Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)

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"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
File:Gimme Gimme Gimme.jpg
Single by ABBA
from the album Greatest Hits Vol. 2
B-side "The King Has Lost His Crown"
Released 2 October 1979
Format Single
Genre
Length 4:48
Label Polar Music
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
Certification
ABBA singles chronology
"Angeleyes"
(1979)		 "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
(1979)		 "I Have a Dream"
(1979)
¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame!
Spanish-language version single
Spanish-language version single
Music video
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) Official Music Video on YouTube
Music sample
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (working title "Been and Gone and Done It") is a song by Swedish band ABBA. It was recorded and released in 1979 with "The King Has Lost His Crown" as the B-side. It appears on ABBA's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 album, as well as their best-selling album, Gold: Greatest Hits.

Original version

History

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was written and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with the lead vocal sung by Agnetha Fältskog. Agnetha, as the narrator, weaves the image of a lonely young woman who longs for a romantic relationship and views her loneliness as a forbidding darkness of night, even drawing parallels to how the happy endings of movie stars are so different from her own existence.

The song was recorded at Polar Music Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1979, and was ready for release in October of that year, in conjunction with the group's tour of North America and Europe.

Originally, ABBA had recorded another song, "Rubber Ball Man", which was planned as a single. It featured the typical "ABBA-arrangement" with both Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad on lead vocals and the use of classical strings. This song was also performed by the group during rehearsals for its 1979 tour as "Under My Sun". However, the group felt that "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!", with its disco sound, would be a better choice, and thus, "Rubber Ball Man" remained nothing more than a demo.

Single version

The single version of this song, which was released in its full length of 4:48 everywhere else in the world, was released in the United States and Canada in an edited format, being just 3:36 in length. This was done by removing the first half of the opening instrumental, the first four of the eight bars of the instrumental bridge between the second and final chorus, and fading the song out early. It is believed the edit was done by Atlantic, ABBA's North American record label, and not Polar, hence the reason why it was available only in the USA and Canada. This single version has never appeared on any commercial CD issued by Polar/Universal to date, and along with the US radio edit of "Chiquitita", it marked the only time Atlantic ever commercially released an edited version of an ABBA single while they had the North American rights to release ABBA recordings.

The single was never released by Polar Music in the group's native Sweden, instead being featured on the Greatest Hits Vol. 2 album, which did get a Swedish release. While Polar released the single in neighbouring Norway, Denmark, and Finland, copies of these versions were not made available in the Swedish record stores, who thus arranged to import copies of the United Kingdom version on Epic Records. Sales of these imports were sufficient for the single to reach no. 16 on the sales chart in Sweden.

Spanish version

"¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame!" is the Spanish-language version of the song. The song was released as a single to promote Gracias Por La Música in Latin America and other Spanish-speaking countries.

Reception

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was another highly successful song for ABBA. It hit no. 1 in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Norway. It also proved to be ABBA's most successful song in Japan, hitting no. 17.

Charts and certifications

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"A Brand New Day" by The Wiz Stars
 Belgian VRT Top 30 Flanders number-one single (first run)
17 November 1979 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"We Belong to the Night" by Ellen Foley
Preceded by
"We Belong to the Night" by Ellen Foley
 Belgian VRT Top 30 Flanders number-one single (second run)
1 December 1979 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"Weekend" by Earth and Fire
Belgian Ultratop 50 Flanders number-one single
1 December 1979 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"Get Up and Boogie" by Freddie James
Preceded by
"Wanted" by The Dooleys
 Japanese Oricon International Chart number-one single
24 December 1979 – 3 March 1980 (11 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles
Preceded by Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single
15 November 1979 – 27 December 1979 (7 weeks)
Swiss number-one single
2 December 1979 (1 week)
Preceded by Irish Singles Chart number-one single
4 November 1979 – 11 November 1979 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" by Dr. Hook

A-Teens version

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
Single by A-Teens
from the album The ABBA Generation
Released 1999, 2000
Format
Recorded 1999
Genre
Length
  • 3:56 (Album Version)
  • 3:45 (Radio Edit)
Label Universal Music Group
Producer(s)
  • Thomas Johansson
  • Ronald Malmberg
Certification Gold (Sweden)
A-Teens singles chronology
"Super Trouper"
(1999)		 "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
(1999)		 "Happy New Year"
(1999)

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was A-Teens' third single (fourth in other territories) from their first album The ABBA Generation, a collection of ABBA cover versions.

When the single came out in the winter of 1999 in Sweden, it earned a Gold certification.[29] It also became their third top ten hit there and the band's third top 40 hit in Germany. The song peaked at no. 51 in Switzerland, no. 27 in the Netherlands, no. 20 in Mexico, and no. 22 in Argentina and Chile.

