Thank You For The Music: The Best ABBA Covers
Listen to our playlist of no fewer than 50 covers from the ABBA catalog, in every style imaginable.
The distinguished recording catalog of ABBA has attracted an extraordinarily wide range of interpretations over the years. As part of this spotlight-with-a-twist on the Scandinavian superstars, we present another hand-picked playlist. This time it features no fewer than 50 ABBA covers in almost every style imaginable: progressive, orchestral, classical, easy listening, choral, modern rock, pop, hard rock, and even punk.
Mike Oldfield, for example, weighs in with a version of “Arrival,” the title song of the group’s fourth album, from 1976. There are straight-ahead pop covers, such as British outfit Steps’ take on “Dancing Queen,” Erasure’s “Take A Chance On Me” (from the synth duo’s Abba-Esque EP, which topped the UK charts in 1992), Irish group B*Witched with “Does Your Mother Know,” dance-pop singer Hazell Dean’s “One Of Us,” and British electro-pop duo Blancmange’s UK Top 30 cover of “The Day Before You Came,” from the charts of 1984.
On the modern rock side, we give you Sinead O’Connor’s unexpected take on “Chiquitita” and fellow Irishmen Ash with another take on “Does Your Mother Know.” There’s 1990s British band Lush with “Hey Hey Helen” and a favorite from British melodic rock outfit Any Trouble’s live set of the turn of the 80s, “The Name Of The Game.” Swedish guitar hero Yngwie Malmsteen rocks up “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” and there’s the UK chart cover of “Honey Honey” by Sweet Dreams, the duo of top session singers Tony Jackson and Polly Brown.
There’s plenty of easy listening in here too, by Chris De Burgh, Nana Mouskouri, Andre Rieu and many more, as well as selections from the Mamma Mia movie and assorted other delights. We’re always delighted to know your favorites from the list, and to hear whether you can think of any other ABBA covers that we haven’t included.
Listen to the best of ABBA on Apple Music and Spotify.
Binu Isaac
September 22, 2014 at 10:13 pm
I love a lot of ABBA hits like Chiquitita ,Fernando,I have a dream,Dancing Queen and almost all of them very much.But the released CDs (ABBA Gold) here in India ,I think were probably due to some oversight lacking in quality ,mine displaying a an irregular circle as the recording imprint which I associate with errors of CD manufacture.The tape cassettes I had years ago were beautiful. I hope ABBA clears this up otherwise a bad appreciation by the new youth will result in bad sales.
Agneta Bergqvist
September 22, 2014 at 10:43 pm
My favorite i Dancing Queen!
djw820
September 23, 2014 at 1:13 am
Evan Dando, Laura Branigan, Army of Lovers, Brian Wilson, Debbie Boone, Information Society, Leather Nun, Madonna (unreleased), Gleaming Spires, Sweet Dreams, Stars on 45, …
The Lush one is pretty good.
Bethany Lightbody
September 23, 2014 at 7:39 am
I love the song “Andant Andante”. Beautiful song.
Christoph
September 23, 2014 at 11:01 am
Can’t be complete without Steven Wilson’s perfect version of “The Day Before You Came”.
jose luis
September 23, 2014 at 11:26 am
realmente me gustan todas las canciones ,,,lo escucho diariamente por waterloo radio online ,se te van las malas ondas escuchando estas hermosa canciones ,gracias
Wolfgang
September 23, 2014 at 4:24 pm
My favorite: Thank you for the music
leah basaya
October 3, 2014 at 10:31 pm
great songs
Marque
October 3, 2014 at 10:36 pm
Impressive list of covers. I know at least one karaoke version that is noteworthy but I don’t think that is what you are asking.
doris
October 3, 2014 at 10:45 pm
Arrival
JOCELYN JUMEAU
October 4, 2014 at 3:18 am
As a huge ABBA fan since I was a little boy age eleven and until now.I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE all and most of the ABBA songs.But there’s only one which I don’t really like it.I wonder{Departure}.My LOVE for the ABBA a very,very huge one and for ever.Lol.
Richard Hante
October 4, 2014 at 6:43 am
I’m a marionette/ Ghost!
Irina
October 4, 2014 at 6:50 am
Rob rock cover eagle
Vadim V.
October 4, 2014 at 7:52 am
My favorite songs:Dancing Queen,Eagle,Rock Me,Hasta Manana,The Day Before You Came and many more!
Yvonne Lindal
October 4, 2014 at 4:52 pm
Rock me, Angel eyes and The winner takes it all!!! Love all the songs of course….
Emir
October 4, 2014 at 9:08 pm
Mis temas favoritos de ABBA son…ABBA…pero resaltan dancing queen, i have a dream, chiquitita, thanks you for the music, un saludo desde Uruguay!!!!
juan romero
October 17, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Todas las canciones de Abba me gustan. Mas las de Agnetha
Bob
November 22, 2014 at 9:37 pm
Boy George covering Voulez Vous is a treasure.
