6812. ABBA - Fernando

- Sunday, May 10, 2026

From: Greatest Hits; Year: 1975 (1976); Genre: Pop/Rock

Yet another case of a song playing in my head.... I cannot count the amount of times I have heard this track; my Dad owned everyone of ABBA's records and for the most part played them all the way through. For some reason this track in particular is one that just catches your attention even more that usual from the Swedish superstars.

Originally Benny and Bjorn along with their manager Stig Anderson wrote this one for Anni-Frid's solo album in '75 and later recorded it as a single for the band as well; the original was sung in Swedish and the entire story/lyrics were different as well.

With the Swedish version the titular Fernando, (whose name was taken from a bartender at one of the band's favourite clubs in Stockholm), is being consoled after the loss of a love.

In the English version Bjorn wrote the lyrics in the form of two old veterans of the Mexican Revolution reminiscing about their tour of duty as freedom fighters many years later. This heavy subject adds a great deal of emotional weight to an otherwise pop-oriented song. For me personally I really like the music in the verses with the flute, snare drums, and string accompaniment, which really adds an exotic flavour to the story. While the chorus, as always with ABBA, blasts off into major chords as a proven musical hook, I find it a smidge of a detractor, but not that much.

Hear Fernando on YouTube.

Hear the original Anni-Frid version on YouTube.

My song pick 1 year ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - It Came Out of the Sky

My song pick 2 years ago today: Maxwell - Radiation Funk

My song pick 3 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Guardian's Watch

My song pick 4 years ago today: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Don't Walk Away

My song pick 5 years ago today: Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah - Lake Shore Drive

My song pick 6 years ago today: Laura Branigan - Spanish Eddie