Chiquitita

"Chiquitita"
"Chiquitita"
Single by Cher
Language	Spanish, English
Released	8 May 2020
Recorded	2020
Genre	Pop; Europop;
Length	4:49
Label	Warner
Songwriter(s)	Benny Andersson; Björn Ulvaeus;
Producer(s)	Mark Taylor
Cher singles chronology
Music video
	"Chiquitita (Spanish Version)" on YouTube

"Chiquitita"
"Chiquitita"
Single by ABBA
from the album Voulez-Vous
B-side	"Lovelight"
Released	16 January 1979
Recorded	13 December 1978
Studio	Polar, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre	Pop; Europop;
Length	5:26
Label	Polar (Sweden); Epic (UK); Atlantic (US);
Songwriter(s)	Benny Andersson; Björn Ulvaeus;
Producer(s)	Benny Andersson; Björn Ulvaeus;
ABBA singles chronology
Audio sample
	Menu 0:00 file; help;
Music video
	"Chiquitita" on YouTube

"Chiquitita" (a Spanish term of endearment for a woman meaning "little one") is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1979 as the first single from the group's Voulez-Vous album. Agnetha Fältskog sang the lead vocals. Originally, the track "If It Wasn't for the Nights" was going to be the album's lead single, but after "Chiquitita" was completed those plans were abandoned, and it would remain an album track.

History[]

Many preliminary versions of "Chiquitita" exist. It had working titles of "Kålsupare", "3 Wise Guys", "Chiquitita Angelina" and "In The Arms of Rosalita".^[1] A revised version, which had a sound that was influenced by the Peruvian song "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" performed by Simon and Garfunkel, was recorded in December 1978 and released as a single in January 1979.^{[citation needed]}

With the success of the English version, ABBA also recorded "Chiquitita" in Spanish by phonetics,^{[clarification needed]} and it was one of the featured tracks on the Spanish-language release Gracias Por La Música.^{[citation needed]}

Reception[]

"Chiquitita" proved to be one of ABBA's biggest hits. It was featured in a 1979 UNICEF charity event, the Music for UNICEF Concert, broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly. As a direct result of this event, ABBA donated half of all royalties from the song to UNICEF. "Chiquitita" hit No. 1 in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, South Africa and Rhodesia, and was a Top 5 hit in ABBA's native Sweden, the United Kingdom (peaking at No. 2 in both countries where Blondie's "Heart of Glass" was occupying the top spot),^[2] Australia, Germany and Norway, making it the most successful single from the Voulez-Vous album in terms of global charts and one of the most famous charity songs ever. To this day, 50% of the proceeds from the song go to UNICEF in recognition of the "International Year of the Child" in 1979. In 2014, all ABBA members agreed on donating 100% of the royalties from the song to UNICEF.

In the United Kingdom, "Chiquitita" debuted at No. 8 in the singles chart, making it the highest place début for any ABBA single release.

In Argentina, sales figures up to the end of July 1979 on the single show 500,000 in the Spanish edition, and 25,000 in the original English language format.^[3]

Music video[]

"Chiquitita" was one of the very few singles ABBA released without a custom-made video. Since then, on compilations of the group's videos, a contemporary TV performance of the song has been used, recorded in March/April 1979, quite some time after the single's release. This clip was taped by the BBC during recording of the show ABBA in Switzerland, broadcast across Europe at Easter 1979, although this clip did not feature in the broadcast, being intended for a Christmas programme. ABBA are seen performing the song on a mountainside, with a snowman in the background. Throughout the clip, the bad weather and bad light caused problems during filming, which affected Anni-Frid Lyngstad; her hair constantly flew in her face, and she was forced to keep moving it out of her eyes, so it was not used.^[4] During the location shoot in Leysin, the BBC recorded two further versions of the group lip-synching to the song. The group performed the song inside the BBC Big Top used to host 'ABBA in Switzerland' which was included in the final broadcast and a second video was shot of the group sitting around a table in a cafe,^[5] for the show Christmas Snowtime Special shown on BBC1 on 23 December 1979, hosted by Dame Edna Everage.^[6] The clip of the group filmed outside with the snowman was originally intended for this Christmas show, but producer/director Michael Hurll recorded the second clip as he was not happy with the first.^[7]

