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Our top five songs in MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again
With the new film on general release today, we round up our favourite musical moments.
We’ve waited a decade for a sequel to the original film – and now MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again has burst onto cinema screens.
Straddling the land between prequel and sequel, the second MAMMA MIA! film shows audiences the story of how Donna Sheridan arrives on the Greek island that is the key to her destiny, while at the same time reveals what happens after the events of the first film as the original cast reunite for a grand re-opening of Donna’s hotel.
Punctuating the fun, silly and often touching drama on screen is the music of the legendary ABBA.
Take a look at the trailer for the new film below and then check out our round up of our favourite songs from the pre-sequel.
Waterloo – performed in the film by Young Harry (Hugh Skinner) and Young Donna (Lily James)
Criminally missing from the first film (it’s used only in the encore credits scene of the original movie), Waterloo finds a suitable place in MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again as a Young Harry faces his own destiny and gets ready to lose his virginity.
Angel Eyes – performed in the film by Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rise (Julie Walters)
This track features on ABBA’s 1979 album Voulez-Vous and basically implores women to avoid the deceptively innocent looking gaze of a handsome yet deceitful man, warning them to beware of the “game he likes to play”. In the movie, Tanya and Rosie sing the song to Sophie as a life lesson, recounting the times the men in their lives have let them down.
MAMMA MIA – performed in the film by Young Donna (Lily James), Young Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn) and Young Rosie (Alexa Davies)
It would be remiss to build a list like this and not mention the title track. Sure, it was in the first film (there are a handful of tracks in MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again that get a reprise), but this one stands out because unlike the first film – where it’s performed by Meryl Streep’s older Donna as she sees her past lovers for the first time in decades – it’s here as a celebration as Young Donna and her friends perform their first knock-out gig as Donna and the Dynamos.
My Love, My Life – performed in the film by Young Donna (Lily James), Donna (Meryl Streep) and Sophie (Amanda Seyfried)
First recorded by ABBA in 1976, this track is reportedly – according to songwriter Björn Ulvaeus, at least – the finest example of singer Agnetha Fältskog’s vocal purity. In the film, it’s used to gorgeous effect to illustrate the ties between Donna and her daughter as the films two timelines come together in an emotional finale.
Fernando – performed in the film by Cher and Andy Garcia
You can’t have failed to notice that Cher appears in MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again as Meryl Streep’s mother. Her appearance – which is actually more substantial than reports of a cameo at first suggested – has been heralded for months, and the moment she arrives to perform this ABBA classic is sure to go down in cinema history; it’s camp, joyful and a must-see!
Still looking for your ABBA fix? Revisit the original MAMMA MIA! live in the West End or take a trip to see the ultimate ABBA tribute Björn Again as they tour the UK from November.
