ABBA
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Genre(s)	Pop Europop Disco
Years active	1972 – 1982
Label(s)	Polar (Sweden) Polydor (UK) Philips (UK) Atlantic (USA) Universal (USA) Epic (USA) Vogue (France) Discomate RCA PolyGram Carnaby Sunshine Ariston/Dig It
Associated acts	Hep Stars, Hootenanny Singers, Benny Anderssons Orkester
Website	www.abbasite.com
Former members
Björn Ulvaeus Benny Andersson Agnetha Fältskog Anni-Frid Lyngstad

ABBA is a Swedish Edison award and Eurovision winning pop/dance group active between 1972 and 1982. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure This is a page for the musical genre Europop in general For the album Europop by Eiffel 65, see Europop (album. Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Polar Music is a Swedish Record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Philips Records is a Record label that was founded by Dutch electronics giant Philips. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. For the American record label see Vogue Records Disques Vogue was founded in France in 1947 This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945 The Hep Stars was a Swedish pop group formed in 1963 The group were among the most successful of 1960s Swedish pop groups The Hootenanny Singers (for a couple of weeks originally called the Westbay Singers, Westbay English for Västervik) were a popular Folk group Benny Anderssons Orkester ( BAO) is a Swedish band with Benny Andersson as musical leader and Composer. Björn Kristian Ulvaeus, bjœɳ ɵlˈveɵs (born April 25 1945 is a Swedish Musician, Composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group Göran Bror Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946) is a Swedish Musician, Composer Agnetha Åse Fältskog (aŋneta osɛ fɛltskug (born Agneta Åse Fältskog) is a Swedish pop Singer-songwriter and Record Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Edison Award is the oldest and most prestigious Dutch Music Prize presented since 1960 Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure This article is about music for dancing in general You may also be looking for Electronic dance music. The quartet was formed through the friendship of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and also consists of Anni-Frid Lyngstad (usually known as Frida) and Agnetha Fältskog. Göran Bror Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946) is a Swedish Musician, Composer Björn Kristian Ulvaeus, bjœɳ ɵlˈveɵs (born April 25 1945 is a Swedish Musician, Composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian Agnetha Åse Fältskog (aŋneta osɛ fɛltskug (born Agneta Åse Fältskog) is a Swedish pop Singer-songwriter and Record They topped the charts worldwide from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. The name "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each of the group member's given name (Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid). Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name ^[1]

ABBA received immense international popularity employing catchy song hooks, simple lyrics, and a Wall of Sound achieved by overdubbing the female singers' voices in multiple harmonies. A hook is a Musical idea, often a short Riff, passage or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a Song appealing and to "catch the Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that accompany music either by speaking or singing The Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by Record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios Overdubbing (the process of making an overdub, or overdubs is a technique used by Recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded As their popularity grew, they were sought after to tour Europe, Australia, and North America, drawing crowds of near-hysterical fans, notably in Australia during the tour there. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Touring became a contentious issue, particularly unpopular with Agnetha, though they continued to release studio albums to great commercial success. At the height of their popularity, however, both marriages of the band members failed, and the relationship changes were reflected in their music, as they produced more thoughtful lyrics with different compositions.

They remain a fixture of radio playlists and are one of the world's best selling bands, having sold more than 370 million records world wide;^[2][3][4] they still sell two to three million records a year. ^[5] ABBA was also the first pop group from mainland Europe to enjoy consistent success in the charts of the English-speaking countries, mainly the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the Continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry The Hot 100 Singles Sales (also known as Singles Sales) is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ is a non-profit trade association of Record producers, distributors and recording artists in New Their enormous popularity subsequently opened the doors for other Continental European acts. ^[6] The music of ABBA has been re-arranged into the successful musical Mamma Mia! that has toured worldwide and is in production for a movie version to be released in 2008. This article is about the stage musical For the film see Mamma Mia! The Movie.

Contents 1 Before ABBA (1960s) 1.1 First live performance and the start of "Festfolk" 1.2 First record together "Hej, Gamle Man" 2 Forming The Group (1970 - 1973) 2.1 Their first hit 2.2 "Ring Ring" 2.3 Official naming 3 Breakthrough (1973 - 1976) 3.1 Eurovision victory 3.2 1974 Tour 3.3 Reception in Australia 4 Superstardom (1976 - 1981) 4.1 European and Australian tour 4.2 Polar Music Studio formation 4.3 Expense of success 4.4 Progression 5 The final album and performances (1981–1982) 5.1 Last recording sessions 5.2 Last performances 6 After ABBA 6.1 Andersson and Ulvaeus 6.2 Fältskog and Lyngstad 7 Revival 8 Fashion, videos, and advertising campaigns 9 Discography 10 Awards And Recognition 11 Bibliography 12 Notes 13 See also 13.1 ABBA-related 13.2 Lists 13.3 Other 14 External links

Before ABBA (1960s)

Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946) was a member of a popular Swedish pop-rock group that performed covers of international hits named The Hep Stars from the age of 18. Göran Bror Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946) is a Swedish Musician, Composer Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Hep Stars was a Swedish pop group formed in 1963 The group were among the most successful of 1960s Swedish pop groups He played keyboards and eventually started writing original compositions for his band, many of which became major hits including "No Response" that hit #3 in 1965, "Sunny Girl", "Wedding", "Consolation", all of which hit #1 in 1966. ^[7] Andersson also had a fruitful songwriting collaboration with Lasse Berghagen, with whom he composed his first Svensktoppen entry "Sagan Om Lilla Sofi" in 1968. Lars "Lasse" Nils Berghagen (born May 13 1945 in Enskede) is a Swedish Singer, Songwriter, Composer Svensktoppen is a Record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003 the Songs had to be in the Swedish language.

Björn Ulvaeus (born in Gothenburg, Sweden on April 25, 1945) also began his musical career at 18, when he fronted The Hootenanny Singers, a popular Swedish folk-skiffle group. Björn Kristian Ulvaeus, bjœɳ ɵlˈveɵs (born April 25 1945 is a Swedish Musician, Composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Hootenanny Singers (for a couple of weeks originally called the Westbay Singers, Westbay English for Västervik) were a popular Folk group Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Skiffle is a type of Folk music with Jazz, Blues and Country influences usually using homemade or improvised instruments such as the Washboard Ulvaeus started writing English language songs for his group, and even had a brief solo career alongside. The Hootenanny Singers and The Hep Stars sometimes crossed paths while touring, and on one occasion in June 1966 Ulvaeus and Andersson decided to write a song together. Their first attempt was "Isn't It Easy to Say", a song later recorded by The Hep Stars. Stig Anderson was the manager of The Hootenanny Singers and founder of the Polar Music label. Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson (né Andersson ( January 25, 1931 &ndash September 12, 1997) was born in Hova, Sweden Polar Music is a Swedish Record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag He saw potential in the collaboration, and encouraged them to compose more. Both also began playing occasionally with the other's bands on stage and on record, although not until 1969 did the pair write and produce some of their first real hits together: "Ljuva Sextiotal" ('Merry Sixties'), recorded by Brita Borg and The Hep Stars' 1969 hit "Speleman".

Andersson wrote and submitted the song "Hej, Clown" for the 1969 Melodifestivalen, the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest finals. Melodifestivalen (mɛlʊˈdiːfɛstɪˌvɑːlɛn English "The Melody Festival" is an annual Music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters The song tied for first, but re-voting relegated Andersson's song to second place. ^[8] . On this occasion, Andersson briefly met his future spouse; singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad (born on November 15, 1945 in Bjørkåsen in Ballangen, Norway), who also participated in the contest. Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian A month later, the two had become a couple. As the two bands began to break up, Andersson and Ulvaeus teamed up and eventually recorded their first album together in 1970, called Lycka ("Happiness" in Swedish), that included original compositions sung by both men. Ulvaeus still occasionally recorded and performed with The Hootenanny Singers until the summer of 1974, and Andersson took part in producing their records.

Agnetha Fältskog (born on April 5, 1950 in Jönköping, Sweden) had a #1 record in Sweden when she was only 17, and was soon noted by the critics and songwriters as a talented singer/songwriter of schlager style songs. Agnetha Åse Fältskog (aŋneta osɛ fɛltskug (born Agneta Åse Fältskog) is a Swedish pop Singer-songwriter and Record Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Schlager ( German Schlager, literally "hitter" or more loosely translated "a hit" is a style of Popular music that is prevalent in Fältskog's main inspiration in her early years were singers like Connie Francis. Connie Francis (born December 12, 1938 in Newark New Jersey) is an American Pop singer best known for international hit songs Along with her own compositions, she recorded covers of foreign hits and performed them on tours in Swedish folkparks. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released In Sweden, a folkpark is a public recreation space usually featuring large grassed areas trees children's play facilities etc She submitted an original song for Melodifestivalen at 17 years old, titled "Försonade", but it was rejected. She briefly met Anni-Frid Lyngstad for the first time during a TV show in January 1968, and Björn Ulvaeus at a concert venue a few months later.

