Dancing Queen

**Dancing Queen** is a 1976 pop song by the 1970s pop group ABBA. It is one of their most popular and well known songs, featuring on the album ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits, the album Arrival and the 2008 film Mamma Mia!. Unlike many of ABBA's songs, this song is very upbeat in wording and tells the story of a seventeen-year-old girl who loves to dance and is looking for a lover. There is an extra verse that was recorded and cut, shown in bold below.

**WARNING: MAMMA MIA! SPOILERS DOWN THE PAGE!**

## Lyrics

Ooh-ooh...

You can dance,

You can jive,

Having the time of your life!

Ooh-ooh-ooh,

See that girl,

Watch that scene,

Digging the Dancing Queen!

Friday night and the lights are low,

Looking out for a place to go....

Where they play the right music,

Getting in the swing.

You've come to look for a king.

Anybody could be that guy,

Night is young and the music's... *high*!

With a bit of rock music,

Everything is fine.

You're in the mood for a dance.

And when you get the chance....

*Chorus:*

You are the dancing queen,

Young and sweet,

Only seventeen!

Dancing queen,

Feel the beat from the tambourine...

Oh yeah!

You can dance,

You can jive,

Having the time of your life.

Ooh-ooh-ooh,

See that girl,

Watch that scene,

Digging the dancing queen!

**Deleted Verse:**

**Baby, baby, you're out of sight,**

**Hey you're looking all right tonight...**

**When you come to the party,**

**Listen to the guys,**

**They got the look in their eyes....**

You're a teaser, you turn them on,

Leave 'em, burn 'em and then you're... *gone.*

Looking out for another,

Anyone will do,

You're in the mood for a dance.

And when you get the chance...

*Chorus*

## In Mamma Mia! (film)

### Lyrics:

**Rosie and Tanya:**

You can dance,

You can jive,

Having the time of your life!

Ooh-ooh-ooh,

See that girl!

Watch that scene!

Digging the dancing queen!

**Donna:**

<screams>

**Rosie and Tanya:**

Friday night and the lights are low,

Looking out for a place to go...

**Tanya:**

Where they play the right music.

Getting in the swing-

**Rosie:**

-You've come to look for a king!

**Rosie and Tanya:**

Anybody could be that guy!

Night is young and the music's... high...

With a bit of rock music,

Everything is fine.

You're in the mood for a dance!

And when you get the chance...

**Donna, Tanya and Rosie:**

You are the dancing queen,

Young and sweet,

Only seventeen!

**Donna:**

<screams>

**Donna, Tanya and Rosie:**

Dancing queen,

Feel the beat from the tambourine,

Oh yeah!

**Donna:**

You can dance!

**Rosie:**

You can jive!

**Tanya:**

Having the time of your life!

**Donna, Tanya and Rosie:**

Ooh-ooh-ooh!

**Donna:**

See that girl!

**Tanya:**

Watch that scene!

**Tanya and Donna:**

Digging the dancing queen...

**Rosie:**

*Ow!*

*Instrumental*

**Donna:**

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on...

Leave 'em burning and then you're...

**All:**

Gone!

Looking out for another,

Anyone will do,

You're in the mood for a dance!

And when you get the chance,

You are the dancing queen!

Young and sweet,

Only seventeen!

Dancing queen,

Feel the beat from the tambourine-

**Firewood Lady:**

Oh yeah!

**All:**

You can dance,

You can jive,

Having the time of your life!

Ooh-ooh-ooh!

See that girl,

Watch that scene,

Digging the dancing queen!

*Instrumental*

**All:**

Digging the dancing queen!

*Instrumental*

**All:**

You can dance!

You can jive!

Having the time of your life!

Ooh-ooh-ooh!

See that girl!

(*guitar)*

Watch that scene!

(*guitar)*

Digging the dancing queen!

**Tanya and Rosie:**

<screaming>

**All:**

<cheering>

### Context:

Tanya and Rosie use this song to cheer Donna up after meeting Sophie's potential fathers. They start off singing in the bedroom, with Donna huddled on the bed, but as the song progresses they get dressed up, slide down a banister (causing Rosie some pain!) and eventually engage the whole female population of the island in a skipping, singing marathon, ending down at the docks, where they all finish the song together before Donna pushes Rosie and Tanya into the sea, before jumping in herself. They are followed by some of the women, and high-five each other in the water.