In 1976, ABBA released Dancing Queen, and continues to be very popular around the world to this day. Yet, this is not a worldly song for worldly people. It is a heavenly song for God’s children. This is a work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reveals more of the nature of the Holy Trinity to us every day. The Church quotes St. Gregory of Nazianzus, “By advancing and progressing ‘from glory to glory,’ the light of the Trinity will shine in ever more brilliant rays.” (Cat. 684)

If we see with worldly eyes, the song is about a seventeen year old girl at the prime of her life. She is beautiful and melts the hearts of men. She visits a dance club to seek out a man, and her beauty gives her the power to choose any man she desires. Rejected men are deeply hurt by the loss. But, when she finds a man worthy of her beauty, she is the center of attention, dancing the night away.

If we see with heavenly eyes, the girl is the virgin Mary and the angles in heaven are her audience. They watch and sing about Mary in awe of her victory, having overcome the temptations of Satan. Mary has power from God to bring mercy and prosperity to all of His children. Those who are rejected by Mary have no hope for salvation. They are left burning. Those who are embraced by Mary, humbly follow her lead. The Queen of Heaven is the Dancing Queen.

Ooh

You can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life

Ooh, see that girl

Watch that scene

Digging the dancing queen

This opening stanza represents the angels of heaven anticipating the virgin Mary before Gabriel’s visit. (Luke 1:26-28) God knew of her victory from the very beginning. God said, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15) This stanza appears three times throughout the song. Three is the number of the Holy Trinity. Mary’s victory was, is, and ever shall be celebrated for all time.

Friday night and the lights are low

This is the night of the crucifixion, Good Friday. The low lights are God’s abandonment of his Son. Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Mary also suffered. (Cat. 964) Hanging from the cross, Jesus said to Mary, “Woman, behold thy son!” (John 19:26) The prophet Simeon said to Mary, “(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:35

Looking out for a place to go

Jesus has died on the cross, and the apostles are scattered. Without Christ, Mary had no place to go. “Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.” John 19:27

Where they play the right music

After the death and resurrection of Christ, Mary remained with the apostles and prayed with them. The right music is the Word of God. “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Acts 1:14

Getting in the swing

The Holy Spirit falls upon the world. Mary’s suffering is over, and now she has power from God. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” Acts 2:2 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:4

You come to look for a king

Mary is victorious. The King is Jesus Christ. Mary arrives in heaven where Mary finds Christ.

Anybody could be that guy

From heaven, Mary seeks to find Christ in each of us.

Night is young and the music’s high

The young night is the beginning of eternity. The music is high, and therefore from heaven.

With a bit of rock music

Jesus is the rock (1 Cor. 10:4), and the music is the Holy Spirit.

Everything is fine

The man and the woman are victorious, thus God’s original chastisement of the serpent in the garden is fulfilled. (Gen. 3:15)

You’re in the mood for a dance

With all power from God, Mary seeks to save souls.

And when you get the chance

When Mary finds a child of God, she does not miss this chance to offer the salvation of Christ. (Our Lady of Fatima).

You are the dancing queen

Mary is the Queen of Heaven

Young and sweet

Mary was always sweet, even from her youth. Being perfectly obedient to God, she remained without sin. The Church states, “By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long”. (Cat. 493)

Only seventeen

Seven is the number of gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2-3). Seven is also the number of a plenitude. (Father Jordan Aumann, Spiritual Theology, Chapter 4 on The Gifts of the Holy Spirit) Teen refers to her perfect and infinite beauty. The Holy Mother has all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for all time, and remains beautiful for all time.

Sister Lucia, of Fatima, was asked how old the Blessed Virgin appeared to be. She responded, “Perhaps seventeen.” Rev. Robert J. Fox, p151 Fatima Today, Christendom Publications 1983

Dancing queen

Mary is the Queen of Heaven

Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah

Mary’s power comes from God, through Jesus Christ. He is the tambourine.

You can dance

Mary has power from God. She moves to every beat of the tambourine of Christ.

You can jive

She is the Mistress of Mercy, knowing with perfect execution how to treat each lost soul.

Having the time of your life

Mary is in heaven, and lifted up from low status to high status as she told Elizabeth.

Ooh, see that girl

By the command of God, the angels pay attention to Mary. The time has come for the woman placed at enmity with Satan to fulfill the sentence of God.

Watch that scene

This is the Lord sending Gabriel to Mary, “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28)

Digging the dancing queen

Mary is glorified by the angels who sing in heaven.

You’re a teaser, you turn ’em on

Mary gives all souls hope, reaching out to every one.

Leave ’em burning and then you’re gone

But, if they reject God, Mary can’t return. All hope is lost for this soul, and he is left to burn in hell for all eternity.

Looking out for another

Mary does not cease to seek lost children of God.

Anyone will do

There is no sin that will prevent Mary from seeking that soul.

You’re in the mood for a dance

Just as Jesus was eagerly anticipating the Last Supper (Luke 22:15), Mary anticipates a new soul to recommend to God.

And when you get the chance

Mary does all in her great power to reach out to that soul. The chance is when a soul responds positively to the Lord’s prompting.

{Her habits are tested, now. She must stay focused on her duty as Mother of God. Satan has attacked her, but she remains obedient to God. St. John the Apostle wrote, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12:17}

BBC News – ABBA Björn & Frida Interview (2014)

Bjorn, “I don’t think that we know exactly what it is what we had, or have. We cannot pinpoint to say, exactly, this is why we had such success. We don’t know, we just did it from our hearts.”

Frida added, “But, I think it’s a bit more than that, actually. Because we were two couples. We were in love.”

Seven Network (Australia) – Abba – Agnetha & Bjorn (2013)

Questioned as to why Dancing Queen was a success, Bjorn said, “Benny and I, I can say that we wrote from the heart. Never thinking, this is a hit.”

Bjorn then mimicks the music critics and their attempt to rationalize ABBA’s ability to write hits, “Oh they have a formula! They’re a hit factory because they know!”

Bjorn emphatically corrects them, “We never did! We never knew!”

(Keep in mind that Agnetha is not perfectly fluent in English. I assume by “funny” she means “fun” or “good”.) As to why ABBA ended, Agnetha explained, “It ended on a very natural way. Because we said from the beginning, when it doesn’t feel funny, anymore, we stop. And we could feel when we did the last album that something heavy was going on. And, we couldn’t put the finger on what it was. But, we could hear it. We could feel it. It was not funny anymore.” She ends the interview by concluding, “Again, it’s a new generation that knows about us. Thank God. I am so grateful for this.”

Seven Network (Australia) – Abba – Agnetha & Bjorn (2013)

Asked if he thought ABBA was a bad name, Bjorn replied, “It is, isn’t it? It’s kind of strange.”

ABBA is also what Jesus called his Father.

1. (Lyrics written by Benny Goran Bror Andersson, Björn K. Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson (© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group)

Dancing Queen was recorded 8/4-8/5 in 1975. Single released Released 15 August 1976.