Abba

silvervixen84

I'm a massive ABBA fan and learned to sing from listening to ABBA Gold from the age of 5. I don't care if they're cool or not, they've influenced me massively.

AllForIt

The mark of a great band/group is 1 - they were unique, 2 - they were hugely successful and 3 - they are remembered long after they retired. Decades later in fact in this case.

And another thing, just because they weren't huge in the US doesn't mean anything. As if being successful in the US is the litmus test for success. The US isn't the only place in the world.

interlocked

The winner takes it all is probably one of the greatest break up songs ever written.
Sheer genius.
And to think they broke up and still sung it

And they wrote and sung it in a foreign language.. Now that's talent.

KungPao

Sure the best punk song ever (pretty vacant) was inspired by abba. Glen Matlock said as much.

Heckler

I'm pretty much old school to a point (bunnymen, sonic youth, dead kennedys, nick cave and all that) but have a huge soft spot for ABBA.

When I was a kid they were never off the turntable.

Fernando, the winner takes it all, Super Trouper.

Fantastically crafted pop songs. Those two guys are genius, And getting two good looking women to sing. Sure winner.

I'm Team Agnetha btw.

KungPao

KungPao wrote: »

Sure the best punk song ever (pretty vacant) was inspired by abba. Glen Matlock said as much.

But you gotta take a lot of what the Sex Pistols say as winding up the media and winding up each other, particularly Matlock v Cook/Rotten.

Conservative

Great thread. They are up there with the best and most consistent songwriters of all time. There are a lot of my favourite bands I would love to see reform but I am glad Abba never did.

What is it about Sweden and pop music? Outside of the UK and the US I dont think any other country has had anything close to their influence on popular music and the charts. Listening to whats in the tkp 10 nowadays some may argue that's not a good thing but it's certainly not a fluke.

Samaris

They were amazingly consistent in terms of turning out really good songs. Also, the intro to Gimme Gimme Gimme is amazing and instantly recognizable (so sod off, Madonna). Also talented singers and musicians and it showed, very few of their hits you wouldn't instantly know by the tune compared to a lot of dross-pop which sounds...pretty much alike.

Always been an ABBA fan, both when it was cool (well, allowable) and when it wasn't (it wasn't particularly cool in my age group in the 90s either!). Not watched all of Mamma Mia!, but I liked the older woman that sang "Does Your Mother Know". And like MM! or not, the band created enough story in their songs to at least try hanging a coherent movie on!

Sweden seems to do death metal and frothy pop very well. Weird combination.

TerrorFirmer

Absolutely massive soft spot for Abba - grew up listening to Abba Gold every weekend from the age of 6 or so.

SecretsOfEarth

Lorelli! wrote: »

Isn't she a recluse now? I think there was something where she got into a relationship with her stalker as well!

I think ABBA are alright. Some good songs!

After ABBA and her English language solo career in the 1980s, she did shy away from public life but wasn't a recluse or anything. There was a messy situation with a stalker that has had about five different stories so at this stage I don't know what happened :pac:
She released a new English language album in 2013 that did well and did extensive promotion for it including in the UK, despite her long-time fear of flying.

bodhrandude

So how was Longitude?

Yamanoto

silvervixen84 wrote: »

I don't care if they're cool or not, they've influenced me massively.

You're right of course.

A good song is a good song, regardless of the cool factor & ABBA had plenty of 'em.

zuutroy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7s31Wr85Nk

Barry Badrinath

ABBA backwards are still shyte.

cml387

Senor Fancy Pants wrote: »

ABBA backwards are still shyte.

Ooerr a bit of controversy here.

SecretsOfEarth

Senor Fancy Pants wrote: »

ABBA backwards are still shyte.