During filming of a Swedish TV special in May 1969, Fältskog met Ulvaeus again, and they eventually became romantically involved and they married in 1971. Fältskog and Ulvaeus eventually got involved in each other's recording sessions,^[9] and soon even Andersson and Lyngstad added backing vocals to her 1970 album "Som Jag Är" (As I Am). In 1973, Fältskog starred as Mary Magdalene in the original Swedish production of Jesus Christ Superstar and attracted favourable reviews. Saint Mary Magdalen or Mary Magdalene is described both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted Jesus Christ Superstar is a Rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Between 1967 and 1975, Fältskog released five studio albums. ^[10]

Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad (born on November 15, 1945 in Bjørkåsen in Ballangen, Norway) sang from the age of thirteen with various dance bands and worked mainly in a jazz-oriented cabaret style. Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Ballangen is a municipality in the county of Nordland, Norway Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional She also formed her own band named Anni-Frid Four. In the summer of 1967, she won a national talent competition with the song "En Ledig Dag", included in the EMI Compilation Frida 1967-1972. Frida 1967-1972 is a 2 CD compilation of recordings by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad released by EMI Sweden in 1997 The first prize was to perform live on the most popular TV show in Sweden, and included was a recording contract with EMI. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in This first TV performance is included in "Frida the DVD. Lyngstad released several singles on EMI and had many hits in the Swedish charts. When Benny Andersson started to produce her recordings in 1971, she got her first #1 single, "Min Egen Stad" (My Own Town), when all four future ABBA members sang the backup vocals. Lyngstad toured and performed regularly in the folkpark circuit and made appearances on radio and TV. She met Björn Ulvaeus briefly in 1963 during a talent contest, and Agnetha Fältskog during a TV show in early 1968.

Lyngstad finally linked up with her future bandmates in 1969. On March 1, 1969, she participated in the Melodifestivalen, where she met Andersson for the first time. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A few weeks later they met again during a concert tour in southern Sweden and they soon became a couple. Andersson produced her single "Peter Pan" in September 1969; the first collaboration between her and Benny & Björn -as they had written the song. Later Andersson produced Lyngstad's debut album, Frida, which was released in March 1971 and praised by critics. Lyngstad also played in several revues and cabaret shows in Stockholm between 1969 and 1973. After ABBA formed, she recorded another successful album in 1975, Frida Ensam, which included the original Swedish rendition of "Fernando", which became a huge hit in Scandinavia before the English version was recorded. Frida ensam ( Frida Alone) was a solo album released in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia by Anni-Frid Lyngstad in 1975 her " Fernando " is Swedish pop group ABBA 's first non-album single released in the spring of 1976 ^[11]

First live performance and the start of "Festfolk"

An attempt at combining their talents occurred in April 1970 when the two couples went on holiday together to the island of Cyprus. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía What started as singing for fun on the beach ended up as an improvised live performance in front of the United Nations soldiers stationed on the island. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Andersson and Ulvaeus were at this time recording their first album together, "Lycka", which was to be released in September 1970. Fältskog and Lyngstad added backing vocals on several tracks during June, and the idea of them all working together saw them launch their own stage act, "Festfolk", which translated from Swedish to mean both "Party People" and "Engaged Couples", on November 1, 1970 in Gothenburg. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. The cabaret show attracted positive reviews. The foursome performed the Andersson and Ulvaeus hit "Hej, Gamle Man"; the first recording credited to all four- and solo numbers from respective albums, but the foursome did not feel like working together, and soon concentrated on individual projects again.

First record together "Hej, Gamle Man"

"Hej, Gamle Man"("Hello, Old Man") became the foursome's first hit, reaching no 5 on the sales charts, and no 1 on Svensktoppen, staying there for 15 weeks. Svensktoppen is a Record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003 the Songs had to be in the Swedish language. In the first half of 1971, the four artists worked more together, adding vocals to the others recordings. Fältskog, Andersson and Ulvaeus went on a tour together in May, while Lyngstad toured on her own. Frequent recording sessions brought the foursome tighter together during the summer. ^[12]

Forming The Group (1970 - 1973)

After the 1970 release of Andersson and Ulvaeus' album "Lycka", two more singles were released in Sweden, "Det Kan Ingen Doktor Hjälpa" and "Tänk Om Jorden Vore Ung", with more prominent vocals by Fältskog and Lyngstad and moderate chart success. Fältskog released her fourth album in 1971 and married Ulvaeus on July 6, 1971. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Andersson, Ulvaeus, and Fältskog started performing together on a regular basis during the summer of 1971.

Stig Anderson, founder and owner of Polar, was determined to break into the mainstream international market with music by Andersson and Ulvaeus. Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson (né Andersson ( January 25, 1931 &ndash September 12, 1997) was born in Hova, Sweden "One day the pair of you will write a song that becomes a worldwide hit", he predicted. ^[13] Stig encouraged Ulvaeus and Andersson to write a song for Melodifestivalen, and after two rejected entries in 1971,^[14] Andersson and Ulvaeus submitted their new song "Säg Det Med En Sång" ("Say It With A Song") for the 1972 contest, and they chose newcomer Lena Anderson to perform. Melodifestivalen (mɛlʊˈdiːfɛstɪˌvɑːlɛn English "The Melody Festival" is an annual Music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters The song won third place, encouraging Stig and became a huge hit in Sweden. ^[15] The first signs of foreign success came as a surprise, as the Andersson and Ulvaeus single "She's My Kind of Girl" was released by chance by Epic in Japan in March 1972, giving the duo a Top 10 hit. Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Two more singles were released in Japan, "Merry-Go-Round" and "Love Has Its Ways". ^[16]

Their first hit

Ulvaeus and Andersson persevered with their songwriting and experimented with new sounds and vocal arrangements. "People Need Love" was released in June 1972, featuring guest vocals by the women, who were now given much greater prominence. " People Need Love " was the first single released by the Swedish pop quartet "Björn & Benny Agnetha & Anni-Frid" which would eventually become the group Stig Anderson released it as a single, credited to Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. The song reached #17 in the Swedish combined single and album charts, enough to convince them they were on to something. ^[17] The single also became the first record to chart for the quartet in the United States, where it peaked at #114 on the Cashbox singles chart and #117 on Record World's singles chart. Cash Box (or Cashbox) magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries which was published from July 1942 to November Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Billed as Björn & Benny (with Svenska Flicka), it was released there on Playboy Records. Playboy Records was a Record label in Los Angeles, California. However, according to Stig Anderson, "People Need Love" could have been a much bigger American hit, but a small label like Playboy Records did not have the distribution resources to meet the demand for the single from retailers and radio programmers. ^[18] The foursome decided to record their first album together and sessions began on September 26, 1972. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The two women then shared lead vocal on "Nina, Pretty Ballerina", and their voices combined in harmonies for the first time gave them an idea of the qualities of their combined talents.

"Ring Ring"

For 1973, the band and their manager Stig Anderson decided to have another try at the Melodifestivalen, this time with the song "Ring Ring. " Ring Ring " is a 1973 single by ABBA, which gave the group their big break in several European countries (although the rest of Europe, North " The studio sessions were handled by Michael B. Tretow, who experimented with a "wall of sound" production technique that became the wholly new ABBA sound. Bo Michael Tretow, born August 20 1944 in Norrköping, Sweden, Audio engineer most notably for Swedish pop group The Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by Record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios Anderson arranged an English translation of the lyrics by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody and they thought this would be a surefire winner, but in the Melodifestivalen, on February 10, 1973, it placed third, and thus never reached the international contest. Neil Sedaka (born March 13, 1939 in Brooklyn New York) is an American pop Singer, Pianist, and Songwriter Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Nevertheless the proto-group put out their first album, called Ring Ring. Ring Ring is the first Album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in Scandinavia and a limited number of other territories including The album did well and the "Ring Ring" single was a hit in many parts of Europe, but Stig Anderson felt the true breakthrough could only come with a UK or US hit. ^[19]

Official naming

In early 1973, Stig Anderson, tired of unwieldy names, started to refer to the group privately and publicly as ABBA. At first, this was as a play on words, as Abba was also the name of a well-known fish-canning company in Sweden. Abba Seafood, formerly Abba AB with head offices in Kungshamn is a company producing preserved fish products However, since the fish canners were unknown outside Sweden, Anderson came to believe the name would work in international markets. A competition to find a suitable name for the group was held in a Gothenburg newspaper. The group were impressed with the names "Alibaba" and "Baba", but in the end all the entries were ignored and it was announced in the summer that the name "ABBA" was official. Later the group negotiated with the canners for the right to the name. ^[20] "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each group member's name: Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid (Frida). Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name ^[1] The first 'B' in the logo version of the name was reversed on the band's promotional material from 1976 onwards and became the group's registered trademark. A logo ( Greek el λογότυπος = el-Latn logotypos is a graphical element ( Ideogram, Symbol, Emblem, Icon, Sign) A trademark or trade mark, represented by the symbols ™ and ®, or mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual The first time the name is found written on paper is on a recording session sheet from the Metronome Studio in Stockholm, dated October 16, 1973. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. It was first written as "Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida", but was subsequently crossed out with "ABBA" written in large letters on top.

