ABBA

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ABBA is a Swedish pop music group, consisting of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid «Frida» Lyngstad. The name "ABBA" is an acronym formed by the first letters of each member's name (Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid).

The quartet was formed in Stockholm in 1972 and achieved international fame by winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. Since then, ABBA have gained popularity using catchy melodies, simple lyrics and their signature sound, characterized by harmonies. of the female voices and the wall of sound, a musical effect created by the American producer Phil Spector.

Björn and Agnetha got married months before the formation of the quartet, while Benny and Frida did so in 1978; the four of them dealt with their artistic obligations while taking care of their new families.

Their recordings had a commercial impact that led them to become the most successful artists for their record company —Universal Music Group— and to be the best-selling band of the 1970s.

They were the first European pop group to experience success in English-speaking countries outside of Europe, primarily Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and to a lesser extent the United States. However, at the height of his popularity, both marriages dissolved and these changes were reflected in his music, as he wrote deeper lyrics with a different musical style. The group experienced a commercial decline and finally decided to separate, so that in December 1982 they made their last appearance as ABBA.

After a time out of the public eye, the release of several compilation albums in the 1990s led to their return to the top of the charts, and ABBA is now one of the most successful groups, with estimated sales of between 380 and 400 million of his musical productions worldwide.

Her music has been performed by several well-known artists, and is also the basis for the musical Mamma Mia!. The group is an icon of their country of origin, as well as an important figure in the expansion of europop. Thus, their popularity opened the doors to other European artists, one of the reasons why they entered the Rock Hall of Fame.

In September 2021 and almost forty years after their separation, the group announced their return with two new songs titled "I still have faith in you" and "Don't shut me down", which are part of the Voyage album. The group will go on a virtual concert tour in 2022.

Before ABBA

The Hep Stars, Benny Andersson's first band

From the age of 18, Benny Andersson was a member of The Hep Stars, a Swedish pop rock band that covered international hits in Swedish. Benny played the keyboard and began writing original songs for his band, many of which became local hits including: "No Response", "Sunny Girl", "Wedding", "Consolation" and "Speleman". a fruitful collaboration with composer Lasse Berghagen, with whom he wrote and produced the song "Hej, Clown" for Melodifestivalen 1969, the festival that serves as the Swedish shortlist for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song tied for first place with Tommy Körberg's "Judy min vän", but came in second in the second round. This first attempt encouraged Benny to continue writing tunes for the festival.

Similarly, Björn Ulvaeus belonged to The Hootenanny Singers, a Swedish folk music and skiffle group, who had a contract with the Polar Music label. Björn began writing material for his band, while trying to pursue a career as a producer at Polar Music, where he became friends with Stig Anderson, the record company's owner. The Hootenanny Singers and The Hep Stars often met at various shows, and soon the two writers entered into a professional relationship.

In June 1966 they wrote their first song together, "Isn't It Easy to Say," recorded by The Hep Stars. Stig saw a lot of potential in their collaboration and encouraged them to do more writing. Benny and Björn began playing with each other's band on stage and in the studio, but it wasn't until 1969 that the two songwriters wrote and produced their first hits: "Ljuva sextiotal," recorded by Brita Borg, and "Speleman," the success of The Hep Stars.

Agnetha Fältskog recorded her first studio album when she was just 17 years old and was recognized by critics as a talented songwriter. In fact, before joining ABBA, Agnetha had already released four albums and more than fifteen singles in Sweden. Inspiration in her early years came from singers in the style of Connie Francis, although most of her songs belonged to the genre. schlager. Along with her own compositions she recorded various versions of foreign hits and sang them on her tours through the folkparks .

Anni-Frid «Frida» Lyngstad sang from the age of 13 with various jazz bands, she even created her own group called the Anni-Frid Four. In the summer of 1967 she won a national talent competition with the song "En ledig dag", where the first prize was a contract with the EMI record label and a live appearance on a popular television program. SVT broadcast the episode on "Dagen H", which allowed for a high audience level during Frida's performance. In this way she released several singles with EMI and had significant success on the Swedish radio charts.^{[citation needed]} Starting in 1969, Frida began to travel and perform regularly in the folkparks, in addition to making appearances on radio and television.^{[citation required]}

Previously, Frida had met Björn during a talent contest in 1963, and Agnetha during a television program in early 1968. In March 1969, Agnetha met Björn at a concert, meeting again during the recording of a television special and they soon became a couple. On May 1 of that year, Frida participated in the Melodifestivalen 1969, where she met Benny. A few weeks later they saw each other at a concert and shortly afterward they too were engaged, but they were not married until 1978. The Hep Stars and The Hotennany Singers disbanded in the late 1960s, so Benny and Björn began recording their first album as a duo, called Lycka, which contained compositions made over the years. Frida and Agnetha collaborated on the choruses of some songs.

In April 1970, when the four of them were on vacation in Cyprus, what started as a fun sing-along on the beach ended in an impromptu performance before the UN Blue Helmets, this being the first performance of the future members by ABBA. In September 1970 the album Lycka was released, credited simply to the duo Björn & Benny. To promote it, the songs "Det kan ingen doktor hjälpa" and "Tänk om jorden vore ung" were released as singles, with Agnetha and Frida as backup singers, which obtained moderate success. Finally, on November 1, 1970 in Gothenburg, the four presented a cabaret show called Festfolk —a play on words in Swedish meaning 'people's party' or 'engaged couples'—, receiving critical criticism. negative. Along with other numbers, the quartet sang the Björn & Benny "Hej, gamle man" and songs from his own albums. The show did not capture the attention of the public, and after a short tour of Sweden the four decided to concentrate on their individual projects again.

Formation of the group (1971-1973)

Shortly after the release of Lycka, Agnetha released her fourth studio album, När en vacker tanke blir en sång and married Björn on July 6, 1971, in a ceremony that the Swedish press described as "the wedding of the year". Agnetha, Björn and Benny began to perform together that summer and appeared in some concerts and television programs. For their part, with the help of Benny, Frida began to produce her first record production, Frida (March 1971), which received good reviews; on it came his first number one single, "Min egen stad", a song where the four future members of ABBA sang in the choirs. Stig Anderson set himself the goal of entering the international market with the music of Benny and Björn: "A one day their duet will write a song that will become a worldwide hit", he predicted. Stig encouraged Björn and Benny to write a number for the Melodifestivalen, and after two rejected entries in 1971 ("Det kan Ingen Doktor Hjälpa" and " Välkommen Till Världen"), entered a new song, "Säg det med en sång", performed by Lena Andersson at Melodifestivalen 1972. Although the track placed third, it became a hit in Sweden and convinced the Stig that they were on the right track.

However, the first signs of international success came by surprise in March 1972, when CBS Records released the Björn & Benny, "She's My Kind of Girl", which peaked at number seven on the Oricon charts. Although they released two more singles in Japan—"Merry-Go-Round" and "Love Has Its Ways"—they failed to repeat the success. However, the popularity of "She's My Kind of Girl" ensured them a place to represent Sweden at the Yamaha Music Festival, held in Tokyo. In November of that year, Björn & Benny traveled to Japan with their partners, who also accompanied them on stage performing the song "Santa Rosa", which ultimately did not win any awards.

The first success

"The girls only came to help their boyfriends. There was no further reason. I couldn't credit that recording to Benny & Björn, it's the girls who run the recording. They should be credited too... Throw this album, let the audience become familiar with you, not as an act, but as a group. Let the public say if there is a future for you as a quartet."
—Stig talking about the launch of People Need Love.

Björn and Benny continued their compositions and experimented with new sounds and vocal arrangements. Finally on March 29, 1972, the four recorded a song called "People Need Love", with more verses sung by the women, their voices acquiring more importance. Everyone was enthusiastic about the new sound and Stig decided to release it as a single in June 1972, under his Polar Music label; as the four had not thought of creating a group, the release was credited simply to Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. "People Need Love" peaked at number 17 on the combined single and album charts in Sweden, enough to convince them that they were in the middle of something good. the charts in the United States, where it reached number 114 on the Cashbox chart and number 117 on the Record World chart. There they were called Björn & Benny (with Svenska Flicka) and his record label was Playboy Records. However, according to the Stig, "People Need Love" could have had a bigger hit in the United States, but a small label like Playboy Records did not have enough means of distribution to meet the demand.

