Arrival (composition)

1976 composition by ABBA

"Arrival (song)" redirects here. For other uses, see Arrival (disambiguation).

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"Arrival"

Instrumental by ABBA
from the album  Arrival
Released| 11 October 1976 (1976-10-11)
Genre| Pop
Length| 3:00
Label| Polar
Songwriter(s)|

* Björn Ulvaeus
* Benny Andersson

Producer(s)|

* Björn Ulvaeus
* Benny Andersson

Audio
"Arrival" on YouTube

"Arrival" is a 1976 composition by Swedish pop group ABBA featured on their album Arrival. It is an instrumental piece, mainly the brainchild of member Benny Andersson. The most widely heard cover versions are ones by French singer Michèle Torr released under the title "J'aime", British musician Mike Oldfield on his album QE2, the singing duo Daniel Balavoine and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad creating a French-language song titled "Belle", and the duo Frida and BA Robertson, as part of the UK musical Abbacadabra, performing an English-language version titled "Time".

## Background

[edit]

"Arrival" was the second and last composition from the group not to contain lyrics, following "Intermezzo No.1" the previous year. As with "Intermezzo No.1", the choral tune, heavily influenced by traditional Swedish folk music, was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was recorded on 30 August 1976 at Stockholm's Metronome Studio. The title of the album, Arrival, gave the instrumental its name, rather than vice versa. It was also one of the last tracks to be recorded for the album before its release on 11 October 1976.

## Cover versions

[edit]

### Mike Oldfield version

[edit]

"Arrival"

Single by Mike Oldfield
from the album  QE2
Released| 12 September 1980
Recorded| 1980
Length| 2:46
Label| Virgin
Songwriter(s)|

* Benny Anderson
* Björn Ulvaeus

Producer(s)|

* Mike Oldfield
* David Hentschel

Mike Oldfield singles chronology
| "Blue Peter"
(1979)  | "Arrival"
(1980)  | "Sheba"
(1980)

|
|

In 1980, Mike Oldfield recorded a cover version of the song for his album QE2. The artwork for Oldfield's single is a recreation of ABBA's Arrival album artwork, depicting the artist flying in a Bell 47G helicopter (Oldfield is a helicopter pilot); the "K" in "MIKE" is likewise mirrored as a nod to ABBA's ambigram logo.

#### Track listing

[edit]

1. "Arrival" – 2:46
2. "Polka" (live on European tour 1980) – 3:34

#### Personnel (Oldfield version)

[edit]

* Mike Oldfield – electric guitars, African drums, Celtic harp, bass guitar, mandolin, Spanish guitar, synthesizers, vocoder, Aboriginal rhythm sticks, vocals[1]
* David Hentschel – synthesizers, drums, vocals
* Maggie Reilly – vocals
* David Bedford – arranger (strings and choir)
* Dick Studt – leader (strings)
* English Chorale – choir

### Abbacadabra versions by Frida

[edit]

#### Duet with Daniel Balavoine

[edit]

As part of the French musical Abbacadabra, Daniel Balavoine and ABBA member Frida recorded a French-language cover of Arrival, titled "Belle" (lit. ''Beautiful'') in August 1983, with lyrics written by Alain and Daniel Boublil. Released by Barclay Records, the single, backed with B-side "C'est fini", sold 80,000 copies in France,[2] and peaked at No. 28 in the French Top 50 charts.[3]

#### English-language duet with BA Robertson

[edit]

Shortly after "Belle", Frida and BA Robertson recorded an English-language version called “Time” for the British production of Abbacadabra, with lyrics by Don Black and Mike Batt. Batt also produced the song. Released on 9 December 1983 by Polar and Epic Records,[4] A music video was created to promote the single. The single, backed with "I Am The Seeker" as B-side, entered the UK singles chart and peaked at No. 45.[5]

### Other cover versions, sampling, etc.

[edit]

* French singer Michèle Torr covered the song and added lyrics, under the title "J'aime". Released as a 1977 single in France, it reached No.2 in the charts, selling over 500,000 copies and receiving a gold disc. It also made it to No.4 in Portugal.
* "Arrival" was used as the theme tune for the BBC TV series Robbie, presented by Fyfe Robertson.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "QE2 notes". Tubular.net. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
2. ^ "1983 sales".
3. ^ "French singles chart: D-G".
4. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 26.
5. ^ "FRIDA AND BA ROBERTSON". Official Charts. 1983-12-17. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
6. ^ "Fyfe Robertson, the great TV reporter". YouTube. 2008-11-04. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2016-10-16.