The official logo was designed by Rune Soderqvist, used for the first time on album "Arrival", and subsequently on all later original albums.

In 1992 Polygram redesigned the logo and it had a different font along with a crown emblem. Many fans were relieved to see the original logo return consistently from 2001 onwards.

Breakthrough (1973 - 1976)

Eurovision victory

Ulvaeus, Andersson, and manager Stig Anderson believed in the possibilities of using the Melodifestivalen and Eurovision TV contests as a way to make the music business aware of the band and Andersson, Ulvaeus and Stig as composers. Melodifestivalen (mɛlʊˈdiːfɛstɪˌvɑːlɛn English "The Melody Festival" is an annual Music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters In late 1973, they were invited by Swedish television to contribute a song for the 1974 contest, and from a number of newly written compositions, the foursome chose the upbeat "Waterloo"; the group was now inspired by the growing glam rock scene in England. The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. " Waterloo " first called "Honey Pie" was the first single from Swedish pop group ABBA 's second album Waterloo, their first for Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a sub-genre of Rock music that developed in the UK in the post- Hippie early 1970s which was "performed by England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland "Waterloo" was an unashamedly glam-style pop track produced with Michael B. Tretow's wall-of-sound approach. Bo Michael Tretow, born August 20 1944 in Norrköping, Sweden, Audio engineer most notably for Swedish pop group

ABBA won their national heats on Swedish TV on February 9, 1974, and with this third attempt were far more experienced and better prepared for the international contest. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. With an album's worth of material released when the show was held at the Brighton Dome in England on April 6, 1974, the song won and catapulted them into British consciousness for the first time—and to the top of the charts all over Europe. The Brighton Dome is a building complex in Brighton, England that contains the Concert Hall Corn Exchange and the Pavilion Theatre England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ^[21] Winning the Eurovision Song Contest gave ABBA the chance to tour Europe and perform on major TV shows; thus the band saw the "Waterloo" single climb the charts in many European countries. "Waterloo" was ABBA's first UK #1 single. In the US, it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, paving the way for their first album there that was their second album, Waterloo —although it only peaked at #145 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Waterloo is Swedish pop group ABBA 's second Album, originally released in Sweden on March 4, 1974. The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard

ABBA's follow-up single, "Honey, Honey", reached #27 in the US, and was a Top 3 hit in Germany. " Honey Honey " is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA and included on their Waterloo album However, in the UK, a cover version of the song by the act Sweet Dreams made #10 because ABBA's British record company, Epic, decided to re-release a remixed version of "Ring Ring" instead. It failed to reach the Top 30, increasing growing speculation that the group were simply Eurovision one-hit wonders. A one-hit wonder is a Music industry term to describe an artist generally known for only one hit single.

1974 Tour

In November 1974, ABBA embarked on their first European tour, playing dates in Denmark, West Germany, and Austria. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich It wasn't as successful as the band had hoped, since most of the venues didn't sell out, and due to a lack of demand, they were even forced to cancel a few shows, including a sole scheduled concert in Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The second leg of the tour which took them through Scandinavia in January 1975 was entirely different. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well They played to full houses and finally got the reception they hoped for. For three weeks in the summer of 1975, ABBA compensated for the planned 1974 Swedish tour they were forced to cancel after their Eurovision triumph. They played sixteen open-air dates in Sweden and Finland, attracting huge crowds. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Their Stockholm show at the Gröna Lund amusement park was seen by an estimated audience of 19,200. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Tivoli Gröna Lund (lit The Green Grove) is an Amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden. ^[22]

Reception in Australia

The release of their third album, ABBA, known to fans as "The Limo Album", and their single "SOS" brought back their presence in the UK, where the single hit #6 and the album reached #13. ABBA was the third album by the Swedish pop group of the same name first released in 1975 (see 1975 in music) " SOS " first called "Turn Me On" was the third single from Swedish pop group ABBA 's self-titled 1975 album their third for Polar Music Huge success was further solidified with "Mamma Mia" reaching the #1 spot in the UK at the end of January 1976. " Mamma Mia " is a song from ABBA 's third album ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson In the US, "SOS" reached #10 on the Record World Top 100 singles chart and #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, picking up the BMI Award along the way as one of the most played songs on American radio in 1975. Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Broadcast Music Incorporated ( BMI) is a US Performing rights organization.

Yet the success of the group in the United States remained uneven. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the While they managed to break into the US singles market where, by early 1976, they already had four Top 30 singles, the album market proved to be tough to crack. The eponymous ABBA album generated no fewer than three real American hits, but it only peaked at #165 on the Cashbox album chart and #174 on the Billboard 200 chart. Opinions were voiced, by Creem in particular, that in the US ABBA had endured "a very sloppy promotional campaign". Creem (whose trademark is capitalized CREEM) "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" was a monthly Rock 'n' roll Publication started

In Australia, the airing of the videos for "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Mamma Mia" on nationwide TV in August 1975 started an immense interest for ABBA, resulting in #1 positions on both the single and album charts for months. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The 1976 compilation album 'The Best of ABBA' is still the biggest selling album ever in Australia, selling 1. 1 million copies and spending 16 weeks at #1. On Saturday, March 20, 1976, at 6. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 30 pm, Australian TV's Channel 9 broadcast "The Best of ABBA", filmed during the group's visit the week before. The transmission had more than half of the population watching: 54 percent of viewers according to contemporary reports, a record previously held by the moon landing in 1969. A moon landing is the arrival of an intact manned or unmanned Spacecraft on the surface of a Planet 's Natural satellite. The record remains unbeaten as of 2007. ^[23]

Superstardom (1976 - 1981)

In March 1976, the band released the compilation Greatest Hits, despite having had only six Top 40 hits in the UK and the US. Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1975 (see 1975 in music) Nevertheless, it became their first UK #1 album, and also took ABBA into the Top 50 on the US album charts for the first time, eventually selling more than a million copies there. Also included on Greatest Hits was a new single, "Fernando". " Fernando " is Swedish pop group ABBA 's first non-album single released in the spring of 1976 This song had first been written by Ulvaeus and Andersson in Swedish for Lyngstad's Nr 1 1975 solo album Frida ensam (Frida alone). Frida ensam ( Frida Alone) was a solo album released in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia by Anni-Frid Lyngstad in 1975 her After Lyngstad's major success with the song in Scandinavia, the group decided to record an English version. With "Fernando" hitting #1 in twelve countries worldwide, it occupied the top position in Australia for 15 weeks, tying The Beatles for longest number one for "Hey Jude", making it one of the best-selling singles of all time in that country. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " Hey Jude " is a song by the English rock band The Beatles that was recorded in 1968 That same year, the group received its first international prize, with "Fernando" being chosen as the "Best Studio Recording of 1975". In the US, "Fernando" reached the Top 10 of the Cashbox Top 100 singles chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, ABBA's first American number one single of any kind. The Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart (formerly known as Adult Contemporary Singles, Easy Listening, and only Adult Contemporary) lists the most popular

The group's next album, Arrival, represented a new level of accomplishment in both songwriting and studio work, prompting rave reviews from more rock-orientated UK music weeklies such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express, and mostly appreciative notices from American critics. Arrival is the fourth Album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1976 (see 1976 in music) Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been In fact, hit after hit flowed from Arrival: "Money, Money, Money", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and "Dancing Queen". " Money Money Money " is the name of a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1976 and is included on the group's album Arrival " Knowing Me Knowing You " is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. " Dancing Queen " is the biggest hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, and as such is considered by many to be their Signature song In 1977, Arrival was nominated for the inaugural BRIT Award in the category "Best International Album of the Year". The BRIT Awards, often simply called The BRITs, are the British Phonographic Industry 's annual pop music awards By this time ABBA were very popular in the UK, most of Western Europe and Australia.