On April 30, 1972, the four appeared on television for the first time as a group on the Swedish program Vi i femman, singing the song "People Need Love". As the single was a local success, they decided to record their first album together, despite the fact that forming a group was not a priority for either at the time. Thus, the recording sessions began on September 26, 1972, and by October they finished a couple of months. of songs. One track in particular featured the girls as lead vocals, "Nina, Pretty Ballerina", where their harmonized voices gave the first insight into the quality of their combined talents. In October they released the single "He Is Your Brother", which, although it failed to enter the sales charts, was positioned at number one on the radio charts. On February 23, 1973, Linda Ulvaeus was born, their first daughter. from Agnetha and Björn. Previously, Agnetha's pregnancy had caused some problems for the promotion of their first singles: during the group's first performance in Germany and Austria, Agnetha was replaced by Inger Brundin, a friend of Frida's.

Ring Ring

While the recording sessions continued, the members of the quartet continued with some individual projects. Frida continued to perform in various cabaret shows in Stockholm until 1973. In the same year, Agnetha played Mary Magdalene in the original Swedish production of Jesus Christ Superstar, receiving favorable reviews. Björn continued to work occasionally with some of his fellow Hootenanny Singers until the summer of 1974. The group and Stig—now his manager—decided to make another go at the Melodifestivalen, this time with the song "Ring Ring". The recording sessions were done with sound engineer Michael B. Tretow, who experimented with the wall of sound, a music production technique that became the distinctive sound of ABBA. >wall of sound consisted of recording the melody on a master tape, later creating several copies of that tape and playing them with a separation of milliseconds, so as to double the number of elements heard on a track and achieving thus a louder and clearer sound.

First logo of the group, with its original name

With the track already made and the song recorded in Swedish, Stig arranged an English translation with lyrics by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody, which would make the group a sure winner. However, at Melodifestivalen 1973 held on On February 10, "Ring Ring" came in third place with no chance to perform in the international contest. Despite the result, the quartet stuck to their plans and released their first album, called Ring Ring, which it contained past hits like "People Need Love" and "He Is Your Brother", as well as the singles "Love Isn't Easy (But is Sure is Hard Enough)" and "Another Town, Another Train". For his part, the single "Ring Ring" was well received in several European countries, but Stig felt that true success would only come with a number one in the United Kingdom or the United States.

In the spring of 1973, tired of difficult names, Stig began referring to the group in public as ABBA, an acronym formed from the first letters of its members' names: Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid. At first it was not taken seriously, as "ABBA" was the name of a well-known company in Sweden, but Stig came to believe that the name would work on the international market. However, a Gothenburg newspaper announced a contest to find a suitable name for the band. The group received names like "Baba" and "Friend and Neighbors", but in the end they were all rejected and in the summer they announced that the official name was ABBA; Stig later reached a financial agreement with the seafood company. The first time the name appeared on paper was during the recording sessions that took place at the Metronome studio in Stockholm on October 16, 1973. The first "B" in the ABBA logo was turned upside down in a campaign band's promotional logo in 1976, and later became their official logo and trademark. In the summer of 1973, ABBA began a long tour of the folkparks that spanned from July to September, appearing in more than sixty open-air concerts. After the tour they began working on a second album.

Claim to fame (1974-1975)

Eurovision victory

As in previous years, Björn, Benny and Stig believed in the possibility of using the Melodifestivalen and the Eurovision Song Contest to achieve a secure music business for the band. In late 1973, the three were invited by Sveriges Television to contribute a song for the 1974 issue. Of a varied number of new compositions written over the past few months, the group now inspired by burgeoning glam rock in the United Kingdom he chose the song "Waterloo", a song with a glam pop style produced with the wall of sound arranged by engineer Michael B. Tretow. On February 9, ABBA was victorious at Melodifestivalen 1974 by earning a total of 302 points from the judges, the highest score ever by a winner at the event. The winning song was released as a single in English and Swedish, reaching the top of the Swedish charts. In March they released their second album Waterloo which contained the song of the same name, as well as the singles "Honey, Honey" and "See You Tomorrow".

"After April 6, 1974, the Eurovision Festival is dead. Fortunately, the days when more or less cute boys and girls were just singing a song are gone. Now we wait more than that: a good song, a good song showGood outfit. ABBA introduced a new formula and we can only be happy for it."
-Disc Magazinethe day after the victory of ABBA in Eurovision.

On April 6, 1974, "Waterloo" represented Sweden in the 19th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest held at the Dome in Brighton, United Kingdom. During their performance, the four members of ABBA donned striking outfits designed by Inger Svenneke, and conductor Sven-Olof Walldoff dressed up as Napoleon Bonaparte. Despite the fact that the vocal performance of the four was not the best, the number itself broke with several stereotypes typical of the festival. At the end of the vote, the song obtained twenty-four points - six more than the representative of Italy "Si", by Gigliola Cinquetti—giving Sweden their first victory at the festival and ABBA an international success.

Winning the festival gave them the opportunity to travel around Europe and appear on major TV shows such as Top of the Pops, Domino, Starparade, Toppop and Ladies and Gentlemen!. "Waterloo" reached the top of the charts in most of the countries they visited, being their first number one single. of ABBA in the UK. In the United States, thanks to the support of his new record company Atlantic Records, the song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 list, contrary to what happened with the album, which only reached number 145. on the Billboard 200. Even in Australia, "Waterloo" rose to number four on the ARIA charts.

ABBA's next single, "Honey, Honey", managed to climb to number twenty-seven in the US, as well as the top three in Germany. However, in the UK Epic Records - his record label in the British Isles - decided to release a remix of "Ring Ring" instead. They failed to break into the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart, fueling growing speculation that the group was just another one-hit wonder > from Eurovision. To find a new theme that would continue the success already obtained, the quartet returned to the recording studio in August 1974; some tracks from these sessions were later released as part of their third studio album. In November they decided to release one of these songs as a single. Although "So Long" was similar in style to "Waterloo", its release was a commercial failure and is considered ABBA's least successful single internationally.

1974 and 1975 tours

In November 1974 ABBA began its first international tour, appearing first in countries such as Denmark, Germany, and Austria. This first part of the tour was not entirely successful, showing that the band did not yet have a large fan base outside of Scandinavia. In fact, due to low demand for tickets, they were forced to cancel several dates, including their only concert planned in Switzerland. After a short break, in January 1975 they went on the second leg of the Scandinavian tour, and Contrary to what happened in the first round, the show got the attention of the public and the press. The quartet performed seven sold-out dates, ending with a great concert in Sweden.

ABBA in the Dutch program Toppopas part of his 1974 promotional tour

After the tour, the band spent the next two months working on their next record. ABBA, their third studio album, was released in April 1975 along with the single "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do". Both releases achieved good reception on some European charts and in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand, but not in the UK. Following a promotional campaign on various European television shows, ABBA began preparing for another series of concerts.. For three weeks in the summer of 1975, the group went on a small tour of Sweden originally planned for the previous year, but which was canceled after their Eurovision win. In this way they performed in sixteen different folkparks in Sweden and Finland, performing songs from their most recent album, drawing a huge crowd. His show at Gröna Lund amusement park, Stockholm, was seen by an estimated audience of 19,200 people. In total, this small tour managed to raise more than SEK 500,000.

In June 1975, while on tour, Polar Music decided to release the single "SOS" as a single, again achieving success in the UK, where it peaked at number six and managed to place the album at number thirteen. After 18 months, ABBA was once again successful in that country. In the United States, "SOS" reached number ten on the Record World list and number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. , in addition to being ABBA's first number one in Mexico. It also won an award from Broadcast Music, Inc. for being one of the most played songs on US radio in 1975. After the tour, in August 1975 they began working on their fourth album, without knowing if it would be published. The four of them continued to be involved in projects outside the group: Björn and Benny continued to compose and produce songs for other Polar Music artists; Agnetha released her fifth studio album Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus —which included the Swedish version of "SOS"—; and Frida finished her first studio album called Frida ensam .

