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 | |||
 Carita •  Olivia Newton-John •  Peret •  Anne-Karine Strøm ft. Bendik Singers •  Marinella •  Poogy •  Korni •  ABBA •  Ireen Sheer •  Romuald •  Jacques Hustin •  Mouth & MacNeal •  Tina Reynolds •  Cindy & Bert •  Piera Martell •  Paulo de Carvalho •  Gigliola Cinquetti
| |||
| Songs | |||
| Keep Me Warm • Long Live Love • Canta y sé feliz • The First Day Of Love • Krasi, thalassa kai t'agori mou • Natati La Khayay • Moja generacija • Waterloo • Bye Bye I Love You • Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va • Fleur de liberté • I See A Star • Cross Your Heart • Die Sommermelodie • Mein Ruf nach dir • E depois do adeus • Sì
| |||
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 Eurovision 1974 (High Quality)