Their popularity in the US would remain on a comparatively smaller scale, and "Dancing Queen" became the only Billboard Hot 100 #1 single ABBA ever had there (they did, however, get three more singles to the #1 position on other Billboard charts, including Billboard Adult Contemporary and Hot Dance Club Play). See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Billboard 's Hot Dance Club Play chart (also known as Club Play Singles, and formerly known as Hot Dance Music/Club Play and Hot Dance/Disco Nevertheless, Arrival finally became a true breakthrough release for ABBA on the US album market where it peaked at #20 on the Billboard album chart, while reaching platinum sales there as well. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Platinum (ˈplætɪnəm is a Chemical element with the Atomic symbol Pt and an Atomic number of 78

European and Australian tour

In January 1977, ABBA hit the road. The group's status had changed dramatically and they were clearly regarded as superstars. They opened their much anticipated tour in Oslo, Norway, on January 28, and mounted a lavishly produced spectacle that included a few scenes from their self-penned mini-operetta "The Girl With The Golden Hair". (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted The concert attracted immense media attention from across Europe and Australia. They continued the tour through Western Europe visiting Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Essen, Hanover, Hamburg, and ended it with shows in the UK in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and two sold-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known Tickets for these two shows were available only by mail application and it was later revealed that the box-office received 3. 5 million requests for tickets, enough to fill the venue 580 times. There were, however, complaints about the group's performance lacking the same intriguing qualities on stage as what was presented in the studio, as an article in The Times accused the show of being boring. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ^[24] One of the Royal Albert Hall concerts was filmed as a reference for the filming of the Australian tour for what became ABBA: The Movie, though it's not known exactly how much of the concert was filmed. ABBA The Movie is a feature length Film about the pop group ABBA 's 1977 Australian tour

After the European leg of the tour, in March 1977, ABBA played eleven dates in Australia before a total of 160,000 people. The opening concert in Sydney at the Sydney Showground on March 3 before over 20,000 was marred by torrential rain and Frida slipped on the wet stage during the concert. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian However, all four members would later recall this concert to be the most memorable of their career. Upon their arrival in Melbourne, a civic reception was held at the Town Hall and ABBA appeared on the balcony to greet an enthusiastic crowd of 6,000 people. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 In Melbourne, ABBA played three concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with 14,500 at each including the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and his family. The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. John Malcolm Fraser, AC, CH (born 21 May 1930 is an Australian Liberal politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. At the first Melbourne concert, an additional 16,000 people gathered outside the fenced-off area to listen to the concert. In Adelaide, the group performed one concert at West Lakes Football Stadium before 20,000 people with another 10,000 listening outside. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a During the first of five concerts in Perth, there was a bomb scare with everyone having to evacuate the concert hall. The trip was accompanied by mass hysteria and unprecedented media attention, and is vividly captured on film in ABBA: The Movie, directed by Lasse Hallström. ABBA The Movie is a feature length Film about the pop group ABBA 's 1977 Australian tour Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (b 2 June 1946 Stockholm Sweden) is a Swedish Film director.

The Australian tour and its subsequent ABBA: The Movie produced some ABBA lore, as well. Agnetha Fältskog's blonde good looks had long made her the band's 'pin-up girl', a role she disdained. During the Australian tour, she performed in a skin-tight white jumpsuit, causing one Australian newspaper to use the headline "Agnetha's bottom tops dull show". When asked about this at a news conference, she replied: "Don't they have bottoms in Australia?"^[25]

In December 1977, ABBA followed up Arrival with the more musically and lyrically ambitious fifth album The Album, which was released to coincide with ABBA: The Movie. The Album, also known as ABBA - The Album, is the fifth Album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1977 Although the album was less well-received by the critics in the UK, it did spawn more worldwide hits: "The Name of the Game" and "Take a Chance on Me", both of which topped the UK charts, and reached #12 and #3, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. " The Name of the Game " is the title of a 1977 song by Swedish pop group ABBA, and was released as the first single from the group's album The " Take a Chance on Me " is a song recorded in 1977 by Swedish Dance-pop group ABBA. Although "Take a Chance on Me" did not top the American charts, it has actually proved to be ABBA's biggest hit single in the United States, selling more copies than "Dancing Queen". ^[26] The Album also included the ABBA signature tune, "Thank You for the Music", released as a single in the UK in 1983, and had been the B-side of "Eagle" in countries where the latter had been released. " Thank You for the Music " was the twenty-sixth and final UK single for Swedish pop group ABBA, released in November 1983 to promote the Epic Records compilation The song " Eagle " was recorded in 1977 by Swedish pop group ABBA.

Polar Music Studio formation

By 1978, ABBA was a megagroup. They converted a vacant theatre into the Polar Music Studio, a state-of-the-art studio in Stockholm. Polar Music is a Swedish Record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the The studio was used by several other bands; notably, Genesis' Duke and Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door were recorded there. Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967 With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists Led Zeppelin were In Through the Out Door is the eighth studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin before John Bonham died and the group disbanded During May, the group went to the US for a huge promotional campaign, and performed on Olivia Newton-John's TV show. Olivia Newton-John, AO, OBE (born September 26 1948) is a Grammy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated English-born However, a lot of effort was put into the new recording studio in Stockholm. The recording sessions for "Summer Night City" were an uphill struggle, but upon release the song became another significant hit for the group. " Summer Night City " written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, is ABBA 's second non-album single released on September 6 The track would also set the stage for ABBA's foray into disco with their upcoming album. Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define ^[27]

Several years ago, the original Polar Music Studios (by that time renamed Polar Studios) were closed because the landlord of the building had increased the rent required. The site is now a Fitness First gymnasium, and there is a display in its foyer acknowledging its history as Polar (Music) Studios.

On January 9, 1979, the group performed Chiquitita at the Music for UNICEF Concert held at the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate UNICEF's Year of the Child. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) " Chiquitita " (which roughly means "little girl" in Spanish was the first single release from Swedish mega pop group ABBA 's Voulez-Vous The Music for UNICEF Concert A Gift of Song was a Benefit concert of Popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in Membership For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly see General Assembly members ABBA donated the copyright of this worldwide hit to the UNICEF; see Music for UNICEF Concert. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 The Music for UNICEF Concert A Gift of Song was a Benefit concert of Popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in ^[28] The single was released the following week, and reached #1 in ten countries.

Expense of success

In mid-January 1979, Ulvaeus and Fältskog announced they were getting divorced. The news caused a massive interest from the media, and led to speculation about the band's future. ABBA assured the press and their fanbase they were continuing their work as a group, and that the divorce would not affect them. ^[29] Nonetheless, the media continued to confront them with this in interviews.

The group's sixth album, Voulez-Vous, was released in April 1979, with two background tracks recorded in the famous Criteria Studios in Miami, U. Voulez-Vous is the sixth studio Album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1979. Criteria Studios is a music studio in Miami Florida started in 1958 by Mack Emerman. S. with the assistance, among others, of the recording engineer Tom Dowd. Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of Sound through mechanical and electronic means Tom Dowd ( October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American Recording engineer and producer for Atlantic The album topped the charts across Europe and in Japan and Mexico, hit the Top 10 in Canada and Australia and the Top 20 in the US. None of the singles from the album reached #1 on the UK charts, but "Chiquitita", "Does Your Mother Know", "Angeleyes", the Double A-side in UK for the single "Voulez-Vous", and "I Have a Dream" all charted no lower than #4. " Chiquitita " (which roughly means "little girl" in Spanish was the first single release from Swedish mega pop group ABBA 's Voulez-Vous " Does Your Mother Know? " originally "I Can Do It" is the name of a song recorded in 1979 by Swedish pop group ABBA and was the second single to be " Angeleyes " is a song written and recorded in 1979 by Swedish pop group ABBA. " Voulez-Vous " originally called "Amerika" is one of Swedish pop group ABBA 's Disco -oriented hits and is the second track on " I Have a Dream " which had the working titles "I Know a Song" and "Take Me in Your Armpit" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA In Canada, "I Have a Dream" became ABBA's second #1 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart, after "Fernando" hit the top previously. Later that year, the group released their second compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which featured a brand new track: "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". Greatest Hits Vol 2 was a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in October 1979 to coincide with their tour of North America and Europe " Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight " originally titled "Been and Gone and Done It" is one of Swedish pop group ABBA 's biggest In Russia during the late 1970s, they were paid in oil commodities because of an embargo on the ruble. In international Commerce and politics, an embargo is the prohibition of commerce The ruble or rouble (рубль see below for other Soviet languages) was the currency of the Soviet Union. ^[30]

On September 13, 1979, ABBA began their first (and only) North American Tour at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada, with a full house of 14,000. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Rexall Place is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada situated on the north side of Northlands Park. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. During the next four weeks, they played a total of seventeen sold-out dates, thirteen in the U. S. and four in Canada. The last scheduled ABBA concert on U. S. soil, in Washington, DC, was canceled due to Agnetha Fältskog's emotional distress suffered during the flight from New York to Boston, when the private plane she was on was subjected to extreme weather conditions and was unable to land for an extended period. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Windsor Locks Connecticut tornado struck on October 3 1979 The tour ended with a show in Toronto, Canada at Maple Leaf Gardens before a capacity crowd of 18,000. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario This article is about the arena For the company formerly known as Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd The shows also generated the same type of complaints that were expressed during the group's 1977 tour: many fans regarded ABBA as more of a studio group than a live band. On October 19, 1979, the tour resumed in Western Europe where the band played 23 sold-out gigs, including an unprecedented six sold-out nights at London's Wembley Arena. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Wembley Arena is a famous Entertainment venue located in Wembley, London, UK.

