Thank You for the Music
A look into some of the drama behind ABBA’s iconic disco ballads
Written by Natasha Bernovich, Lifestyle Staff Writer
From “Dancing Queen” to “Mamma Mia,” we all know and love ABBA. But what a lot of people don’t know is all the drama that went on behind the scenes of some of their feel-good hits.
ABBA is made up of members Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog (hence the name, ABBA). They got their start as a group in 1966 in Sweden when Andersson and Ulvaeus met and began to collaborate as composers and producers (Ray, 2022). In 1969, the two met Lyngstad and Fältskog and began to work on music as an ensemble group under the name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid (Ray, 2022).
In 1970, all four put their voices together for the first time, creating a cabaret act called “Festfolk,” which had a double meaning of both “engaged couples” and “party people.” The group’s collaboration was unsuccessful at first, but they stuck together and began to see growth in popularity in 1972 when several of their songs rose on the pop charts in Sweden (Ray, 2022).
The group’s big break came in 1974 with their song “Waterloo.” Their new name, ABBA, combined with a fresh, catchy pop song allowed them to reach No. 1 on the charts all across Europe. By 1976, they were established as one of the biggest groups in the world. The members seemed to be getting along well; Ulvaeus and Fältskog had been married since 1971, and Andersson and Lyngstad got married in 1978. They toured the world, grew in popularity in the U.S. and released hit after hit.
Unfortunately, their utopic arrangement didn’t last long. In 1979, Fältskog and Ulvaeus divorced. Ulvaeus wrote “The Winner Takes It All” about their divorce and Fältskog sang it (Armstrong, 2019). Meanwhile, Andersson struggled with alcoholism. He has since opened up about it in a 2018 interview with Daily Mail, saying “I wasn’t feeling well without alcohol, so I knew that I was in trouble…Quitting drinking was a necessity,” (McLean, 2018).
In 1980, ABBA performed live for the last time. A year later, any image of happy, music-making couples evaporated when Andersson and Lyngstad divorced. In 1982, the group decided to take a break.
Despite their decades-long break, ABBA managed to stay relevant. They left a strong legacy to old and new generations of fans, despite little to no new music. In 1999, the stage jukebox musical “Mamma Mia” opened, followed by a movie version in 2008 and a sequel in 2018. These productions gained popularity for featuring ABBA, proving the group’s strong fanbase and showing how their music remained relevant and relatable after all that time (Yousef, 2020).
In 2010, ABBA was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio (Ray, 2022). With the rise of TikTok over the last couple of years, several ABBA songs have experienced a resurgence in popularity. “Chiquitita,” “Slipping Through My Fingers” and “Angeleyes” are the soundtracks to hundreds of thousands of videos on the app, proving that the group has stood the test of time. Artists can remain relevant indefinitely if their music is timeless and relatable.
Even though they haven’t toured or performed live together in over 40 years, ABBA still found a way to please fans around the world. Fans can watch hologram versions of ABBA concerts, where the “ABBAtars” of the members sing and dance to accompaniment by a live band of all their biggest hits. The group is “blurring the lines between the physical and digital … Blending cutting-edge technology, spectacular lighting and some of the most beloved songs ever written” (The Story, n.d.). Four decades in the making, ABBA is revolutionizing the live music and concert industry.
Between their music, Mamma Mia and their innovation in concerts, ABBA has one of the greatest legacies in music history.
Sources:
Armstrong, Q. (2019). All of the Drama and Heartache Behind ABBA’s Feel-Good Disco Hits. Ranker.
McLean, C. (2018). Benny Andersson on Mamma Mia 2, quitting booze, and ABBA’s ‘reunion.’ DailyMail.
Ray, M. (2022). ABBA: Swedish Music Group. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Yousef, I. (2020). What Is the Legacy of ABBA in Popular Culture? Encyclopedia Britannica.
See ABBA on stage in a concert 40 years in the making. (n.d.). ABBA Voyage.
The Story. (n.d.). ABBA.