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was recorded in Spanish for the Latin American promotion that started in early 2000.

Music video

The music video was directed by Sebastian Reed, and it was filmed in Sweden.

The video starts with the boys entering a warehouse, where they find a crystal ball. Inside, there is an "alternate world" where they perform the song. Part of the video also features the band at a bowling alley where they play a few games against each other.

The video had high rotation on several music channels, but it was not as successful as the first singles.

The version of the song used on the video is the Radio Version, which is shorter and includes different beats and sounds to the album version.

Releases

European 2-track CD single

  1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
  2. "A*Teens Medley" [Pierre J's Radio Mix] – 3:54

European maxi CD

  1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
  2. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Extended version] – 6:02
  3. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Earthbound Late Show Remix] – 5:04
  4. "A*Teens Medley" [Pierre J's Full Length Mix] – 8:19

Mexican CD single

  1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
  2. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Spanish version] – 3:43

Japanese maxi CD

  1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
  2. "A*Teens Medley" [Pierre J's Radio Mix] – 3:54
  3. "Mamma Mia" [Spanish version] – 3:46
  4. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Spanish version] – 3:43

1 Track CD'

  1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45

Charts

Chart (1999–2000) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[30] 4
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[31] 19
Germany (Official German Charts)[32] 33
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[33] 24
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[34] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 51

Star Academy France version

"Gimme ! Gimme ! Gimme ! (A Man After Midnight)"
Single by Star Academy 1
from the album L'Album
B-side "Brigite Bardot" (remix)
Released 4 February 2002
Format CD single
Recorded France, 2001
Genre Pop
Length 3:30
Label
Star Academy 1 singles chronology
"La Musique (Angelica)"
(2001)		 "Gimme ! Gimme ! Gimme ! (A Man After Midnight)"
(2002)

In 2001, the song was successfully covered by the first edition of the French TV reality show Star Academy 1. The song was credited to Olivia Ruiz, Jenifer Bartoli and Carine Haddadou, three of the contestants. This version went straight to no. 1 in France, dislodging Star Academy's previous hit, "La Musique (Angelica)", and stayed atop for two weeks.

Track listings

CD single
  1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" – 3:30
  2. "Brigitte Bardot" (remix edit) by Jean-Pascal Lacoste – 3:01

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[36] 11
France (SNEP)[37] 1
Preceded by French SNEP number-one single
9 February 2002 – 16 February 2002 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"J'ai tout oublié"
by Marc Lavoine and Cristina Marocco

Film version

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
Single by Amanda Seyfried
from the album Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack Featuring the Songs of ABBA
Released 2008
Format Single
Genre
Length 3:53
Label Polydor Records
Writer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was the first single released from the soundtrack for the 2008 film version of Mamma Mia! by American actress Amanda Seyfried. Unlike the original stage version, Seyfried sings the complete song as a solo performance, and also does the same in a music video to promote both the single and the movie.

