Picture this: Sweden, June, 1966, a young musician walks into a bar and sees a band in action. The man likes what he hears and goes up to greet the band. He takes a particular liking to the keyboardist.
Two weeks later Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson write their first song together. Even for non-believers it is hard to deny that there must have been divine intervention that night to set up the chance meeting between the first half of what would become the supergroup, ABBA.
Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, the men who started it all
Source: Metro
Fast forward three years and the boys are introduced to successful solo singer Agnetha Faltskog and a modestly successful Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad. As a professional relationship developed between the four musicians, romance also blossomed with Agnetha and Bjorn marrying in 1971 and Frida and Benny getting engaged shortly after.
In the early days, the foursome worked together on each other’s individual songs, crafting lyrics and melodies around the clock, before later combining voices and realizing that they were much better together than on their own.
Spurred on by the excitement and possibilities of their collaboration, Benny and Bjorn crafted a cabaret act named Festfolk, which loosely translates to ‘engaged couples’. While the idea to blend their talents together was right, the outlet- cabaret- was not, with Festfolk proving to be an unsuccessful venture.
Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, the women who completed ABBA
Source: Pinterest
As with other big stars across the world who were knocked down, the foursome went back to the drawing board, undeterred by the criticism and undoubtedly spurred on by the fact that something about the four of them, together, creating music, just felt right.
Two years after their cabaret failure, the group entered Melodifestivalen in 1973, a competition that determines Sweden’s selection for Eurovision. Armed with a choreographed routine and a catchy song entitled Ring Ring, the group placed third, but any disappointment was overshadowed by the success of the song which was to become the biggest single in Sweden that year.
The group's first successful single, Ring Ring, before they went by the name 'ABBA'
Source: Amazon
Armed with a year of practicing, finessing and maturing musicality, the group returned to the festival with Waterloo and a new band name, ABBA.
The catchy tune and the masterfully crafted lyrics of Waterloo sent ABBA straight to the Eurovision finals in England. Subsequently creating one of the most memorable success stories from Eurovision, ABBA won the song contest and Waterloo was found on top of music charts across Europe while also managing to crack the top ten in America.
While the victory was hard earned and the song meaningful, ABBA struggled with success post Eurovision for one simple fact that would plague them their entire career. No one took them seriously. They wore outrageous- for that time- outfits, performed choreographed numbers and heralded from a singing competition. They were adored over Europe but the Americans thought they were one big joke.
Waterloo, Eurovision promises to love ABBA for ever more
Source: The Independant
America’s view of Eurovision is much like Europe’s view on Australian entrants in the competition. Highly perplexing, unnecessary and a little stupid.
Perplexed and feeling down, Benny and Bjorn bought the group back to the studio to work on their next move. They were European success stories, a staple of music charts at the time, they just needed one more song to prove that it wasn’t all a fluke.
18 months after the Eurovision final, SOS becomes a smash hit and the self-titled album ABBA was born. Mamma Mia enjoyed a bounty of success, sitting at number one spot on the UK charts nine times between 1974 and 1980. However, something was becoming more and more evident, Australia had a serious case of ABBA fever.
By 1976 ABBA was firmly established as a musical force of the industry and on the charts. Their seminal album, Arrival, saw every date on the band’s tour of Europe and Australia labelled a sellout.
The album Arrival, cemented ABBA's star status worldwide
Source: Amazon
However, the band still needed to embark on a major promotional campaign to truly crack the American market. They struggled to shake their image of contest winners and were quite a divisive band. You either loved ABBA or you hated them.
To put them in a modern context they can be compared to the Spice Girls. People either sung the house down when Spice Up Your Life came on or they found the whole thing to be cheap and quite uncool.
In terms of global image, ABBA hit their stride in 1979 with the release of songs such as Gimme Gimme and Chiquitita. Now the whole world had ABBA fever and were desperate to see them perform live or to create new music.
Sweden's darlings
Source: Guardian
Behind the scenes however, the narrative was quite different. Bjorn and Agnetha were headed towards divorce which not only affected them personally, but seriously tarnished the band’s image publicly.
Despite the personal hurdles, the music which was being devoured by the fans was keeping the foursome together and in 1980 the band embarked on a tour of Japan. A tour worth mentioning as it would prove to be their last live performance in front of a paying audience.
A year later and another announcement comes, Benny and Frida have also decided to end their marriage.
Fans reacted to the news of a second break-up much like the first. ABBA’s image as the ‘couples’ band felt like a fraud and many fans at the time couldn’t see how the music or the band could ever be viewed the same again.
ABBA's eccentric taste in fashion on display
Source: Daily Mail
A point, that upon reflection, seems hard to understand. In 1977 Fleetwood Mac released their Rumours album, a record that consistently sits on lists detailing the best albums of all time. Yet the record was filled with cutting and not so subtle songs about the relationship breakdown between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Fleetwood Mac was able to immensely profit off the back of a relationship breakdown, yet ABBA was held to a different standard by the fans.
After the release of The Visitors album which spawned the heart-breaking track One of Us, the band decided to take a break from touring and making music. The worst fears of fans in the face of the band’s personal relationship breakdowns seemed to be coming to fruition.
A still of the head movements ABBA became synonymous with
Source: YouTube
Years later and the band are still on their break, but they are as big as ever. New generations of listeners are being introduced to, and enjoying their music. The Mamma Mia Broadway show and subsequent movie have seen the band never truly fade from public consciousness.
However, despite the success enjoyed by adaptations of their music, if these things were never developed, ABBA would never have been able to fade away from music.
The mark of great music is the ability to remain timeless. Today listening to Thriller or Purple Rain on the radio still elicits the same response as when they were first released. That is the same with ABBA. It would be a challenge to find someone who doesn’t find themselves instinctively screaming the lyrics to Dancing Queen on the dance floor.
The group during their Mamma Mia music video
Source: Entertainment . ie
The harmonies that Bjorn and Benny worked on perfectly mixed bitter and sweet. ‘I was sick and tired of everything when I called you last night from Glasgow.’ Why does one hear those deeply emotional lyrics but still feel the need to move some part of the body along to Benny and Bjorn piping in with Sup-p-per Troup-p-per in the background?
What Bjorn and Benny did with ABBA’s music is the real life equivalent of standing in the middle of a party, with music blaring, people surrounding you, but still feeling so incredibly alone. Bjorn and Benny understood life. Life is loud and messy and hard (the lyrics) but there are still good times (the upbeat melodies).
In its simplest form, ABBA songs are an ode to life- an incredibly spot on one at that- and when something is so beautifully honest and exceptionally crafted, it can never go out of style.
Plus it would be remiss to think that global super star Cher and movie gold Meryl Streep singing ABBA songs hasn’t stoked the ABBA fire fans across the world have been ready to reignite to euphoric levels for years.
During happier times, Bjorn, Agnetha, Frida and Benny
Source: GetAbba
Benny and Bjorn, thank you for the melodies, Frida and Agnetha thank you for the range you exhibited- unchartered territory for even the most daring of singers.
So I say thank you for the music.
Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing.
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty?
What would life be without an ABBA song?
What are we?
So I say thank you for the music.
For giving it to us.
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