mama Mia a while back and observed that the song is made up of like 5 separate hooks...that all fit together seamlessly. In a way it reminded me of McCartney's "Silly Love Songs" where he has 3 separate things going on melody, counter melody..and a third. In the end he weaves them all together, overlapping.

[@Kevin-1969]

Frida looked brilliant in this video. IMO this was her best look

[@PogieJoe]

I'm always down for an ABBA breakdown. Forever blown away by their harmonies and instrumental flairs.

[@lmp9256]

It is such a pleasure to see this sublime music bringing so much joy to a young person more than 40 years after it was created. Why wouldn't it though?! Exceptional transcends time.

[@b.morosov1182]

I grew up listening to Abba from my parents but I just picked up Arrival from a vinyl stall at the market last week and the line "if I had a little money" hits so good. Had to see a musician break it down, such a cool tune.

[@justintroyka8855]

The key change from A minor to B-flat minor is done using a quite ingenious modulation. Instead of playing the entire riff from the intro again, they cut it off halfway through, so the chords are Am and F7. Then when the very next chord is the Bbm of the new key, the F7 gets reinterpreted as the five chord of B-flat minor.

[@CallMeCaroline]

Ohh I will need to look into this, thanks for pointing it out!!

[@starry2006]

The descending line before the chorus always feels like a descent into a kind of hell to me. It's definitely not a celebration of money like some like to think just based on the chorus lyrics. I put it with Knowing You Knowing Me and The Name of the Game as epic mid tempo recordings which aren't all out dance, from the period when their creativity really took off.

[@CallMeCaroline]

Oh I didn’t even think of that, great observation!

[@rafailkarampetsos6914]

The only thing I know about ABBA's songwriting is that I love it.

[@lmp9256]

That'll do 😃

[@TTM9691]

This song has such a fun arrangement! (as do most ABBA songs!). Love that synth arpeggio. Thanks for the history of how the song was written and recorded, I love that kind of stuff! I saw someone mention the movie "Cabaret" in relation to the writing of this song, and I can totally hear it. A great movie, regardless, but you might want to definitely catch that for seeing how well this song would have fit into that film.

[@thomastimlin1724]

This song is so complicated yet hysterically funny to me. Maybe it's also your performance here as the reactor that's making me laugh too. you have the gift of intellect coupled with energy and a sense of humor.

[@CallMeCaroline]

Thanks Thomas!

[@joshgellis3292]

The introductory melody has real punch to it! The song goes on, and MORE up gearshifting melodies come after!

[@tommycscarlsson]

I love to see you do more reaction /break down, Abba Music. Like you did here. It's very interesting.

[@alkayemediagroup4536]

I happened to fall upon your analysis and Found your enthusiasm and personality quite infectious. Your information is spot on and I very much enjoyed listening to it

[@marcodebrabander5751]

Nice whatch! ABBA has a LOT briliant songs to analyse! Hope to see more

[@Kaleidoscopia]

Such great memories singing along to this song as a kid! I'll forever associate ABBA with my childhood

[@CallMeCaroline]

Same!

[@4-dman464]

8:30 That descending motif sounds the same as in the 'Oompa Loompa Song' from 1971 film 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.' Could sing, "I wouldn't have to work at all I'd fool around and have a ball - - I don't like the look of it!" in 'Money Money Money' - - and next time around, "I wouldn't have to work at all I'd fool around and have a ball - - The way that a co-ow does." ABBA and the Chocolate Factory - - now there's a bandname to reckon with.

[@bijitbora]

This is brilliant. Love the breakdown.

[@__iris_394__]

OMG YOU LOOK SO NICE just love your energy girl aaahh

[@bongnunag6333]

Love your voice.thankyou for sharing your talent.

[@SOM0109]

Same thing with Beatles “Michelle”. Song starts with Fm but the first note in bass is C.

[@paulblackman8159]

The first time I owned a copy of this song was when I bought the Arrival album on vinyl at a thrift store. The opening piano sounds made me think there was a lot of wow and flutter in my turntable because piano music can really make that stand out. It wasn’t until I finally heard a digital copy a few years later that I found out that was a deliberate effect.

[@nielsulriksrensen9818]

Wonderful to watch your joy and listen to your insightful analyses of this masterpiece.

[@joshuaryman4419]

I think the other reason they use the G# in the base over E major (or the reason at least why it works well retrospectively) is that it allows more emphasis to be put on the E played shortly afterwards (with accompanying drum- just before “ain’t it sad”/“that’s too bad”). When the subsequent E is played in the bass, the chord hasn’t changed (it is still E major) so keeping the bass on the G# until that final release onto E allows for a sense of sudden movement (and drama) whilst staying on the same chord. If it had been E in the bass that whole time then the accented note wouldn’t feel nearly as sudden/ dramatic.

