EW’s Music Mix is searching for the Greatest Guilty Pleasure Musical Act of All Time. With 16 seeded contestants remaining (see all the matchups), this tournament is continuing to change hearts, minds, and lives, as well as make some people remarkably agitated! Read/listen to the following, and then cast your vote in the poll after the jump; reader comments will be used from here on out, so we encourage you to also post a comment explaining why you chose the way you did. Note: In case of a tie, please select the artist you feel more ashamed to adore. Also note: Yes, the bracket was rearranged to be in proper bracketing order. Thank you.
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Styx beat Air Supply in Round One, but the groundswell of popular support was more of a trickle. They don’t have a meatball’s chance in Sweden here.
“I love Styx and don’t feel ashamed about it at all. My husband calls them Stinks. I even like Mr. Roboto.” — Jill
“I love STYX, except for “Come Sail Away”. That song makes me cringe but the others are fantastic…yes, even “Mr. Roboto” (especially “Mr. Roboto”). They also put on a kick-*ss concert.” — Elizabeth
“Wow! This one is super-tough. You sure they are not the same band? Have you ever seen them in the same room at the same time?” — mom7801
ABBA vs. Hootie wasn’t much of a contest. This won’t be, either.
“Abba! hands-down… Abba Gold has to be one of the best greatest hits albums ever made and i actually went further and now i have EVERY. SINGLE. ABBA. ALBUM! (yes i know that is so awesome)… I do not nor will I ever feel guilt over loving ABBA no matter how disgusting Pierce Brosnan murders there songs… for more ABBA gems check out “when all is said and done”, “the visitors, “as good as new”, “i am the city” or just pick up More Abba Gold… also I firmly believe that “Lay all your love on me” is quite possibly the Best disco song ever made…” — paige
“Ha, I’m listening to ABBA right now. Ha!
Knowing meeeeee, knowing you. Uh huh. there is nothing we can do, knowing meee, knowing you.” — David
“if Abba had a concert right now I would pay up to 10 grand to see them. Their songs were the soundtrack to my childhood and teenage years.” — adamfan
“When I heard about this contest, I thought “ABBA all the way”. I’m a little shocked they’re not a #1 seed.” — Ceballos
Want to vote in a previous matchup? Click here to visit Guilty Pleasure Bracket Central!
Photo Credit: Styx: Everett Collection; ABBA: Rex Features/Everett Collection
ABBA should be the ultimate winner for the greatest guilty pleasure musical act of all time. In fact, I’d bet on it.
ABBA – no contest.
you’re kidding right? considering my ABBA post was the first quote up there, I dont think I need to re-explain where my loyalties lie… but either way, I love Come Sail Away by Styx… but i cant name any other song by them… as for ABBA- I have a playlist of 78 songs that I can name off the top of my head. I have been an ABBA fan for about 20 years and that started about 6 years after they broke up. There’s a reason why they’re the ultimate (guilty) pleasure- they mastered the art of melody with the subtlety of a jack hammer- think of the 2-note xylophone beat of “mamma mia”… I love love love love love love love L-O-V-E ABBA!
To me, a guilty pleasure acknowledges a certain lack of quality. In other words, you know it’s terrible, but you like it anyway. No way is ABBA a guilty pleaure in my book. They created some of the most expertly crafted popular music of all time, and Frida and Agnetha are both fantastic singers whose voices blended in a way that has never been matched.
Well said and dead on. Pete Townsend of the Who acknowledged SOS as the greatest pop song of all time. When he first heard the song and then realized who was singing it, it was too late. The song had hooked him. ABBA or not, he acknowledged the greatness of the song.
Further, John Lennon called Knowing Me, Knowing You and Dancing Queen the greatest 1-2 punch in the history of pop music. John Lennon called the Piano and synth riffs in Dancing Queen euphoric.
U2 performed Dancing Queen in their 1992 World Tour and it became the signature of their tour. Benny and Bjorn of ABBA joined them on stage for Dancing Queen in the Stockholm concert, and Bono welcomed them enthusiastically, but lamented the missing Frida and Agnetha.
Finally, there have been countless productions of Mamma Mia! around the world. In every interview of a new cast or new production, the actors, who all tend to be great singers, all confess at how complicated and difficult it is to sing ABBA songs. They sound deceptively simple, but they are the ultimate complex arrangements with so many hooks buried so deep doctorate students in music do theses on Flute Affects in songs like Fernando.
