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Lillian here, hosting today’s Poetics at dVerse. Well, I’m going to do something a bit different today. I’m dedicating this prompt to Bjorn Rudberg. Did you know Bjorn earned a PhD in theoretical physics in 1991? He shifted away from the science of physics and developed his career in business development. Bjorn lives in Stockholm, Sweden and is one of the very early members of dVerse, posting in January 2013 and very soon after, becoming a pub tender. In 2015, metaphorically speaking, he became the main name on the pub’s lease and assumed the leadership role. Together with Grace, he keeps the pub open, stocks the bar with plenty of poets, and helps keep the pub flowing with beverages and prompts of all kinds. He can often be found sitting in the back corner of the pub with an ancient librarian.
So today, in honor of Bjorn, I’m reaching into Sweden’s musical archives and referring to ABBA for our prompt. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the music of ABBA. They’re a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972. A few interesting facts about ABBA:
- Their name ABBA is an acronym of the first letters of the group’s names, arranged as a palindrome! Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
- Their first breakthrough hit was Waterloo in 1974.
- They had 48 hit singles.
- In their most active years, the band consisted of two married couples: Faltskog and Ulvaeus, and Lyngstad and Adnersson. With their increasing popularity, their marriages suffered and eventually collapsed. ABBA disbanded in December 1982.
- A compilation of their hits, ABBA Gold, was released 10 years after the group broke up. It became a worldwide best-seller.
- In 1999, ABBA’s music was compiled into the musical Mamma Mia! The play toured worldwide and as of November 2021, is still in the top-ten longest running productions on both Broadway (closed in 2015) and the West End (still running).
- And perhaps you’ve seen the movie, Mamma Mia with Meryl Streep? It will definitely make you smile and get you up grooving with the music!
- Surprisingly, with their incredible popularity, ABBA only had one number-one hit: Dancing Queen.
So here we go, for today’s Poetics prompt I want you to write a poem that includes one line, and one line only, from ABBA’s only number-one hit, Dancing Queen. The lyrics are listed below. The poem can be any form, length, and about any topic….as long as you include, word for word, one line and one line only, from Dancing Queen! Here’s to you, Bjorn! 😊
DANCING QUEEN by ABBA
Ooh
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
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 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
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, see that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the dancing queen
You’re a teaser, you turn ’em on
Leave ’em burning 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
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, see that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the dancing queen
Digging the dancing queen
New to dVerse? Need to be refreshed on the rules?
Here’s what to do:
- Write a poem that includes one line and one line only, from the lyrics of ABBA’s Dancing Queen. The line must be word for word.
- Post the poem to your blog AND add the exact URL for your poem to Mr. Linky below.
- REMEMBER to either TAG dVerse in your post, or include a link at the end of your poem that leads readers back to dVerse (https://dversepoets.com).
- If there is no Tag or link back to dVerse, I will gently remind you to add it or remove your post from Mr. Linky. Sorry to be so harsh…..but this is just part of the requirements AND it will bring you more readers and lead more folks to dVerse so they can participate as well!
dVerse 
Welcome poetry pubbers! Pub is open, ABBA music is playing in honor of Bjorn, and it’s going to be a fun evening! Any dancing queens out there?
Looking forward to readying your posts. Let’s have at it!
Oh my gosh….I’m not seeing Mr. Link! I’ll check on this and be right back!
I might be able to fix it…
Please can you help, Bjorn? I can’t get it updated to get a Mr. Linky in it. If you can’t, I’ll take it down and put it up again fresh. Let me know.
I think it’s OK now..
How can I resist this one?
Hi Lillian: I had a lot of fun with this prompt, which cheered up a rather dreary end to November – thank you!
Whew! It’s up! YAY Mr. Linky! Don’t know if my tinkering or Bjorn’s tinkering fixed it but the pub is up and running! Let the Dancing begin!
Hello… lots of fun with this prompt… but I am blushing… never realized what you would do with it. It need a tribute from the band Bjorn Again
LOVE this! Thanks for posting!!! 🙂 On our cruise, they had an ABBA night…..so many singing along and dancing…..George (my husband of 51 years) looked at me in the middle of our dancing and said, you should do a prompt with ABBA and dedicate it to Bjorn! Thus was born this prompt! 🙂
So good!
What a fun post Lillian! I enjoyed all of it and I’m looking forward to dancing with ABBA tonight. ☺️ 🎶
So glad you like the prompt, Christine! Good to have you dancing with us at the pub tonight!
So much fun! We’re celebrating Hanukkah with daughter and her husband tonight (3rd night), but I’ll try to come back and celebrate Björn with Abba tomorrow!
Happy Hanukkah! Enjoy! See you tomorrow then….no problem. More important to be in celebration with your family.
Exactly. I missed it so much last year.
Abba were absolute masters of the catchy pop song, but their lyrics, with a couple of exceptions, aren’t exactly poetry. Maybe “Fernando”, “I Have A Dream” or “The Winner Takes It All” but not “Dancing Queen.” “The Winner Takes It All” was rather Fleetwood Mac-ish in that the singer, who was breaking up with her band member husband at the time, read the lyrics right before starting recording, and that had to be brutally hard. Anita F. has done some very nice solo stuff after Abba. I especially like her version of “What Now, My Love”
….and so interesting that their only #1 hit on the charts was Dancing Queen. Perhaps it’s more about the rhythms and danceability than the words being poetic? In any case, you’ve got the word “catchy pop” exactly right in my opinion. My husband says they were masters at creating ear worms! 🙂 Good to see you here!
They had only one number one in the US, In Australia, they were much bigger with six number ones, and I agree with the lyrics. As I grew up with ABBA I remember they were so very “uncool” so I have to listen to admire them from a distance.
