Latest news with #Gimme!Gimme!Gimme!
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
This '70s pop band has won over Gen Z (again) with 1 billion Spotify streams.
It's not 1979, but ABBA is bewitching a whole new generation with its disco magic. The iconic Swedish pop group, beloved for its infectious blend of Europop and danceable grooves, has made Spotify history with its late-'70s hit "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)." The song, cowritten and coproduced by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, entered Spotify's Billions Club on Sunday, July 20, after surpassing one billion streams on the music platform, Spotify exclusively confirmed to USA TODAY. This isn't the first time ABBA has dominated the streaming universe with its timeless tunes. The band's enduring anthem, "Dancing Queen," entered the Billions Club in July 2023. Released in October 1979 as part of the group's compilation album "Greatest Hits Vol. 2," "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" peaked at No. 1 in several territories, including Europe, Denmark, Japan and Switzerland, and cracked the top 20 in ABBA's native Sweden. The song has received a number of revivals over the years thanks to various covers and samples. '80s diva and "Queen of Pop" Madonna featured the track's opening synth line in her 2005 song "Hung Up," which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. ABBA book revelations: AC/DC connection, the unlikely inspiration for 'Mamma Mia!', more Additionally, the 2008 film "Mamma Mia!" — a musical based on ABBA's hits-heavy catalog — included a version sung by stars Amanda Seyfried, Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall. More recently, "Gimme!" has enjoyed a digital resurgence with Gen Z, as seen on the social media platform TikTok. Several clips show young fans embracing the song's disco sound with lively, choreographed routines. (dc: ??) am I too late for this trend?😆🪩 #fyp #xyzbca ABBA racks up Gen Z fans by the millions on Spotify ABBA's streaming dominance is in part due to the group's sizable Gen Z audience. Globally, Gen Zers have accounted for 50% of ABBA's total streams on Spotify in 2025, according to the streaming service. Additionally, there have been over 11 million ABBA discoveries by Gen Z listeners on Spotify, which makes up half of the band's discoveries from all users worldwide. See the photos: A 'very emotional' ABBA reunites to receive Swedish royal honors The top 10 most-streamed ABBA tracks among Gen Z listeners in 2025 are as follows:
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Video: Ex-Celtic defender sings ABBA classic in front of new teammates
The left-back chose not to renew his contract at Parkhead, instead signing a three-year deal with the Greek side. Read more: He is set to play alongside Jonjoe Kenny, a former Celtic player. As is customary at football clubs, players perform initiation songs; Taylor picked ABBA's 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)' for his debut performance in front of his new teammates. Taylor recently made his first appearance for PAOK in a 2-1 friendly loss to Ajax. Despite the defeat, his performance received high praise from manager Razvan Lucescu. Lucescu said: "Greg Taylor is just a super player and we also have Jonjoe Kenny, who showed a lot of intensity and energy. "They both showed they will be very comfortable in our team and both already looked at home." The boss was pleased with how well both Taylor and Kenny have integrated into the team. He added: "There is still a lot of work to be done to prepare, but I am very pleased with the way the players have adapted to their new club. "They will be big players for us this season."
The National
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Watch: Greg Taylor belts out ABBA classic in brilliant PAOK initiation
The left-back opted not to renew his deal at Parkhead and signed for the Greek giants on a three-year deal earlier this summer. He will play alongside ex-Celtic flop Jonjoe Kenny. Read more: As is customary at clubs, players sing initiation songs. Things were no different for Taylor in Greece, as he belted out ABBA's 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)' in front of his new teammates. Taylor recently made his debut for PAOK in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Ajax. Despite the loss, he was praised by boss Razvan Lucescu post-match. He said: "Greg Taylor is just a super player and we also have Jonjoe Kenny, who showed a lot of intensity and energy. "They both showed they will be very comfortable in our team and both already looked at home. "Both of them have fitted in well to the team and I am happy with their preparations for our first game of the season. "There is still a lot of work to be done to prepare, but I am very pleased with the way the players have adapted to their new club. They will be big players for us this season."