Farouk Dehmchi
November 22, 2014 at 9:58 pm
Abba is wonderful and all songs are my favorites but Mamma mia is my preferred.
francisco jose da silva
November 23, 2014 at 12:58 am
Eu amo de mais as músicas desse grupo ABBA
só nos deixou lembranças e saudades
artemio s. royo
November 23, 2014 at 4:27 am
All songs are very good for me..inspiring song is Move On etc..I Like and Love all of them..every single one of them..Also their Spanish Album..it really makes my whole being alive and recharge inside every time I will play their songs over and over again and again…ABBA Forevermore…Eternity !!! Mabuhay from the Philippines!!! God bless ABBA !!! Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni-Frid.. God Bless you All !!! I Love you All..!!!..Hasta Manana…
Judit
November 23, 2014 at 7:33 am
If It Wasn’t For The Nights
DanElvis
November 24, 2014 at 2:53 am
Martine McCutcheon does a very nice job on ‘The Winner Takes It All’…at least for the 1st half of the song….then it drags a bit. But still a very nice version of my favorite ABBA song.
Sergio
November 24, 2014 at 11:05 am
I love the Erasure covers from erasure-esque, this EP was their only #1 at the UK singles chart.
Sergio
November 24, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Sorry, abba-esque…
SANTI
November 24, 2014 at 1:45 pm
ERASURE …ABBA-ESQUE IS TEH BEST !!! 😉
Hector
November 24, 2014 at 2:01 pm
ERASURE!!!! Take A Chance On Me, S.O.S., Lay All Your Love On Me, Voulez Vous, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! 😀
Sh
November 24, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Really i can’t say anything about abba and their musics . It seems very hard to say anything about their beautiful songs that were excellent . All of their songs were gorgeous and unforgettable like fernando , money money money . one of us . super trouper . and many more . I like all of them ( musics )
Kenneth Campbell
November 25, 2014 at 12:15 am
I am hard pushed to say that just one of ABBA’s songs is best. However I do have a great liking for ‘I Let The Music Speak’. Great composition and note the changes in tempo.
Neal
February 5, 2015 at 11:58 pm
Sarah Dawn Finer’s version of The Winner Takes It All is almost as good as the original – praise indeed as it’s my favourite song of all time!
Michael
September 22, 2016 at 12:28 pm
Yep – brilliant version!
Patrik Kubas
February 6, 2015 at 11:21 am
The best ABBA cover for me is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-LRivv_g9A
Jan
August 13, 2015 at 3:15 am
We got a new “Dancing Queen” remix for you ABBA fans out there! Enjoy!:)
https://youtu.be/bHXvuxYtcvE
Brian Huang
September 23, 2015 at 7:22 pm
[DREAM WORLD]
[THE WINNER TAKE IT ALL]
[THE WAY OLD FRIEND’S DO]
IT’S MY BEST LOVE
Stephen
September 24, 2015 at 4:43 am
Swedish pianist Robert Wells did a note-for-note perfect remake of the track “Intermezzo No. 1”
Tony
October 31, 2015 at 3:28 pm
My favorite cover is Lay All Your Love On Me, I must play this song three to four times a week in my IPod, CD while my driving since it was released in 1982.
Gérald OPINTCHALOV
December 22, 2015 at 9:29 am
My favourite couver is “funky feet” by Alcazar….. A great cover
Andrew
March 12, 2016 at 11:14 pm
My favorite cover is Happy New Year and Happy Hawaii and Dancing Queen
Chandra
March 12, 2016 at 11:16 pm
Very soothing sound
luciano
March 13, 2016 at 10:56 am
Todas as musicas são ótimas,curto de + o ABBA.
Tim Barton
April 30, 2016 at 12:11 am
And now Portishead have done a very unique take on S.O.S.! It’s worth a listen!
HUMBERTO ELIZONDO
April 30, 2016 at 8:15 am
My favorite song Move On!!! Still listening for all this years!!!! Love them!!!! : )
Alina
June 10, 2016 at 10:23 am
My favourite band cover on ABBA’s “Knowing me, knowing you”. https://www.facebook.com/melody.girls.of.ukraine/posts/1049295951807930
du
February 26, 2017 at 4:00 pm
Love Lush and love they covered “Hey Hey Helen” from my favoite band: ABBA
du
February 26, 2017 at 4:11 pm
Sinead O’connor also did a very nice work on “CHIQUITITA”!
Eileen West
September 3, 2017 at 3:09 am
Brill group
Ace Songs
Kleo
October 14, 2017 at 7:03 pm
My favorite songs “The Day Before You Came” 1982 Germany
Airton Junior
September 24, 2018 at 3:34 am
Did you intentionally forget A-Teens? For a generation of young people in the late 90’s they were very important when presenting the ABBA songs.
Disappointed with some choices of this list…
Peter
February 5, 2022 at 4:09 pm
Vera Lynn sang Thank You For The Music on a record from the 70s. Very good.