Covers, live performances and uses in the media

Other notable covers

  • An instrumental electronica cover of the song by Motor Industries can be found on the album The Electronic Tribute to ABBA.
  • The song was covered by the band Eldissa on its album What A Difference.[38]
  • Dance versions have been recorded by various artists including: Angeleyes on its 1999 album ABBADance, Marmic on the compilation Lay All Your Love On ABBA, DJ Ensamble on its 2006 Trancing Queen tribute album,[39] Rio & Mars, and Mito featuring Naymi.
  • Guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen released a metal version of the song, titled "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" from the compilation album Anthology: 1994–1999. The song features minor changes to the lyrics and the melody features a more powerful metal feel. Malmsteen plays an arpeggiated version of the main theme in his version, and has added guitar solos in the instrumental bridge.
  • A Cantonese version entitled 心向上 was performed by Hong Kong singer Teresa Cheung Tak Lan.
  • In 1984, The Sisters of Mercy covered the song several times as part of their live set.
  • In 1986, British synthpop duo Erasure released a cover as the B-side to their 12" single "Oh L'amour".
  • In 1986, the song was also covered and released in two different mixes on 12" singles by the Swedish rock band Leather Nun.
  • In 1997, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus recorded a cover of the song for its album ExtrABBAganza!.
  • In 1998, punk rock band Attaque 77 made a cover for its tribute album Otras Canciones; called "Dame, Dame, Dame" (Spanish for Gimme ! Gimme Gimme!) the version was in Spanish.
  • In 1999, a version of the song performed by singer/actress Denise van Outen was included on the British ABBAmania tribute album. Van Outen was also the host of the Abbamania TV special. On the subsequent ABBAMania 2 album, from 2004, which featured covers performed by various British TV stars, the song was performed by actress Julie Forsyth.
  • In 2000, the song was covered by Swedish metal band Black Ingvars on its album Kid's Super Hits.
  • In 2001, another heavy metal version of the song is the track by Finnish power/speed metal band Sinergy from the ABBAMetal tribute album (also released as A Tribute to ABBA).
  • In 2001, as a B-side to its single "Gimme Back My Brain", the Northern Irish rock band Therapy? recorded a cover version.
  • In 2004, Swedish musician Nils Landgren included a cover on his tribute album Funky ABBA.
  • In 2004, a duet version by German heavy metal vocalist Doro Pesch and comedian Dirk Bach was featured on the German ABBA Mania album (released in conjunction with a TV special on RTL Television.
  • In 2004, on the tribute album Abbalicious performed by various American drag queens, the song was covered by Hedda Lettuce.[40]
  • In 2004, a cover by Swedish gothic metal band Beseech can be found on its album Souls Highway.
  • In 2006, a cover of the song by Sawa Kobayashi can be found on the chill-out music compilation ABBA Chill Out.
  • In 2006, a cover of the song by Finnish a cappella choral ensemble Rajaton can be found on its ABBA tribute album Rajaton Sings ABBA With Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
  • In 2008, the song was covered in a jazz/lounge style by American group BNB on its album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.[41]
  • In 2008, Spanish singer Edurne covered the song in Spanish as Dame, Dame, Dame Amor Esta Noche for her album Première.
  • In 2008, Canadian singer Damhnait Doyle covered the song on her album of cover songs, Lights Down Low.
  • Tribute group Abbacadabra released numerous dance cover remixes of the song through Almighty Records in the late 1990s. Mixes of the group's cover version were most recently included on the its 2008 compilation We Love ABBA: The Mamma Mia Dance Compilation. Audio samples can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.[42]
  • Idol 2008 winner Kevin Borg sang his version on the Top 9 final performance show and also a studio version was released on the Idol 2008 best of cast recording, replacing "gimme a man after midnight" with "gimme your love after midnight".
  • In 2010, the Spanish folk metal band Mägo de Oz covered the song as a B-side for its single "Que el Viento Sople a tu Favor".

Live cover performances

  • The song is one of the major numbers in the Mamma Mia! musical and movie. In the context of the musical, the song is sung by Sophie's friends at the hen party when they notice the fathers and dance with them. Throughout the song in little intermissions, the fathers question Sophie as to why they are invited to the island. At the end of the song, Bill (One of the three of Sophie's potential fathers) talks to Sophie about his great aunt leaving Donna money in her will. Bill then realizes that he could be Sophie's father.
  • The James Last Orchestra performed the song on tour in 2006 as part of a big band ABBA tribute at London's Royal Albert Hall.[43]
  • The X Factor girl band Hope sang the song with interjections of Madonna's "Hung Up" on Series 4.
  • The song was sung on Australian Idol season 6 by Sophie Paterson during ABBA week.

Sampling, references and appearances in other media

  • In 2005, this song was sampled by Madonna, who used it on her worldwide hit "Hung Up". Madonna is said to have sent a letter to Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus asking to use the song as a sample,[44] since the Swedish songwriting duo are reluctant to let other artists sample their material. It was only the second time that an ABBA track had been officially sampled, the first being the Fugees in 1996 with their hit "Rumble in the Jungle", sampling part of 1977's "The Name of the Game".
  • The Tamperer featuring Maya used the melody-line as a backdrop for their song "Hammer to the Heart".
  • "Ooh, Yes I Do", a single by Dutch girl group Luv', uses a melody inspired by the flute theme of the song.
  • The British sitcom comedy "Gimme Gimme Gimme" used this song as its title theme.[45]
  • This song appears in Just Dance 2014, making it ABBA's first video game appearance besides having their own games respectively SingStar ABBA and ABBA: You Can Dance, which also feature the song.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "Ultratop.be – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ MusicSeek.info – UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 June 2006). MusicSeek.info. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  12. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Gimme Gimme Gimme". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  16. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". VG-lista. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  20. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  21. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1979-11-10" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select ABBA and click OK
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Gimme Gimme Gimme in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – A*Teens – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – A*Teens – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  32. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – A*Teens – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  33. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – A*Teens – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  34. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – A*Teens – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  35. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – A*Teens – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Olivia Ruiz, Jenifer & Carine Haddadou – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  37. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Olivia Ruiz, Jenifer & Carine Haddadou – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ [1][dead link]
  41. ↑ Bossa Mia, the music of ABBA at the Wayback Machine (archived 5 December 2008). The Manila Times. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ "James Last - Abba Medley (From "String of Hits" DVD" on YouTube
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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