The Name of the Game (ABBA song)

"The Name of the Game" is a 1977 song by Swedish pop group

"The Name of the Game", first called "A Bit of Myself", was the first song to be recorded for ABBA's fifth studio album, following the band's European and Australian tour. It was their most complex composition yet – with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad sharing the lead vocals but with solo passages from both women – and contained the influences of the laid-back California sound of the day.^{[citation needed]}

The opening riff on bass and synthesizer is inspired by Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" from the 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life, and both Andersson and Ulvaeus have acknowledged being inspired by Wonder's music during this part of ABBA's career.^{[citation needed]}

A preliminary version of "The Name of the Game" was worked into the 1977 feature film ABBA: The Movie, for which it was written. When it was eventually finished, it was released as the lead single from ABBA: The Album in October 1977. Originally, another track entitled "Hole in Your Soul" was intended for release, but those plans were soon shelved. "The Name of the Game" was released with a live version of "I Wonder (Departure)" as the B-side. This B-side was one of several songs written for the mini-musical The Girl with the Golden Hair, written by Ulvaeus and Andersson and originally performed by ABBA on their 1977 world tour. The recording used on "The Name of the Game" single was recorded at Sydney Showground, Sydney, Australia on 3 or 4 March 1977. A studio recorded version of the song was included on ABBA: The Album.

"The Name of The Game" also marks the last time Stig Anderson helped with the lyrics of a single.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

"The Name of the Game" topped the UK Singles Chart for 4 weeks. It was the second of three consecutive UK No. 1 singles after "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and before "Take a Chance on Me".^[10]

The song was a Top 5 hit in ABBA's native Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa and Rhodesia, while peaking inside the Top 10 in Australia, West Germany, Switzerland and Mexico.^[11] On the US Billboard Hot 100, "The Name of the Game" almost reached the Top 10, peaking at No. 12 on 11–18 March 1978.

As of September 2021, it is ABBA's eight-biggest song in the UK.^[12]

An edited version of "The Name of the Game", which omitted the entire second verse of the song, reducing the length of the track from its original 4:51 to 3:58, was released on a promotional single in the US. The US Promo Edit of "The Name of the Game" then – apparently by mistake – found its way onto the 1982

When PolyGram released the first digitally remastered CD version of The Album in 1997, the fact that one of the nine tracks was nearly a minute shorter than it was supposed to be somehow managed to elude the remastering engineers – the US Promo Edit was again used by mistake and the first edition was subsequently withdrawn.^[13]

"The Name of the Game" was sampled in 1996 by the Fugees for their hit "Rumble in the Jungle", the first time that an ABBA song had been legally sampled by another act.^[14]

Music video

Like most of ABBA's videos, the video was directed and shot by

.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1977–1978) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[15] 6 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[16] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[18] 3 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 15 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[20] 12 Finland ( Suomen virallinen lista)[21] 5 Ireland (IRMA)[22] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 4 Norway (VG-lista)[26] 3 Rhodesia (Rhodesian Singles Chart)[27] 4 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[28] 3 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[29] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 6 UK Singles (OCC)[31] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[32] 12 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[33] 9 US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[34] 16 West Germany (Official German Charts)[35] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1977) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 15 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[37] 58 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[38] 13 UK Singles (OCC)[39] 16 Chart (1978) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[40] 84 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[41] 96 US Billboard Hot 100[42] 97

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Sweden	—	140,000[43]
United Kingdom (BPI)[44]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

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• In 1977, a cover of the song was featured on the album
  Knowing Me, Knowing You
  , credited to Top of the Poppers.
• In 1995, on the New Zealand compilation Abbasalutely the song is covered by Shaynie & Fifi '95 (a one-off duo comprising Shayne Carter and Fiona McDonald).
• In 1997, The SAS Band –
  eponymous debut album with English singer Chris Thompson
  on lead vocals.
• In 1995 Any Trouble covered the song.^[45]
• In 1999, Swedish pop group A-Teens covered the song on their debut album, The ABBA Generation. Their version, like the U.S. release, omits the second verse.
• In the late 1990s, a dance cover by Abbacadabra was released through Almighty Records. An audio sample can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.^[46]
• Musician/songwriter
  Dugan McNeill
  .
• In 2004, American-born German singer Sydney Youngblood covered the song for the German compilation ABBA Mania.
• In 2004, Swedish musician Nils Landgren includes a cover on his album Funky ABBA.
• In 2006, a cover of the song by Eurosonic was included on the
  chill out music
  compilation ABBA Chill Out.
• In the stage musical Mamma Mia!, the song is performed by the characters of Sophie and Bill.
  • In the 2008 film adaptation, Amanda Seyfried and Stellan Skarsgård performed the song in a scene that was ultimately cut, however the song appears on the film's soundtrack performed solely by Seyfried.
  • The song was again performed in the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, this time by Lily James.
• In 2018, Cher covered the song on her twenty-sixth studio album Dancing Queen, an album made up of ABBA covers.
• In 2020,
  Gabi DeMartino covered the song, in a medley along with "Mamma Mia" titled "Mamma Mia 2 Medley" on her debut extended play
  , Gabroadway.