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Waterloo was the Swedish entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 in Brighton performed by ABBA. The up-tempo song equates the struggle of love to Napoleon's greatest defeat.

It was performed 8th on the night following Israel and preceding Luxembourg. At the close of voting, it was declared the winner with 24 points, giving Sweden its first victory.

"Waterloo" gave ABBA instant stardom when it won the contest, and it was the second attempt the band had at the contest, as they tried in the Melodifestivalen 1973 and lost to The Nova. To many fans, this song is a timeless classic.

Lyrics[]

My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself

Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo - finally facing my Waterloo

My my, I tried to hold you back but you were stronger
Oh yeah, and now it seems my only chance is giving up the fight
And how could I ever refuse?
I feel like I win when I lose

Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo - finally facing my Waterloo

So how could I ever refuse?
I feel like I win when I lose

Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo - finally facing my Waterloo
Ooh... Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo - finally facing my Waterloo

Eurovision Song Contest 1974
Participants
Flag of FinlandCaritaFlag of United KingdomOlivia Newton-JohnFlag of SpainPeretFlag of NorwayAnne-Karine Strøm ft. Bendik SingersFlag of GreeceMarinellaFlag of IsraelPoogyFlag of YugoslaviaKorniFlag of SwedenABBAFlag of LuxembourgIreen SheerFlag of MonacoRomualdFlag of BelgiumJacques HustinIconThe NetherlandsMouth & MacNealFlag of IrelandTina ReynoldsFlag of GermanyCindy & BertFlag of SwitzerlandPiera MartellFlag of PortugalPaulo de CarvalhoFlag of ItalyGigliola Cinquetti
Songs
Flag of FinlandKeep Me WarmFlag of United KingdomLong Live LoveFlag of SpainCanta y sé felizFlag of NorwayThe First Day Of LoveFlag of GreeceKrasí, thálassa ke t' agóri muFlag of IsraelNatati La KhayayFlag of YugoslaviaMoja generacijaFlag of SwedenWaterlooFlag of LuxembourgBye Bye I Love YouFlag of MonacoCelui qui reste et celui qui s'en vaFlag of BelgiumFleur de libertéFlag of The NetherlandsI See A StarFlag of IrelandCross Your HeartFlag of GermanyDie SommermelodieFlag of SwitzerlandMein Ruf nach dirFlag of PortugalE depois do adeusFlag of Italy
Eurovision Song Contest
Editions
195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Countries
AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandIsraelItalyLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaMoldovaMonacoMontenegroMoroccoThe NetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoSerbiaSerbia and MontenegroSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUnited KingdomUkraineYugoslavia
Winning Songs
RefrainNet Als ToenDors, mon amourEen beetjeTom PillibiNous les amoureuxUn premier amourDanseviseNon ho l'etàPoupée de Cire, Poupée de SonMerci, ChériePuppet on a StringLa, La, LaBoom Bang-a-BangVivo CantandoUn jour, un enfantDe TroubadourAll Kinds of EverythingUn banc, un arbre, une rueAprès ToiTu Te ReconnaîtrasWaterlooDing-a-DongSave Your Kisses For MeL'Oiseau et l'enfantA-Ba-Ni-BiHallelujahWhat's Another YearMaking Your Mind UpEin bißchen FriedenSi la vie est cadeauDiggiloo DiggileyLa Det SwingeJ'aime La VieHold Me NowNe Partez Pas Sans MoiRock MeInsieme: 1992Fångad av en stormvindWhy Me?In Your EyesRock 'n' Roll KidsNocturneThe VoiceLove Shine a LightDivaTake Me To Your HeavenFly on the Wings of LoveEverybodyI WannaEveryway That I CanWild DancesMy Number OneHard Rock HallelujahMolitvaBelieveFairytaleSatelliteRunning ScaredEuphoriaOnly TeardropsRise Like a PhoenixHeroes1944Amar pelos doisToyArcadeZitti e buoniStefaniaTattoo
Specials
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision's Greatest HitsEurope Shine a Light
Aspects of Eurovision
CommentatorEuroClubEurovision VillageExecutive SupervisorFlag ParadeGrand PrixGreen RoomHead of DelegationInterval ActNational FinalNational JuryOfficial RulesOpening CeremonyPre-PartiesPre-Song PostcardsReference GroupRest of the World VoteRunning Order DrawSemi-FinalsScoreboardSpokespersonTelevotingVoting Systems
Miscellaneous
Big FiveCurse of 43Curse of Number TwoCurse of GreenDouze Points!ESCRadio AwardsESC Top 250Eurovision AgainEurovision National BroadcastersEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire SagaFounding SevenLGBT visibilityLynda WoodruffMarcel Bezençon AwardsNul PointsOGAERecordsStand-insThe Reorder BoardTie SituationTop Scoring SongsVoting DiasporaWinner's CurseWithdrawn SongsYou're a Vision Award

Trivia[]

  • Their conductor, Sven-Olof Walldoff, dressed up as Napoleon to the delight of many of the fans and commentators.
  • The song was performed in Swedish at Melodifestivalen, but was translated into English for their appearance in Brighton.
  • The song has been covered by many different artists around the world and has been featured in several TV shows including The Simpsons (notably in the 7th season episode "Mother Simpson").
  • The song peaked at #1 on the UK singles chart despite the fact the country's jury didn't give it any points.
  • It was ranked the greatest song of the first 50 years of Eurovision at the Congratulations event in 2005.
  • The BBC banned the airing of "Waterloo" and Boom Bang-a-Bang at the time of the Gulf War.
  • One of 43 entries which has made the ESC Top 250 every year since the list's inception in 2008.

Videos[]

Abba_-_Waterloo

Abba - Waterloo

ABBA_Waterloo_Eurovision_1974_(High_Quality)

ABBA Waterloo Eurovision 1974 (High Quality)

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