Personnel[]

Agnetha Fältskog – lead vocals
Anni-Frid Lyngstad – backing vocals
Björn Ulvaeus – guitar
Benny Andersson – keyboards

Chart history[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[8]	6
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)^[9]	1
Germany (Official German Charts)^[10]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[11]	1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[12]	1
Norway (VG-lista)^[13]	4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[14]	2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[15]	1
UK Singles (OCC)^[16]	2
US Billboard Hot 100^[17]	29
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary^[18]	15
U.S. Cashbox Top 100 Singles^[19]	36

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1979)	Rank
Australia ^[20]	40
New Zealand ^[21]	9
South Africa ^[22]	17
Switzerland ^[23]	9
UK ^[24]	16
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)^[25]	167

Certifications and sales[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina	—	525,000^[3]
Japan (RIAJ)^[26] 2001 release	Platinum	100,000^{^}
Netherlands (NVPI)^[27]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[28]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cher version[]

On May 8, 2020, American singer-actress Cher announced she had re-recorded Chiquitita in Spanish with all proceeds going to UNICEF, similar to how ABBA had done in 1979 with the release of the same song.

Cher's Spanish version of "Chiquitita" became her first song to chart on a US Latin Chart ever. It charted at No. 6 on the US Latin Digital Song Sales (Billboard) and No. 2 on the US Latin Pop Digital Song Sales (Billboard).

Music video[]

An accompanying music video for "Chiquitita" was premiered on UNICEF's website on 9 May 2020, uploaded to Cher's official YouTube channel shortly afterwards. Cher shot her part at home, with the final cut of the video featuring children from around the world in it.

Track listings and formats[]

Digital download[]

"Chiquitita (Spanish Version)" – 4:49
"Chiquitita" – 5:14

Credits and personnel[]

Credits for Dancing Queen adapted from AllMusic.^[29]

Management[]

Published by Universal Songs of PolyGramInt., Inc. (ASCAP) and EMI Grove Park Music Inc. (BMI)
Recorded by Mark Taylor and Paul Meehan at Metrophonic Studios, London
Mixed at by Matt Furmidge and Mark Taylor at Metrophonic Studios, London
Mastered by Sthephen Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood, CA

Personnel[]

Cher – primary vocals
Ash Soan – drums
Adam Phillips – guitars
Hayley Sanderson – backing vocals
Andy Caine – backing vocals

Charts[]

Chart (2020)	Peak position
US Latin Digital Song Sales (Billboard)^[30]	6

Other covers[]

A Spanglish version of Chiquitita was recorded by Spanish singer Charo for her 1981 studio album Bailando con Charo.

A Spanish version of Chiquitita released as a single by Amaia Montero in 2010 became a number one in the Spanish charts.^[31]

References[]

^ "ABBA – In The Arms of Rosalita Lyrics". Moodpoint.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
^ Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 90. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Abba The World". Billboard. 8 September 1979. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
^ "Abba – Chiquitita". Retrieved 29 July 2011 – via YouTube.
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wMRSzMwvVU
^ "Christmas Snowtime Special". The Radio Times (2928). 20 December 1979. p. 22. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
^ Palm, Carl Magnus. Abba: Bright Lights Dark Shadows. Omnibus Press; 3rd edition (1 September 2014) ISBN 978-1783053599
^ "Austriancharts.at – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Ultratop.be – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Charts.nz – ABBA – Chiquitita". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – ABBA – Chiquitita". VG-lista. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – Chiquitita". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Swisscharts.com – ABBA – Chiquitita". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "ABBA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 11.
^ Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank W (1994). Cash Box pop singles charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-56308-316-7.
^ "Forum – 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
^ "End of Year Charts 1979". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1979". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
^ Swiss Year-End Charts, 1979
^ "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 22 December 1979. p. 27.
^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
^ "Japanese single certifications – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 6 May 2020. Select 2001年2月 on the drop-down menu
^ "Dutch single certifications – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 19 November 2019. Enter Chiquitita in the "Artiest of titel" box.
^ "British single certifications – ABBA – Chiquitita". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 November 2019.Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Chiquitita in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "Dancing Queen - Cher | Credits". AllMusic.
^ "Cher's Billboard Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
^ chart discography Spain (until 2013) / official charts