Agnetha, not Anita. Oops.
and thank you for the welx. Nice to be here 🙂
Certainly agree Shay, ABBA will never be considered “deep” lyrically. Nina Simon / Leonard Cohen / Joni Mitchell — they are not. Here in my 75th year, my favorite music has grown to be jazz. At times, I shun the demands of any lyrics — just wanna drift and dream. But I have a closeted weakness for disco-type music that pops up unexpectedly, like an occasional guilty pleasure. At the top end of that I place Prince, Michael Jackson, and the like. Somewhere under that is where I c@n connect with ABBA or the BeeGees. Not my first choice in music, but what they do, they do well.
Great Lillian! Bravo to Bjorn. 👍🏼 Back in 2006, before he started d’Verse Poetry Pub (One Stop Poetry), Brian Miller used to respond with contributions to my prompts on my “Writer’s Island” prompt site. I know Ingrid did — and I think Claudia and other’s did too back then. I think Bjorn may have as well? Be that as it may, let’s celebrate Bjorn through ABBA. Gonna be fun. 🙂
Ah….nice to hear a little more history here. Thanks, Rob! Glad to see you here tonight. Lots of dancing happening in the pub tonight.
Loved this prompt. 👍🏼 Got inspired by a Justin Timberlake song, so I brought the sexy back in my piece 😏. And just too many great lines in that ABBA tune, so I may have stretched the rules a bit Lillian — sorry…😕
I actually only started to write poetry around 2011 or so… and then only on twitter.
And you write it well my friend. I’m old Bjorn, I am lucky I remenber yesterday clearly… 🙂
thanks for a fun prompt Lillian,
bravo to Bjorn
i am glad to have found you guys here at Dverse and would like to thank you all for the surport in the short time i have been here.
rog
…and we are glad to have you here! Glad you’re enjoying the prompt. Lots of dancing going on in the pub tonight in Bjorn’s honor 🙂
What was really unique with ABBA in my view was the way they created the sound with the voices and how they recorded. Michael B, Tretow should not be forgotten… his work in the studio was so very important… a Swedish Phil Spector (without the salacious parts)
Ah…..your insights here are good! Adding on to the info about them. Have you seen Meryl Streep in the movie Mama Mia?
Of course
“He can often be found sitting in the back corner of the pub with an ancient librarian.” That line put a big smile on my face! 😀
Excellent! I figured those who know Bjorn’s writings about the Ancient Librarian would get a kick out of it! 🙂 Good to see you here tonight.
… I thought I might be too tired for poetics, but then suddenly…
….then suddenly you became a dancing queen? 🙂 Good to see you here!
Barbara: Your link on Mr. Linky just comes back to this page, the prompt. Can you redo it and enter the URL for your poem?
This was such a fun and clever prompt, I enjoyed it — and once again am so amazed! I went to my corner and hammered out my words, finally hoping I got it bent and twisted into shape, then started reading, beautiful poem after poem ….I really like that very much, to see where a prompt can be taken, and really, have already read such good poetry as I wander through the list…thank you again Lillian…this poetry stuff has a lot going for it! I think I’ll just sit and have a quiet coffee…
Okay my dancing friends……….I’m leaving the pub till tomorrow. Going to see my granddaughter in a concert in a bit and spending the night here at my daughter’s with the grands. Should be a fun family night.
I’ve left the key under the potted plant to the right of the door. Beverages all set to help yourself, and of course ABBA is playing on a continuous loop. See you all tomorrow!
… bit tired for the pafter travel 😦 – posted the wrong link first – corrected after friendly hint from a fellow blogger; see you soon 🙂
pub after 🙂
Cheers and goodnight. This one is for you Bjorn
much💜love
Good to see you here, Gilena!
I love it! Abba music was a favorite back in the day! Great prompt, Lillian.
Glad you like it! I LOVE the movie Mama Mia and ABBA music!
Yes, the movie was very well done!
Much thanks Lillian and Bjorn for all your worthy efforts, I totally appreciate the camaraderie d’Verse offers! Your clip was so joyful Lillian it inspired my poem
Glad you enjoyed the clip. Mama Mia is one of my favorite movies….if ever I’m feeling the least bit down, I just have to watch it and I’m up bopping around! 🙂
great advice that I shared with a neighbour who is currently struggling, she loves it too and should be watching it about now 🙂
A fun prompt Lillian and aptly dedicated – I did not have time to join with a poem but can join in with all the thanks to Bjorn – and Grace – for keeping us dancing at dVerse
Thank you, Laura! 🙂
Hey all! Better late than never, I guess 😅. I’d love a cup of lemonade, and doughnuts, if they’re still available 😀 I’m always ready to savor their flavors on a dull evening such as today’s.
Lemonade and doughnuts coming right up! Always available at the pub 🙂
Disco and cocktails are synonymous so I’ll have a strawberry daiquiri thank you Lillian. I stayed with dancing, It was always Friday and Saturday night.
mmmm just made two strawberry daiquiris so I could have one too!
Thank you Lillian for hosting a fun post. Thank you Bjorn, I am always in awe of your writing. 🙂
Good to see you here! Always happy to host at the pub.
🙂
Lovely to see Bjorn acknowledged. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep a site, especially such a large one, going. My hat is off to Bjorn and Grace, and to Brian and Claudia before them, for what they have contributed to the online poetry world. Fatigue is keeping me pretty low-key these days, but I had to stop by to acknowledge these fine people, and the staff and members that keep this community so vibrantly alive. Shine on!
Nice to see you here, Sherry….and I know Bjorn and Grace appreciate your kind words.
Um…new schedule?
the old one only ran thru November 😦