Reception in Australia

In August 1975, the airing of the videos for "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," "Mamma Mia," "SOS," and "Bang-A-Boomerang" on the Australian television show Countdown, started an immense public interest in ABBA in that country. At the end of that year RCA Records—his record label in Oceania—decided to release the compilation The Best Of ABBA; although for many it was too soon for the group to release a compilation album, the material was well received commercially, spending sixteen weeks at number one with sales exceeding one million copies sold, making it the best-selling album on the record. Australia. Due to the popularity of the video, "Mamma Mia" was released as a single, so "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", "Mamma Mia" and "SOS" occupied number one on the ARIA charts consecutively.

«What country is closer to the heart of ABBA? It is Australia... the popularity of the group is tremendous there and has been so wonderfully expressed. I can hardly describe it. For example: to any part of the country to which ABBA arrives, it seems as if a head of State had arrived... You've never seen anything like that before."
— Stig commenting on ABBA reception in Australia.

ABBA's success in Australia and New Zealand influenced the release schedules of Polar Music and their other record labels in Europe. For example, although "Mamma Mia" was not considered as a possible single until its release, Australian release, the song reached number one in the UK in early 1976, as well as reaching the top ten on other European charts. Their first compilation album, simply called Greatest Hits—the European version of The Best of ABBA—, was released at the end of 1975. The compilation was well received by the European market, including in the United Kingdom, where its sales placed it as the second album best seller in the 1970s in that country. It stayed at number one for eleven weeks and 130 weeks on the UK Albums Chart. Billboard 200 in the United States, where they eventually sold a million copies and went platinum.

In Greatest Hits a new song was included, "Fernando", whose Swedish version was used in Sweden to promote Frida's solo album, Frida ensam. After the good reception it got in Scandinavia, they decided to record an English version. "Fernando" was released as a single in the spring of 1976, it was number one in thirteen countries and the top of the charts in Australia for fourteen weeks, surpassing the thirteen-week record held by The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and becoming the single. best-selling single in that country. In the United States, "Fernando" reached the top ten positions on the Cashbox chart and number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 . It also topped the Canadian and US Adult Contemporary charts, ABBA's first number one hit in both countries. In total, "Fernando" sold more than 4.5 million copies in physical and digital formats and became the group's second best-selling single.

Stardom (1976-1980)

The official logo of the group, characterized by the first inverted “B”, first appeared in 1976

At the beginning of 1976, while in other countries ABBA began to occupy the first positions in the lists, in the United States they barely managed a single in the top ten and the sales of the albums were not good. figures. The self-titled album ABBA only reached number 165 on the Cashbox chart and number 174 on the Billboard 200. their music received from professionals were varied. For Creem magazine in particular, in the United States the group had weathered "a very messy promotional campaign". For their part, ABBA spent much part of 1976 working on his new studio album, not without doing various promotional jobs in Europe and the United States. In March, ABBA paid a visit to Australia where they appeared on various radio and television shows, promoting their single "Fernando". At 18:30 on Saturday, March 20, 1976, Australia's Channel 9 broadcast The Best Of ABBA, a special filmed during the quartet's visit the previous week. The broadcast was seen by 54% of the audience, breaking the audience record set by the moon landing in 1969.

Although the new album was planned to be released before the summer of 1976, constant travel and promotional tours hampered the recording sessions and the album's release was pushed back to October. single from the album was released in August 1976 and presented at the gala honoring the wedding of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia Sommerlath. "Dancing Queen" became an instant hit, selling over three million copies. only in 1976, after entering the top twenty on the lists of more than twenty countries, in addition to being his first entry on the popularity charts in countries such as Japan, Turkey and the Soviet Union. Critics of the song praised the composition, instrumentation, and harmony of Frida and Agnetha's voices. "Dancing Queen" became ABBA's signature song, as well as being named one of the best songs of the song. story according to Rolling Stone magazine . Currently, the total sales of "Dancing Queen" exceed 9 million copies sold, a figure that includes 5.35 million copies sold in physical formats and 3.8 million downloads. This places the song as ABBA's most successful and the only one to exceed 5 million copies sold.

The group's fourth studio album was released in the fall of 1976. Arrival represented a new level of achievement and complexity in both songwriting and studio work, prompting rave reviews. from the more rock oriented magazines in the UK, such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express, and more appreciative notes from US critics The three singles from Arrival—"Dancing Queen", "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You"—also had good critical and commercial reception in Europe and Oceania. However, in the United States its popularity increased on a smaller scale, Arrival reached number twenty on the Billboard 200 and obtained a gold record for its sales in this country. In April of the following year, "Dancing Queen" became ABBA's only number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In November 1976, ABBA released the second single from Arrival, "Money, Money, Money", a cabaret-style song that gave the quartet a number one hit in Germany, Belgium, Mexico, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, where the song became their sixth and final number one. However, in the United Kingdom and the United States the group experienced a small decline and "Money, Money, Money" could only chart at number three and fifty-six, respectively.

Europe and Australia Tour

Agnetha at the first concert of the 1977 tour in Oslo

In January 1977, the group's status changed drastically and its members were already famous worldwide. In this year, Arrival received a nomination at the first Brit Awards. in the category of best international album of the year, thanks to its sales and popularity in the United Kingdom. Following the release of the single "Knowing Me, Knowing You", on January 28 they began a highly anticipated tour of Europe and Australia, where they put on a show featuring their most successful singles and other tracks from all their albums, as well as the mini-musical The Girl with the Golden Hair. The concert attracted press attention through Western Europe, visiting Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Essen, Hanover, Hamburg and ending with various UK concerts in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and London. Tickets for the two performances at the Royal Albert Hall were available only by co mail and post office later revealed that they received more than 3.5 million ticket orders, enough to fill the arena more than 400 times. One of the concerts at the Royal Albert Hall was filmed and recorded with the intention of do a TV special, but this never came to fruition. However, there were many negative criticisms of the group's presentation, such as a lack of "personality", and that the four acted "very polished" and "stuffy".

In March 1977, after the European leg of the tour, ABBA performed eleven dates in Australia to a total audience of 145,000. At the opening concert at the Sydney Showgrounds in Sydney, more than 20,000 people waited for hours in the rain to watch the band, so despite the weather conditions they decided not to cancel the show. The four later remembered this concert as one of the most memorable of their careers. In Melbourne, a civic reception was held at the city hall and ABBA appeared on the balcony to greet a crowd of 100,000; In this city the quartet gave three concerts at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl, one of which was attended by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. In Adelaide, the group performed at the West Lakes football stadium to a record 21,000 spectators, with another 10,000 listening on the outside. During the first of five concerts in Perth, there was a fake bomb threat, so everyone had to evacuate the concert venue.

The tour was accompanied by mass hysteria and unprecedented media attention. To promote and show the Australian public's response to the band, Polar Music decided to make a film directed by Lasse Hallström. In this tape, simply called ABBA: The Movie, several real scenes of the quartet are shown in their visit to various cities, including fragments of the concerts, press conferences and interviews with some ABBA fans. Back in Sweden, Benny and Björn began writing previously unreleased tracks for the film, which would later be included on their fifth studio album. Despite Agnetha's second pregnancy, the nine tracks on the album were completed in less than six months, and by October they published the first single from the album. "The Name Of The Game" showed another change in the melodies and style of their music, becoming "more mature" and getting better reviews from the specialized press. only place where it reached the top of the lists, although it managed to position itself within the top ten positions in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and almost all of Europe; staying at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Movie and The Album

ABBA: The Movie was released on December 12, 1977 in Stockholm, a week after Agnetha gave birth to her second child with Björn, Christian. Directed by Lasse Hallström—who he also directed most of the group's videos—the film was originally planned for television, but Polar Music decided to increase the budget to adapt it to the cinema. New songs were added and ABBA filmed a series of scenes in Stockholm to complete the film. After its release it received favorable reviews from the European and American press; Leif Schulman of Billboard said that "it would be unfair to compare it to Dick Lester's movies with The Beatles or Woodstock, but it's still one of the most refreshing pop films of the years." Contrary to plan, the film was not well received in Australia, where the group's popularity gradually declined. However, ABBA: The Movie was released to foreign theaters at the while its image grew in other territories: at the end of 1978 it was released in Japan, in 1979 it reached theaters in Latin America and by 1982 it began to be shown in theaters in the Soviet Union and other communist countries.