External links[]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[1] "ABBA – In The Arms of Rosalita Lyrics". Moodpoint.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.

[2] Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 90. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995

[billboard-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Abba The World". Billboard. 8 September 1979. Retrieved 19 November 2019.

[4] "Abba – Chiquitita". Retrieved 29 July 2011 – via YouTube.

[5] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wMRSzMwvVU

[6] "Christmas Snowtime Special". The Radio Times (2928). 20 December 1979. p. 22. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

[7] Palm, Carl Magnus. Abba: Bright Lights Dark Shadows. Omnibus Press; 3rd edition (1 September 2014) ISBN 978-1783053599

[sc_Austria_ABBA-8] "Austriancharts.at – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_Wallonia_Tip_ABBA-9] "Ultratop.be – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_Germany_ABBA-10] "Offiziellecharts.de – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_Dutch100_ABBA-11] "Dutchcharts.nl – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_New_Zealand_ABBA-12] "Charts.nz – ABBA – Chiquitita". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_Norway_ABBA-13] "Norwegiancharts.com – ABBA – Chiquitita". VG-lista. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_Sweden_ABBA-14] "Swedishcharts.com – ABBA – Chiquitita". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_Switzerland_ABBA-15] "Swisscharts.com – ABBA – Chiquitita". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_UK_ABBA-16] "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[sc_Billboardhot100_ABBA-17] "ABBA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[18] Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 11.

[19] Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank W (1994). Cash Box pop singles charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-56308-316-7.

[20] "Forum – 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2017.

[21] "End of Year Charts 1979". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 May 2017.

[22] "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1979". Retrieved 2 September 2018.

[23] Swiss Year-End Charts, 1979

[24] "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 22 December 1979. p. 27.

[25] Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

[JapanABBAChiquititasingleCertRef-26] "Japanese single certifications – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 6 May 2020. Select 2001年2月 on the drop-down menu

[NetherlandsABBAChiquititasingleCertRef-27] "Dutch single certifications – ABBA – Chiquitita" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 19 November 2019. Enter Chiquitita in the "Artiest of titel" box.

[United_KingdomABBAChiquititasingleCertRef-28] "British single certifications – ABBA – Chiquitita". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 November 2019.Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Chiquitita in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[29] "Dancing Queen - Cher | Credits". AllMusic.

[30] "Cher's Billboard Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2020.

