七○年代成軍，八○年代解散，九○年代到現在仍依然傳唱的ABBA，柔美的和聲，獨樹一格的表演，ABBA在西洋流行樂壇的經典地位，不僅影響了諸多後生晚輩，ABBA現象更是持續延燒，絲毫未被流行樂壇快速的新陳代謝所淹沒…

1977年5月31日，ABBA著手進行他們的第五張專輯『ABBA—The Album』。“The Name of the Game”是一首很複雜的歌曲，一反ABBA當時的風格，它一開頭就以貝斯與合成樂的疊句展開，是該年他們所發行的第一支單曲，也是經紀人Stig Anderson幫忙Bjorn與Benny寫詞的最後幾首作品之一。Stig身為ABBA的經紀人與Polar唱片公司的老闆，根本沒有閒情意致去舞文弄墨，到1977年時，Stig對ABBA的幫忙僅限於幫他們的歌決定歌名，Bjorn與Benny認為Stig就是知道如何讓一首歌朗朗上口，像“SOS”、“Dancing Queen”、“Knowing Me, Knowing You”都是出自於他的筆下。它在英國流行榜得到冠軍﹔在美國 Billboard則得到第12位﹐而在愛爾蘭﹑比利時﹑荷蘭﹑瑞典﹑挪威均取後 Top 3名次﹔至於澳洲及新西蘭分別取得第6及第4 ﹔德國則得到第7。



Billboard TOP 40
Year Title
1974 Honey, Honey - (#27)
1974 Waterloo - (#6)
1975 SOS - (#15)
1976 Fernando - (#13)
1976 I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do - (#15)
1976 Mamma Mia - (#32)
1977 Dancing Queen - (#1)
1977 Knowing Me, Knowing You - (#14)
1978 Take A Chance on Me - (#3)
1978 The Name of the Game - (#12)
1979 Does Your Mother Know - (#19)
1980 Chiquitita - (#29)
1981 The Winner Takes It All - (#8)
1982 When All Is Said and Done - (#27)











Lyrics :
I’ve seen you twice, in a short time
Only a week since we started
It seems to me, for every time
I’m getting more open-hearted

I was an impossible case
No-one ever could reach me
But I think I can see in your face
There’s a lot you can teach me
So I wanna know......

What’s the name of the game?
Does it mean anything to you?
What’s the name of the game?
Can you feel it the way I do?
Tell me please, cause I have to know
I’m a bashful child, beginning to grow

And you make me talk
And you make me feel
And you make me show
What I’m trying to conceal
If I trust in you, would you let me down?
Would you laugh at me, if I said I care for you?
Could you feel the same way too?
I wanna know......

The name of the game

I have no friends, no-one to see
And I am never invited
Now I am here, talking to you
No wonder I get excited

Your smile, and the sound of your voice
And the way you see through me
Got a feeling, you give me no choice
But it means a lot to me
So I wanna know......

What’s the name of the game?
(Your smile and the sound of your voice)
Does it mean anything to you?
(Got a feeling you give me no choice)
(But it means a lot)
What’s the name of the game?
(Your smile and the sound of your voice)
Can you feel it the way I do?
Tell me please, cause I have to know
I’m a bashful child, beginning to grow

And you make me talk
And you make me feel
And you make me show
What I’m trying to conceal
If I trust in you, would you let me down?
Would you laugh at me, if I said I care for you?
Could you feel the same way too?
I wanna know......
Oh yes I wanna know......

The name of the game
(I was an impossible case)
Does it mean anything to you?
(But I think I can see in your face)
(That it means a lot)
What’s the name of the game?
(Your smile and the sound of your voice)
Can you feel it the way I do?
(Got a feeling you give me no choice)
(But it means a lot)
What’s the name of the game?
(I was an impossible case)
Does it mean anything to you?
(But I think I can see in your face)
(That it means a lot)