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Greg Taylor wows PAOK teammates with ABBA rendition as Celtic hero performs customary initiation song
Taylor has wasted no time in settling in with his new club since making the move to Greece Greg Taylor had his new PAOK teammates in fits of laughter after the former Celtic defender serenaded them with a rendition of ABBA's Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight). The Scotland defender joined the Greek side on a three year deal earlier this month after his contract at Parkhead expired, bringing an end to his six year stay in Glasgow's East End. And is as often customary when arriving at a new club, Taylor and other new recruits were required to get up and sing a song in front of the rest of the players to complete their initiation. And in true Scottish style, the left back embraced the task with open arms by belting out the legendary Swedish pop group's 1979 hit. Taylor, 27, initially joked that the rest of the players ' would not be able to understand him' before breaking into the song with bravado. The ex Kilmarnock defender soon had his teammates laughing and singing along before taking his seat at the dinner table to a round of applause. His signing voice may have caught his teammates by surprise but Taylor's ability on the pitch has already impressed his new manager Razvan Lucescu. Taylor made his unofficial PAOK debut in a 2-1 friendly loss to Ajax earlier this week and has already been branded as a 'super player' by Romanian coach Lucescu, who said: "Greg Taylor is just a super player and we also have Jonjoe Kenny, who showed a lot of intensity and energy. "They both showed they will be very comfortable in our team and both already looked at home. "Both of them have fitted in well to the team and I am happy with their preparations for our first game of the season. "There is still a lot of work to be done to prepare, but I am very pleased with the way the players have adapted to their new club. "They will be big players for us this season." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
War-weary Syrians and Lebanese watch from the sidelines as missiles fly in Israel-Iran conflict
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — In a park overlooking Damascus, 25-year-old Khaldoun Hallak has spent the past few evenings with his friends, drinking yerba mate, snacking on nuts, smoking hookah pipes and watching the sky for missiles streaking overhead. 'We've been through 14 years of war, and this is the first time Syria has nothing to do with it and we're just spectators,' Hallak said. Since Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Iran last week and Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel, neighboring countries have been in the flight path. Outside the scope Downed missiles and drones have fallen in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, damaging houses, causing fires and reportedly killing one woman in Syria. But those countries have so far not been dragged directly into the conflict — which had killed at least 224 people in Iran and 24 in Israel as of Tuesday — and many in their war-weary populations are hoping it stays that way. In Lebanon, which is still reeling from last year's war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, videos making the rounds on social media have shown revelers dancing and drinking on rooftops while projectiles flash across the sky in the background. Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk consultancy organization, happened to be visiting Lebanon when the conflict broke out and was attending a wedding when a parade of missiles began lighting up the sky as the DJ played ABBA's disco hit 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)'. He posted a video of the scene that went viral. 'Certainly most in Lebanon and also Syria are very satisfied to be outside the scope of this,' Maksad said. No longer in the spotlight, a sense of relief For some in the region, there is also measure of schadenfreude in watching the two sides exchange blows. There's a Syrian expression that literally translates as, 'The fang of a dog in the hide of a pig.' It means that two people perceived as despicable are fighting with each other. The phrase has surfaced frequently on social media as Syrians express their feelings about the Israel-Iran conflict. Watching from a park Many Syrians resented Iran's heavy-handed intervention in support of former President Bashar Assad during the country's civil war, but are also angered by Israel's incursions and airstrikes in Syria since Assad's fall. The Sunni-majority Syrian population also widely sympathizes with the Palestinians, particularly with civilians killed and displaced by the ongoing war in Gaza. 'May God set the oppressors against each other,' said Ahmad al-Hussein, 18, in Damascus, who was sitting in a park with friends waiting to see missiles pass overhead Monday night. 'I hope it continues. We've been harmed by both of them.' Hallak echoed the sentiment. 'Every time we see a missile going up, we say, may God pour gasoline on this conflict,' he said. 'If one side is hit, we will be happy, and if the other side is hit, we will also be happy. We will only be upset if there is a reconciliation between them.' In Lebanon, where last year's Israel-Hezbollah war killed more than 4,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, and left destruction in wide swathes of the country's south and east and in Beirut's southern suburbs, some see retribution in the footage of destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv. Hezbollah remains largely quiet A U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal brought an end to the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in November. The Lebanese militant group — which lost much of its senior leadership and arsenal in the conflict — has remained largely quiet since then and has given no indication that it intends to join the fray between Israel and Iran. Israeli forces have continued to occupy several border points in southern Lebanon and to carry out regular airstrikes on what Israel says are Hezbollah facilities since the ceasefire. 'Of course I am against the Israeli occupation, and Iran is an Islamic country standing up to it,' said Hussein al-Walid, 34, a welder in the southern coastal city of Sidon. Iran's axis Despite the dramatic scenes of buildings reduced to rubble in Israel, Tehran and other Iranian cities have taken a worse pounding — and other regional countries, including Lebanon, could still be pulled into the conflict. Caroline Rose, a director at the Washington-based New Lines Institute think tank said that while it seems 'clear that Iran-backed proxies across the region — particularly Hezbollah—just do not have the capacity" to enter the fray, Israel could decide to expand the scope of its offensive beyond Iran. One of the goals announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to eliminate Iran's 'axis of terrorism' — the coalition of Tehran-backed armed groups across the region known as the 'Axis of Resistance.' That goal 'is ambiguous and offers Israel the operational space to expand this war to countries it deems are hosting Iran-backed proxies, no matter how weak they may be,' Rose said. Al-Walid shrugged off the possibility of a new war in Lebanon. 'The war is already present in Lebanon," he said. 'Israel isn't abiding by the agreement and is striking every day." Shouts of jubilation Hassan Shreif, a 26-year-old student from the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a strong base of support, said that after last year's war in Lebanon and the heavy losses suffered by the militant group, many of its supporters 'were clearly anguished and didn't feel vindicated.' 'So anything, even a window breaking in Tel Aviv, is (now) a victory for them,' he said. Every time Iranian missiles pass overhead, he said, people in the area break out in shouts of jubilation. At the same time, Shreif said, 'there's always a silent group hugging the wall as we say in Arabic, treading carefully and praying we stay out of it." ___ Abby Sewell reported from Beirut. Mohammad Zaatari contributed to this report from Sidon, Lebanon.
