“Chiquitita”
Single by ABBA from the album Voulez-Vous
Released	January 16, 1979 (Sweden) February 3, 1979 (UK) November 10, 1979 (US)
Format	7" Single
Genre	Pop/Europop
Length	5:26
Writer(s)	Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson
Producer	Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson
ABBA singles chronology
"Summer Night City" (1978) "Chiquitita" (1979) "Does Your Mother Know" (1979)

"Chiquitita" (which roughly means "little girl" in Spanish) was the first single from Swedish pop group ABBA's album Voulez-Vous, their sixth for Polar, and their fifth for Epic and Atlantic. Originally, the track "If It Wasn't For The Nights" was going to be the album's lead single, but after the recording of "Chiquitita" was complete, these plans were abandoned, and it would remain an album track. Image File history File links Chiquitita_Lovelight. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Abba redirects here. ... Voulez-Vous is the seventh album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1979 (see 1979 in music). ... is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... In music, a single is a short (usually ten minutes or less) record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-sides, often accompanied by several B-sides—usually remixes or other songs. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ... Europop refers to a style of pop music that developed in Europe throughout the 1970s which emphasized catchy beats, slick songs and frothy lyrics. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (Swedish IPA: ) (born April 25, 1945) is a Swedish musician and composer, most notable as a member of ABBA. Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg, but as a child he moved with his family to Västervik. ... Image:Benny Andersson. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (Swedish IPA: ) (born April 25, 1945) is a Swedish musician and composer, most notable as a member of ABBA. Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg, but as a child he moved with his family to Västervik. ... Image:Benny Andersson. ... Abba redirects here. ... Summer Night City, written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, is ABBAs second non-album single, released on September 6, 1978. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Does Your Mother Know is a 1979 hit song by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and was the second single to be released from their album Voulez-Vous. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Abba redirects here. ... Voulez-Vous is the seventh album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1979 (see 1979 in music). ... Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. ... Epic Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ...

History

Many preliminary versions of "Chiquitita" exist. It had the working titles of "Kålsupare", "Three Wise Guys", "Chiquitita Angelina" and "In The Arms of Rosalita". A revised version, which had a sound that was partly influenced by the song "El Cóndor Pasa" by Simon and Garfunkel, was recorded in December 1978 and released as a single in January 1979. The duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are US-American popular musicians known collectively as Simon and Garfunkel. ...

With the success of the English version, ABBA also recorded "Chiquitita" in Spanish, despite the fact the band had never learnt the language. They sang the song simply by phonetics and it gained considerable popularity in countries such as Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Reception

"Chiquitita" proved to be one of ABBA's biggest hits. It was featured in the 1979 UNICEF charity event, the Music for UNICEF Concert, broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly. As a direct result of this event, ABBA donated all royalties from the song to UNICEF. "Chiquitita" hit No.1 in ten countries worldwide: Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand, Mexico and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), and reached the Top Five in ABBA's native Sweden, the UK, West Germany, Norway and Australia, making it the most successful single from the Voulez-Vous album in terms of global charts, and one of the most famous charity songs ever. However, despite this enormous success, "Chiquitita" was less popular in the United States (No.29) and Italy (No.48). But to this day, all proceeds from the song go to UNICEF in recognition of the International Year Of The Child in 1979. UNICEF Logo The United Nations Childrens Fund or UNICEF (Arabic: ; French: ; Spanish: ) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946. ... The event was broadcast on NBC in the United States The Music for UNICEF Concert: A Gift of Song was a benefit concert of popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on January 9, 1979. ... The United Nations General Assembly (GA, UNGA) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. ... This article is about the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... The year 1979 was proclaimed the International Year of the Child by the United Nations. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

Chart positions

The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ...

Cover versions

• In 1979, Paraguayan/Brazilian camp singer Perla covered "Chiquitita" (as "Pequenina") on her album "Pequenina". Perla already had covered ABBA's "Fernando" on a previous album.

• In 1993 the Croatian group Vatrogasci (Firefighters) made a parody of this song, translating it into Croatian (renaming it "Čičikita") and giving it a turbofolk arrangement.

• A cover by Irish singer Stephen Gately can be found on the 1999 Abbamania compilation.

• The German ABBA Mania album featured a cover of the song by a singer named Lucy.

• German Eurodance group E-Rotic covered the song for their ABBA tribute album Thank You For The Music.

• A dance cover by Electric can be found on the compilation Lay All Your Love On ABBA.

• Sinéad O'Connor covered "Chiquitita" as her contribution to the compilation album Across The Bridge Of Hope - released to support the families of the Omagh bombing victims - in 1999. [1] O'Connor's version omits the second verse of the song.

• On the tribute album ABBAMetal (also released as A Tribute to ABBA), the song is covered by German heavy metal band Spiral Tower.

• The song is covered by Edie on ABBAlicious, an ABBA tribute compilation performed by various U.S. drag queens.

• A cover of the song by Kress can be found on the 2006 chill out music compilation ABBA Chill Out.

• ABBA tribute act Swede Dreams recorded a cover of the song.

• A cover of the song by Finnish a cappella choral ensemble Rajaton can be found on their 2006 ABBA tribute album Rajaton Sings ABBA With Lahti Symphony Orchestra.

• US group Lavender Diamond covered the song as one of the b-sides on their 2007 UK single Open Your Heart.

Perla redirects here. ... Fernando is Swedish pop group ABBAs first non-album single. ... Turbo-folk is a music genre originating in Serbia in the early 1990s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Abbamania is a tribute album to Swedish pop band ABBA, released in 1999 (see 1999 in music). ... E-Rotic is a Swiss/German techno/hip house/eurodance group. ... Sinéad Marie Bernadette OConnor (pronounced [1]) (born December 8, 1966) is a Grammy Award winning Irish singer and songwriter. ... The Omagh bombing was a paramilitary car bomb attack carried out by the Real IRA (RIRA), a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Belfast Agreement, on August 15, 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. ... This article is about the year. ... Drag queens are performers - usually gay men, sometimes transgendered women - who dress in drag, clothing associated with the female gender, usually highly exaggerated versions thereof. ... chill out redirects here. ... This article is about the vocal technique. ... Rajaton is a Finnish a cappella choral ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. ... Becky Stark in Brussels (2006) Lavender Diamond is a Los Angeles-based folk/country-pop quartet known for its light-hearted, often winsome sound, its simple, romantic lyrics, and the charismatic, whimsical stage presence, and ethereal vocals of frontwoman Becky Stark. ...

Live cover performances, appearances in other media, etc.

• The song is performed in the Mamma Mia! musical by the characters of Tanya and Rosie.

• Leona Lewis performed the song on the British TV show The X Factor.

• "Chiquitita" was used as the opening song for the Japanese drama "Strawberry on the Shortcake"

• It was used in episode 2.04 of Queer as Folk at the end.

Mamma Mia! is a musical with a book by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA. It is an example of a jukebox musical, and is notable for popularizing the genre. ... Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is an English singer-songwriter who was the winner of the third series of the popular television talent show The X Factor. ... Queer as Folk is an American and Canadian television series co-production, produced by Showtime and Temple Street Productions which was based on the British series of the same name created by Russell T. Davies. ...

Links

• Chiquitita Music Video @ My80s.biz