"Little Things" is a song by

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

, released on their 2021 album '' Voyage''. It is the third track on the album. It was released as a single on 3 December 2021.

Background and synopsis

The song was written by

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...

and

Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...

, who contributed music and lyrics respectively. The song is partly based on "Godnattvisa" ("lullaby" or "cradle song"), an instrumental by Benny Anderssons Orkester, released on the album '' BAO 3'' in 2007. It was announced in December 2021 that all of the band's royalties earned from the song in the next five years would be donated to

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. In 1979, the band similarly donated their royalties from the single " Chiquitita" to UNICEF, in recognition of that year's designation as " International Year of the Child". Described as a "gentle reflection on the joy of Christmas morning and family time around this special time of year", "Little Things" is about a woman who wakes up on Christmas morning and reflects on the joy that the season brings her and her family, and all the 'little things' that make Christmas special. The outro features the Children's Choir of the

Stockholm International School Stockholm International School (SIS) provides an international education in English to just over 820 students aged 3–18 (January 2024 figures) in the heart of Sweden's capital. Teaching International Baccalaureate Primary Years, Middle Years, ...

Music video

A lyric video for the song was published to ABBA's official

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel on 5 November 2021. It was directed by Mike Anderson, and produced by Nick Barratt, of the Able production company. On 3 December 2021, the official music video for the song was published to the band's YouTube channel. The video features schoolchildren getting together at Christmastime and producing their own ABBA Voyage-inspired concert. The video features an extended version of the song (additional parts before and after the choir), not available on the CD single. The band members themselves do not make a direct appearance in the video, showing only on screen as part of the depicted production effort. The music video was directed by Sophie Muller.

Personnel

ABBA

* Agnetha Fältskog - Vocals *

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad (born 15 November 1945), also known simply as Frida, is a Swedish singer who is best known as one of the founding members and lead singers of the pop band ABBA. Courtesy titles ''Principality of Reuss-Gera, Princess Re ...

- Vocals *

- Keyboards *

- Guitar

Other personnel and production staff

* Jan Bengtson - flute * Per Grebacken - flute, clarinet * Per Lindvall - percussion * Children's Choir of the

- vocals * Stockholm Concert Orchestra, conducted by Göran Arnberg - orchestration

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2021 singles 2021 songs ABBA songs Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Swedish Christmas songs