"I'm not dealing with four new actors, who want to become big actors and actresses, they're just acting like themselves. When they're acting, they do it on stage during their presentations. Otherwise, I only followed them with my camera to portray them on the big screen as natural as possible. We decided to incorporate a small story to make a sort of tribute to the art of cinema. ABBA says: ‘We are not actors’. And that is true."
- Lasse Hällstrom talking about ABBA: The Movie.

On the same day as their film's release, ABBA released their fifth studio album The Album. The follow-up to Arrival featured greater lyrical and musical ambition and, although it was least welcomed by critics in the UK, it gave the group the most global hit singles: "The Name Of The Game", "Take A Chance On Me" and "Eagle". The new album included studio versions of The Girl with the Golden Hair, a mini-musical performed during their previous tour. Prominent among them was "Thank You For The Music", which, although never actually released as a single, became one of the quartet's best-known songs. In early 1978, ABBA released "Take A Chance On Me" as the second single from the album. The song's catchy rhythm helped it reach the top of the charts in the UK, Western Europe, Mexico and South Africa. Although "Take A Chance On Me" did not reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100, managed to outsell "Dancing Queen", earning it a gold record from the RIAA.

By 1978, ABBA and his work were recognized by a large part of the musicians of that time. Work was completed in May to convert an abandoned cinema into the Polar Music recording studio. The new "art site" in Stockholm was not only used by ABBA, but also by other big bands like Led Zeppelin and Genesis. From then on, ABBA recorded the vast majority of their songs in this studio, which had the highest recording technology at that time and a privileged location in the center of Stockholm. Being the most successful artists of Polar Music, the quartet could use the studio during flexible hours, a situation that solved the problem of availability that was had presented by renting other studios. During May, ABBA headed to the United States to carry out an advertising campaign in which they presented themselves as "the best-selling group in the history of recorded music", being invited to a television special with Olivia Newton-John and Andy Gibb. As a result of this campaign, "Take A Chance On Me" and The Album managed to move up the US charts, reaching number three and fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200, respectively. In the same month, ABBA released a promotional single from their new album in Europe, "Eagle", their longest recorded song. in study.

Consequences of success

Before being remodeled, the Stockholm Sports Palace hosted Polar Music studios, where the group recorded most of its songs since 1978

The band started having some problems in the new Polar Music studio in Stockholm. The recording sessions for their sixth album became the longest and most complicated, since many of the songs recorded and mixed during this time are still unpublished, demonstrating a first creative crisis as it took more than a year to complete the ten tracks that would make up their next album. The quartet began writing sessions in February 1978—two months after the release of The Album—but this time without Stig Anderson participating in the process. By August Polar Music pressured them to release a new single, so they chose one of the few tracks they were satisfied with, "Summer Night City". Although the song became a hit in Scandinavia and Ireland, it only reached number five in the UK. All four expressed some concern that "Summer Night City" broke their streak of number one singles in that country; Agnetha said: "it became a habit that every single thing we released would go to number one in England". Nevertheless, this song was the platform for ABBA's foray into disco with their next album. The B-side of the single—"Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special"—was a medley that ABBA recorded for a charity record for a cancer foundation in Germany three years earlier. This song remains the only song the band recorded that was not their own.

ABBA recorded in Switzerland the song Chiquititawhich was presented at the concert Music for Unicef 1979. The simple became a number one in ten countries

From November 17 to 26, ABBA visited Japan to promote themselves in the same way they had done in the United States months before. They performed at various press conferences and TV and radio shows such as The Best 10, Ginza Now, and 11 pm. During this promotional tour they presented what was supposed to be their new single, If It Wasn't For The Nights. At the end of 1978, Unicef invited them to collaborate with a song for the album Music for Unicef, with the aim of donating the royalties from the theme to the organization. Other artists such as the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton John, Earth, Wind & Fire, Donna Summer, Rod Stewart, among others. Björn and Benny abandoned the idea of releasing If It Wasn't For The Nights as a single and instead chose a ballad with a Spanish title. On January 9, 1979, the group performed with the song "Chiquitita" at the Music for Unicef concert before the United Nations General Assembly. The single was released in the following weeks, becoming at number one in ten countries; it also went to number two in the UK, four in Australia and twenty-nine in the US. The song remains the best-selling single in Latin American history, and its success in Spanish-speaking countries encouraged them to record an album entirely in Spanish. By 2004, Unicef estimated that they received more than £1 in revenue. 000,000 for sales of the song.

"We need more and more time to create an original product that doesn't sound like any of the above. The new album, for example, cost us a huge amount of effort... In these months we worked on about thirty songs, of which we made a selection. The discarded songs sound really good, but they sound very similar to other things that we recorded and launched before."
- Björn talking about the recording process Voulez-Vous.

The personal lives of the four had also changed. After more than five years of being engaged, Benny and Frida were married on October 7, 1978, in a private ceremony in a small church in Lidingö. Days after the release of "Chiquitita", Björn and Agnetha announced their divorce.. The news caused massive interest from the press, and led to a discussion about the future of ABBA. The couple assured the media and their fans that they would continue their work as a group and that the divorce would not affect them, although the press continued to confront them with their interviews. Several critics defined this change as "a rupture that appeared in the image of two happy couples." united to create pop music". Public pressure on the four caused work on the album to accelerate in February and March, in such a way that they recorded five songs for their new album in just two months; two of these were produced at Criteria Studios in Miami. Their sixth studio album, Voulez-Vous, was finally released in April 1979 with the assistance of sound engineer Tom Dowd, among others. The album received mixed reviews, as it was heavily influenced by disco, which dominated the music scene in the late 1970s. However, the only two ballads included on it would go on to become the biggest hit singles on the record. album. Voulez-Vous reached the top of the charts in Europe, Japan and Mexico; In addition, it reached the top 10 in Canada and Australia, and the top 20 in the United States.

At the same time as the album, the quartet released the single "Does Your Mother Know?", their last single with Björn as lead vocals, which reached number one in Belgium and Germany, number four on the UK charts, seventeen in Mexico and nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Similarly, none of the singles from Voulez-Vous reached number one in the UK, but they did they got past number four. At the end of July the double A-side single "Voulez-Vous"/"Angeleyes" was released, which managed to stay at number three, as well as reaching number one in Belgium and entering the top 10 in Ireland, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, France and the Netherlands. In the United States both songs were released separately, so "Angeleyes" did not reach more than position 64 and "Voulez-Vous" stalled at number 80.

In the fall of 1979, in conjunction with their tour, the group released their second compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which contained their new single, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)». The song became his best-known disco hit in Europe and Japan—where it peaked at number 17 on the Oricon charts—, peaking at number one in Belgium, France, Finland, Ireland, and Switzerland; at number three in the UK and at number eight in Australia. Meanwhile, in Mexico ABBA scored their ninth and final number one with "As Good As New". In the Soviet Union, due to the ban on exporting rubles, only payments in kind were allowed, so Polar Music collected the sales of its records in oil.

World tour and recordings in Spanish

ABBA upon arrival in Rotterdam, one of the stops of its 1979 tour

After seeing the success achieved in Spanish-speaking countries with the English version of "Chiquitita", ABBA decided to record a Spanish version with the lyrics composed by Mary and Buddy McCluskey, executives of RCA Records in Argentina. The quartet also appeared on the programs Aplauso and 300 million in Spain, where they obtained a gold record for the single's sales. The Spanish version became a hit. success on the radios of Spain and Latin America, in addition to being released in other territories such as France, Australia and Japan. In Mexico and Argentina alone, the Spanish version of "Chiquitita" sold more than two million copies. Total sales of all versions of "Chiquitita" in physical and digital formats would reach 4.5 million, becoming the group's second most successful single, equaling the sales of "Fernando". To test their lucky streak, RCA Records encouraged the group to record another version in Spanish. The theme chosen for this occasion was "I Have A Dream", which in Spanish became "I am dreaming". The single was well received in several Spanish-speaking countries, convincing them that they should record an album entirely in Spanish after finishing their tour.

On September 13, ABBA kicked off their first and only North American tour at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton to a sellout crowd of 14,000. Over the next four weeks, they performed a total of seventeen sold-out concerts, thirteen in the United States and four in Canada. However, they were forced to cancel several dates: ABBA's last planned concert in the United States was canceled due to Agnetha's nervous breakdown during the flight from New York to Boston, when the private plane she was traveling in was subjected to extreme conditions caused by a tornado, preventing her from landing for a long time. The tour ended with a performance in Toronto at the Maple Leaf Gardens before a crowd of 18,000. Although the show drew the same complaints as the 1977 tour and many attendees claimed that ABBA was more of a studio group than a live band, some critics were impressed by the show's good production and audience reception., especially considering their status in North America.