Popular 'shyte'

JupiterKid

Listen to this. How can you not consider this incredibly melodious shimmering pop?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP_dk429rbc

snowflaker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HnOFwqpLRQ

Sublime

SecretsOfEarth

snowflaker wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HnOFwqpLRQ

Sublime

Amazing that some of their best material, both released and unreleased, came at the end of their career and as their relationships were breaking down even further.

snowflaker

SecretsOfEarth wrote: »

Amazing that some of their best material, both released and unreleased, came at the end of their career and as their relationships were breaking down even further.

a more mature developed sound

Ann_Landers

DON'T. GO. SHARING YOUR DEVOTION. LAY ALL YOUR LOVE. ON. MEEEEEE.

Oscar Bravo

Love this

Ann_Landers

SecretsOfEarth wrote: »

Agnetha (the blonde one) suffered from anxiety a lot in the band's later years due to the stress of touring and the sheer insanity of ABBAmania at its peak, particularly in Australia. She also had an intense fear of flying which hindered touring and her own personal welfare. After ABBA, she had a pretty successful English language solo career for three albums then backed out of the spotlight to live a quiet life in Sweden. She did have problems with stalkers but she didn't become a recluse, instead just choosing to try and live a more normal life.

Slowly but surely she eased herself back into the world of celebrity, attending the Mamma Mia The Movie premiere in Stockholm and she released a new English language album, 'A' in 2013, which became her highest charting album in the UK thus far.

I watched a documentary about ABBA in the late '90s that said that Agnetha became such a recluse in Stockholm that she could barely speak English any more from being fluent in it earlier in her life. It's nearly 20 years since I've seen that documentary though (christ!) so that might have changed since.

Ann_Landers

'The Winner Takes It All' and 'Fernando' are both beautiful, evocative, heart-breaking songs.

Bjorn Ulvaeus is a very talented man.

Also, beautiful harmonies and great singing voices.

Ann_Landers

interlocked wrote: »

The winner takes it all is probably one of the greatest break up songs ever written.
Sheer genius.
And to think they broke up and still sung it.

It is indeed wonderful. But I have to say 'No Distance Left To Run' by Blur is my favorite break up song.

I am also impressed by bands putting aside their personal stuff in commitment to the music. Look at Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham writing angry songs at each other for 'Rumours' that they recorded and sung together. Impressive. Stevie Nicks was basically like "Well, I wrote an angry song about him, I can't expect him to not do the same". And thus, two more great break up songs were created.

SecretsOfEarth

Ann_Landers wrote: »

I watched a documentary about ABBA in the late '90s that said that Agnetha became such a recluse in Stockholm that she could barely speak English any more from being fluent in it earlier in her life. It's nearly 20 years since I've seen that documentary though (christ!) so that might have changed since.

I think her standard of English did fall, but in my opinion she was always the one of the four who struggled most with the language barrier, even in interviews in their prime. Björn has always been the most 'fluent' of them so-to-speak, and to this day is essentially the group spokesperson.
She's conducted many English language interviews since then, especially in 2013 to promote her latest album, and her English has been largely serviceable, with a few pauses to rephrase and such.

Ann_Landers

SecretsOfEarth wrote: »

I think her standard of English did fall, but in my opinion she was always the one of the four who struggled most with the language barrier, even in interviews in their prime. Björn has always been the most 'fluent' of them so-to-speak, and to this day is essentially the group spokesperson.
She's conducted many English language interviews since then, especially in 2013 to promote her latest album, and her English has been largely serviceable, with a few pauses to rephrase and such.

Oh right! The docu said she was fluent but of course documentaries are not infallible. Also, I suppose it was more dramatic to say she went from fluent to barely being able to speak it.

SecretsOfEarth

Ann_Landers wrote: »

Oh right! The docu said she was fluent but of course documentaries are not infallible. Also, I suppose it was more dramatic to say she went from fluent to barely being able to speak it.

Yeah they had the right idea but of course they had to ham it up!
This interview is ok, some grammar mistakes but they endear her more to me if I'm honest.

Ann_Landers

SecretsOfEarth wrote: »

Yeah they had the right idea but of course they had to ham it up!
This interview is ok, some grammar mistakes but they endear her more to me if I'm honest.