* v
* t
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ABBA

* Agnetha Fältskog
* Björn Ulvaeus
* Benny Andersson
* Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Studio albums|

* Ring Ring
* Waterloo
* ABBA
* Arrival
* ABBA: The Album
* Voulez-Vous
* Super Trouper
* The Visitors
* Voyage

Compilation albums|

* Greatest Hits
* Greatest Hits Vol. 2
* Gracias Por La Música
* The Singles: The First Ten Years
* Thank You for the Music
* ABBA Gold
* Oro: Grandes Éxitos
* More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits
* 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection
* The Definitive Collection
* The Name of the Game
* 18 Hits
* Number Ones
* The Albums
* The Essential Collection

Live albums|

* ABBA Live
* Live at Wembley Arena

Box sets|

* Thank You for the Music
* The Complete Studio Recordings

Concerts and tours|

* ABBA: The Tour
* ABBA Voyage

Films and musicals|

* ABBA: The Movie
* The Girl with the Golden Hair
* ABBAcadabra
* Mamma Mia! (1999 musical)
* Mamma Mia! (2008 film)
* Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018 film)

TV specials|

* Dick Cavett Meets ABBA
* ABBA: Thank You for the Music, An All-Star Tribute

Video games|

* SingStar ABBA
* ABBA: You Can Dance

Related articles|

* Discography
* Awards and nominations
* Songs
* Unreleased songs
* Tribute albums
* Abba-esque
* Abbasalutely
* The ABBA Generation
* ABBAmania
* Dancing Queen
* Agnetha & Frida: The Voice of ABBA
* "Just Like That"
* "Thank ABBA for the Music"
* Eurovision Song Contest 1974
* ABBA The Museum
* Music of Sweden

Related individuals|

* Stig Anderson
* Ola Brunkert
* Rutger Gunnarsson
* Janne Schaffer
* Lasse Wellander
* Michael B. Tretow
* Lasse Hallström
* A-Teens
* Björn Again
* Linda Ulvaeus
* Catherine Johnson
* Carl Magnus Palm
* Graham Tainton

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ABBA songs

* Discography
* Unreleased songs

Ring Ring|

* "People Need Love"
* "He Is Your Brother"
* "Ring Ring"
* "Another Town, Another Train"
* "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)"
* "Rock'n Roll Band"
* "Nina, Pretty Ballerina"
* "Disillusion"
* "I Saw It in the Mirror"
* "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother"
* "She's My Kind of Girl"

Waterloo|

* "Waterloo"
* "King Kong Song"
* "Hasta Mañana"
* "My Mama Said"
* "Honey, Honey"
* "What About Livingstone?"

ABBA|

* "Mamma Mia"
* "Hey, Hey Helen"
* "SOS"
* "Bang-A-Boomerang"
* "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"
* "Rock Me"
* "Intermezzo No. 1"
* "I've Been Waiting for You"
* "So Long"

Greatest Hits|

* "Fernando"

Arrival|

* "When I Kissed the Teacher"
* "Dancing Queen"
* "My Love, My Life"
* "Dum Dum Diddle"
* "Knowing Me, Knowing You"
* "Money, Money, Money"
* "That's Me"
* "Why Did It Have to Be Me?"
* "Tiger"
* "Arrival"

ABBA: The Album|

* "Eagle"
* "Take a Chance on Me"
* "One Man, One Woman"
* "The Name of the Game"
* "Move On"
* "Hole in Your Soul"
* "Thank You for the Music"
* "I Wonder (Departure)"
* "I'm a Marionette"

Voulez-Vous|

* "As Good as New"
* "Voulez-Vous"
* "I Have a Dream"
* "Angeleyes"
* "The King Has Lost His Crown"
* "Does Your Mother Know"
* "If It Wasn't for the Nights"
* "Chiquitita"
* "Lovers (Live a Little Longer)"
* "Kisses of Fire"

