Apparently the primary inspiration for ABBAs "Waterloo" was the Beatles! Key excerpts from 'Parade' below:
1974 Anthem Voted ‘Best Song of All Time’ Turns 52 Today Mar 4, 2026 7:39 AM EST By DeAnna Janes
https://parade.com/news/1974-classic-voted-best-song-of-all-time-turns-52-today
On this day 52 years ago, ABBA released the title track off their second album, “Waterloo,” before taking the song to the Brighten Dome a month later and winning the whole contest. A breakthrough anthem, “Waterloo” took the group from nobodies to household name, topping charts in nine countries, including the U.K .... ..
...[ABBA] credits the genesis of “Waterloo” to another legendary quartet: The Beatles.
“It’s about four people wanting more than anything else to be a pop group and singing in the language of pop, which is English,” he said. “And our biggest inspiration were the Beatles. … I think ‘Waterloo’ is in a tradition of pure pop and in the tradition of the fantastic music that was written around at the end of the ’50s, beginning of the ’60s, in the Brill Building and Carole King and [Gerry] Goffin, and then the Beatles.” ....
... Celebrating the success of “Waterloo,” as well as the 40th anniversary of their fan club, the band’s first magazine in a new series released this month. Looking ahead to the group’s celebrations in Stockholm next month, it offers insights, interviews, and the occasional gift. When you’re done reliving “Waterloo,” why not queue up the band’s 1976 song voted “best prom song to dance the night away”?
https://parade.com/news/1974-classic-voted-best-song-of-all-time-turns-52-today