| "The Piper" | |
|---|---|
| SongbyABBA | |
| from the album Super Trouper | |
| A-side | "Super Trouper" |
| Released | November 3, 1980 |
| Recorded | April 1980 |
| Studio | Polar Studios, Stockholm |
| Genre |
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| Length | 3:25 |
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus |
| Producer(s) | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus |
| Audio | |
| "The Piper"onYouTube | |
"The Piper" is a track from the 1980 album Super Trouper, by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song is loosely based on the famous story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, but lyricist Björn Ulvaeus cites the novel The StandbyStephen King as a source of inspiration.[citation needed] It is regarded by some ABBA fans as being very different from the more mainstream songs they had recorded until this time. In particular, the dark lyrics dealing with the seduction by fascistic leaders and a somewhat medieval sound (drums, flute, choral) are not seen in their earlier songs.[1] It is also the only ABBA song where a part of the refrain is in Latin, and has gained a small cult following among ABBA fans[citation needed].
ABBA: Uncensored on the Road explains that the song was also the flip-side of the single "Super Trouper";[2] while From ABBA to Mamma Mia!: The Official Book adds: After a two-week break in March for the concluding tour of Japan, by the end of April ABBA had completed the songs "Andante, Andante", "On And On And On", "Happy New Year", "Elaine" and "The Piper".
[3]
Other lyrical subjects new to ABBA included that of fascist threats, as introduced on the medieval-sounding "The Piper". The words were inspired by one of the main characters in Stephen King's 1978 novel The Stand, a charismatic leader in the mould of Adolf Hitler. 'The lyrics deal with the fear that there will come a time when people will want such a leader again', Björn Ulvaeus explained.
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| Super Trouper |
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| The Visitors |
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| The Singles: The First Ten Years |
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