Greatest Hits Vol. 2|

* "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
* "Summer Night City"

Super Trouper|

* "Super Trouper"
* "The Winner Takes It All"
* "On and On and On"
* "Andante, Andante"
* "Me and I"
* "Happy New Year"
* "Our Last Summer"
* "The Piper"
* "Lay All Your Love on Me"

The Visitors|

* "The Visitors"
* "Head over Heels"
* "When All Is Said and Done"
* "Soldiers"
* "I Let the Music Speak"
* "One of Us"
* "Two for the Price of One"
* "Slipping Through My Fingers"
* "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room"

The Singles:
The First Ten Years|

* "The Day Before You Came"
* "Under Attack"

Voyage|

* "I Still Have Faith in You"
* "Don't Shut Me Down"
* "Just a Notion"
* "Little Things"

Other songs|

* "Merry-Go-Round"
* "Elaine"
* "Put on Your White Sombrero"
* "Should I Laugh or Cry"
* "You Owe Me One"

* Category

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Mike Oldfield

* Albums
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Studio albums|

* Tubular Bells
* Hergest Ridge
* Ommadawn
* Incantations
* Platinum
* QE2
* Five Miles Out
* Crises
* Discovery
* The Killing Fields
* Islands
* Earth Moving
* Amarok
* Heaven's Open
* Tubular Bells II
* The Songs of Distant Earth
* Voyager
* Tubular Bells III
* Guitars
* The Millennium Bell
* Tres Lunas
* Tubular Bells 2003
* Light + Shade
* Music of the Spheres
* Man on the Rocks
* Return to Ommadawn

Live albums|

* The Orchestral Tubular Bells
* Exposed
* The Art in Heaven Concert

EPs|

* Take Four
* The Singles
* The Mike Oldfield EP

Singles|

* "Mike Oldfield's Single"
* "Don Alfonso"
* "In Dulci Jubilo"
* "Portsmouth"
* "William Tell Overture"
* "Cuckoo Song"
* "Take Four"
* "Guilty"
* "Blue Peter"
* "Arrival"
* "Sheba" / "Wonderful Land"
* "Five Miles Out"
* "Family Man"
* "Mistake"
* "Moonlight Shadow"
* "Shadow on the Wall"
* "Crime of Passion"
* "To France"
* "Tricks of the Light"
* "Étude"
* "Pictures in the Dark"
* "Shine"
* "In High Places"
* "Islands"
* "The Time Has Come"
* "Magic Touch"
* "Flying Start"
* "Earth Moving"
* "Innocent"
* "(One Glance Is) Holy"
* "Heaven's Open"
* "Gimme Back"
* "Sentinel"
* "Tattoo"
* "The Bell"
* "Hibernaculum"
* "Let There Be Light"
* "Women of Ireland"
* "Man in the Rain"
* "Far Above the Clouds"
* "To Be Free"
* "Thou Art in Heaven"
* "Spheres"

Other songs|

* "Foreign Affair"
* "The X-Files Theme"
* "Introduction 2003"
* "Surfing"
* "Song for Survival"

Video albums|

* The Space Movie
* Exposed
* The Essential Live
* Live at Montreux 1981
* The Wind Chimes
* Tubular Bells II Live
* Elements
* Tubular Bells III Live
* The Art in Heaven Concert

Compilation albums|

* Boxed
* Music Wonderland
* Episodes
* The Complete Mike Oldfield
* Elements 4 CD Boxset
* Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield
* XXV: The Essential
* The Best of Tubular Bells
* Collection
* The Complete Tubular Bells
* The Platinum Collection
* The Mike Oldfield Collection 1974–1983
* Two Sides
* Icon
* Tubular Beats
* Moonlight Shadow: The Collection
* The 1984 Suite

Other media|

* Changeling
* MusicVR
* Tres Lunas
* Maestro

Related articles|

* Sally Oldfield
* Terry Oldfield
* Anita Hegerland
* Maggie Reilly
* The Sallyangie
* Children of the Sun
* Isles of Wonder
* 2012 Olympics opening ceremony

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