«With luck, our tour will do [ Voulez-Vous] our first number one there [in the United States]. If we did that, we would have gone all over the world with our super successes and wouldn't that be a good time to put an end to these gigantic but exhaustive concerts? I'd rather leave this to the single pop boys who don't have children or a set home. As a mother of two children, I demand a family life."
—Agnetha speaking about the 1979 tour.

On October 19, the group arrived in Western Europe for the second leg of their tour, where they played twenty-three sold-out dates, including six sold-out nights at London's Wembley Arena, and closing with a huge bang. concert in Dublin, Ireland. During the tour, the documentary ABBA In Concert was recorded with images of the concerts and of the fans in various parts of the United States and the United Kingdom, similar to what they had done on his previous tour with ABBA: The Movie. The documentary was directed by Urban Lasson and premiered the following spring on various European, US, Japanese and Australian television stations. To commemorate the end of their tour, Polar Music decided to release "I Have A Dream" as a single, which got a number one in Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Canada, and a number two in the UK and Ireland. The promotional video for the single was taken from the ABBA In Concert special.

In January 1980, Björn and Benny traveled to Barbados to discuss an offer to produce a musical, as well as to begin songwriting sessions for their next album. Meanwhile, on January 7, Agnetha and Frida they sang the Spanish lyrics written by the McCluskey couple for several of their best-known songs. The compilation album in Spanish was called Gracias por la música, and was released in the mid-1980s in several Spanish-speaking countries, as well as in Japan and Australia. The album was well received by the public, and Along with several singles released from this compilation such as "Gracias por la música" and "Give me, give me, give me!", the group became very popular in Latin America. Later, on their next two albums, ABBA recorded four more songs. in Spanish. The following months ABBA dedicated themselves to the production of their next album, with a short break: in March they traveled to Japan for what would be their last tour. Upon their arrival at Narita International Airport they were mobbed by thousands of fans, similar to what had happened in Australia three years earlier. The band played eleven concerts to over 100,000 people, including six performances at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.

Progression and decline (1980-1982)

After finishing their Japan tour, ABBA took a short break and began working on a new studio album. The first track released from these sessions was released in July, "The Winner Takes It All", their eighth number one on the UK Singles Chart—and their first since 1978. In the United States, the single peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and became ABBA's second number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary; apart from the previous ones, it also managed to enter the first ten positions of fifteen other lists. The lyrics of the song, written by Björn, are very marked by the marital problems he experienced with Agnetha, the main voice on the track. Due to its subject matter and Agnetha's performance, "The Winner Takes It All" is often singled out as one of the best recordings the group has ever made.

After appearing on a few television shows to promote their latest single, the band finished recording sessions in the fall of 1980. In late November, ABBA released their seventh studio album, Super Trouper, which reflected a certain change in the style of their music as they moved away from the disco influence, with more prominent use of synthesizer and an increase in personal lyrics. It set a record for the most UK orders: more than one million copies were put aside before the record was released. the main European markets. However, the same did not occur in other countries such as the United States and Australia, where the single stalled at number 45 and 77, respectively. Other hits included on Super Trouper were "On and On and On", "Our Last Summer" and "Happy New Year".

Super Trouper, seventh studio album released by the group in 1980 that had a great success

In January 1981, Björn married Lena Källersjö, and his manager, Stig Anderson, celebrated his fiftieth birthday. For this occasion, ABBA composed and recorded the song "Hovas Vittne" as a tribute to him, and published only two hundred copies on red vinyl to be distributed among the guests who attended the celebration. This special single is one of the most sought after by collectors of the quartet. However, the differences between the four culminated in a new break: in mid-February, Benny and Frida announced their divorce. Benny began a relationship with another woman, Mona Nörklit, whom he married in November of that year.The image people had of ABBA, of two happy couples, had ended. As it happened with the divorce of Agnetha and Björn, the four assured that this separation would not stop their work as a quartet and that they would soon start recording their new album.

Björn and Benny held some composition sessions during the first months of 1981, and recordings for the next album began in mid-March. At the end of April, the group recorded the television special Dick Cavett meets ABBA, where they offered a small concert and unveiled two new songs that would be integrated into their next album: "Slipping Through My Fingers". and "Two For The Price Of One". Recording sessions for the follow-up album continued through the fall, and the fourth began thinking about a Christmas release. However, for some record companies like Epic Records, this period was quite long, so they decided to release one last song from Super Trouper as a single. In mid-1981, "Lay All Your Love On Me" was released in a 12" in some territories, and garnered good critical and commercial reception. seven on the UK charts, making it the highest chart position achieved by a single in that format in the UK.

Last album

In November 1981, ABBA released The Visitors, their eighth studio album. This album showed a maturity in the composers and a marked feeling of distance from their first recordings, but kept within the pop style, with catchy and harmonious tunes. Although it was not revealed at the time of release, Björn stated that the track that gave him the title to the album ("The Visitors (Crackin' Up)"), made reference to the secret meetings to approve the totalitarian governments in the Soviet countries; the rest of the songs also dealt with other complex themes, in contrast to many of their previous works. This change in content resulted in a relative commercial decline: although the album topped the charts across Europe, it entered the top 20 in France and Japan and top 30 in the United States and Australia, it did not sell as much as its predecessors. Shortly after the album's release, "One of Us" was released as the first single from The Visitors. The song gave the group their eighteenth and final UK top 10 hit. It also reached the top ten positions in several countries in Europe and Africa, consolidating its latest worldwide success.

«We have been working on The Visitors for more than a year. Very long, but the songs don't go as easily as before. Those days are gone. It's not easy to keep that level. It's getting harder to create successful songs. Much is expected of us. Although we're ABBA, I'm sure that's not a guarantee for success. only the quality of the song is it”.
- Benny talking about the recording The Visitors.

In North America, Australia and New Zealand, however, Atlantic Records released "When All Is Said And Done" as a single instead of "One of Us", and it became ABBA's last top-performing hit. 30 in the United States, while reaching number four on the Adult Contemporary chart in Canada. The lyrics of this song were inspired by Benny and Frida's recent divorce, as was the case with "The Winner Takes It All". In the United States "The Visitors (Crackin' Up)" was also released as a single. Although it only reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number eight on the Hot Dance Club Play, along with "When All Is Said And Done". After these releases, the members of the group began to take care of other projects. Benny welcomed his first child with Mona, while Björn also became a father for the third time. Frida began recording and promoting her album Something's Going On; the first single "I Know There's Something Going On" became a worldwide success, so rumors began about the separation of the band. Thus, with the exception of the recording of the video for their single "Head Over Heels"—number 25 in the UK, but number two in Belgium—the four did not reunite until May 1982. That same year The Visitors was released on compact disc., making ABBA the first artist to appear on a CD.

Last recordings and final appearances

In February 1982, Ulvaeus and Andersson recorded an appearance for the Let Poland Be Poland program, conceived as a response to the declaration of martial law in Poland in December 1981. However, their intervention was ultimately excluded from the broadcast. broadcast of the program alleging problems of duration, although the real cause was possibly that, in addition to referring to the reduction in freedoms suffered by the Polish population, they also mentioned similar situations that were being experienced at that time in other countries such as Chile, El Salvador, Afghanistan and Iran. As a result, the Soviet government censored ABBA's work in the Soviet Union, confiscated their records from stores, and withdrew ABBA: The Movie from theaters.

In May of that year, songwriting sessions began and the four of them reunited for the recordings of what was supposed to be their ninth studio album. Although plans were sketchy, a new album and the idea of a small tour were discussed. However, the recording sessions in May and June were not as productive as expected and they ultimately only recorded three songs. The songwriters were not satisfied with the results, they put the tapes away, and the four took a break for the summer. When they returned to the studio in early August there was a change in plans for the rest of the year, preferring a Christmas release of a double album compiling their past hits and including a couple of new songs, for which they did new writing sessions and recording. The Singles: The First Ten Years was released in November of that year, along with the new singles "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack", also included on the compilation. The group toured several countries in Europe to promote The Singles: The First Ten Years, appearing on the television shows Saturday Superstore, The Late, Late Breakfast Show and Show Express. This album was number one in the United Kingdom and Belgium, in addition to entering the top 20 of the lists of ten other countries. In contrast, neither "The Day Before You Came" nor "Under Attack" managed to enter most of the popularity charts, but had some success in some European countries.