Wow, she looks great, she's 63 there.

SecretsOfEarth

Ann_Landers wrote: »

Wow, she looks great, she's 63 there.

I agree, it was nice to see her come back into the limelight that year, including her first live performance in years with Gary Barlow for Children In Need.

JupiterKid

If you were born between 1974 and 1982 you were an ABBA-era child. I made my arrival when SOS was in the charts.:)

SecretsOfEarth

JupiterKid wrote: »

If you were born between 1974 and 1982 you were an ABBA-era child. I made my arrival when SOS was in the charts.:)

Not a bad time to arrive, you accompanied the song that turned their fortunes in many countries from Eurovision flash in the pan to serious band

Conservative

JupiterKid wrote: »

If you were born between 1974 and 1982 you were an ABBA-era child. I made my arrival when SOS was in the charts.:)

One of John Lennon favourite pop songs.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Their songs are pure genius in fairness, all of the famous ones are really catchy (which is what pop music is supposed to be) and they sound like the sort of songs that just happened out of the blue rather than actually being written.

Truth is ABBA will more likely to still be listened to in a 100 years time more than any of the supposed trendier acts that they get dismissed in favour of.

MRnotlob606

Going to the ABBA museum next month in Stockholm. Seems interesting.

Ger Roe

I was ten when they walked on stage for the 1974 Eurovision in Brighton, and before they even played a note everyone watching knew that they were going to blow the cobwebs off the whole Eurovision thing. They had the look for the time (glamour and glitz) and they just produced great pop - what more could anyone ask of them?. There have been books written on how well produced they were, but they just knew what worked (after trying other style formulas and music formats for years previously).

They knew how to make people feel good, even when the subject matter of their songs might have been their own personal breakup and heartache. I really like their very early stuff, when it was a bit more on the glam rock side of pop and before it became more disco.... tracks like 'Ring Ring' , 'So Long' and 'Waterloo'.

They were a huge influence on many acts and writers/producers that followed after them and their music still inspires people today where their songs are sampled and mashed.

This is one of my favourite mashup tracks - Abba and Blondie together.

Lorelli!

Ger Roe wrote: »

This is one of my favourite mashup tracks - Abba and Blondie together.

I kind of like the mashup! Love that Blondie song

Ann_Landers

JupiterKid wrote: »

If you were born between 1974 and 1982 you were an ABBA-era child. I made my arrival when SOS was in the charts.:)

99 Red Balloons was number one in Ireland when I was born. :pac:

blueser

ABBA were an excellent band. With, funnily enough, singers who could actually sing. A concept alien to fans of certain popular "cult" bands.

Ann_Landers

blueser wrote: »

A concept alien to fans of certain popular "cult" bands.

Come on then, which ones?

JP Liz V1

They should unite and do Glastonbury

LordSutch

JupiterKid wrote: »

If you were born between 1974 and 1982 you were an ABBA-era child. I made my arrival when SOS was in the charts.:)

Good album if memory serves me right.

topper75

Ger Roe wrote: »

I was ten when they walked on stage for the 1974 Eurovision in Brighton, and before they even played a note everyone watching knew that they were going to blow the cobwebs off the whole Eurovision thing.

I don't know. Maybe those cobwebs weren't bad.

I'm thinking of Fr. Dick Byrne's entry in a Song for Europe. Where could I buy the whole song?

MRnotlob606

They should unite and do Longitude.

chrissb8

ABBA should reunite and do The Olympia

andekwarhola

AllForIt wrote: »

Does Your Mother Know you listen to ABBA?

I always file that song (along with 'Cypress Avenue', 'Young Girl', and 'Stray Cat Blues') under They'd Never Get Away With Those Lyrics Now.

blueser

Ann_Landers wrote: »

Come on then, which ones?

Sorry about the tardy reply. Okay then; for starters, the Smiths, Stone Roses and Nirvana. And for solo artists, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. Decent songwriters, but not a note in their heads. Feel free to add your own nominees.