Theatre
By Numbers
MAMMA MIA! by numbers: Every song in the stage musical of MAMMA MIA!
Here’s your breakdown of every song on the West End soundtrack of MAMMA MIA!
The fifth longest-running show in West End history, MAMMA MIA! is a dose of sunshine. The feel-good musical helped to set the jukebox trend, being one of the first hugely successful shows based around the existing discography of a musician – in this case, the band ABBA. Packed with infectious 70s tunes penned by some of the best pop composers to ever set foot in a recording studio, MAMMA MIA! proves that some music is truly timeless.
Whether you’re wondering how these ABBA hits fit into a story about a Greek island wedding or you can’t quite remember which one it was that got stuck in your head, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our breakdown of every song in MAMMA MIA! the musical.
‘Overture/Prologue’
After an orchestral introduction including some of the musical’s main melodies, the show opens with Sophie, 20 years old and about to get married, on a quest to find her father. Having read her mother’s diary, she’s narrowed her possible fathers down to three candidates, and she sings a snippet of ‘I Have A Dream’ as she sneaks out to send each of them an invitation to the wedding.
Key lyric: “You can take the future, even if you fail”
‘Honey, Honey’
With each of the men having accepted the invitation, thinking they came from Sophie’s mother Donna, Sophie reads extracts from her mother’s diary to her best friends, detailing Donna’s love affairs with each of the men.
The first single to be released after the success of ‘Waterloo’, ABBA’s 1974 Eurovision Song Contest winner, ‘Honey, Honey’ comes from the band’s second album. The Swedish version of the song was the last official recording by the band in their own language.
Key lyric: “I heard about you before/I wanted to know some more”
‘Money, Money, Money’
After being reunited with her two best friends, Tanya and Rosie, Donna tells them all about her money woes. The owner of a taverna, Donna struggles to run the place on her own, and fantasises about marrying a wealthy man.
‘Money, Money, Money’ comes from ABBA’s fourth studio album, Arrival, and was the second single from the record. The original concept for the song centred around a woman who could barely stay afloat financially despite hard work – pretty near to Donna’s story.
Key lyric: “I work all night, I work all day/To pay the bills I have to pay”
‘Thank You For The Music’
Sam, Bill and Harry arrive on the island and begin to bond with Sophie, who convinces them not to tell Donna that she invited them to the wedding. They sing this song together, with Sophie elated to have her three possible dads in one place.
‘Thank You For The Music’ comes from ABBA’s fifth album, originally released as a double A-side single with ‘Eagle’.
Key lyric: “Without a song or a dance, what are we?/So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me”
‘Mamma Mia’
When Donna happens upon her three ex-lovers, she is overwhelmed and runs away in tears. Her outburst of feeling is encompassed in ‘Mamma Mia’, the show’s titular track. The ABBA single was originally released on the group’s self-titled third album. Taken with the Italian exclamation, ABBA manager Stig Anderson suggested it as a song title to writers Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who built lyrics around it.
Key lyric: “Yes, I’ve been broken-hearted/Blue since the day we parted”
‘Chiquitita’
Tanya and Rosie follow Donna and attempt to comfort her with this duet. ‘Chiquitita’ was the first single from ABBA’s sixth album, Voulez-Vous, and the group also recorded a Spanish language version of the song, despite never having learned Spanish – they learned the lyrics phonetically instead.
Key lyric: “Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong?/I have never seen such sorrow in your eyes/And the wedding is tomorrow”
‘Dancing Queen’
Still trying to cheer up Donna, Tanya and Rosie reminisce on their days as girl group Donna and the Dynamos, and attempt to convince Donna that her former self is still inside her.
The lead single from ABBA’s fourth studio album, ‘Dancing Queen’ was the band’s only number one hit in the US, topping the charts in multiple other European territories including the UK. Bandmember Frida remembers bursting into tears when she first heard the song’s backing track – even without vocals, she knew it was the best song the band had ever made.
