Oldies Musics Pop

“Waterloo” by ABBA

Introduction

“Waterloo” by ABBA is a euphoric pop anthem that catapulted the Swedish group to international fame and secured their place in music history. Released in 1974, the song won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden, marking a pivotal moment in ABBA’s career and launching them onto the global stage. Join us as we explore the infectious energy and undeniable charm of “Waterloo,” celebrating its enduring legacy as one of ABBA’s most iconic hits.

Did You Know?

“Waterloo” was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson, the members of ABBA, and became the group’s first international hit.
The song’s upbeat tempo, catchy melody, and flamboyant Eurovision performance captivated audiences and earned it the top prize in the prestigious song contest.
“Waterloo” reached No. 1 on the charts in several countries, including the UK and Germany, and paved the way for ABBA’s global success.
The song’s triumphant spirit and infectious chorus make it a perennial favorite, with its legacy continuing to thrive through covers, tributes, and adaptations in popular culture.

Video

Lyrics: Waterloo

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 itselfWaterloo – 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
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
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
Waterloo – finally facing my Waterloo

Waterloo – knowing my fate is to be with you
Waterloo – finally facing my Waterloo
Waterloo – knowing my fate is to be with you

“I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M SITTING HERE DRINKING PENDLETON WITH TOBY KEITH.” I remember watching Toby Keith walk into those lights and thinking, That’s Toby Keith. To the crowd, it was just another show. To me, it was the reason I picked up a guitar in the first place. Opening for him before he passed in 2024 wasn’t just a gig — it felt like a rite of passage. But what I’ll carry forever didn’t happen on stage. It happened on his bus in Richmond, sitting there thinking, I can’t believe I’m drinking Pendleton with Toby Keith, listening to him talk about the road and the USO like it was just another chapter, not a legend. When we lost him, country lost a giant. I lost a mentor. Sometimes the greatest gift a legend can give you isn’t advice. It’s a seat at the table.

“I JUST WANT TO SING IT THE WAY I ALWAYS HAVE.” That’s what Toby Keith said. No dramatic pause. No swelling music behind the statement. Just a simple sentence delivered the way he delivered everything else in his life — straight and unpolished. And somehow, that simplicity made the room feel heavier than any grand farewell ever could. This final night wasn’t built around spectacle. There were no fireworks designed to distract from reality, no desperate swing for nostalgia. What filled the air instead was something steadier — grit. The kind that comes from songs that rode shotgun through people’s hardest seasons, songs that were there when nothing else quite knew what to say. You could hear the difference in the pauses. See it in the way the audience didn’t rush to clap, as if they were afraid to interrupt something sacred. Every lyric landed slower, deeper, not because he sang it differently, but because time had added weight to every word. These weren’t just melodies anymore. They were years. Memories. Battles fought quietly. It didn’t feel like a goodbye wrapped in sorrow. It felt like a man standing exactly where he had always stood — not retreating, not reinventing himself to soften the moment. Just singing it straight. Letting the songs do the heavy lifting. Trusting them to say the things he never needed to spell out. And maybe that was the most Toby Keith thing of all. No grand exit. No final speech. Just the music — steady, honest, and strong enough to carry everything.

Ginger Alden still wore the 11 1/2 carat diamond ring when she later spoke about that August afternoon, her voice steady but forever marked by what she had seen. She had been preparing for a future with Elvis Presley, planning a wedding, imagining a life beyond the noise of fame. Instead, she found herself standing at the edge of a moment that would divide her world into before and after.

January 9, 1973, arrived with a sense of anticipation that seemed to hang in the warm air of Hawaii. When Elvis Presley stepped off the plane, the welcome was thunderous, a sea of faces reflecting just how deeply he had woven himself into the hearts of people everywhere. Yet beneath the cheers was a quiet awareness that something unprecedented was about to unfold. In only a few days, he would walk onto a stage for Aloha from Hawaii, a performance destined to reach an estimated 1.5 billion viewers worldwide.