"Does Your Mother Know" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the second single taken from their sixth studio album, Voulez-Vous, as was the B-side, "Kisses of Fire". The track is notable for its emphasis on male vocals, performed by Björn Ulvaeus, with female backing vocals.[4]
With lyrics described by ABBA biographer Carl Magnus Palm as "a daring tribute to cross-generational flirting in big city night clubs",[5] the track was recorded in February–March 1979 (initially under the working title "I Can Do It") and released as a single in April of that year.[6] The distinctive guitar riff was taken from the recording of an unfinished song in August 1975.[7] The middle section ("Take it easy...") was adapted from a track called "Dream World".[8] This was recorded in September–October 1978,[9] but not released until it was included on a 2010 deluxe edition of the Voulez-Vous album.[10]
"Does Your Mother Know" was composed by Benny Anderson and Ulvaeus at the beginning of 1979 on a songwriting trip to the Bahamas, rather than on the Swedish island of Viggsö [sv] in the Stockholm Archipelago, where much of their music had previously been written. The inspiration for the lyrics came from a newspaper article, whilst the title was a phrase Ulvaeus had seen in a book or magazine.[11] The demo featured his guide vocal and it was decided to keep this during the recording process.[4] An early, rockier version of song (with a longer introduction) was performed partially live for the BBC TV special, Abba in Switzerland,[12] recorded in Leysin on 16 February and broadcast across Europe in April 1979.[13][14] The instrumental introduction on the released version featured a sound Anderson had created on an expensive Yamaha GX-1analogue synthesizer, somewhat similar in its operation to the Minimoog.[11][15] The drumming style was influenced by Carmine Appice, whom Ola Brunkert had seen perform with Rod Stewart at a concert in Leicester, while ABBA were in the United Kingdom doing some TV promotional work.[16]
"Does Your Mother Know" featured in the jukebox musicalMamma Mia! and its 2008 film adaptation. In this version the gender roles were reversed, so that the lead vocal involved an older woman singing about a younger male's attempt to seduce her. American rock group R.E.M. covered the original song live,[17] whilst British band Oasis used a variant of the opening guitar riff on their 2002 track "The Hindu Times".[18]
In 2019, the single was re-released as a vinyl picture disc.[19]
"Does Your Mother Know" was another sizeable ABBA hit, hitting No. 1 in Belgium and reaching the top 5 in Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Finland. It was also a top 10 hit in Australia, Canada, West Germany, Rhodesia and Switzerland. As of September 2021, it is ABBA's 14th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams.[21]
Billboard felt the song sounds like those from the musical Grease, saying that "the sweet, airy vocals contrast effectively with the rocking instrumentation."[22]Cash Box said that it is a "rocking departure for the group, although the overall sound is still Europop."[1]Record World said that "this buoyant pop-rocker is destined to become a classic."[2]InSmash Hits,Cliff White wrote: "When it comes to pure, no-nonsense pop music performed with flair and no hint of condescension, Abba generally pull it off better than most. This time [...] they've excelled themselves with a lively rocker that I'll be happy to hear on my tranny any time over the next couple of months."[23] The Los Angeles Times was less flattering, Robert Hilburn referring disparagingly to the song (and ABBA's output in general) as "cream puff" music.[a][24]AllMusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco said in a retrospective review of the song that "ABBA's recording balances the song's rock elements with dance music touches to create an intriguing dance/rock hybrid" and that its "macho feel is enhanced by a rockabilly-styled melody that flowers into a swinging chorus".[3]