Progression

In March 1980, ABBA traveled to Japan where upon their arrival at Narita International Airport, they were besieged by thousands of fans. is an international Airport located in Narita, Chiba, Japan, in the eastern portion of the Greater Tokyo Area. The group played eleven concerts to full houses, including six shows at Tokyo's Budokan. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The, often shortened to just "Budokan" is an arena in central Tokyo, Japan This tour was the last "on the road" adventure of their career. The same year saw the release of ABBA's seventh album Super Trouper, which reflected a certain change in ABBA's style with more prominent use of synthesisers and increasingly more personal lyrics. Super Trouper was Swedish pop group ABBA 's seventh studio album first released in 1980 (see 1980 in music) It set a record for the most pre-orders ever received for a UK album after one million copies were ordered before release. Anticipation for the album had been built up by "The Winner Takes It All", the group's eighth UK chart topper (and their first since 1978). " The Winner Takes It All " is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. In the US, the single reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became ABBA's second Billboard Adult Contemporary #1. The song was allegedly written about Ulvaeus and Fältskog's marital tribulations. The next single from the album, "Super Trouper", also hit #1 in the UK, the group's ninth and final UK chart-topper. " Super Trouper " at first called "Blinka lilla stjärna" (the Swedish title of nursery rhyme " Twinkle Twinkle Little Star " was a hit single for Another track from Super Trouper, "Lay All Your Love on Me", released in 1981 as a 12-inch single only in selected territories, managed to top the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and peaked at #7 on the UK singles chart becoming at the time the highest ever charting 12-inch release in UK chart history. " Lay All Your Love on Me " originally called "Yarrafat" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1980 for their Super Trouper

Also in 1980, ABBA recorded a compilation of Spanish-language versions of their hits called Gracias Por La Música. Gracias Por La Música is a 1980 Album by Swedish pop group ABBA (see 1980 in music) It was released in Spanish-speaking countries as well as Japan and Australia. The album became a major success, and along with the Spanish version of "Chiquitita", this signaled the group's breakthrough in Latin America.

The final album and performances (1981–1982)

In January 1981, Ulvaeus married Lena Källersjö, and manager Stig Anderson celebrated his 50th birthday with a huge party. For this occasion, ABBA recorded the track 'Hovas Vittne' as a tribute to him, and released it only on 200 red vinyl copies, to be distributed to the guests attending the party. This single has become a most sought-after collectible. In mid-February, Andersson and Lyngstad announced they were filing for divorce. Information surfaced that their marriage had been an uphill struggle for years, and Benny had already met another woman, Mona Nörklit, whom he married in November the same year.

Andersson and Ulvaeus had songwriting sessions during the first months of 1981, and recording sessions began in mid-March. At the end of April, the group recorded a TV special with the US talk show host Dick Cavett. Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett (born November 19, 1936) is an American former Television Talk show host known for his conversational The Visitors, ABBA's eighth and final studio album, showed a songwriting maturity and depth of feeling distinctly lacking from their earlier recordings but still placing the band squarely in the pop genre, with catchy tunes and harmonies. The Visitors is the eighth and final studio album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1981. Although not revealed at the time of its release, the album's title track, according to Ulvaeus, refers to the secret meetings held against the approval of totalitarian governments in Soviet-dominated states, while other tracks address topics like failed relationships, the threat of war, aging, loss of innocence, and a parent watching a child grow up. This change of content was reflected in the relative commercial decline, mostly evident in the UK, after the release of the #3 single "One of Us" in December 1981. " One of Us " from 1981 was the first single from Swedish pop group ABBA 's final studio album The Visitors, their eighth for

Although it topped the charts across most of Europe, entered the Top 20 in France and Japan and the Top 30 in the US and Australia, The Visitors was not as commercially successful as its predecessors. A track from the The Visitors, "When All Is Said and Done", was released as a single in North America, Australia and New Zealand, and fittingly became ABBA's final Top 40 hit in the US, while reaching #4 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart in Canada. " When All Is Said and Done " is the name of a song recorded in 1981 by Swedish pop group ABBA. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The song's lyrics, as with "The Winner Takes It All" and "One of Us", dealt with the painful experience of splitting up from a long-term partner, though it looked at it more optimistically. " The Winner Takes It All " is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. " One of Us " from 1981 was the first single from Swedish pop group ABBA 's final studio album The Visitors, their eighth for With the now publicized story of Andersson and Lyngstad's divorce, speculation increased of tension within the band. Also released in the US was the title track of The Visitors, which hit the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Last recording sessions

In the spring of 1982, songwriting sessions had started and the group came together for more recordings. Plans were not completely clear, but a new album was discussed and the prospect of a small tour suggested. The recording sessions in May and June were a struggle, and only three songs were eventually recorded: "You Owe Me One", "I Am The City", and "Just Like That". " You Owe Me One " is a song recorded in May 1982 by Swedish pop group ABBA. " Just Like That " is an unreleased song by Swedish pop group ABBA. Andersson and Ulvaeus were not satisfied with the outcome, so the tapes were shelved and the group took a break for the summer. ^[31]

Back in the studio again in early August, the group had changed plans for the rest of the year: they settled for a Christmas release of a double album compilation of all their past single releases to be named The Singles: The First Ten Years. The Singles The First Ten Years was a double compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1982 New songwriting and recording sessions took place,^[32] and during October and November, they released the singles The Day Before You Came/Cassandra and Under Attack/You Owe Me One, the A-sides of which were included on the compilation album. " The Day Before You Came " is a song recorded and released by Swedish pop group ABBA. In Greek mythology, Cassandra ( Greek: Κασσάνδρα "she who entangles men" (also known as Alexandra) was the daughter of King Under Attack was the last single release by Swedish pop group ABBA. " You Owe Me One " is a song recorded in May 1982 by Swedish pop group ABBA. There was little interest in the singles in the UK, though both singles became Top 5 hits in The Netherlands and Belgium. The album went to #1 in the UK and Belgium, Top 5 in the Netherlands and West Germany and Top 20 in many other countries. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

"I Am the City" and "Just Like That", were left unreleased on The Singles: The First Ten Years for possible inclusion on the next projected studio album from ABBA, though this never came to fruition. "I Am the City" was eventually released as a bonus track on the compilation album More ABBA Gold in 1993, while "Just Like That" has been recycled in new songs with other artists produced by Andersson and Ulvaeus. More ABBA Gold More ABBA Hits was another compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA. A reworked version of the verses ended up in the musical Chess. ^[33] The chorus section of "Just Like That" was eventually released on a retrospective boxset in 1994. Despite numerous requests from fans, Ulvaeus and Andersson are still refusing to release ABBA's version of "Just Like That" in its entirety, even though the complete version surfaced on bootlegs.

