Thank you for the music: The 15 Best ABBA covers ever, from Madonna to Cher

Few bands have had the staying power of ABBA on culture. Since their 1974 Eurovision win, the band has left their indelible print on culture with dozens of hits that millions around the world still sing along to, a hit Broadway musical that spawned two hit movies, and a live hologram show—with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

This legacy lives on through other musicians, as well. Throughout the years, many artists have covered both their greatest hits and their deep cuts, either as a tribute or with their own spin and interpretation of the songs.

Here are 15 of the very best:

1. Cher, “Fernando” & More

Cher had a decades-long personal friendship with the members of ABBA, but her involvement with their music solidified in 2018 when she joined the cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, singing hits like “Fernando” and “Super Trouper.” The joy and excitement of covering her friends inspired her to put out an entire album of ABBA covers that has become seminal on dance floors, even if it’s just a few years old.

2. A*Teens, “Super Trouper” & More

Before there was a multi-million dollar franchise that connected new generations to ABBA, there was A*Teens. The Swedish teen pop group became a sensation in the late ’90s and early 2000s with their high-adrenaline, even-more-upbeat take on ABBA’s songs. They had some big hits of their own (“Upside Down,” anyone?) but their biggest contribution was keeping ABBA alive with the younger folk.

3. The Glee Cast, “Dancing Queen” & More

Covers were Glee’s entire deal. For six seasons, they covered everything from classic showtunes to immediately dated viral hits, and ABBA was no exception (they did three covers!). Although the show’s characteristic derangement is embodied in Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison singing “The Winner Takes It All” in the series finale, and there is much fun and joy in the cast’s cover of “Mamma Mia!”, it’s Naya Rivera and Amber Riley’s “Dancing Queen” that comes out on top. Their voices fit the song beautifully, and it’s sung during a prom scene. Come on, what’s more perfect?

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4. Sinead O’Connor, “Chiquitita”

One of the most timeless and controversial icons of the ’90s, alt-rock superstar Sinead O’Connor did her own take of “Chiquitita,” one of ABBA’s most melancholic ballads. Given the path that Sinead’s life took, up until her untimely death earlier this summer, her singing about finding the courage to get back up again after hardships hits much deeper.

5. Erasure, “Take A Chance On Me”

Erasure, the British ’80s synth-pop duo, released an EP in 1992 called ABBA-esque in which they reinterpreted five of ABBA’s biggest hits. This was right around when Abba Gold—the greatest hits album that led to the cultural renaissance of the group—was taking off, so it couldn’t have been better timed. They also recorded music videos to accompany each of the songs, filled with kitsch, camp, and references to the original videos.

6. Zara Larsson, “Lay All Your Love On Me”

In 2022, Swedish pop star Zara Larsson paid homage to her homeland’s cultural and musical roots by covering “Lay All Your Love On Me” in her signature hyper-pop style as a single exclusive for Spotify. She’s also been performing the number it constantly on her tours since.

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7. Kelly Clarkson, “Dancing Queen”

Kelly Clarkson has very smartly integrated her superhuman vocal skills into her daily talk show through “Kellyoke,” a segment where every day she covers a different song, no matter the style, genre, or time period. Her take on “Dancing Queen” stands out as one of the boldest and most moving renditions, with Kelly reinterpreting the dance anthem as a melancholic, slow ballad that brings the longing and sentiment of the lyrics to the surface. Chills.

8. U2, “S.O.S.”

U2 covered “S.O.S.”—ABBA’s iconic song of heartbreak and looking for forgiveness—earlier this year for the BBC. Bono’s characteristic vocals are able to embed the song with even more depth and feeling, showing the range that the band’s song catalog can have depending on who is singing them.

9. Basically Every Mexican Pop Star, Multiple Songs

ABBA’s long-lasting impact hasn’t been confined to English-speaking countries. A few years ago, some of the biggest names in Latin American pop got together to record “Dancing Queens: Un Tributo para ABBA,” where they each got to reinterpret a different song, both in English and Spanish. Artists like Belanova, Fey, and Danna Paola imprinted their own signature style to their songs, which range from electropop to rancheras and traditional Mexican folklore. A must-listen for any die-hard fan.

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10. Westlife, “I Have A Dream”

A lot of the covers in this list have been artists that slow down the original version to something more stripped down and raw. But with their cover of “I Have a Dream,” British pop stars Westlife added a boyband layer to a ballad, and turned into something that’s unmistakably a product of the early 2000s. ABBA has never sounded more like an angsty teen anthem.

11. Jonathan Groff, “Thank You For The Music”

You would think that, given their catalog and specificity of a lot of their lyrics, ABBA songs would make more appearances in revue performances and live cabaret albums. Jonathan Groff makes a meal out of the classic “Thank You For The Music” during one of his live shows in New York City, placing it in a perfect setting of intimate celebration that really lets his vocals shine.

12. Boy George, “Voulez-Vous”

There’s a direct line from ABBA to the glam-rock wave that Boy George was deeply embedded into, so it only makes sense that he would have one of the liveliest (although also one of the most straightforward) ABBA covers. With “Voulez-Vous,” he taps into the disco grooves and glitter-infused theatrics as if calling back to his own origins.

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13. Madonna, “Like An Angel Passing Through My Room”

We all know how Madonna used an ABBA sample to catapult herself back into the spotlight and center stage of the world in 2005. But “Hung Up” wasn’t her first dip into the ABBA catalog. Although it was unreleased, she recorded a cover of “Like An Angel Passing Through My Room,” one of ABBA’s lesser-known tracks, for a series of recordings that would lead to her Music album. It’s great to see her pay homage to a deep cut, although the track that she chose to officially align herself to ABBA was in hindsight the better choice.

14. Kylie Minogue feat. Danii Minogue, “The Winner Takes It All”

Kylie has never been shy about her love for ABBA, citing them often as one of her biggest influences in her decade-spanning career, and has also covered them a couple of times. She famously did a Vegas/showgirls-inspired cover of “Dancing Queen” for the Closing Ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, plus she and her sister/fellow pop star Danii did perhaps the definitive cover of the power ballad “The Winner Takes It All.”

15. Sarah Brightman, “Arrival”

Sarah Brightman’s operatic voice is maybe an unlikely fit for ABBA’s signature style. However, she was able to take one of their less-popular songs, “Arrival,” and turn it into a winter-infused whimsical ballad for her Christmas album Winter Symphony. Just in time to add it to your holiday playlist!

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