“Little Things” by ABBA
Christmas, as it tends to be practiced in the Western world, is perhaps by and large what we would refer to as a consumer holiday. And whereas that aspect of gift giving is present in this song, of course that’s not what an act like ABBA is going to harp on.
Instead this track (“Little Things”) is somewhat reminiscent of Mariah Carey’s holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You“. This is not only in that there is a sort of subliminal romantic element but also the emphasis being on enjoying the holiday season with loved ones.
As far as the romantic element goes, the addressee reads as if he is the vocalist’s spouse. And from the onset what the singer relishes is simply waking up next to him, though a reference to his “naughty eyes” in the second verse is a bit risqué as far as ABBA lyrics go.
Beyond that there is also the joy of watching the children, as most adults would probably agree that one of the best things about Christmas is observing kids, especially their own, revel in their new toys.
And in the chorus, the singer is thanking her spouse for playing the role of Santa in their lives, so to speak. Indeed from her perspective, this is about as good as it gets as far as family life is concerned.
In Conclusion
Throughout this whole piece, out of all of the “little things” the singer appreciates about the Christmas holiday, none of it has to do with her being the recipient of a physical gift. Contrarily, this is very much a family-oriented tune.
So in a way, even though there are a number of Xmas references, we can understand how co-writer Benny Andersson didn’t even perceive this as a Christmas song. Or rather, let’s conclude by saying that what the vocalist cherishes the most about the holiday is how it puts her loved ones in a festive mood.
ABBA and “Little Things”
Believe it or not ABBA, an extremely-popular old school bubblegum pop act that has been described using adjectives such as ‘cheesy’, has never gotten around to dropping a Christmas single.
This song came out as a part of “Voyage”. “Voyage” is the quartet’s comeback album. It was officially released by UMG and Polar Music on 5 November 2021.
“Little Things” is officially the third single from that project. ABBA decided to release it in early December 2021, which is around the onset of the Christmas season. This therefore technically makes “Little Things” ABBA’s first Xmas single and by the looks of things their first Christmas song as a unit in general.
And to note, even though earlier reports indicated that the prior singles from “Voyage” weren’t doing so well, thus far the album itself has proven to be a major success. It has even made it into the top 5 on the Billboard 200. This is despite ABBA not being terribly popular stateside.
Also to note, ABBA did come out with a holiday tune entitled “Happy New Year” back in 1980.
“Little Things” was written by the following members of ABBA:
- Björn Ulvaeus
- Benny Andersson
Voyage‘s other Singles
Three other singles preceded the release of “Little Things”. These are:
