Great article- which conveys my sentiments entirely. But, Fraser, why no mention of their hologram stage show, ABBA Voyage? It has completely reinvented the concert format and given Abba a form of eternal youth. It is still playing to packed houses and looks like a fixture on the London musical scene now. They even wrote a new album at the same time- which caused grown men to cry when they heard "I Still have Faith in You". It took those of us who loved them the first time around emotionally back to the 1970s.
One footnote. If you go to Skiathos in Greece (where they filmed parts of Mamma Mia) the film plays in the open air cinema on alternate nights of the week EVERY week during the holiday season and you usually cant get a seat as it is always full ALL SEASON. Neither the Beatles nor Queen can get close to that.
It is odd how all the greatest bands just vanished from view. No Beatles, no Elvis, no Queen, no Dylan. And yet everyone knows their songs. Which singers from this century have had half the impact? Which of their songs will we remember?
As a young musician brought up on British pop and American soul music, I hated this song winning the Eurovision Song Contest. Waterloo seemed like a lame Swedish interpretation of the music I loved. Terrible decision, I gurned.
Years later, my touring band had stopped in a pub and Dancing Queen came on the jukebox. The dancing strings in the verse caught my ear, sounding like the BBC’s Ski Sunday theme. And slowly I became an Abba fan eventually appreciating Waterloo and the many great songs that followed, with their wonderful arrangements and great bass lines.
One of my favorite fun movies is Muriel's Wedding, which has a soundtrack almost totally consisting of ABBA songs. There is a bit where Rachel Hunter and Toni Collette enter a contest in a bar, lip syncing Waterloo, and it is hilarious. IMO et cet. of course.
Ever noticed how miserable the left are, especially Marxists. They hate success so much they’d rather tear everything down and destroy it than allow a smidgeon of joy. Good thing ABBA didn’t listen.
Good grief. There's always someone who has to bring politics into non-political topics, usually a willfully ignorant right winger. Instead of being miserable, we on the left are disgusted that an adjudicated rapist, 34 times convicted felon, grifting, diaper-wearing con man, so inept he bankrupted casinos, was re-elected by you.
My goodness...so triggered you had to lash out with the bee ess 34 fake felonies crapola, your comment posted 3X in the grips of a TDS spasm.
Did you not catch the link in the article to socialist Sweden getting its panties in a bunch over ABBA? The article's author brought politics into the discussion, not the commenter:
"Socialistic Sweden had embarked on a cultural strategy devoted (among other things) to mitigating “the negative impact of commercialism”. Abba’s success posed a conundrum to Stockholm’s cultural commissars: if Waterloo and Mamma Mia! were so trashy, the lyrics so absurd, why did the people seem to like it so much?"
The rigged 34 felonies case will be overturned as the appeals play out. Mega-triggering event heading your way. Chronic TDS is sad.
The article referred to Sweden's politics in the 70's, in the past tense.
In the comment to which I was replying, the politically left are referred to in the present tense, i.e., "look," instead of the past tense "looked."
You can't possibly be so ignorant that you don't know the difference. That's a compliment. Accept it, get your binky, get your diaper changed, then go to sleep.
Good grief. There's always someone who has to bring politics into non-political topics, usually a willfully ignorant right winger. Instead of being miserable, we on the left are disgusted that an adjudicated rapist, 34 times convicted felon, grifting, diaper-wearing con man, so inept he bankrupted casinos, was re-elected by you.
Good grief. There's always someone who has to bring politics into non-political topics, usually a willfully ignorant right winger. Instead of being miserable, we on the left are disgusted that an adjudicated rapist, 34 times convicted felon, grifting, diaper-wearing con man, so inept he bankrupted casinos, was re-elected by you.
I remember all the “musically correct” folks who snickered at me for liking ABBA back in the 70s. They were synthesized product, not music, they’d say. We were supposed to be into artists like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Springsteen, Foghat, and Foreigner, or any others doing “complaint rock” or social commentary.
When Mama Mia hit the stage, and then the silver screen, it introduced ABBA to new generations and their popularity soared again. I also remember the critics derisively calling Mama Mia a “jukebox musical” and not really theatre, or should I say serious THEE-A-tuh. I saw Mama Mia on stage 3 times. Talk about fun and pure joy. Critics need to remove the sticks from their asses and enjoy each piece of entertainment for it is. Stop trying to be so clever and bitchy-dishy in your dismissal of a cultural phenomenon that made millions of people feel good.
When I look at acts with a high audience to critical acclaim ratio it makes me think that critics are anti-fun. They’re pissy about their irrelevance. Fun doesn’t need critics to explain it to us.
When Motörhead’s Lemmy was interviewed in 2014 by The Huffington Post, he was asked to reveal the most surprising fact about himself, which prompted the musician to say: “One of my favourite bands is ABBA”.
When Motörhead’s Lemmy was interviewed in 2014 by The Huffington Post, he was asked to reveal the most surprising fact about himself, which prompted the musician to say: “One of my favourite bands is ABBA”.
Great article- which conveys my sentiments entirely. But, Fraser, why no mention of their hologram stage show, ABBA Voyage? It has completely reinvented the concert format and given Abba a form of eternal youth. It is still playing to packed houses and looks like a fixture on the London musical scene now. They even wrote a new album at the same time- which caused grown men to cry when they heard "I Still have Faith in You". It took those of us who loved them the first time around emotionally back to the 1970s.
One footnote. If you go to Skiathos in Greece (where they filmed parts of Mamma Mia) the film plays in the open air cinema on alternate nights of the week EVERY week during the holiday season and you usually cant get a seat as it is always full ALL SEASON. Neither the Beatles nor Queen can get close to that.
It is odd how all the greatest bands just vanished from view. No Beatles, no Elvis, no Queen, no Dylan. And yet everyone knows their songs. Which singers from this century have had half the impact? Which of their songs will we remember?
WELL, I for one, have all of Elvis's songs ... and now my grandchildren are listening to them.... along with ABBA.
I received Elvis 40 Greatest as a Christmas when I was Six. I remember every word to every song. I remember Waterloo at Eurovision. Good times!
As a young musician brought up on British pop and American soul music, I hated this song winning the Eurovision Song Contest. Waterloo seemed like a lame Swedish interpretation of the music I loved. Terrible decision, I gurned.
Years later, my touring band had stopped in a pub and Dancing Queen came on the jukebox. The dancing strings in the verse caught my ear, sounding like the BBC’s Ski Sunday theme. And slowly I became an Abba fan eventually appreciating Waterloo and the many great songs that followed, with their wonderful arrangements and great bass lines.
One of my favorite fun movies is Muriel's Wedding, which has a soundtrack almost totally consisting of ABBA songs. There is a bit where Rachel Hunter and Toni Collette enter a contest in a bar, lip syncing Waterloo, and it is hilarious. IMO et cet. of course.
Ooops! Rachel Griffiths, not Rachel Hunter.
Yes, I've enjoyed that movie more than once. 💃
Thank you, Fraser, that was fun. Love ABBA.
Ever noticed how miserable the left are, especially Marxists. They hate success so much they’d rather tear everything down and destroy it than allow a smidgeon of joy. Good thing ABBA didn’t listen.
Good grief. There's always someone who has to bring politics into non-political topics, usually a willfully ignorant right winger. Instead of being miserable, we on the left are disgusted that an adjudicated rapist, 34 times convicted felon, grifting, diaper-wearing con man, so inept he bankrupted casinos, was re-elected by you.
My goodness...so triggered you had to lash out with the bee ess 34 fake felonies crapola, your comment posted 3X in the grips of a TDS spasm.
Did you not catch the link in the article to socialist Sweden getting its panties in a bunch over ABBA? The article's author brought politics into the discussion, not the commenter:
"Socialistic Sweden had embarked on a cultural strategy devoted (among other things) to mitigating “the negative impact of commercialism”. Abba’s success posed a conundrum to Stockholm’s cultural commissars: if Waterloo and Mamma Mia! were so trashy, the lyrics so absurd, why did the people seem to like it so much?"
The rigged 34 felonies case will be overturned as the appeals play out. Mega-triggering event heading your way. Chronic TDS is sad.
The article referred to Sweden's politics in the 70's, in the past tense.
In the comment to which I was replying, the politically left are referred to in the present tense, i.e., "look," instead of the past tense "looked."
You can't possibly be so ignorant that you don't know the difference. That's a compliment. Accept it, get your binky, get your diaper changed, then go to sleep.
Good grief. There's always someone who has to bring politics into non-political topics, usually a willfully ignorant right winger. Instead of being miserable, we on the left are disgusted that an adjudicated rapist, 34 times convicted felon, grifting, diaper-wearing con man, so inept he bankrupted casinos, was re-elected by you.
Good grief. There's always someone who has to bring politics into non-political topics, usually a willfully ignorant right winger. Instead of being miserable, we on the left are disgusted that an adjudicated rapist, 34 times convicted felon, grifting, diaper-wearing con man, so inept he bankrupted casinos, was re-elected by you.
I remember all the “musically correct” folks who snickered at me for liking ABBA back in the 70s. They were synthesized product, not music, they’d say. We were supposed to be into artists like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Springsteen, Foghat, and Foreigner, or any others doing “complaint rock” or social commentary.
When Mama Mia hit the stage, and then the silver screen, it introduced ABBA to new generations and their popularity soared again. I also remember the critics derisively calling Mama Mia a “jukebox musical” and not really theatre, or should I say serious THEE-A-tuh. I saw Mama Mia on stage 3 times. Talk about fun and pure joy. Critics need to remove the sticks from their asses and enjoy each piece of entertainment for it is. Stop trying to be so clever and bitchy-dishy in your dismissal of a cultural phenomenon that made millions of people feel good.
When I look at acts with a high audience to critical acclaim ratio it makes me think that critics are anti-fun. They’re pissy about their irrelevance. Fun doesn’t need critics to explain it to us.
Lovely piece-joyful.
I’m a closet ABBA freak. I can’t dance, but whenever and wherever I hear Dancing Queen I always think I can. Thanks for the trip!
ABBA songs are happiness bombs.
When Motörhead’s Lemmy was interviewed in 2014 by The Huffington Post, he was asked to reveal the most surprising fact about himself, which prompted the musician to say: “One of my favourite bands is ABBA”.
Waterloo was written for Eurovision, that meant tapping into European politics , that meant pleasing the French.
Reminding Europe that Sweden played a Key role in defeating Napoleon was a master stroke, hence Nil points from the British.
P/S The fall out from said conflict resulted in my Swedish ancestors settling in England
🤩
When Motörhead’s Lemmy was interviewed in 2014 by The Huffington Post, he was asked to reveal the most surprising fact about himself, which prompted the musician to say: “One of my favourite bands is ABBA”.
Loved ABBA right from the start. Dancing Queen is played at every party 🎉
Waterloo was written for Eurovision, that meant tapping into European politics , that meant pleasing the French.
Reminding Europe that Sweden played a Key role in defeating Napoleon was a master stroke, hence Nil points from the British.
P/S The fall out from said conflict resulted in my Swedish ancestors settling in England
I’m a closet ABBA freak. I can’t dance, but whenever and wherever I hear Dancing Queen I always think I can. Thanks for the trip!