The group traveled to London to promote The Singles: The First Ten Years in the first week of November 1982, appearing on Saturday Superstore and The Late, Late Breakfast Show, and also to West Germany in the second week, to perform on Show Express. Saturday Superstore was a Children's television series, broadcast on BBC1 from 1982 until 1987. The Late Late Breakfast Show was a BBC television light entertainment show broadcast live on Saturday evenings from 4 September, 1982 to On November 19, 1982, ABBA appeared for the last time in Sweden on the TV programme Nöjesmaskinen, and on December 11, 1982, they made their last performance ever, transmitted to the UK on Noel Edmonds' The Late, Late Breakfast Show, via a live link from a TV studio in Stockholm. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Noel Ernest Edmonds ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the

Last performances

Andersson and Ulvaeus began collaborating with Tim Rice in early 1983 on writing songs for the musical project Chess, while Fältskog and Lyngstad both concentrated on international solo careers. Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944 is an English Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award Chess is a musical with Lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, formerly of ABBA While Andersson & Ulvaeus were working on the musical, a further cooperation between three of them came with the musical Abbacadabra that was produced in France for television. Abbacadabra is the name of a French children's musical based on songs from the pop group ABBA originally produced for French television in 1983 by It was a children's musical utilising 14 ABBA songs. Alain and Daniel Boublil, who wrote Les Miserables, had been in touch with Stig Anderson about the project, and the TV musical was aired over Christmas 1983 on the British channel ITV. Alain Boublil is a Librettist, born in Tunisia in 1941 best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg. Les Misérables ( in French, le mize'ʁaːbl colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz, is a musical composed Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent

Lyngstad, who had recently moved to Paris, participated in the French version, and recorded a single, "Belle", a duet with French singer Daniel Balavoine. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Daniel Balavoine ( Alençon, February 5, 1952 &ndash January 14, 1986) was a French Singer and Songwriter The song was a cover of ABBA's instrumental 1976 track "Arrival". " Arrival " which had working titles of "Fiol" "Ode To Dalecarlia" & "Arrival In Dalecarlia " was the instrumental title track from As the single "Belle" sold well in France, Cameron Mackintosh wanted to stage an English language version of the show in London, with the French lyrics translated by David Wood and Don Black; Andersson and Ulvaeus, got involved in the project, and contributed with one new song, "The Seeker". Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born) is a British Theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals David Wood OBE (born 21 February, 1944 in Sutton, Surrey England is an English-born actor and writer called "the National Children's Don Black may refer to Don Black (white nationalist, white nationalist campaigner Don Black (musician, lyricist Don Black "Abbacadabra" premièred December 8, 1983 at The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London, to mixed reviews and full houses for eight weeks, closing on January 21, 1984. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Lyngstad was involved in this production as well, recording 'Belle' in English as "Time"; a duet with actor and singer B. A. Robertson: the single sold well, this time produced and recorded by Andersson and Ulvaeus. B A Robertson (born Brian Alexander Robertson 12 September 1956, Glasgow) is a Scottish Musician, Actor, Composer

All four members made their last public appearance, as four friends more than as ABBA, in January 1986, when they recorded a video of themselves performing an acoustic version of "Tivedshambo", which was the first song written by their manager, Stig Anderson, for a Swedish TV show honouring Anderson on his 55th birthday. The four had not seen each other for more than two years. That same year they also performed privately at another friend's 40th birthday: their old tour manager, Claes af Geijerstam. Claes af Geijerstam, nick-named Clabbe, is a Swedish musician radio personality and DJ who is mostly famous for his talent of rapid speech his many years as a radio DJ and They sang a self-composed song titled "Der Kleine Franz" that later was to surface in Chess. The same year ABBA Live was released, featuring selections of live performances from the group's 1977 and 1979 tours. ABBA Live is an album of live recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA, released by Polar Music in 1986 (see 1986 in music) Their last appearance as a group was filmed privately by Anders Glenmark. They were guests on the 50th birthday of Görel Hanser in 1999. Hanser was a long-time friend of all four, and also former secretary of Stig Anderson. Honouring Görel, ABBA performed a Swedish birthday song "Med En Enkel Tulipan" a cappella. A cappella (Italian or Latin "From the chapel/choir" Music is Vocal music or Singing without instrumental Accompaniment ^[34]

Benny Andersson has on several occasions performed old ABBA songs. In June 1992, he and Björn Ulvaeus appeared with U2 at a Stockholm concert, singing the chorus of "Dancing Queen", and a few years later during the final performance of the B & B in Concert in Stockholm, Andersson joined the cast for an encore at the piano. " Dancing Queen " is the biggest hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, and as such is considered by many to be their Signature song Andersson frequently adds an ABBA song to the playlist when he performs with his BAO! band. BAO! is an album by Benny Anderssons Orkester, released in 2004 He also played the piano during new recordings of the ABBA songs "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" with opera singer Anne Sofie von Otter, and "When All Is Said And Done" with Swede Viktoria Tolstoy. Anne Sofie von Otter (born 9 May 1955) is a Swedish mezzo-soprano Viktoria Tolstoy, née Kjellberg, (born 1974) is a Swedish jazz singer Andersson and Ulvaeus both did an a capella rendition of the first verse of "Fernando" as they accepted their Ivor Novello award in London in 2002. Frida Lyngstad performed and recorded an a cappella version of "Dancing Queen" with the Swedish group The Real Group in 1993, and has also re-recorded "I Have a Dream" with Swiss singer Dan Daniell in 2003. The Real Group is a professional A cappella group from Sweden, consisting of five members Soprano Emma Nilsdotter, Alto " I Have a Dream " which had the working titles "I Know a Song" and "Take Me in Your Armpit" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA

ABBA has never officially announced the end of the group, but as the years pass by the chances of ABBA working together again have become increasingly slim, and the group is now considered dissolved.

After ABBA

Andersson and Ulvaeus

Main articles: Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson

In the mid 1980's, the two former ABBA members had invited "Alla Pugacheva", the top soviet superstar, to Stockholm, and collaborated on an album titled "Alla Pugacheva in Stockhom. Björn Kristian Ulvaeus, bjœɳ ɵlˈveɵs (born April 25 1945 is a Swedish Musician, Composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group Göran Bror Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946) is a Swedish Musician, Composer Alla Borisovna Pugacheva (Алла Борисовна Пугачёва Alla Borisovna Pugachyova) or Pugachova (more accurately reflecting pronunciation " The result was a number of hit songs such as 'Love Can Hurt,' 'What Was I Looking For?' and ' Superman. ' These had received great success is parts of Europe and won Alla Pugacheva some awards. They travelled to Moscow with Europe to visit Pugacheva in 1987 and participated in a concert starring her as she performed her current hits such as 'Allo' and 'Koroleva. '

In October 1984, Ulvaeus and Andersson released the musical concept double album Chess, The singles "One Night in Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well" (later also recorded by Whitney Houston) were both huge successes. Chess is a musical with Lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, formerly of ABBA " One Night in Bangkok " is a song originally released in 1984 by Murray Head. I Know Him So Well is a song from the Concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus In May 1986, the musical premièred in the West End of London, and ran for almost three years. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" On Broadway it opened in April 1988, but closed within two months due to very bad reviews. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The musical has been staged regularly on small scale to great success, and even the concert version is popular. In Stockholm, the composers staged Chess På Svenska ('Chess in Swedish') in 2003, with new material.

What is considered to be Andersson and Ulvaeus' masterpiece, however, is Kristina från Duvemåla, a Swedish epic musical, which the composers premiered in Malmö in southern Sweden in October 1995, directed for the stage by Lars Rudolfsson and based on the The Emigrants tetralogy by Swedish novelist Vilhelm Moberg. Kristina från Duvemåla ("Kristina from Duvemåla" is a Swedish musical written by former ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus A tetralogy is a compound work that is made up of four ( Numerical prefix tetra-) distinct works Vilhelm Moberg ( August 20, 1898 - August 8, 1973) was a Swedish author and historian best known for his series of four novels The musical ran for five years in Stockholm, and an English version has been in the works for a long time, and it had been reported that the Broadway pre-production is in its earliest stage. ^[35]

Since 1983, besides Chess and Kristina Från Duvemåla, Benny Andersson has continued writing songs with Björn Ulvaeus. The pair produced two English language pop albums with Swedish duo Gemini in 1985 and 1987. Gemini are a Swedish brother and sister duo consisting of Karin Glenmark and Anders Glenmark. The same year, Andersson released his first solo album on his own label, a collection of his own folk music material called Klinga Mina Klockor, and followed it with November 1989. In the 1990s, Benny wrote music for the popular Swedish cabaret quartet Ainbusk Singers, giving them two massive hits: "Lassie" and "Älska Mig", and later produced Shapes—an English language album by the group's Josefin Nilsson—with all-new material by him and Ulvaeus. Lassie, a dog is a Fictional character that has starred in or been the subject of many radio shows, Movies, TV shows, and Books The shape ( OE sceap Eng created thing) of an object located in some space refers to the part of space occupied by the object as determined Andersson has regularly written music for films (most notably to Roy Andersson's Songs from the Second Floor), and in 2001 put together his own band, BAO!, which has released three successful albums in 2001, 2004 and October 2007. Roy Andersson (born 31 March 1943) is a Swedish Film director, best known for his films A Swedish Love Story and Songs from the Second Floor ( Sånger från andra våningen) is a 2000 Swedish Dark comedy directed by Roy Andersson. BAO! is an album by Benny Anderssons Orkester, released in 2004 Benny Andersson has the record of staying in the longest ever run in the Svensktoppen charts in April 2007 (the song "Du Är Min Man", sung by Helen Sjöholm is still there, in its 204th week as of June 1st, 2008 ^[36] Andersson has recently released his 3rd album BAO 3 with new material with his band BAO! and vocalists Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg -as well as having filled two of Sweden's largest concert venues in October and November 2007 with an audience of 14,000. Svensktoppen is a Record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003 the Songs had to be in the Swedish language. Marie Helen Sjöholm (Swedish heˈleːn ˈɧøːˌhɔlm (born 10 July 1970) is a Swedish singer Actress and Musical theatre performer Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected BAO 3 is an Album by BAO, released on October 24 2007. The album has managed to reach #3 at the Swedish album chart Marie Helen Sjöholm (Swedish heˈleːn ˈɧøːˌhɔlm (born 10 July 1970) is a Swedish singer Actress and Musical theatre performer Tommy Körberg (ˈtɔmːʏ ˈɕɶːrˌbærj in Swedish ( Norsjö, July 4 1948) is a Swedish Singer, Actor, and Musician

Björn Ulvaeus has not appeared on stage performing music since ABBA, but had a reunion with his co-members of The Hootenanny Singers on July 16, 2005 at a music festival in his hometown of Västervik, singing their 1966 hit "Marianne". Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Västervik is a city in the traditional province of Småland, Sweden, and the seat of Västervik Municipality in Kalmar County.

