Muriel's Wedding

Posted by TheFallen on August 12, 2002

In Reply to: Muriel's Wedding posted by Bruce Kahl on August 12, 2002

: : : : Could anybody help me, a mere Russian female who wants to find out the strict meaning of the famous phrase "DIG IN the Dancing Queen" (by ABBA)?
: : : : "See that girl, watch the scene, dig in the Dancing Queen"

: : : : As I found out "to dig in" can mean "to start eating or eat heartily". I can not understand.

: : : : Help me please!!

: : : Excellent question. The thought that Agnetha and Annifrijd might be musically inciting their listeners to start chomping on disco divas makes me grin. I've not been able to prove this by finding an official and guaranteed website of ABBA lyrics, but my guess is that the song line actually reads "See that girl, watch that scene... diggin' the dancing queen". So, rather than "dig in" which you rightly point out can mean to start eating heartily, "diggin'" is a typically elided form of "digging" in the old-fashioned (jazz?) sense, meaning liking, appreciating or enjoying. Example:- "They really dig our music and, daddy, I dig swinging for them" (Louis Armstrong).

: : : That's my guess, but your original interpretation is much more fun.

: : On the subject of ABBA, I highly recommend the movie "Muriel's Wedding." Very quirky. ABBA songs are the sound track, sort of.

: My 2 cents:

: The song is about a teenager-- "You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen"---who attracts boys and then drops them----"You're a teaser, you turn 'em on ,Leave them burning and then you're gone".

: ABBA is exhorting her to continue what she is doing--"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life...Looking out for another, anyone will do"---and thereby defy the rules and regs of society which state she should find a boy, settle down and be nice and not tease.

: One of the definitions of "dig in" is "to hold stubbornly to a position" which is what ABBA is exhorting her to do. So ABBA is saying enjoy yourself, don't give in to societal and parental pressures and live in the moment---"Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine, You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life".

: Main Entry: dig in
: Date: 1839
: transitive senses
: 1 : to cover or incorporate by burying
: 2 : to establish in a dug defensive position
: intransitive senses
: 1 : to establish a defensive position especially by digging trenches
: 2 a : to go resolutely to work b : to begin eating
: 3 : to hold stubbornly to a position
: 4 : to scuff the ground for better footing while batting (as in baseball)
: - dig in one's heels : to take or persist in an uncompromising position
: or attitude despite opposition

: You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
: See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen

:
: Friday night and the lights are low
: Looking out for the place to go
: Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
: You come in to look for a king
: Anybody could be that guy
: Night is young and the music's high
: With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
: You're in the mood for a dance
: And when you get the chance...

:
: You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
: Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
: You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
: See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen

:
: You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
: Leave them burning and then you're gone
: Looking out for another, anyone will do
: You're in the mood for a dance
: And when you get the chance...

:
: Dig in the Dancing Queen
: Dig in the Dancing Queen
: Dig in the Dancing Queen

:
:
:

Ahhhh now that's plausible... you mean it's an exhortation to the Dancing Queen to carry on the way she is? It'd be better served with a comma - "Dig in, the Dancing Queen" - but following the post from the official ABBA site, I bet you're right.