Hasta Manana ABBA
I am a fan of ABBA and have been for the last forty years. Yes I admit it. Knowing Me, Knowing You, there just might also be some Bees who share this fondness, The Way Old Friends Do.
It started on Arrival in my teen years – the time when one is oh so receptive to the catchy tunes, the outlandish costumes, the repetitive refrains and the then celebrity status of the two young couples. It carried On And On And On and today the familiar chords of any ABBA song are still as delightful as years ago.
I was smitten with the blond-haired Agnetha, my brother with the brunette Anni-Frid. Luckily, as otherwise the infatuation-triangle would have caused a poster fight. We played their music on old tape recorders and vinyl records, and I still hear the scratchy sound as the turntable spins.
As teens we regularly had “garage-parties”. Cars removed from the motor house, a few loose couches, something to drink and the record player in the corner. And of course ABBA. Dancing Queen, Does Your Mother Know and Summer Night City. Later when the lights go dimmer, we would slow-dance to Andante Andante and Fernando.
Will I ever forget the summer beach holidays with the background strands of I’ve Been Waiting For You and Chiquitita, and which so often ended in a romance gone cold to the tune of The Winner Takes It All.
ABBA sold in excess of 140 million albums; a conservative estimate. Their records are still selling. They surpassed the Beatles as the highest selling pop group ever in the UK. Love them or hate them their appeal was clear for anyone around in the late seventies and eighties.
To my teenage children their music is irritatingly kitsch and sentimental. While they will endure my occasional reverie, I dare not play any ABBA tunes when their friends are around. "It is just so... like you know... totally uncool.".
Many ABBA tunes were reminiscent of a European folk festival; which were the exact surroundings in which Benny and Bjorn started shaping their music. Their earliest unknown work was composed for such occasions.
ABBA songs often had a melancholic influence and undertones of sadness; The Day Before You Came rings in my head now. Rock Me has that offbeat quirky sound of a bunch of Scandinavians trying to be an American rock band, but not quite succeeding. And therein lays its appeal. The rock back-beat is there, and often the pumping guitar, but in other ways their sound is odd and does not fit a specific genre except that it was popular. The pam-pam-pam xylophone notes in Money, Money, Money, and the numerous piano rolls; what are they doing in a pop song? And the four-part vocal harmony in Lay All Your Love on Me; doesn't that belong in choir? Yes, and that was the genius of their composition.
Perhaps ABBA's biggest reason for success was the quality and harmony of the woman’s voices. Listen to any a cappella version and their enormous talent shines through. Singing made even more appealing by their charming Nordic accent and off-beat use of English; only a Swedish band could get away with rhyming "You can deny it" and "Oh so quiet".
They were good, really good.
When All Is Said And Done, maybe it's time now to Move On?
No, I'll stay.
Hasta Manana!
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Comments
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #18
Sara Jacobovici
7 years ago #17
Sara Jacobovici
7 years ago #16
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #15
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #14
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #13
Praveen Raj Gullepalli. I can't agree with you more. They composed interesting, original, unpredictable chord sequences and vocal melodies. To my (untrained and unsophisticated) ear they were able to mix music and melodies from many genres and make it work. Praveen: thank to you I am reconsidering the Move On bit :)
Sara Jacobovici
7 years ago #12
Sweet! Thanks Gert Scholtz for bringing a smile to my face.
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #11
Paul Walters Not a tragic romantic - an incurable one!
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #10
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #9
Louise Smith
7 years ago #8
Paul Walters
7 years ago #7
Oh Lisa such a romantic!!!
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #6
Sara Jacobovici
7 years ago #5
Dean Owen
7 years ago #4
Paul Walters
7 years ago #3
CityVP Manjit
7 years ago #2
Pascal Derrien
7 years ago #1