Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)

Background

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was written and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with the lead vocal sung by Agnetha Fältskog. Fältskog, as the narrator, weaves the image of a lonely woman who longs for a romantic relationship and views her loneliness as a forbidding darkness of night, even drawing parallels to how the happy endings of movie stars are so different from her existence. The melody line of the song was played on an ARP Odyssey synthesizer.

Originally, ABBA had recorded another song, "Rubber Ball Man", which was planned as a single. It featured the typical "ABBA-arrangement" with both Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad on lead vocals and the use of classical strings. This song was also performed by the group during rehearsals for its 1979 tour as "Under My Sun". However, the group felt that "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!", with its disco sound, would be a better choice, and thus, "Rubber Ball Man" remained nothing more than a demo.

The song came about after Benny and Bjorn heard Donna Summer's hit Hot Stuff, and upon hearing it, it inspired the riffs, melody and sentiment of the song with Agnetha yearning for 'a man after midnight' whilst Donna was in need of some 'hot stuff'

Single version

The single version of this song, which was released in its full length of 4:48 everywhere else in the world, was released in the United States and Canada in an edited format, being just 3:36 in length. This was done by removing the first half of the opening instrumental, the first four of the eight bars of the instrumental bridge between the second and final chorus, and fading the song out early. It is believed the edit was done by Atlantic, ABBA's North American record label and not Polar, hence the reason why it was available only in the US and Canada. This single version has never appeared on any commercial CD issued by Polar/Universal to date and along with the US promo edit of "Chiquitita", it marked the only time Atlantic ever commercially released an edited version of an ABBA single while they had the North American rights to release ABBA recordings.

As of September 2021, it is ABBA's tenth-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams.

The single was never released by Polar Music in the group's native Sweden, instead being featured on the Greatest Hits Vol. 2 album, which did get a Swedish release. While Polar released the single in neighbouring Norway, Denmark, and Finland, copies of these versions were not made available in the Swedish record stores, who thus arranged to import copies of the United Kingdom version on Epic Records. Sales of these imports were sufficient for the single to reach no. 16 on the sales chart in Sweden.

On October 4, 2024, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" was reissued digitally as a promotional single for the compilation album The Singles: The First Fifty Years. This release was accompanied by a Dolby Atmos remix of the song (the third ABBA release to receive this treatment, after "Waterloo" and Voyage) and a new 4K remaster of the music video.

On July 20, 2025, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" surpassed 1 Billion streams on Spotify, becoming the second ABBA song to reach that milestone, following "Dancing Queen".

Spanish version

"¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame!" is the Spanish-language version of the song. The song was released as a single to promote Gracias Por La Música in Latin America and other Spanish-speaking countries.

Reception

Critical

Cash Box called it "another exercise of sparkling euro-pop, with the slightest hint of boogie bottom to give the song an edge." Record World noted the track's "captivating chorus hook".

The Financial Times describes the song as a masterpiece of Scandinavian frankness and Abba's most sexually liberated songs. It tells gothic tale of alienation and sexual frustration unfolding to the pulse of a libidinous disco beat. The Times also notes that the song has become a gay anthem.

The Emory Wheel sees the song as an unapologetic dive into electro pop. It tells the emotional unravelling of a desperate woman all alone in her flat and its glittering, eerie melancholy is reflecting Abba’s dynamic appeal.

Commercial

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was another highly successful song for ABBA. It hit no. 1 in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, and Switzerland, while reaching the top 3 in Austria, West Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Norway. It also proved to be ABBA's most successful song in Japan, hitting no. 17.

Personnel

ABBA

• Agnetha Fältskog – lead and backing vocals
• Anni-Frid Lyngstad – backing vocals
• Bjorn Ulvaeus – electric guitar, backing vocals
• Benny Andersson – keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Ola Brunkert – drums
• Rutger Gunnarsson – bass, string arrangement
• Lasse Wellander – guitar
• Åke Sundqvist – percussion
• Anders Dahl, Gunnar Mickols – violin
• Halldor Pálsson, Lars O. Carlsson – tenor saxophone
• Christer Danielsson – bass trombone

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Certifications

A-Teens version

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was A-Teens' third single (fourth in other territories) from their first album The ABBA Generation, a collection of ABBA cover versions. The song was remixed for its single release. The single became their third top-10 hit in Sweden, where it earned a gold certification. The song was also recorded in Spanish.

Music video

The music video was directed by Sebastian Reed and filmed in Sweden. The video uses the remixed radio version. The video starts with the boys entering a warehouse, where they find a crystal ball. Inside, there is an "alternate world" where they perform the song. Part of the video also features the band at a bowling alley where they play a few games against each other.

