It's Nice to Be Back
| "It’s Nice To Be Back" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Hep Stars | |
| from the album Hep Stars, 1964-69! | |
| A-side | "Malaika" |
| Released | April 1967 |
| Recorded | April 1967 |
| Studio | Europafilm, Stockholm |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 2:33 |
| Label | Olga |
| Songwriter | Benny Andersson |
| Producer | Gert Palmcrantz |
"It's Nice to Be Back" is a song written by Benny Andersson and originally released by the Hep Stars. It was released as the B-side to their non-album single "Malaika" in April 1967, and was later released on their compilation album, Hep Stars, 1964-69!, in 1982. The song would later be covered by Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA (a band Hep Stars members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus are also a part of) and released as the second and final single for her debut studio album Frida, released in March 1971.
Background
[edit] |
In 1967, The Hep Stars made their feature film, titled Habari Safari, which shot in Nairobi but was never completed. Two songs resulted from this project: "Malaika" and "It's Nice to Be Back". The latter was intended for the closing song for the Hep Stars movie, upon their return to Stockholm. "Malaika" was released as a single and "It's Nice to Be Back" was the B-Side.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad version
[edit]| "Min Egen Stad" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Anni-Frid Lyngstad | ||||
| from the album Frida | ||||
| Language | Swedish | |||
| English title | My Own Town | |||
| A-side | "En Gång Är Ingen Gång" | |||
| Released | 9 August 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 12 July 1971 | |||
| Studio | EMI, Stockholm | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Composer | Benny Andersson | |||
| Lyricist | Peter Himmelstrand | |||
| Producer | Benny Andersson | |||
| Anni-Frid Lyngstad singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"It's Nice to Be Back" received a Swedish translation by Peter Himmelstrand titled "Min Egen Stad" (Translation: My Own Town) recorded by Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who alongside Andersson was a member of ABBA. Andersson produced the recording.[1]
"Min Egen Stad" was recorded in the EMI Studios, Stockholm on 12 July 1971 alongside "En Gång Är Ingen Gång".[2] A new backing track, which was more pop-oriented was recorded with the same tempo.[2] Including Lyngstad and Andersson, all four ABBA members provided their backing vocals, resulting in the chorus being boosted by the energetic backing vocals.[1][3][4] The strings and horn had been overdubbed on 23 July 1971.[2] On 9 August 1971, "En Gång Är Ingen Gång" was released with "Min Egen Stad" on the B-Side, mistakingly titled "I Min Egen Stad". (Translation: In My Own Town).[5]
This error was corrected on 18 August 1971.[2] By this point, success was around the corner. Lyngstad had been performing in the Lasse Berghagen Show until 29 August 1971, receiving positive feedback.[2] On 10 August 1971, Lyngstad's duet with Lasse Berghagen "En Kväll Om Sommarn" entered the Svensktoppen chart in 9th place,[6] as well as Lyngstad's songs from her debut album “bubbling under” in the Toppentipset charts throughout August. "Min Egen Stad" appeared in the Toppentipset charts on 3 October 1971 in 14th place[7] and 17 October 1971 in 16th place[8] before shooting up to the Svensktoppen charts in 3rd place the following week.[9] On 7 November 1971, "Min Egen Stad" peaked in first place.[9] This gave Lyngstad a self-confidence boost.[1]
Due to the success, a picture sleeve was released with just the title "Min Egen Stad".[citation needed] Lyngstad's debut album Frida was re-released on 19 November 1971,[2] with "Min Egen Stad" opening the B-Side of the album. Lyngstad's compilation Anni-Frid Lyngstad was also released on 27 November 1971,[2][4] with both "Min Egen Stad" and "En Gång Är Ingen Gång" included.
Track listing
[edit]7” single (4E 006-34462 M)
B. "Min Egen Stad"
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1971) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Sweden (Svensktoppen) | 1[citation needed] |
References
[edit]Citations
- ^ a b c Palm 2001, p. 168.
- ^ a b c d e f g van Drongelen 2022, pp. 177–189.
- ^ Nissim, Mayer (17 May 2025). "How Eurovision made ABBA: From introducing Benny and Ani-Frid to their breakthrough with 'Waterloo'". Gold. Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Frida Lyngstad". uDiscover Music. 27 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ Anni-Frid Lyngstad - En Gång Är Ingen Gång, August 1971, retrieved 2025-01-02
- ^ "En Kväll Om Sommarn av Lars Berghagen & Anni Lyngstad". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ biblioteket, Kungliga. "EXPRESSEN 1971-10-03". Svenska tidningar (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ biblioteket, Kungliga. "GT 1971-10-17". Svenska tidningar (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ a b "Min Egen Stad av Anni-Frid Lyngstad". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-01-02.
Sources
- van Drongelen, Remko (2022). Frida Beyond ABBA. Netherlands: rvD. ISBN 978-90-9035304-3.
- Palm, Carl Magnus (2001). Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA (1st ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8389-5 – via Internet Archive.