40. Honey, Honey (from Waterloo, Epic EPC 80179, LP, yellow labels, UK) £15 While ABBA struggled to find a hit successor to Waterloo, British studio band Sweet Dreams, fronted by Pickettywitch’s Polly Browne, were quick to seize on the potential of the album track Honey Honey, scoring a Top 10 hit with it in the summer of 1974. Though bereft of the sonic signifiers that render later ABBA hits instantly recognisable, it’s long been established it as a fan favourite. Indeed, emerging from a Swedish music scene where critical reverence was reserved for socially conscious groups who set store by their desire to tackle major themes, ABBA’s explicit desire to write songs in the “bubblegum” tradition was almost subversive. Honey singlehandedly vindicates ABBA’s militant fidelity to the pure pop ideal.
This story is from the Christmas 2022 edition of Record Collector.
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This story is from the Christmas 2022 edition of Record Collector.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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