[@CallMeCaroline]

And it keeps it moving, good observation Joshua!!👍🏻👍🏻

[@ree_boksock]

Abba is like my favorite band, behind the Beatles!!! The Winner Takes It All literally makes me cry every time 😂❤️

[@jay.watchman9986]

I'm Swedish but never been a fan of ABBA despite being forced to listen them during my childhood. It wasn't until I heard The Beatles, and later bands like The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Bee Gees and The Byrds that I became a music aficionado and started to play the guitar and other instruments. ABBA seem to be very big in Australia and Britain, too.

[@violapieper3523]

Wow!! 🤩 I love the way you mingle professional analysis and knowledge with passionate musical enthusiasm! Great, girl! Would like to be on the dance floor with you one time 💃

[@steveking3434]

For place holder lyrics my favourite is Yesterday by The Beatles, Paul had the tune and used 'Scrambled eggs, oh my darling how I love your legs' :-) Not sure it would have been such a big hit like that. Great breakdown of one of my favourite Abba songs Cazza, keep 'em coming !

[@CallMeCaroline]

Thanks so much Steve and also 🤣🤣

[@strawberrysoulforever8336]

I remember hearing that Paul just woke up with the tune in his head. Now, it's a legend.

[@tspicks4360]

@@strawberrysoulforever8336 Yeah, Paul has said that he went around asking everyone if they knew that melody, thought it must be something he'd heard somewhere. But no ... ya dreamed it Paulie! Now THAT is a natural born songwriter! :)

[@roberts8846]

Thanks for this. I wish I could listen to song and know what is going on like you. I can hear all these things but it's great to have it explained in such an easy way.

[@CallMeCaroline]

Thanks so much for that Robert! I have to write a script out for these haha I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@allenfutrelle9090]

You are positively intoxicating!

[@wayne_twentyfive]

Fantastic stuff, Caroline 👍 .. Very interesting and educational .. But what I love most about this is watching your facial expressions and body actions as you move and sing along to the music .. The pure joy you get from it as you listen to and act out the words of the song are beyond adorable ! .. Wayne

[@CallMeCaroline]

So happy you liked the video Wayne!

[@DavidGonzalez-nm6lt]

I only know two songs from abba, dancing queen and chiquitita, and I like them both a lot!! Nice video 😄

[@ferMusic7878]

"The Look" by Roxette is basically a place holder lyric song, Per Gessle never bothered to write better words for it, he just wanted the words to rhyme and sound good.

[@paulopinheirosc]

Caroline really loved the guitar responding on the chorus, lol. She keeps laughing about it. That's the difference between an arrangement made by one or two guys and the one decided by the entire band. If the musicians were part of the band and could vote then you would hear the guitar throughout the entire record, because they feel all elements should appear equally. But that's not the artistic way of doing it.

[@finosuilleabhain7781]

Laughing is her way of expressing musical delight ... it's extremely endearing.

[@kurtlarson6678]

Thank you for your analysis of “Money, Money, Money.” ABBA songs always seem simple at first but you did a good job of showing the complexity that goes into their songwriting and arrangements. Also, I did not know it was originally called “Gypsy Girl.” Thanks!

[@CallMeCaroline]

Thanks so much Kurt! Glad you enjoyed it. 😊

[@45sandlps]

A great breakdown, your enthusiasm is infectious and I just had to go play the whole album. Hey have you discovered the third new ABBA single "Just A Notion"? It has that early sound as in "Why did it have to be me" & "I do I do I do". Like you I can't wait for it's release, I've ordered it in a vinyl LP, a 45 single, and cassette!

[@CallMeCaroline]

I listened to it the other day! It didn't impress me as much as the other two singles but then a second later it was stuck in my head so, they know what they are doing haha

[@matthewcooper3877]

Haven't even heard it yet ... you've got this Cazza .Matt Western Australia

[@ronrago2696]

Never was really a ABBA fan but news from Stockholm today 10/27 is that they are reuniting. I thought you would love hearing it that!

[@BDUBZ49]

She already did a video about that and reacted to their 2 new songs.

[@Tom_McMurtry]

I really love what they do with the live performance at Wembley for this song (you can also find the audio on spotify). Frida also makes herself centre stage. At one point, with a dramatic pause where nothing is happening to build tension (longer than usual for the studio) Frida says "It's my song you know!" in a coy dramatic voice.