Andersson and Ulvaeus are highly involved in the world wide productions of the musical Mamma Mia!, alongside Lyngstad attending premieres. This article is about the stage musical For the film see Mamma Mia! The Movie. They are also involved in the production of the film version of the musical, to open in July 2008; Benny Andersson produces the Soundtrack.

Fältskog and Lyngstad

Main articles: Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Both female members of ABBA pursued solo careers on the international scene following the break-up of the band. Agnetha Åse Fältskog (aŋneta osɛ fɛltskug (born Agneta Åse Fältskog) is a Swedish pop Singer-songwriter and Record Anni-Frid Princess Reuss von Plauen (born Anni-Frid Lyngstad 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen Ballangen, Norway) is a Norwegian In 1982, Lyngstad chose Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins to produce the album Something's Going On and unveiled the single and video "I Know There's Something Going On" in autumn of that year. Philip David Charles Collins, LVO (born 30 January 1951 Chiswick, London) is an English Singer-songwriter, Drummer Something's Going On was the first solo-album in English for ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida The single became a #1 hit in France, where it spent five weeks at the top, Belgium, Switzerland and Costa Rica. The track reached #3 in Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Poland, and was also a Top 10 hit in Germany, Italy, South Africa and Finland. In the United States, the single reached #13. In all, "I Know There's Something Going On" sold 3. 5 million copies worldwide and is the biggest selling single any of the four members have had outside ABBA. Lyngstad's album sold 1. 5 million copies internationally. ^[37] Frida's second solo album after ABBA was the experimental Shine (produced by Steve Lillywhite), released in 1984. Shine is the name of Frida 's second post- ABBA solo album Strengthened by the commercial success of 1982's Something's Going On, she was Steve Lillywhite (born 1955 is a Grammy Award -winning English music producer Early career Lillywhite entered the music industry in The album proved a big success in Sweden, reaching #6 there. It was also Frida's final studio album release for twelve years.

Agnetha Fältskog followed in 1983 with the album Wrap Your Arms Around Me. This included the hit single "The Heat Is On", which was a hit in Europe and Scandinavia. In the US, Fältskog scored a Billboard Top 30 hit with "Can't Shake Loose". In Europe, the single "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" was another successful hit, topping the charts in Belgium and Denmark, reaching the Top 5 in Sweden and the Top 20 in Germany and France. Her album sold 1. 2 million copies worldwide. ^[38]

Fältskog's second post-ABBA solo album was Eyes of a Woman, released in March 1985, which reached #2 in Sweden and performed reasonably well in Europe. The first single from the album was "I Won't Let You Go". In November 1987, Fältskog released her third post-ABBA solo album, the Peter Cetera-produced I Stand Alone, (which also included the Billboard hit "I Wasn't The One"). Peter Paul Cetera (born September 13, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, U I Stand Alone was the third and last of Agnetha Fältskog 's 1980s post- ABBA solo albums released in November 1987 The album sold very well in Sweden, where it spent eight weeks at #1. Later that year, however, Fältskog withdrew from public life and halted her music career for a while. In 1996, she released her autobiography, As I Am, and a compilation album featuring her solo hits alongside some ABBA classics. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" In 2004, she made a successful comeback, releasing the critically acclaimed album My Colouring Book, which debuted at #1 in Sweden (achieving triple-platinum status), #6 in Germany, and #12 in the UK, winning a silver award, and achieving gold status in Finland. My Colouring Book is the name of a 2004 Album by Swedish singer Agnetha Fältskog. The single "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind" became Fältskog's biggest solo hit in the UK, reaching the #11 position. The single saw the #2 spot in Sweden and was a hit throughout Scandinavia and Europe. In January 2007, she sang a live duet on stage with Swedish singer Tommy Körberg at the after party for the final showing of the musical, Mamma Mia!, in Stockholm, at which Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus were also present.

In 1992, Frida was asked and chosen to be the chairperson for the environmental organisation "Artister för miljön" (Artists for the Environment) in Sweden. Frida accepted and became chairwoman for this organisation from 1992 to 1995. To mark her interests for the environment, she recorded the Julian Lennon song Saltwater and performed it live in Stockholm. John Charles Julian Lennon (born 8 April 1963) known universally as Julian Lennon, or by many fans Jude, is an English She arranged and financed summer camps for poor children in Sweden, focussing on environmental and ecological issues. Her environmental work for this organisation led up to the decision to record again. Djupa andetag (Deep Breaths) was released towards the end of 1996 and became a huge success in Sweden, where it reached #1 and Scandinavia. Djupa andetag is an album by Frida (formerly of ABBA) released in 1996 The lyrics for the single from this album, "Även en blomma" (Even a Flower), deal with environmental issues. In 2004, Lyngstad recorded a song called "The Sun Will Shine Again", written especially for her and released with former Deep Purple member Jon Lord. Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertfordshire in 1968 Jon Douglas Lord (born in Leicester on June 9, 1941) is an English composer Hammond organ and Piano player The couple made several TV performances with this song in Germany. The following year, she released a career retrospective DVD, "Frida the DVD" and also a boxset, The "Frida Box Set". Lyngstad lives a low-profile life but occasionally appears at a party or charity function. On August 26, 1992, she married Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss von Plauen, of the German Reuss family. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Von Plauen died of lymphoma at the age of 49. Lymphoma a type of Neoplasm that originates in Lymphocytes (a type of White blood cell in the vertebrate Immune system) In addition to losing her husband, Lyngstad had also lost her daughter in a car crash a year earlier.

Revival

The same year ABBA went separate ways, the French production of a 'tribute' show; a children's TV musical named Abbacadabra, using 14 of ABBA's songs, spawned new interest in the groups music. Abbacadabra is the name of a French children's musical based on songs from the pop group ABBA originally produced for French television in 1983 by The London staging of the musical had stars like Elaine Paige, and Finola Hughes singing new lyrics to the old hits. Elaine Paige OBE (née Bickerstaff born 5 March 1948 is an English Singer and actress, best known for her work in Musical theatre Finola Hughes (born 29 October, 1960 in London) is an English actress and Author of Irish and Italian

After receiving little attention during the mid 1980s, ABBA experienced a major resurgence in 1988 when the Australian Band Björn Again was formed. Björn Again is an ABBA Tribute band, taking their name from Björn Ulvaeus, a member of ABBA and a pun on the phrase " Born again " UK synth-pop duo Erasure's then released an EP featuring cover versions of ABBA's songs, which topped the charts in the spring of 1992. Erasure are an English Synth pop duo formed by Songwriter and Keyboardist Vince Clarke and Singer An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify As U2 arrived in Stockholm for a concert in June of that year, the band paid homage to ABBA by inviting Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson to join them on stage for a rendition of "Dancing Queen", playing guitar and keyboards. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the The September 1992 release of ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits, a new compilation album, ended up selling massively worldwide and setting chart longevity records. ABBA Gold Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA, released by PolyGram in 1992 the first compilation In the U. S. , the album became the most popular ABBA release ever there, selling more than six million copies to date.

The enormous interest in the Gold compilation saw the release of More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits in 1993. More ABBA Gold More ABBA Hits was another compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA. This collection also contained the bonus track "I Am the City", one of the unreleased songs from the 1982 recording sessions.

In 1994, two Australian movies caught the attention of the world's media, both focussing on admiration for ABBA: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Academy Award -winning Australian Film about three Drag queens Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian Dramedy Film written and directed by P The same year, Thank You for the Music, a four-disc box set comprising all the group's hits and stand-out album tracks, was released with the involvement of all four members. Thank You For The Music is the title of a box set by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1994 For this release, several demo versions and odd tracks were discovered in the Polar vaults.