On November 19, 1982, ABBA appeared for the last time in Sweden on the television show Nöjesmaskinen. Finally, on December 11, 1982, they made their last appearance as ABBA on the program The Late, Late Breakfast Show, transmitted to the United Kingdom via satellite from a studio in Stockholm. four denied that the group would disintegrate and talked about a future world tour, where they would perform in front of famous monuments such as pyramids, buildings, statues, etc. Although the plans were to continue as a foursome, they announced a "temporary" break to concentrate on other projects, but the break became permanent and the four never met again. Björn and Benny met Tim Rice in December 1981, and writing sessions for their musical project Chess began in early 1983, while Frida and Agnetha concentrated on starting and maintaining an international solo career.

After ABBA

Individual projects

Benny Andersson Orkester during a concert in 2006

After their split, the four began working on other musical projects. In 1983, Björn and Benny began composing together with Tim Rice the musical Chess, in which some songs whose demos were created during the ABBA recording sessions were used. In 1984 they released the concept album, along with two singles to promote it: "One Night in Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well", both of which became a hit in Europe. Two years later the musical opened in London's West End, and more later on Broadway in New York. However, at the latter site the show was given negative reviews by the press and its tenure was short-lived. In addition, Benny also released two instrumental albums in 1987 and 1989. Benny and Björn continued their work as songwriters and producers for various Polar Music artists until 1990, when the members of the quartet sued Amogus Anderson for breaches of contract with the record label. In the 1990s, both songwriters devoted themselves to writing the m usical Kristina Från Duvemåla, which premiered in Stockholm in October 1995, becoming a hit in Sweden. In other cities around the world, such as London, New York and Helsinki, versions adapted for local audiences were presented. At the end of that decade, Björn, Benny and Judy Cramer created the musical Mamma Mia!, based on ABBA songs. After its premiere in London on April 6, 1999, the musical became a success, with various productions around the world and in different languages. By 2008, over 30 million people had attended a performance of the musical. In 2001, Benny formed the Benny Anderssons Orkester (BAO!), which released three albums in Sweden with local success. The last song composed by Benny and Björn was "Story of a Heart", published in 2009 by BAO!.

Since 1982, Frida recorded the album Something's Going On, produced by Phil Collins, from which the single "I Know There's Something Going On" was extracted, became a hit in Europe. Two years later, she released the album Shine, which included a song composed by herself ("Don't Do It") and another composed by Benny and Björn ("Slowly"). Although the album could not imitate the success of its predecessor, Frida retired for twelve years from the musical world and dedicated herself to her family. Her last album, Djupa andetag, was performed in Swedish and released in 1996. Throughout the following years, Frida devoted herself mainly to charitable work, she also occasionally appeared in collaboration with other artists..

For her part, Agnetha released her first solo album in English in 1983, called Wrap Your Arms Around Me. From this album the single "Can't Shake Loose" was obtained, which was his only entry to the popularity charts in countries outside of Europe. His next two productions in English Eyes Of A Woman from 1985 and I Stand Alone from 1987 were well received in some European markets, but their singles failed to become a hit. In addition to these releases, Agnetha recorded two albums in Swedish together with her two children: Nu tändas tusen juleljus —a Christmas carol album with Linda— and Karusellvisan —a children's album with Christian. he withdrew for a time from public life. In 2004, Agnetha made her return to the music scene with the album My Coloring Book , which was well received in several European countries and for which she carried out a small promotional campaign. At the end of that decade, Agnetha began to participate more in activities related to ABBA and her former classmates.

Respawns

ABBA with the cast of the film Mamma Mia! at the premiere in Stockholm

All four members of the group have made a few comebacks for ABBA-related shows. The first of these occurred in 1983, when three of the band members collaborated with the special Abbacadabra, produced by French television TF1. Abbacadabra was the name of a children's musical that used fourteen ABBA songs, for which the producers Daniel and Alain Boublil contacted Stig Anderson to obtain his authorization for the use of the melodies, in addition to request the support of the quartet. The musical was broadcast nationally in France and the soundtrack peaked at number three on the French album chart. Following its good reception, three versions of Abbacadabra were created for the UK., the Netherlands and Brazil. Benny and Björn collaborated on a new song for the English version, "The Seeker", while Frida performed "Belle" on the French version, and "Time" on the English version.

Over the next few years, the former ABBA members would see each other occasionally when out to promote their projects around Europe, but it took a while for the quartet to get together again. On January 18, 1986, the four made a public comeback—more as friends than ABBA—for the Swedish show This Is Your Life, where they performed an acoustic version of "Tivedshambo", the first song ever written. by Stig Anderson, in a special in honor of the Stig's 55th birthday. The same year, the quartet performed privately for the birthday of Claes af Geijerstam, their former tour producer, singing a song they composed called " Der Kleine Franz", which was later used in Chess. In August, Polar Music released the album ABBA Live, which contained recordings of various live performances performed in 1977., 1979 and 1981. Another known meeting occurred in 1999 during the birthday party of Görel Hanser, longtime friend and secretary of Stig Anderson; In her honor, the members of ABBA performed a Swedish birthday song — "Med En Enkel Tulipan" — a cappella.

Benny frequently added ABBA songs to his set list at BAO! concerts. He also played the piano during the recordings of various cover versions of ABBA songs. In June 1992 he appeared with Björn and U2 at a concert in Stockholm, singing the chorus of "Dancing Queen". Ten years later, the two performed the first verse of "Fernando" when they accepted the Ivor Novello Award in London. Frida performed and recorded an a cappella version of "Dancing Queen" with the Swedish group The Real Group in 1993, and also returned to record "I Have A Dream" with Swiss Dan Daniell in 2003. The four members of ABBA attended several premieres and performances of the musical Mamma Mia!, but were never seen or photographed together. However, during the premiere of the film Mamma Mia! in 2008, the four were photographed together for the first time in over twenty years. However, apart from the above exceptions, none of the four he sings his old songs and the quartet has never reunited as such for a musical collaboration. Although the end of the group was never officially announced, in various interviews they have revealed that it is unlikely that ABBA will return, so the group is considered dissolved.

Resurgences

Work

Style and criticism

ABBA during an interview in 1976. ABBA's innocent and clean image helped them win their popularity among Australian children

ABBA's music and career have been studied and criticized by several authors, mainly pop music historians. Many of them —including Jason Ankeny from Billboard magazine and Christopher Conelli from Rolling Stone— agree that the harmonious voices of Frida and Agnetha, with the catchy melodies and simple choruses were the components of the formula that gave the group its popularity. David Mansour, author of From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century wrote that "with the pretty Agnetha and Frida harmonizing as lead vocals, the Swedes and their unique Europop sound, employing solemn verses followed by explosive refrains, rose to international stardom." In 1981, in Billboard magazine > one could read that "the cadence of ABBA's melodies, the beautiful harmonies and the universal lyrics have made them one of the few artists capable of transcending all language and cultural barriers". On the contrary, the lyrics of their recordings were constantly rated by many c critics such as "innocent", "silly", and "without a message". However, the four always agreed that their compositions were simple, and stated that their songs were composed with the intention that they would feature pop melodies. accompanied by lyrics whose main theme was love. Another factor that also played an important role in terms of critical reception was the language. Because the composers had Swedish as their first language, the lyrics of their songs tended to be simple, without a complex level of grammar and syntax. In addition, when interpreting the lyrics, they did so with a slight Swedish accent, which the press described as "charming". Much of this negative criticism of the content of the group's work diminished with the release of the albums Super Trouper and The Visitors, in those who presented a change in the compositions. Although the formula of harmonized vocals and catchy melodies was still present, the theme of the songs took a turn. For example, Thomas Gabriel wrote of the song "Soldiers" by The Visitors: "emphasizing that although there seems to be very little one can do to prevent the machinations of the soldiers and those who control them, we must not 'look the other way' / taking a chance / for if the trumpet starts to sound / we must too dance'. Certainly very few groups can so effectively handle a subject as serious as this, and still imbue it with all the qualities of great pop music."