Key lyric: “See that girl, watch that scene/Diggin’ the dancing queen”
‘Lay All Your Love On Me’
Sophie partially confides in her fiancé, Sky – she tells him about her three potential fathers, but not that she’s invited them all to the wedding. He assures her that he’s the only man she’ll ever need in her life, and the two sing this duet, before Sky’s friends appear to drag him away to his bachelor party.
‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ was a late single from ABBA’s seventh studio album, Super Trouper. Whilst the musical puts a more cheerful spin on the track, the original version can be interpreted to be about the helplessness that romantic obsession can inspire.
Key lyric: “Don’t go sharing your devotion/Lay all your love on me”
‘Super Trouper’
At Sophie’s hen party, Donna, Tanya and Rosie don their old Donna and the Dynamos costumes and reunite as a group to perform. The song, which was originally the title track from ABBA’s seventh studio album, refers to the Super Trouper, a type of followspot often used in large venues. It describes a pop star tired of touring and missing her lover, who is finally coming to see her show that night.
Key lyric: “Tonight the Super Trouper lights are gonna find me, but I won’t feel blue/Like I always do/Cause somewhere in the crowd, there’s you”
‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’
Sam, Bill and Harry accidentally stumble into the hen party and the guests persuade them to stay. Sophie speaks to all three and tries to work out which one might be her father, getting clues from each but feeling unable to decide. However, when she learns that Bill had a great aunt Sophia, who might be the woman Sophie is named after, both begin to feel it must be him.
Recorded as a single for ABBA’s compilation album Greatest Hits Vol 2, ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ was one of the only tracks ABBA ever allowed to be sampled, by none other than Madonna for her 2005 track ‘Hung Up’.
Key lyric: “Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight/Won’t somebody help me chase the shadows away?”
‘The Name Of The Game’
As the two leave the party, Sophie confronts Bill. He is reluctant to accept the possibility that he is her father at first, but eventually agrees to walk her down the aisle. The song’s lyrics, originally written in a romantic context, see Sophie admitting her vulnerability to Bill and asking him to reciprocate her willingness to build a relationship. ‘The Name Of The Game’ was released as the first single from ABBA’s fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album.
Key lyric: “Tell me, please, cos I have to know/I’m a curious child beginning to grow”
‘Voulez-Vous’
Just when Sophie thinks she’s solved the mystery of her parentage, it all gets more complicated. The stag and hen parties converge, and Sam and Harry both separately find Sophie and tell her that they believe they are her father. They both offer to walk her down the aisle, and Sophie leaves, confused and overwhelmed.
A single from ABBA’s sixth album of the same name, ‘Voulez-Vous’ is a club song in which one person propositions another. The song’s lyrics have little to do with the plot of the musical, but rather create the party backdrop as Sophie talks to her potential dads.
Key lyric: “Voulez-vous/Take it now or leave it/Now is all we get/Nothing promised, no regrets”
‘Under Attack’
The night before her wedding, Sophie has a bad dream in which all three of her possible dads fight to walk her down the aisle. The original single from ABBA had slightly different lyrics and was even more nightmarish, sung from the perspective of a woman being stalked. It was the last single ABBA released, appearing on their compilation album The Singles: The First Ten Years.
Key lyric: “Under attack, I’m taking cover/They’re on my track, three dads, one lover”
‘One Of Us’
Sophie wakes up from her dream, distressed, and Donna wants to know why she’s so upset on her wedding day. Sophie lashes out, blaming Donna for giving her a childhood without a father. Left alone, Donna reminisces on her past relationships and admits she is still nursing a broken heart.
‘One Of Us’ was the lead single from ABBA’s eighth studio album, The Visitors. It was the band’s last No.1 single of their careers.
Key lyric: “One of us is only waiting for a call/Sorry for herself, feeling stupid, feeling small/Wishing she had never left at all”
‘SOS’
Sam confronts Donna about Sophie and the two get into an argument, in which they both admit that they still have feelings for each other and openly wish that things had gone a different way.
The fifth single from ABBA’s self-titled third studio album, ‘SOS’ was integral to the band fine-tuning their perfect pop sound. Interestingly, the song is the only Top 20 hit in history in which the title of the song and name of the artist are both palindromes.