Releases

European 2-track CD single

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
2. "A*Teens Medley" [Pierre J's Radio Mix] – 3:54

European maxi CD

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
2. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Extended version] – 6:02
3. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Earthbound Late Show Remix] – 5:04
4. "A*Teens Medley" [Pierre J's Full Length Mix] – 8:19

Mexican CD single

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
2. "¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame!" [Versión en español] – 3:43

Japanese maxi CD

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" [Radio version] – 3:45
2. "A*Teens Medley" [Pierre J's Radio Mix] – 3:54
3. "Mamma Mia" [Versión en español] – 3:46
4. "¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame!" [Versión en español] – 3:43

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Star Academy France version

| B-side = "Brigitte Bardot" (remix)

In 2001, the song was covered by the first edition of the French TV reality show Star Academy 1. The song was credited to Olivia Ruiz, Jenifer Bartoli and Carine Haddadou, three of the contestants. This version went straight to no. 1 in France, dislodging Star Academy's previous hit, "La Musique (Angelica)", and stayed atop for two weeks.

Track listings

; CD single

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" – 3:30
2. "Brigitte Bardot" (remix edit) by Jean-Pascal Lacoste – 3:01

Charts

Film version

3:53 (single/soundtrack version) 3:43 (video edit)

• Polydor
• Björn Ulvaeus
• Björn Ulvaeus (executive)

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was the first single released from the soundtrack for the 2008 film version of Mamma Mia! by American actress Amanda Seyfried, who plays Sophie in the film. In the film, only the chorus is sung while the rest of the song is instrumental, much like the original stage play. On the soundtrack, Seyfried sings the complete song as a solo performance, and also does the same in a music video to promote the movie. The version on the soundtrack is a minute shorter than the version featured on the film's tie-in website.

Charts

Certifications

Cher version

• Björn Ulvaeus

American singer and actress Cher covered the song on her album Dancing Queen, released on 28 September 2018. Cher's version is the lead single on the album. The accompanying audio video for "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was premiered through Cher's official YouTube channel on 9 August 2018. An extended version of the track was later released on 14 September 2018. The song peaked at number 4 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Critical reception

Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos felt that "working with producer Mark Taylor who helped seal Cher's legacy with the game-changing "Believe" in the late Nineties, she finds subtle changes that update ABBA classics without totally stripping them of the catchiness that made those songs beloved hits well beyond their heyday. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", "SOS" and "Mamma Mia" are given just enough of a knob turn that they're transformed from upbeat FM radio pop into club bangers, pulsating with every beat."

Track listing

Digital download

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" – 4:11

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Extended Mix] – Single

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Extended Mix]" – 7:25

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Midnight Mixes]

1. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Extended Mix]" – 7:25
2. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Offer Nissim Needs a Man Remix]" – 7:19
3. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Love To Infinity Classic Remix]" – 5:27
4. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Guy Scheiman Anthem Remix]" – 7:19
5. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Ralphi Rosario Remix]" – 7:52
6. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Love To Infinity Insomniac Remix]" – 6:11
7. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Danny Verde Remix]" – 5:54
8. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Chris Cox Anthem Remix]" – 6:06
9. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Guy Scheiman Anthem Dub Remix]" – 6:06
10. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) [Ralphi Rosario Dub Remix]" – 6:27

Credits and personnel

Credits for Dancing Queen adapted from AllMusic.

Management

• Published by Universal Songs of PolyGramInt., Inc. (ASCAP) and EMI Waterford Music Inc. (ASCAP)
• Recorded by Mark Taylor and Paul Meehan at Metrophonic Studios, London
• Mixed by Matt Furmidge and Mark Taylor at Metrophonic Studios, London
• Mastered by Stephen Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood, CA

Personnel

• Cher – primary vocals
• Benny Andersson – songwriter
• Björn Ulvaeus – songwriter
• Ash Soan – drums
• Adam Phillips – guitars
• Hayley Sanderson – backing vocals
• Andy Caine – backing vocals

Charts

Other notable covers

BNB version

In 2008, the song was covered in a jazz/lounge style by American group BNB on its album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.

Arkells version

Canadian rock band Arkells have covered the song during their live shows. In 2023, they released a studio recording of the cover.

Molly Sandén version

Swedish pop singer Molly Sandén released a version of the song in April 2024, following a live performance on SVT's En Fest för ABBA (A Party for ABBA) concert, celebrating the 50th anniversary of ABBA's Eurovision win.

Unix/Linux Easter egg

The Unix/Linux computer operating system command line utility "man" for displaying manual pages would print "gimme gimme gimme" when run without arguments on 00:30 (as the opening lyrics of the song are "half past twelve"). The Easter egg has been removed since version man-db 2.8.0 after it had been discovered as an annoyance in a software automatic test system on 20 November 2017 and brought to broad attention on the Stack Exchange Q&A network site dedicated to Unix & Linux.

Sampling

In 2005, the song was sampled by Madonna, who used it on her worldwide hit single "Hung Up" from Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna is said to have sent a letter to Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus asking to use the song as a sample, since the Swedish songwriting duo are reluctant to let other artists sample their material. It was only the second time that an ABBA track had been officially sampled, the first being the Fugees in 1996 with their hit "Rumble in the Jungle", sampling part of 1977's "The Name of the Game".

Ava Max "subtly sample[d]" the song in her 2019 single "Torn". Max stated that she listened to ABBA and Ace of Base during her childhood, and wanted to "add a little disco flair in there".

Rina Sawayama sampled the chorus of the ABBA song for the guitar riff in her 2022 single "This Hell".

References

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