BBC Radio 2 listeners’ favourite ABBA song revealed

Radio 2 listeners have been voting for their ultimate ABBA Song, with tens of thousands of votes cast and a clear favourite is the winner.

It was Dancing Queen that took the No.1 spot, with The Winner Takes It All at No.2 and Thank You For The Music at No.3. The No. 4 is Slipping Through My Fingers and No.5, The Day Before You Came.

The vote was launched on 5 April by Gary Davies to mark 50 years since ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest on 6 April 1974 in Brighton with Waterloo.

Listeners had until 18 April to choose up to five of their favourite tracks from a list of 45 titles comprising all ABBA’s UK Top 40 hits, plus a selection of other classics as chosen by Radio 2’s panel of ABBA superfans, including presenters Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Sara Cox.

Gary Davies said: “Dancing Queen is one of those songs that just makes you happy every time you hear it and still gets any dancefloor full to this day – a guaranteed singalong! Thank you Radio 2 listeners for crowning such a brilliant track Your Ultimate ABBA Song.”

Jeff Smith, Radio 2’s Head of Music added: “Radio 2 listeners’ love of ABBA has not diminished since they burst onto the music scene in the 1970s, and Dancing Queen is absolutely one of the most classic pop songs ever recorded.”

You can hear Gary Davies present Your Ultimate ABBA Song Top 30 countdown from 1-3pm on Radio 2’s Super Saturday, 11th May.

If you can’t wait to hear the show, it’s available on BBC Sounds now. Also, for superfans of Agnetha, Frida, Björn and Benny, Gary also presents a special playlist for BBC Sounds, Your Ultimate ABBA Song: The Extras, featuring the 15 ABBA songs that didn’t make it into the Top 30.

The full Top 30 is printed below – if you’d rather wait to listen to it, don’t scroll down any further!

1. Dancing Queen

2. The Winner Takes It All

3. Thank You For The Music

4. Slipping Through My Fingers

5. The Day Before You Came

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

7. Waterloo

8. Knowing Me, Knowing You

9. Super Trouper

10. Eagle

11. Mamma Mia

12. Fernando

13. Chiquitita

14. Voulez-Vous

15. SOS

16. The Name Of the Game

17. Take A Chance On Me

18. Does Your Mother Know

19. Lay All Your Love On Me

20. I Have A Dream

21. One Of Us

22. Angeleyes

23. Andante, Andante

24. Summer Night City

25. Money, Money, Money

26. My Love, My Life

27. Our Last Summer

28. Honey, Honey

29. The Visitors

30. Don’t Shut Me Down