The fact that the four members had a background in the Swedish music scene helped the quartet gain some prestige in the Scandinavian region, although winning the Eurovision Song Contest was what brought them fame in several European countries and Asians. Their innocent, clean and uncontroversial image was what led them to stardom in several countries, mainly in Australia and New Zealand. Here, the band's music and promotion was directed towards the children's market, mainly children between the ages of four and ten. For its part, the recordings in Spanish gave the group the opportunity to promote their music in Latin America and other countries. Latin-speaking countries such as France and Portugal. However, in the United States his music did not have a great reception from critics or the public. The techniques that had propelled them to stardom in the rest of the world—the sleek image and their pop sound—seemed to have alienated the American audience even further. Although the promotional tours allowed their songs to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list and their albums received certifications from the RIAA, they never had a reception like the one obtained in Europe and Australia. The international press always noted that this poor reception of the quartet by critics and the American public was due to the fact that they did not have a good promotional campaign and the very "European" sound of their music. However, ABBA never tried to completely change their image and style to achieve celebrity status in that country; Björn said: “we only do what we feel is real. I feel like if we tried [pleasing critics] it wouldn't work. We wouldn't try to launch something just because people think it's the way to be successful in America; we just have to follow our hearts and our heads, you know."

"[Criticals] no longer bother us, especially since millions of people around the world continue to buy our music. We serve our client, the only one who decides what is good and what is bad. I think it's not fun to listen, after spending an entire year working very hard on a new album, you didn't make any effort. But we have even learned to live with comments like these."
- Benny talking about negative reviews.

The quartet's first studio album, Ring Ring, is often considered by critics to be one of their worst albums. In general, their first album was filled with songs that had originally been created for other projects, but one way or another ended up on the record. For example, "Rock'n Roll Band" had previously been recorded by the duo Benny & Björn; "I am Just a Girl" was used for a film soundtrack and "Disillusion" had been composed by Agnetha for her solo album. Most of the tracks were no more than 3:30 minutes long and all contained elements of pop music and schlager accompanied by simple lyrics. With Waterloo, ABBA tried to find a sound that suited the characteristics of the group. This search led them to experiment with various styles such as glam, reggae, jazz and rock., but always sticking to the pop genre. This variety of styles, as well as the harmonies of the voices and the effect of the wall of sound made the album obtain favorable reviews from American publications. ABBA, their third studio album, still included references to their previous work, but now they were perfecting the formula that gave them their first big hit with "Waterloo". Agnetha and Frida became the main voice of almost all the songs and for the first time they included an instrumental song in an album. The songs still contained different styles, ranging from 1950s jazz to schlager, but were now more pop-focused. that the titles; Stig Anderson was always looking for a simple and easy-to-remember title that did not require translation into other languages, such was the case with the singles "SOS" and "Mamma Mia".

On their next studio album, the group progressed with longer tracks, less straightforward lyrics, and meticulous recording technique. Arrival featured influences from Swedish folk music, with the use of instruments such as bagpipes and fiddles, as well as presenting their first forays into the dance style. Many critics point to this as ABBA's best studio album, highlighting the album's production and signs of "maturity" in its style, a reception that was reflected in sales. The Album continued its musical progress, although the catchy tunes were still present and the lyrics already touched on themes other than love and heartbreak. This album was influenced by the music of American bands such as The Beach Boys and The Eagles, and was the last album with the participation of Stig as a composer. Although the songs did not become an immediate success like the singles from Arrival, they managed to obtain a good reception from European and American critics. The sessions for their next album lasted for more than a year, in addition to the fact that half of the tracks were composed and recorded in the last two months of the work sessions. However, Voulez-Vous was characterized by the group's foray into disco music, with the lyrics more geared towards dance and love. This change did not go down well with many critics, though they noted the quality of Benny and Björn's production, as well as their ability to continue creating catchy melodies and adapting to the new style. Only two tracks on the album were ballads—"Chiquitita and "I Have a Dream"—both of which contained a strong Latin music influence. The success of these singles in Spanish-speaking territories prompted them to record an album entirely in Spanish, Gracias por la música.

Although all four denied it, the divorce of both couples greatly changed the image of ABBA, as well as their music and popularity. Super Trouper reflected a big change in his style, leaving disco music behind and making more prominent use of the synthesizer. Lyrics began to deal with more complex issues, such as dictatorships and the price of fame, although many other tracks were dedicated to dancing and love. Björn, who had progressively become the quartet's main lyricist, began writing songs from a more personal point of view, drawing inspiration from his divorce with Agnetha on "The Winner Takes It All" and a teenage love affair on "Our Last Summer". Critics welcomed this change, although they still described their work as simple and commercial. Finally, The Visitors followed the line defined by its predecessor, continuing with the melodies based on the synthesizer and with personal lyrics. This album included more complex lyrics, which spoke of topics such as socialist dictatorships, old age, failed relationships, fear of war and a father who watches his daughter grow up. Critics did not receive the change favorably, arguing that the music was frivolous, and the four no longer felt comfortable working together. Their final recordings also continued this trend, and after their later releases met with poor critical and commercial reception, the group eventually broke up.

Influences

Björn and Benny pointed to The Beatles as one of the most influential groups in ABBA music

Since the four members had already had their own careers before forming ABBA, each drew their musical influences from different artists. For example, Björn stated that the main artists who influenced his work as a songwriter were The Beach Boys and The Beatles. In his early days as a writer he also named the Kingston Trio and various Swedish folk music bands as some of the artists he had imitated. He also mentioned Phil Spector as his main reference in the field of production. Like his partner, Benny also grew up listening to traditional Swedish music and its main representatives, especially those from the Dalecarlia region. He also defined The The Beatles as his favorite group and his main source of inspiration, as well as his father and grandfather, with whom he began playing the accordion since he was a child. For her part, Agnetha began her artistic career as a teenager, when she was inspired by singers such as Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and Doris Day to write their own compositions. She also cited Connie Francis, Marianne Faithfull, Aretha Franklin and Lesley Gore as the most important influences on the vocal style of her performances. Finally, Frida always maintained a closer connection with jazz performers, and before starting to work in the music industry he had already recorded several versions of singers like Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Furthermore, she described Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee as her vocal idols.

As songwriters and producers, Benny and Björn also drew inspiration from well-known musical works and composers such as Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Their first attempt to create such a play was during the 1977 tour, where they placed a four-act mini-musical called The Girl with the Golden Hair on the set list. Three of the songs from it were included on The Album, among which was the song "Thank You For The Music". In 1980, Björn and Benny began work on a Christmas musical that due to lack of resources it could not be carried out; however, one of the songs conceived for this project, "Happy New Year", was finally published on the album Super Trouper. The intentions of the composers to create a musical were more noticeable on The Visitors, especially with the song «I Let The Music Speak». Björn said about it: "If ABBA hadn't recorded 'I Let The Music Speak', I guess we would have used it on Chess".

During the recording and composition sessions, the group also took into account the music scene and the technological advances of the time for the creative process of their work. In this regard, Björn said: “In the studio, for example, with all the new things you can play with, it changes the music a bit. We listen to virtually everything that comes out [of music]. We have subscriptions to the American Top 40, to the British Top 40, and if a new artist sounds interesting to us, we listen to that album." In this way, the influence of many singers and bands from the 1970s and 1980s—such as the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Bee Gees, and Earth, Wind & Fire—can be heard in ABBA's music. Although "Medley: Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special" was the only proper version they recorded, several of their songs show specific references to other themes by various artists. For example, the Latin style of "Chiquitita" was composed in reference to the Simon and Garfunkel single "El cóndor pasa"; the inspiration for the disco rhythm of "Dancing Queen", the group's best-known track, came from the song "Rock Your Baby" by singer George McCrae.

With choreography by Graham Tainton and costumes by Owe Sandström, it gained the group much attention not only for its music.

