ABBA Share Exuberant New Song, ‘Just A Notion’
An initial version of the track was recorded in 1978 for ‘Voulez-Vous’, but didn’t make the final cut.
After teasing its imminent arrival earlier this week, ABBA have shared their third new single since announcing their reunion last month, an exuberant cut titled “Just A Notion” that will feature on forthcoming album Voyage when it arrives on November 5. You can check it out below.
The song – which follows on from ABBA’s comeback singles “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down’ – was initially recorded in September 1978 but didn’t make the final cut of the Swedish hitmakers’ sixth studio album Voulez-Vous the following year.
The new version of “Just A Notion” features updated instrumentals, but retains the vocals from the original recording. In a statement, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus described the new single as “a ridiculously happy song” and that “hopefully it will cheer you up in these dark times!”
Ulvaeus went on to explain in an accompanying statement that he has “no clue” why “Just A Notion” wasn’t chosen for inclusion on Voulez-Vous.
“It’s a good song with great vocals. I know that we played it to a publisher in France and a couple of other people we trusted and as far as I can remember they liked it very much. So it’s a mystery and will remain a mystery,” he said.
“Now Benny has recorded a new backing track to which we’ve added drums and guitars, but all vocals are from the original 1978 tracks. In a way, it demonstrates what we plan to do with ABBA Voyage in 2022. There, we will have a live band playing, but all vocals will be from the old recordings.”
The ABBA Voyage tour will see a “digital” version of ABBA (not holograms) perform alongside a 10-piece live band. The run of shows will take place at the purpose-built, 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, starting May 27, 2022.
The band have also announced today that early next month, more tickets will go on sale for next year’s ABBA Voyage shows from their official website.
Additional tickets will go on sale from 10am on November 3. A pre-sale for Amazon UK customers that pre-order a physical copy of the album ‘Voyage’ will kick off on November 1, with a priority booking window for Abba Voyage database subscribers on November 2.
Voyage will mark ABBA’s first album of new material in four decades, following 1981’s The Visitors. Pre-orders for the album broke records in the UK after over 80,000 copies were purchased in its first three days of availability.
Louise
November 5, 2021 at 9:21 pm
It is hookless. All their songs that I love and remember are totally singable after hearing them ONCE. This one changes key and has no hook-the bassline changes all the time. I am listening to it now and I have perfect pitch-I sang so many of their songs after ONE playing. I’m 54 and know pretty much all of their songs and am a musician myself, singer and keyboard player.
Not this one-and that’s why it didn’t catch on, in my opinion.