The Swedish pop group ABBA encountered international success when it won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, giving Sweden its first victory. Afterwards, they accumulated hit after hit, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1983. The group’s name is an acronym of the first letters of the first names of its members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
Their song “Does Your Mother Know” was released as a single in April 1979, with “Kisses of Fire” as B-side. It is also the first track on Side 2 of their sixth studio album Voulez-Vous, also released in April 1979.
The song, written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, the two male members of the group, tells a frequent story in pop music: a young girl shows her desire for the artist, but he refuses to be seduced by her, because she is too young.
The Telegraph on July 27, 2018 quotes Bjorn Ulvaeus from an interview with The Economist, where he describes how the song came about:
There was this young girl I must have met some time during my career, on tour perhaps, who came up to me like that.
I never went across the limit. As you can see in the song I told her: stay off, take it easy, you’re too young, and so forth.
I have a clean conscience.
He adds that he might hesitate to write such a song in the post-Me Too era.
Here is the video from the official ABBA-channel on YouTube:
Here are the song’s lyrics from AZLyrics:
Does Your Mother Know
by Göran Bror Benny Andersson and Björn Kristian Ulvaeus
You’re so hot, teasing me
So you’re blue but I can’t take a chance on a chick like you
That’s something I couldn’t do
There’s that look in your eyes
I can read in your face that your feelings are driving you wild
Ah, but girl you’re only a child
Well I can dance with you honey
If you think it’s funny
Does your mother know that you’re out?
And I can chat with you baby
Flirt a little maybe
Does your mother know that you’re out?
Take it easy (take it easy)
Better slow down girl
That’s no way to go
Does your mother know?
Take it easy (take it easy)
Try to cool it girl
Take it nice and slow
Does your mother know?
I can see what you want
But you seem pretty young to be searching for that kind of fun
So maybe I’m not the one
Now you’re so cute, I like your style
And I know what you mean when you give me a flash of that smile (smile)
But girl you’re only a child
Well I can dance with you honey
If you think it’s funny
Does your mother know that you’re out?
And I can chat with you baby
Flirt a little maybe
Does your mother know that you’re out?
Take it easy (take it easy)
Better slow down girl
That’s no way to go
Does your mother know?
Take it easy (take it easy)
Try to cool it girl
Take it nice and slow
Does your mother know?
Well I can dance with you honey
If you think it’s funny
Does your mother know that you’re out?
And I can chat with you baby
Flirt a little maybe
Does your mother know that you’re out?
[repeat 2 times and fade]