SATURDAY'S SINGLES : ABBA and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS

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Good morning gang and welcome to the return of Saturday's Singles, a Number Ones edition. First up, turning on our table is the #1 song on this day in 1977. "Dancing Queen" by ABBA was released August 15, 1976 on the Atlantic label and produced by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The song, hailing from the Swedish pop group's fourth record, Arrival, reached #1 in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, Sweden, the UK, West Germany, the Hot 100, and the Cash Box charts. It's B-side, "That's Me", also from Arrival, peaked at #75 in Japan. 

Agnetha Fältskog – lead vocals and backing vocals

Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead vocals and backing vocals

Björn Ulvaeus – electric guitar

Benny Andersson – piano and synthesizer

With :

Rutger Gunnarsson – bass guitar
Roger Palm – drums

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Our second single rocked the top of the charts on this day in 1982. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by  Joan Jett & the Blackhearts was released December 1981 on the Boardwalk label and was produced by Ritchie Cordel, Kenny Laguna, and Glen Kolotkin. It was the title track to her second album and reached #1 in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, the Cash Box, the Mainstream Rock charts, and the Hot 100, where it remained for 7 weeks. It is the group's only number one. Fun facts: It is not a Joan Jett original, nor is it the first time she covered it. The tune was originally written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and recorded by their band, the British rock act, the Arrows in 1975.  Jett was on tour in England with the Runaways and saw the Arrows perform the song on TV. Liking what she saw and heard, she recorded her first version in 1976 with Steve Jones and Paul Cook, of the Sex Pistols. It was the B-side to her song "You Don't Own Me". A couple of years later she re recored the tune with the Blackhearts and the rest was chart history. This time around it's flip side was "You Don't Know What You've Got", from her debut album, Bad Reputation.

 

Joan Jett – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

The Blackhearts :

Ricky Byrd – lead guitar, backing vocals
Gary Ryan – bass, backing vocals
Lee Crystal – drums, backing vocals
Eric Ambel – lead guitar

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