ABBA were soon recognised and embraced by other acts: Evan Dando of The Lemonheads recorded what fans consider the best cover version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You",^[39] Sinéad O'Connor and Boyzone's Stephen Gately have recorded "Chiquitita", Tanita Tikaram, and Blancmange paid tribute to "The Day Before You Came", Cliff Richard covered "Lay All Your Love On Me", while Dionne Warwick and Peter Cetera recorded their versions of "SOS". Evan Griffith Dando (born March 4 1967) is an American Musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American Alternative rock band formed in 1986 by singer/guitarist Evan Dando, who has been the only constant member " Knowing Me Knowing You " is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (ʃɪˈneɪd oʊˈkɒnɚ (born 8 December 1966 is a Grammy Award winning Irish singer and songwriter " Chiquitita " (which roughly means "little girl" in Spanish was the first single release from Swedish mega pop group ABBA 's Voulez-Vous Tanita Tikaram (born August 12, 1969) is an English pop / folk Singer/songwriter best known for the enigmatic hits " Blancmange are a British Synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s " The Day Before You Came " is a song recorded and released by Swedish pop group ABBA. " Lay All Your Love on Me " originally called "Yarrafat" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1980 for their Super Trouper " SOS " first called "Turn Me On" was the third single from Swedish pop group ABBA 's self-titled 1975 album their third for Polar Music U. S. alternative-rock musician Marshall Crenshaw has also been known to play a version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You" in concert appearances. Swedish metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen covered "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" with slightly altered lyrics. Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (ˈɪŋveɪ ˈmɑːlmstiːn in English (born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on June 30 1963 in Stockholm Sweden) is a Swedish " Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight " originally titled "Been and Gone and Done It" is one of Swedish pop group ABBA 's biggest Tribute albums were released both in Sweden and the UK.

In Sweden, the growing recognition of the legacy of Andersson and Ulvaeus resulted in the 1998 B & B Concerts: a tribute concert (with Swedish singers who had worked with the composers through the years) showcasing not only their ABBA years, but even hits from the 1960s and after ABBA. The concert was a huge success, released on CD, and later toured Scandinavia and even went to Beijing in the People's Republic of China for two concerts. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES In 1999, Sweden saw the birth of ABBA Teens, later re-named A*Teens, recording techno-pop versions of ABBA songs to huge success worldwide: not only the English original versions, but ABBA's Spanish versions also. The A*Teens (pronounced A-Teens were a Pop music group from Stockholm, Sweden, formed in 1998 as an ABBA tribute called ABBA Teens

In April 1999, the Mamma Mia! musical opened in London, and soon premièred in cities worldwide to huge success. This article is about the stage musical For the film see Mamma Mia! The Movie.

In 2000 ABBA were reported to have turned down an offer of approximately US$1,000,000,000 (one billion US dollars) to do a reunion tour consisting of 100 concerts. ^[40]

For the 2004 semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, staged in Istanbul thirty years after ABBA had won the contest in Brighton, all four members of ABBA appeared briefly in a special comedy video made for the interval act, entitled "Our Last Video Ever". Each of the four members of the group made a brief cameo role, as did others such as Cher and Rik Mayall. Cher ( IPA: /ʃɛr/ born Cherilyn Sarkisian, May 20 1946 Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall (born 7 March, 1958) is an English Actor, Writer and Comedian. The video was not included in the official DVD release of the Eurovision Contest, but was issued as a separate DVD release, retitled "The Last Video" at the request of the former ABBA members. It was billed as the first time the four had worked together since the group split. In fact, they each filmed their appearances separately.

With Mamma Mia!'s huge success worldwide, and the forthcoming film starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, there is a huge interest in ABBA's music. Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an award-winning American Actress who has worked in Theatre, Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE Honour and so holds an honorary OBE However, in a November 2004 interview with the German magazine Bunte, Ulvaeus said a reunion would not satisfy ABBA's many fans, even though there are legions of them around the world often clamouring for one.

Fashion, videos, and advertising campaigns

ABBA were widely noted for the colourful and trend-setting costumes its members wore. The videos that accompanied some of their biggest hits are often cited as being among the earliest examples of the genre. Most of ABBA's videos (and ABBA: The Movie) were directed by Lasse Hallström who would later direct the films My Life as a Dog, The Cider House Rules and Chocolat. Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (b 2 June 1946 Stockholm Sweden) is a Swedish Film director. My Life as a Dog ( Mitt liv som hund) is a 1985 Swedish film based on a novel by Reidar Jönsson. The Cider House Rules is a 1999 Drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on The Cider House Rules, a 1985 Chocolat is a 2000 Film based on the novel of the same name by Joanne Harris, directed by Lasse Hallström.

ABBA made videos because their songs were hits in so many different countries and personal appearances weren't always possible. This was also in an effort to minimize travelling, particularly to countries that would have required extremely long flights. Fältskog and Ulvaeus had two young children, and Fältskog, who was also afraid of flying, was very reluctant to leave her children for such a long time. Fear of flying is a fear of being on a plane while in flight It is also sometimes referred to as aerophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or pteromechanophobia ABBA's manager, Stig Anderson, realized the potential of showing a simple video clip on television to publicize a single or album, thereby allowing easier and quicker exposure than a concert tour. Some of these videos became classics because of the 1970s era costumes and early video effects, such as the grouping of the band members in different combinations of pairs, overlapping one singer's profile with the other's full face, and the contrasting of one member against another.

In 1976, ABBA participated in a high-profile advertising campaign by the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., which was designed to promote the brand "National". National was a brand used by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co This campaign was designed exclusively for Australia, where "National" was still the primary brand used by Matsushita, who had not introduced the "Panasonic" brand to Australia yet, despite its widespread use in other parts of the world such as the U. S. Five commercials, each approximately one minute long, were produced, each using the "National Song" sung by ABBA, which used the melody and instrumental arrangement of Fernando, adapted with new lyrics promoting National, and working in several slogans used by National in their advertising. " Fernando " is Swedish pop group ABBA 's first non-album single released in the spring of 1976 ^[41]

Discography

Main article: ABBA discography

Awards And Recognition

Main article: List of ABBA awards and recognition

Bibliography

• Potiez, Jean-Marie (2000). This article includes the discography of Swedish Pop music group ABBA. This is a list of ABBA 's awards and recognition. In 1978 The Album ABBA were honored with the Dutch music prize ABBA - The Book ISBN 1-85410-928-6
• Palm, Carl Magnus (2002). Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA ISBN 0-7119-9194-4
• Palm, Carl Magnus (2004). From "ABBA" to "Mamma Mia!" ISBN 1-85227-864-1

Notes

See also

ABBA-related

• ABBA unreleased songs
• ABBAMAIL
• A*Teens

Lists

• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• List of Number 1 singles (UK)
• UK Best selling singles artists of all time
• List of artists who reached number one in Ireland
• List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
• List of Swedes in music
• Best selling music artists - World's top selling music artists chart. This is a list of songs that were either recorded or written by ABBA, but which were never released for various reasons ABBAMAIL is an ABBA fan organisation on the Internet, based in Sydney, Australia. The A*Teens (pronounced A-Teens were a Pop music group from Stockholm, Sweden, formed in 1998 as an ABBA tribute called ABBA Teens Pre-Hot 100 era 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on Billboard magazine 's Hot Dance Club Play chart This is a list of the number one hits in the UK Singles Chart, from its inception in 1952 to the present The best selling singles artists in the UK were documented in a Channel 4 documentary in February 2004 This is an incomplete list of recording artists who have reached number one on the singles and albums chart in Republic of Ireland. This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on Australia 's singles chart from 1956 to the present This is a list of Swedish composers musicians and singers: Composers Johan Agrell (1701-1765 full name Johan Joachim Agrell When adding to this page please ensure that your claims are sourced
• The Complete Studio Recordings (ABBA album)

Other

• Music of Sweden

External links

• ABBA - The Site - Official site. For other uses see The Complete Studio Recordings The Complete Studio Recordings is a Box set of all the studio albums released This site is owned and maintained by Universal Music AB in Sweden. Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry.
• ABBA at Discogs
• ABBA at Last.fm
• ABBA at RollingStone. Discogs, short for discographies, is a Website and Database of information about Music Recordings including commercial releases promotional Lastfm is a UK -based Internet radio and Music Community website, founded in 2002 com
• ABBA - for the record - Collector site and discography.

Preceded by Anne-Marie David

Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1974

Succeeded by Teach-In

A teach-in is a method of non-violent Protest, first employed against the U

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