[charts-31] rt discography Spain (until 2013) / official charts

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show v t ABBA songs
Discography Unreleased songs
Ring Ring	"People Need Love" "He Is Your Brother" "Ring Ring" "Another Town, Another Train" "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)" "Rock'n Roll Band" "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" "Disillusion" "I Saw It in the Mirror" "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" "She's My Kind of Girl"
Waterloo	"Waterloo" "King Kong Song" "Hasta Mañana" "My Mama Said" "Honey, Honey" "What About Livingstone?"
ABBA	"Mamma Mia" "Hey, Hey Helen" "SOS" "Bang-A-Boomerang" "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" "Rock Me" "Intermezzo No. 1" "I've Been Waiting for You" "So Long"
Greatest Hits	"Fernando"
Arrival	"When I Kissed the Teacher" "Dancing Queen" "My Love, My Life" "Dum Dum Diddle" "Knowing Me, Knowing You" "Money, Money, Money" "That's Me" "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" "Tiger" "Arrival"
ABBA: The Album	"Eagle" "Take a Chance on Me" "One Man, One Woman" "The Name of the Game" "Move On" "Hole in Your Soul" "Thank You for the Music" "I Wonder (Departure)" "I'm a Marionette"
Voulez-Vous	"As Good as New" "Voulez-Vous" "I Have a Dream" "Angeleyes" "The King Has Lost His Crown" "Does Your Mother Know" "If It Wasn't for the Nights" "Chiquitita" "Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" "Kisses of Fire"
Greatest Hits Vol. 2	"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" "Summer Night City"
Super Trouper	"Super Trouper" "The Winner Takes It All" "On and on and On" "Andante, Andante" "Me and I" "Happy New Year" "Our Last Summer" "The Piper" "Lay All Your Love on Me"
The Visitors	"The Visitors" "Head over Heels" "When All Is Said and Done" "Soldiers" "I Let the Music Speak" "One of Us" "Two for the Price of One" "Slipping Through My Fingers" "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room"
The Singles: The First Ten Years	"The Day Before You Came" "Under Attack"
Other songs	"Merry-Go-Round" "Elaine" "Put On Your White Sombrero" "Should I Laugh or Cry" "You Owe Me One"
Category

show v t Cher singles
1960s singles	"All I Really Want to Do" "Where Do You Go" "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" "Alfie" "I Feel Something in the Air" "Sunny" "Behind the Door" "Mama (When My Dollies Have Babies)" "Hey Joe" "You Better Sit Down Kids" "The Click Song" "Take Me for a Little While" "Yours Until Tomorrow" "Chastity's Song (Band of Thieves)" "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" "For What It's Worth"
1970s singles	"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" "The Way of Love" "Living in a House Divided" "Don't Hide Your Love" "Am I Blue" "Half-Breed" "Dark Lady" "Train of Thought" "I Saw a Man and He Danced with His Wife" "Rescue Me" "Geronimo's Cadillac" "Long Distance Love Affair" "Pirate" "War Paint and Soft Feathers" "Take Me Home" "Wasn't It Good" "It's Too Late to Love Me Now" "Hell on Wheels"
1980s singles	"I Paralyze" "I Found Someone" "We All Sleep Alone" "Skin Deep" "After All" "If I Could Turn Back Time" "Just Like Jesse James"
1990s singles	"Heart of Stone" "You Wouldn't Know Love" "Baby I'm Yours" "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" "Love and Understanding" "Save Up All Your Tears" "Love Hurts" "Could've Been You" "When Lovers Become Strangers" "Oh No Not My Baby" "Whenever You're Near" "Many Rivers to Cross" "Walking in Memphis" "One by One" "Not Enough Love in the World" "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" "Paradise Is Here" "Believe" "Strong Enough" "All or Nothing" "Dov'è l'amore"
2000s singles	"The Music's No Good Without You" "Song for the Lonely" "Alive Again" "A Different Kind of Love Song" "When the Money's Gone" "Love One Another"
2010s singles	"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" "Woman's World" "I Hope You Find It" "Take It Like a Man" "I Walk Alone" "Fernando" "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" "SOS"
2020s singles	"Chiquitita"
Promotional singles	"Ringo, I Love You" "Dream Baby" "Superstar" "Classified 1A" "Carousel Man" "Holdin' Out For Love" "Bad Love" "Rudy" "Bang Bang" "Main Man" "Human" "Sirens" "Ooga Boo" "One of Us"
Guest singles	"A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)" "Move Me" "Never Should've Started" "Dead Ringer for Love" "I Got You Babe" "It Ain't Necessarily So" "Love Can Build a Bridge" "Più che puoi" "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" "Stop Crying Your Heart Out"
Category