Does Your Mother Know

"Does Your Mother Know" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA and was the second single taken from their seventh album, Voulez-Vous. The B-side was "Kisses of Fire", which was also taken from the album. The song is notable for its emphasis on male vocals, performed by Björn Ulvaeus, with female backing vocals.[1]

"Does Your Mother Know"
Single by ABBA
from the album Voulez-Vous
B-side"Kisses of Fire"
Released27 April 1979
Recorded6 February 1979
StudioPolar Music Studios
Genre
Length3:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"Chiquitita"
(1979)		 "Does Your Mother Know"
(1979)		 "Voulez-Vous"
(1979)
Music video
"Does Your Mother Know" on YouTube

"Does Your Mother Know" was recorded in February 1979 and released as a single in April of that year. Written by Benny Andersson and Ulvaeus, the demo for "Does Your Mother Know" featured Ulvaeus on guide vocal and it was decided to keep this during the recording process.[1] The track was debuted on the Eurovision networked BBC TV Special ABBA In Switzerland broadcast across the continent in April 1979[2] when the group performed a slightly different version of the track partially live during the show, with a much longer instrumental introduction from the recorded version.[3]

In 2019, the single was re-released on picture disc.[4]

Reception

"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.[5]

AllMusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco said in a 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".[6] Billboard Magazine felt the song sounds like those from the musical Grease, saying that "the sweet, airy vocals contrast effectively with the rocking instrumentation."[7]

Canadian pianist and ABBA scholar Arne Sahlén credits this song as an underrated gem. "Half Swedish, I know the tact-based culture. The singer is off limits from the start but can't just 'diss' the girl, so credits her charms; not slut-shaming, cites her feelings driving her wild...too young for that kind of fun. He could chat, dance, flirt a little but no more since "...you're only a child" with her Mother in focus. No hint that he'd cave, not just (or even mainly?) for his safety but in clear concern for her. Best, it lets the girl down with dignity. Like 'Stay Awake', Mary Poppins' great un-lullaby, it flips - here as a controlled seesaw against what could happen. To me, it stands up even in these Me Too days - especially in the 2020s as a counterpoint against many men now accused of crimes against underage girls.[8]

Charts

References
  1. Elliott, Mark (27 April 2019). "'Does Your Mother Know': The Story Behind The ABBA Song". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index".
  3. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "ABBA: "Does Your Mother Know?" (Switzerland, 1979)". YouTube.
  4. "ABBA - Does Your Mother Know / Kisses of Fire". discogs. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  5. UK Official Charts ABBA's Official Top 20 biggest songs
  6. Donald A. Guarisco. "Does Your Mother Know". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  7. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 19 May 1979. p. 99. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. Furness, Hannah (27 July 2018). "I'd hesitate to write Does Your Mother Know in the post-#MeToo era, says Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  9. David Kent (2006). Australian Charts Book 1993—2005. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-646-45889-2.
  10. "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  11. "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  12. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Does Your Mother Know". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  15. "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  16. "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  17. "ABBA – Does Your Mother Know". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  19. "ABBA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  20. "ABBA Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  21. Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank W (1994). Cash Box pop singles charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-56308-316-7.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – ABBA – Does Your Mother Know". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  23. "Jaaroverzichten 1979". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  24. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  25. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1979". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  26. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1979". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  27. "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 22 December 1979. p. 27.
  28. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
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