By Elliott West
“I felt like an awkward country lass who’d come to the big city. The nervousness was different to the way I’d later feel with ABBA, when it was because expectations were so high. On the stairs down to the studio I suddenly heard the backing to my song being played by Sven-Olof Waldorf’s orchestra. My heart missed a beat. What a blast!”
Agnetha Fältskog
Introduction
ABBA is Sweden’s biggest music export. Their music touches a nerve that brings joy, elation and the pain of sorrow to every fan. It’s a definitive sound and vocal uniqueness which echoes an era that has influenced a generation of musicians. An export that fizzes in your soul like a Swedish lager, full of bubbles and a unique type of music that makes you want to get up and dance. It’s music that when listened to, makes every day seem like Christmas Day. An echo of Sweden that implores an English-speaking audience. It does what it says on the tin, born to entertain.
Defined from Folk
ABBA started a very different musical journey from what they developed into. You have to cast your mind back to 1958 to see where the origins of this iconic band come from. Influenced by the launch of The Beatles, Benny, Björn, Anni-Frid and Agnetha were part of the Swedish folk music scene that was insular and whose sounds and records were confined to this Nordic peninsula. Yet their sound at this time had a tinge of difference to the very left-wing feel of Sweden at the time. Benny performed in the Hep Stars, Björn in the Hootenanny Singers, and Ani-Frid and Agnetha performed in local bands and did some solo work too.
Yet it wasn’t until these four found love and became couples that the early inklings of magic started to emerge. The four went on holiday together to the island of Cyprus in 1971. They sang on the beach and had a great time. This fun in the sun would lead to them performing an improvised live performance in front of the United Nations soldiers and so coming together to form a stage act “Festfolket”. It didn’t go down well and they received lukewarm reviews. It persuaded the four to split and pursue solo careers. Yet it would be a split that wouldn’t last long as they were working together again later in 1971. They started to perform at the Swedish folk parks
Stig
Stig Anderson was the founder and owner of Polar Records. A Brian Epstein of the Swedish music industry who had his finger on the pulse of success. He wanted to break into the mainstream International market and saw this promising group as a means of achieving it. Persuading them to record new singles, the four had hits like Säg det med en sång, “She’s My Kind of Girl”, “People Need Love” and “Ring Ring”. Stig started experimenting with new recording technology and formulated the wall of sound that would go on to define the ABBA journey. The name of the band itself is a palindrome, an acronym of their names, a name that started as a fond pet name for the group by Stig. It was also the name of a well-known fish canning company in Sweden. Anderson knew that it wouldn’t be known outside Sweden and so in the Summer of 1973, after attaining the rights to the name, the band was launched. They used a striking logo designed by Rune Söderqvist.
Their Waterloo Moment
Travelling to Brighton in April 1974, ABBA looked on paper as having a slim chance of winning the Eurovision Song Contest. Yet all good things come to those who wait. This was their chance to perform for an international audience with coverage going out across the globe. They wore fashionable glam rock clothes from the time and most importantly sang in English. A universal language that could appeal to a massive audience. A ticket to television deals and concerts if they won. Their entry song “Waterloo” was punchy, upbeat and got the audience going. When the final scores came in, it was ABBA who won the day.
A Slow Burner
Despite the overnight success of “Waterloo”, ABBA really had to work hard to reach the heights of stardom. Songs like “Honey Honey”, “So Long” and “ I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” had limited success. The band didn’t really have an individual style and looked more like The Sweet than an iconic Swedish group. It wasn’t until “SOS” in 1975 that we really begin to see the magic work. ABBA started to experiment with early music videos to promote their songs and it worked. “SOS” got to number 13 in the UK charts and was a number one hit in Germany, Australia, France and Italy. ABBA would record nine studio albums, two live albums, seven compilation albums, four box sets, five video albums, 50 singles, and 43 music videos. To date, ABBA have sold 150 million records worldwide becoming one of the best-selling music artists in history. Their biggest hits being “Dancing Queen”, “Super Trouper”, “Knowing Me Knowing You”, “Take A Chance On Me”, “Fernando”, “The Winner Takes It All”, “Mamma Mia”, “The Name Of The Game” and “Waterloo”.
The Legacy
ABBA managed to stay together despite marriage splits. They were and always will be firm friends. Their greatest hits albums in the early 1990s and a massive gay club revival in the same decade in London attracted a new audience despite having last sung for the last time in December 1982. With their music still alive in the musical Mamma Mia and the current smash holographic Voyage show in London, there seems to be no lack of enthusiasm for this iconic Swedish group. Their songs ring out in cars, homes, weddings and are a firm favourite for karaoke renditions. A breath of fresh air whose songs fit your mood and life situation. Loud, upbeat and whose lyrics are repeated millions of times. A unique blend of voices and complex arrangements.