[@CallMeCaroline]

Ohhh I love that, I'll have to watch on youtube :)

[@Tom_McMurtry]

@@CallMeCaroline the crescendo of live youtube performances by them is I think the pairing of Does Your Mother Know and then Hole In Your Soul live at Wembley. The two songs lead into one another in this performance and are just filled with electricity, stage presence and extra live thrills. The best quality video in terms of sound and picture was uploaded this year

[@thetwistedwigs8253]

I would love to hear your take on The Winner Takes it All by Abba. That song always hits me in a soft spot.

[@punchingpillow]

Just like to point out that the harmonies on "ain't it sad" and "that's too bad" is only Frida. I heard that wrong when I was younger.

[@punchingpillow]

And I think Frida's best harmonies are in the middle eight of Tiger.

[@neilsaunders9309]

I love your videos, Caroline! I'd be really interested to see/hear you analyse some songs by Nick Drake, Judee Sill, Laura Nyro or David Ackles!

[@Jolgeable]

Abba is new to me. Super interesting! =) edit: you talked about the abrupt and intense ending. Earlier you had talked about reference to Cabaret. Do you think there is a connection, these two things (Cabaret as a reference and the ending of this song)? I'm not knowledgeable about Broadway stuff, I don't know, just a guess.

[@joshgellis3292]

I’m a 37 year old fan! You’re in for an EPIC ride!😎🇺🇸💙❤️🇸🇪

[@BDUBZ49]

Just for kicks, check out this metal version of "Money, Money, Money" by Swedish musician Tommy Johansson. The musicianship is fantastic and his powerful, soaring vocals are incredible. He and his band did 2 full albums of Swedish pop- covering ABBA, Roxette and Ace of Base. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6nEYp6On7Kbd7c

[@benoitrenaud519]

That was fun. I wonder what you would do with The Name of the Game, my favorite ABBA song.

[@CallMeCaroline]

I feel like the name of the game has such an interesting feeling to it, as a kid listening to it it always sounded a bit different to others. I like it more as an adult now 😊

[@benoitrenaud519]

@@CallMeCaroline The production is very bold, sparse, compelling. Won’t say more for now!

[@cambium0]

The harmonies are much more complicated than just "thirds". I think in your example I was hearing a voice going from 7 to 8 (g to a) under the thirds you were describing, for example. I tried figuring out take a chance on me harmonies briefly ... it's not obvious at all. And when people cover Dancing Queen, if they don't get the essence right, it just doesn't sound like Dancing Queen. It's a big part of their sound--the details of the harmonies.

[@steveauve6251]

If I may interject, have you listened to any metal covers of ABBA's songs by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Tommy Johansson? He's done a version of Money, Money, Money with a band of his called Reinxeed, along with solo versions of One of Us, Lay All Your Love on Me and many others.

[@nowhereman5]

I listened this song when I received my first paycheck haha, I feel like there should be more videos analysing ABBA, they were good musicians

[@CallMeCaroline]

They are so goooood!

[@matthewstroud4294]

Similarity to The Ecstasy of Gold jumped out when you played that piano riff.

[@bowds7]

The walk down into the chorus reminds me of the original Oompa Loompa song from Charlie and the Chocolate factory 1971

[@IsaacWale2004]

Are you going to react to 'Paperback writer' and 'Rain" before or after you listen to 'Revolver'? (They were released before)

[@zerklang]

Sitting here listening on those same speakers. :)

[@benjaminstuardo7771]

What a great song!!! Greetings from Chile

[@apizarro1]

You should a breakdown of The Day Before You Came I love the minimalism of that song

[@BDUBZ49]

Have you heard the Blancmange version?

[@lmp9256]

I WANNA GO WATCH ABBA WITH YOU!! 😀

[@poluxsaurus1454]

I just noticed how similar this bit is to the Beatles' Help: "In my dreams I have a plan (dum dum dum) if I got me a wealthy man (dum dum dum)" "Help me if you can I'm feeling down (dum dum dum) and I do appreciate you being 'round (dum dum dum)"

[@carlgarnett8817]

Yes hello it's me again hey there it's Carl from Canada Toronto Scarborough Ontario I just dropped in to see you and hear your voice that is different from other voices and yes Abbott money money those were the good old days 70s so anyways hi Carl Supertramp Garnett hide in your shell

[@eddieboy4667]

Captivating review, thanks.

[@CallMeCaroline]

Thanks for watching Eddie!!