Music Videos, Fashion and Performances

The tax bands to ABBA, like that of the image, wear copies of the costumes that the group used during their presentations

Although ABBA was not one of the first artists to record special videos for their singles, they were among the first to use them as a promotional tool. they became popular in different territories and live appearances were not always possible. In this way they minimized the number of trips they had to make, particularly to those countries that required very long flights. In addition, the four had their own family obligations and Agnetha, who suffers from airplane phobia, refused to leave their homes. their young children for long periods of time. Stig saw the potential of airing a simple video on television to advertise a single or album, allowing for easier and faster promotion than a concert tour. These clips started out as recordings of the band performing the song in a blank studio, but soon changed to show scenes from the lives of the four in and around Stockholm. By the time the music channel MTV began its broadcasts in 1981, the group already had more than twenty-five videos. Some of their videos became classics due to their use of 1970s costumes and their special effects, which showed the members of the group in different shots, forming different pairs, superimposing the profile of one with the face of the other, or singing face to face. Most of the ABBA videos —including ABBA: The Movie— they were directed by Lasse Hallström, who would later direct such films as My Life as a Dog, The Cider House Rules and Chocolat.

ABBA was widely characterized by the use of colorful outfits that matched the four of them. The first time they wore these signature outfits was during the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, where their costumes designed by Inger Svvenke attracted the attention of the European public and were a key part of their performance. For the rest of the decade, the group wore a wide array of costumes with varied garments including kimonos, fur coats, miniskirts, platform boots and hats. Simon Freith and Peter Langley of Creem magazine wrote: "The girls wore truly amazing party clothes, white sack dresses covered in a large black cat print, gowns doctored up with opal trim, kaftans truly fierce and four times larger than normal; They look like cheap Christmas cards. The boys wore those nylon one-pieces with zippers, suits straight out of a sci-fi movie, gold flared pants, and strenuous boots with heels. The resulting tension between innocence and sophistication is the basis of ABBA's sexual attraction." The four wore these outfits in their interviews, videos, photo shoots, presentations, concerts and for public events, for which the press began to question them. about its use. In this regard, Agnetha said: "In private, we are completely normal: that is why we like to dress in flashy costumes on stage. Without some sparkle, we'd just look very plain." The last time they wore one of these outfits was on their 1979 world tour, where the four wore outfits of indigo, blue, and purple, designed by Owe Sandström to match the stage. Many of ABBA's outfits were taken up by other artists in the following decades, acknowledging the group's contribution to the world of fashion.

ABBA was always criticized for being more of a studio band than a live band. Peculiarly, the quartet supported this statement, arguing that they felt more comfortable in the studio than on stage. For this reason, despite the demand for tickets, the three world tours they performed did not exceed fifty dates and all lasted less than three months. The reviews their shows received were mixed: although the press stated that the group sounded quite good live, they pointed to his lack of charisma and personality as one of their biggest problems being on stage. Agnetha said on behalf of the four: "my musical home is the studio, not the stage"., Frida always enjoyed going on tour, stating that "I think being on stage is to die for, I feel safe because I enjoy what I do." The quartet preferred to promote themselves through radio and television, appearing on programs such as Top of the Pops, Saturday Night Live, Applause, Toppop, Musikladen, among others. However, for these performances ABBA generally used lip sync. In fact, in their ten years together the quartet only sang live on less than ten television shows. Many of these performances have been digitized and released on DVD and to accompany special editions of their albums.

Legacy

"They were underestimated by serious critics and treated only as a happy little pop group. Many idiots still think that way, but they were much more."
- Tim Rice.

Elizabeth Vincentelli, author of the book ABBA Gold, wrote: “ABBA, after all, may not get much respect, but they are among the most beloved bands on the planet; its cross-cultural impact unites European drag queens, Midwestern housewives, New York hipsters, and Japanese students, connecting mainstream culture with satellite subcultures." According to several authors, in this ABBA's success was based, since by bringing European pop to true international success they managed to adapt to the musical tastes of different cultures. In fact, they were some of the first artists in the genre to gain popularity outside of the European market. This also made them the first group from continental Europe to experience fame in non-English speaking countries, mainly in the Far East, Latin America, the Soviet Union and Africa. Its success paved the way for other Scandinavian artists to excel within the global music scene. Artists such as Ace of Base, A-ha, Aqua and Roxette were constantly compared to ABBA, creating a stereotype of europop. Over time, the figure of the quartet became a representative icon of both the music and the culture of Sweden. The impact that ABBA had on the image of this nation before the world was very important, not only culturally, but also socially and economically. For example, to promote the tourism in the city, the Stockholm museum created the ABBA City Walk tour in which tourists visit the most relevant sites for the group's history in the area. In 1983, the Swedish Postal Service published a postage stamp, announcing that "whether or not Sweden's most successful music machine, ABBA, can be considered genuinely Swedish is perhaps a question asked too quickly... even if the quartet breaks up and the ABBAs go their separate ways, they have made a permanent place in Swedish musical history".

Despite the relatively poor reception that ABBA had among music critics, they managed to get several awards and nominations at ceremonies such as the People's Choice Awards, the Brit Awards, the Grammis, the World Music Awards and the Japan Gold Disc Award; although most of them were obtained after their separation. In addition, in 2002 the group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2005, during the Congratulations: 50 years of the Eurovision Song Contest gala, held in honor of the 50th anniversary of the the Eurovision Song Contest, "Waterloo" was chosen as the best song in the history of the festival. Months before, it had also been named the best song of the Melodifestivalen at the Alla tiders Melodifestivalen gala. The quartet is often referred to as one of the few artists to have achieved international success through the Eurovision Song Contest, and as one of the event's top representatives. In 2010, ABBA was chosen to be part of the Rock Hall of Fame for being "one of the most successful and beloved pop groups in music history. Their success gave popular music a more international flavor, expanding it beyond English-speaking countries". VH1, as well as Rolling Stone ranked The Definitive Collection in The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and "Dancing Queen" in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The American singer Madonna using a costume similar to that used by Frida and Agnetha during a concert held on June 5, 2006 in the California city of Fresno

ABBA's total sales vary according to the source cited. When the quartet broke up in 1982, The New York Times estimated their sales at more than 100 million albums, not counting their singles; in 1991, before ABBA Gold, Billboard set their overall sales at 240 million. However, in 2008 Universal Music Group awarded the group recognition for having sold more than 375 million copies of their musical productions, although in 2012 several media outlets, such as the BBC and The Daily Telegraph, published that its sales were around 200 million. Regardless of the final figure, Stig was always recognized as the good management of the band's finances and good business strategies created by his team. In fact, for a while, ABBA was the second most profitable company on the Swedish stock market, behind only Volvo. Interestingly, this excessive focus on the business side of their work was one of the factors that influenced their split. ABBA is sometimes defined as a gay icon, mainly due to their style, the costumes they wore, their popularity among the community LGBT and the theme and rhythm of some of their songs like "Dancing Queen" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)".

For Carl Magnus Palm, their official biographer, the only mystery about the quartet is how to explain "that some two decades after they went their separate ways, there are still millions of people out there who are interested in the music made by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad". His music continues to be relevant thanks to the fact that it is used as the soundtrack of different television programs and films. In addition, many music personalities have expressed their admiration for ABBA and his work, be it interpreting versions of his old songs successes or using his style as an influence to create new works. Among these are artists such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, Paul McCartney, U2, Elvis Costello, Nirvana, Belinda Carlisle, Alanis Morissette, Sex Pistols, Erasure, The Corrs and Westlife among more. Even several of the pop artists ABBA contemporaries such as Olivia Newton John, Boney M, Mireille Mathieu, Stars on 45, Brotherhood of Man and Donna Summer distinguished the group as one of the best in its genre, by recording several versions of their songs. Despite the good reception from the public and the impact that the band's music continues to have, the four refuse to make a reunion. Björn mentioned: “I am completely surprised. When we took a 'break' [in 1982], I thought that was it. Forget it, it's not going to mean anything else in my life. That was stupid, of course, but it was the way I felt. We would continue with a musical and with different new things, but ABBA would be something that people would forget. So you can imagine my surprise when it didn't. I don't know if it has something to do with the fact that we never did a reunion. I don't think there is any other group with this degree of success that has never had a reunion."

Discography

ABBA released eight studio albums between 1973 and 1981. Of all those years, only in 1978 did it not release any album.

For a complete list of all songs, see ABBA Song List.

Main article: Annex: ABBA Discography

1973: Ring Ring
1974: Waterloo
1975: ABBA
1976: Arrival
1977: The Album
1979: Voulez-Vous
1980: Super Trouper
1981: The Visitors
2021: Voyage

Fonts

Notes

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