Think about it, if the ABBA sound were easy and singing the songs were cake, why wouldn’t everyone being trying to duplicate them? After all, who wouldn’t want to sell 350 million records? The answer: they don’t duplicate ABBA because they can’t duplicate ABBA. ABBA is so good, we may never realize how brilliant they really were because they made it look and sound so easy. That’s a tribute to real greatness, folks. The only guilt involved should be that for so long, so many have never given ABBA their due.
I really enjoyed reading your comment. I certainly gave my vote to ABBA and your response makes me glad I did that
Thanks Ambee
I’m so glad you wrote this because I would never be able to be so succinct in what makes Abba so great. I have loved them since the Eurovision Song Contest. They were my Beatles. Yes, their early songs were fluffy pop songs but once they hit their groove and their songs got more personal the lyrics just became so wonderful. I agree with Paige “When all is said and done” is an amazing song but I think my favourite might be “Our Last Summer” or “The Way Old Friends Do”. Not sure.
Great comments !!!…couldn’t agree with you more..great job !!
ABBA ABBA ABBA
I in no way consider ABBA a guilty pleasure, they made incredible pop music that is still being played all over the world today. How can a gulity pleasure sell over 400 million records worldwide and still sell a few million a year? ABBA had some very complicated musical arrangements along with the incredible harmonies of Frida and Agnetha.
EW is promoting their Beatles Cover and 50 Best Beatles song of all time. Wow. Whatever happened to the ABBA issue and ABBA’s 50 Best Songs Ever? I bet the Top 25 are all in Mamma Mia!
Anyway, Intermix the Beatles’ Top 50 Songs like EW is compiling with ABBA’s top 50 and I’ll bet you’ll be surprised at how many ABBA hits best some Beatles Classic #1s:
My Beatles Top 10:
1. We Can Work it Out
2. Lady Madonna
3. Norwegian Wood
4. Yesterday
5. Let it Be
6. Hey Jude
7. Paperback Writer
8. Eleanor Rigby
9. All You Need Is Love
10. Here There and Everywhere.
Compare these with my ABBA Top 10:
1. Knowing Me, Knowing You
2. Take A Chance On Me
3. SOS
4. Dancing Queen
5. The Winner Takes It All
6. the Name of the Game
7. Fernando
8. Waterloo
9. Mamma Mia!
10. Super Trouper
I rest my case.
Now put ABBA up against Styx. Uhhhhhh, I love Styx. But ABBA is in the same league as the Beatles, as Elvis. That’s pretty rarefield air among the acts that have sold over 350 million albums. I don’t see how anyone in this Guilty Pleasures Contest can touch ABBA. And for the record, Loving ABBA is pure pleasure. There’s no guilt involved.
Cheers!
I totally agree, “guilty pleasure” usually alludes at an act that you love in spite of knowing they are, well, crap. ABBA is pure pop pleasure that has proved to be outstanding music and solidly crafted, enduring melodies. Nothing “guilty” about the pleasures of loving ABBA
STYX by far. Renegade is da bomb. I believe they were trendsetters with one of the first rock opera tours- (albeit dismal critical failure) a certain arena rock tour known as “Kilroy was Here”? WAAAAY before the “rock opera” (albeit commercial smash hit) known as “Mamma Mia”. Suck on that Bjorn. Also STYX’s “Behind the Music” is perhaps the best episode ever and worth watching just to see Tommy Shaw’s look of shame and denial as he tries to act his way through the Kilroy stage show. As for pure vocal talent- Dennis DeYoung had the voice of an angel. Too bad they don’t get along well enough to tour any more. Styx cheers me up any time I need a lift, especially when I’ve got too much (clap clap!) time on my hands..
C’mon, do we really need to choose. Isn’t this obvious.
ABBA are going to shake Styx off like dandruff. How fitting that the song choice for this round is Waterloo. Napoleon on Elba had a better shot at victory than Styx have at defeating this Swedish powerhouse.
ABBA, obviously. Nothing can beat the awesomeness that is ABBA
ABBA. ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ another amazing drunk-along-song.
Dang, maybe I should go to AA. . .
I love them both and not ashamed of either but ABBA will always be the best pop group ever and can never be truly duplicated(no matter how hard they try- A*Teens!!!!!)I do love me a good “Renegade”
I get along GREAT with ABBA. Everyone vote them in for me!