"What About Livingstone?" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1974 album Waterloo.
| "What About Livingstone?" | |
|---|---|
| Song by ABBA | |
| from the album Waterloo | |
| Released | 4 March 1974 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 2:54 |
| Label | Polar |
| Songwriter(s) | Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus |
| Producer(s) | Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus |
| Audio | |
| "What About Livingstone" on YouTube | |
Synopsis
editThe song is about the 19th-century British missionary and explorer David Livingstone. The Guardian described it as a song that "admonished Swedish youth for their disinterest in great explorers".[1]
The song mentions Livingstone "travelling up the Nile". Livingstone made four great journeys into Africa, three of them starting in Cape Town, South Africa and the last in Zanzibar. None of the routes travelled on the Nile which lay far to the north. He may have crossed sections of the headwaters of Nile on his final expedition but he would not have known so as these areas were not considered to be in the Nile watershed until much later.
Composition
editThe vocals are provided by Agnetha and Frida. The song has a "catchy bass synth riff" in the chorus. An "innovative vocal countermelody" in these choruses marks the start of a "steady rise in complexity when it came to vocal arrangements".[2]
Critical reception
editThe Guardian said the song had "weird lyrics".[3] The Telegraph seems baffled that such a song exists, commenting "believe it or not, there’s an Abba song called What About Livingstone?".[4] Abba - Uncensored on the Record suggests What About Livingstone? and King Kong Song were novelty songs. It said What About Livingstone? was "catchy" and "nice", though adds that there is nothing special about it.[5] Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba says that both songs "get by on their whimsical charm".[6]
References
edit- ^ Petridis, Alexis (2005-10-28). "CD: Abba, The Complete Studio Recordings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
- ^ Tesch, Christopher Patrick (2008). ABBA : let the music speak : an armchair guide to the musical soundscape of the Swedish supergroup (1st ed.). Fairfield Gardens, Qld.: Christopher J N Patrick. p. 16. ISBN 9780646496764.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (2005-10-28). "CD: Abba, The Complete Studio Recordings". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ Spencer, Charles (2009-03-22). "Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Woody Allen's new film comes highly recommended". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
- ^ Tobler, John (2012-01-04). Abba - Uncensored on the Record. Coda Books. ISBN 9781908538239.
- ^ Palm, Carl Magnus (2008-09-01). Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781847724199.