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

What kind of keyboard are you using here?

[@michavandam]

I missed your analysis of the rhythm; in various parts it's hard to immediately understand what they're doing, where the 1 lies. Are they using irregular time signatures? Polyrhythms?

[@luckytile]

There's one place where the 1 wasn't clear to me, and that's the pre-chorus run down, but there's a clever reason for that. See my comment below where I explain

[@michavandam]

@@luckytile I can't find your comment. Could you copy/paste it please?

[@ead630]

Will you analyze Adele's new song?

[@michaelrapson]

I think they've got plenty now. More than they can spend.

[@Goodall10]

A missed opportunity. We need more songs about buying bunnies. :)

[@CallMeCaroline]

lol

[@pmgkerr]

The Beatles"Money", that,s what I want!

[@BDUBZ49]

Barrett Strong.

[@yohannbiimu]

I have to admit that I've never heard of this one, and I was around back then.

[@CallMeCaroline]

Oh interesting, what did you think of it listening to it now?

[@yohannbiimu]

@@CallMeCaroline Honestly, it reminds me of the very first track on The Beatles' next album on your list "Taxman" (not musically, but rather topically). I think you'll enjoy it.

[@joebloggs396]

Are you in the US? ABBA weren't so big there. But this song was huge in some places, like most of Europe.

[@yohannbiimu]

@@joebloggs396 On the contrary, ABBA was very popular in the US during the 1970s. "Take A Chance On Me," "Dancing Queen," and "Fernando" were big hits here.

[@Tom_McMurtry]

@@yohannbiimu Yes, but not compared to the rest of the world! Something like 20 top 10 singles in the UK for example, and 9 number 1 albums. ABBA would have had to have toured frequently there to have the States backing, but they didn't like touring.

[@jrdlabs]

Caroline, last week on American TV (CBS This Morning), they did a piece on ABBA and their return. It's a brand new interview. Bjorn and Benny gave their thoughts on the past and future of the band. Being the ABBA superfan that you are, I thought you might be interested. Just in case you haven't seen it, here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5jOlKqLZbiKhM0

[@matthewcooper3877]

You are gorgeous

[@shanemckenna9416]

Caroline is a big advocate of banal pop.

[@kingstumble]

I always thought this song belonged in a stage musical. Wasn't there a song about money in Cabaret? It reminds me of that. Not to my taste.

[@paulopinheirosc]

Maybe you could listen/analyze Kate Bush's "Babooshka". Another dramatic/tense piano-based song. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKnGnHWthcmiZ8U

[@IsaacWale2004]

Do this with the Beatle's 'Tomorrow never knows' after you've reacted to it. (please)

[@CallMeCaroline]

I plan to do this format with a bunch of songs down the line, including Beatles songs :)

[@fernandoesparza3347]

🎶👌

[@thomasthompson3490]

Love it. Very carnival like. Reminds me of a John Lennon song that’s coming up.

[@loutowers6529]

Try "Money" by Pink Floyd. 7/8 time. Great riff.

[@ScottyMcYachty]

7/4 time, actually. 👍

[@loutowers6529]

@@ScottyMcYachty Nope, 7/8 time. At the start of the song, it has a 7/8 time signature. By the guitar solo segment, it’s already 4/4. It then goes back to its 7/8 and ends in a 4/4 signature at the end. In an interview with Guitar World in February 1993, Dave Gilmour reveals the origins of the song’s strange time signature:

[@roberthughes4129]

Yeah this is much better than the Beatles thing you do you seem to enjoy. It more. 😌

[@samlewis7878]

If you want to get your mind seriously blown and inspired check out JONI MITCHELL and her long starry career. You must have heard by now; the woman is a genius - truly uncomparable in that geeneration. Please do- I would love to hear your analysis.

[@samlewis7878]

If you want to get your mind seriously blown and inspired check out JONI MITCHELL and her long starry career. You must have heard by now; the woman is a genius - truly uncomparable in that geeneration. Please do- I would love to hear your analysis.

[@Kaleidoscopia]

All hail Joni! I practically worship that woman. What a genius!!

[@BDUBZ49]

I believe she already reacted to "Both Sides Now".

[@samlewis7878]

@@BDUBZ49 Joni Mitchell's career spans for more than forty years. Year after year her reprotraire changed along with her perspectives and attitudes. She's done alot more than Both Sides Now, I can tell you that. She kind of ranks with........the Beatles, the Stones etc. She is MEGA.

[@BDUBZ49]

@@samlewis7878 Why are you telling me this?