Key lyric: “What happened to our love?/ It used to be so good”
‘Does Your Mother Know’
Meanwhile, at the beach, a taverna worker named Pepper is making advances towards to Tanya. Telling him he’s too young for her, Tanya teasingly turns him down in this playful number. ‘Does Your Mother Know’ was a single from ABBA’s sixth studio album. The original track was one of ABBA’s few songs to feature a male vocalist, with Björn Ulvaeus singing lead and Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad on backing vocals.
Key lyric: “Well I could dance with you, honey/If you think it’s funny/Does your mother know that you’re out?”
‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’
Sky figures out Sophie’s plan and is upset with her for keeping it from him. Sophie seeks consolation from Sam, who tries to help by telling her about his own failed marriage through this song, but Sophie understandably isn’t comforted.
‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ comes from ABBA’s fourth album, Arrival. The song reflected tensions between the two married couples in the group, who would both divorce not long after.
Key lyric: “Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go”
‘Our Last Summer’
Harry comes to Donna offering to help pay for the wedding and they reflect back on their summer fling two decades ago. ‘Our Last Summer’ first appeared on ABBA’s seventh studio album, Super Trouper, and was inspired by Björn Ulvaeus’ memories of a holiday romance in Paris during his teenage years. The song’s lyrics, in which the female vocalist names her ex-lover as ‘Harry’, inspired the name of the character in the musical.
Key lyric: “And now you’re working in a bank/A family man, a football fan/And your name is Harry”
‘Slipping Through My Fingers’
Donna helps Sophie get ready for the wedding and the two reconcile. Sophie asks Donna to walk her down the aisle. Donna reflects back on Sophie’s childhood and how fast the time has gone by. This tearjerker comes from ABBA’s eighth studio album, The Visitors, and was written about Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog’s daughter, Linda, who was seven at the time.
Key lyric: “That feeling that I’m losing her forever/And without really entering her world”
‘The Winner Takes It All’
Sam and Donna talk again and Donna accuses him of breaking her heart. She lays it all on the table in this ballad, which was the lead single from ABBA’s seventh studio album, Super Trouper. Written about a fictional divorce, although partially inspired by Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog’s split, the song went on to become one of the band’s biggest singles.
Key lyric: “I don’t want to talk about things we’ve gone through/Though it’s hurting me, now it’s history”
‘Take A Chance On Me’
Ahead of the wedding, Bill expresses to Rosie that he’s disappointed not to be walking Sophie down the aisle. He proclaims that he’s committed to the single life, but Rosie petitions him to give her a chance instead.
‘Take A Chance On Me’ is the second single from ABBA’s fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album. A cover by the band Erasure in 1992 spurred a UK ABBA revival.
Key lyric: “If you change your mind, I’m the first in line/Honey, I’m still free, take a chance on me”
‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’
After a lot of confusion at the wedding, during which Sophie and Sky decide they aren’t ready to get married yet and Donna admits that she doesn’t know which of the three men is Sophie’s father, Sam makes a bold move. He proposes to her, revealing that he’s always loved her, and Donna accepts. The two take advantage of the wedding already set up and marry there and then. ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’ was the third single from ABBA’s self-titled third album.
Key lyric: “I love you, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do”
‘I Have A Dream’
Rather than getting married, Sophie and Sky leave the island to travel the world together. ‘I Have A Dream’ was the fourth single from ABBA’s sixth album, Voulez-Vous. The original recording featured a children’s choir and the song was often performed onstage with choirs from local schools.
Key lyric: “And my destination makes it worth the while/Pushing through the darkness; still another mile”
‘Waterloo’
The show ends with a musical encore in which reprises of ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Dancing Queen’ are performed. The cast then gathers for a performance of ‘Waterloo’, the song that launched ABBA internationally and won them the European Song Contest in 1974. The audience are typically invited to dance and sing along to this final number.
Key lyric: “Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war”
Find tickets for MAMMA MIA! here
