Ava biography. Abba is the Fab Four. biography of the lives of the members of the Abba group. Japan Tour and "Super Trouper"

ABBA is one of the most successful bands in the history of pop music and the most popular group, created in Scandinavia. (vocals), (vocals, guitar), (keyboards, vocals) and (vocals) took music world by storm, breaking into the charts throughout the entire planet in the 70s of the last century.

The Swedish ensemble's first success came in 1972 after recording the song “People Need Love.” And the beginning of the quartet’s international popularity is considered to be the victory at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with the song “Waterloo”. Then there was the single “S.O.S.”, which brought the group to the top of the English charts, then “Mamma Mia”, “Dancing Queen”, “Money Money Money” and many other compositions that are still remembered and loved all over the world.

ABBA became the first group in Europe to achieve leading positions in the charts of all English-speaking countries. The 70s even began to be called the “ABBA” decade. Every appearance of the quartet in public was an event, and a new recording was a hit. In the fall of 1982, with the release of the collection “The First Ten Years,” the musicians celebrated the tenth anniversary of the group, after which each of them began a solo career. AiF.ru tells how life turned out for the members of the legendary quartet after the collapse of the group.

Agnetha's remarkable music career began when she was just 15 years old. Long before the creation of the ABBA group, the singer managed to appear in many musical groups and become popular in Sweden.

Agnetha Fältskog. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

After the collapse of the legendary four, Fältskog recorded several solo discs in Swedish and English, and then disappeared from the world of music for a long time. The girl admitted more than once that she was tired of singing and was even afraid to approach the microphone. It took her several years to recover from the heavy tour schedule and pressure from the press.

In 1996, the singer broke her silence and released her autobiography, and two years later - music album with your best songs. In 2004, Agnetha recorded the collection “My Coloring Book”, composed of cover versions of hits of the 60s, which was especially warmly received music critics and immediately entered the top 10 of many European countries. In 2013, the Swedish star finished work on the album “A”, which included only new compositions. After the album came out, fans of the Swedish foursome again became interested in Agnetha, and the BBC television company filmed documentary“Agnetha: ABBA and beyond...”, dedicated to the life of the singer.

Currently, the former soloist of the popular quartet continues to engage in musical creativity. Lives in a suburb of Stockholm, enjoys yoga, astrology, horse riding, and often sings popular hits of his youth with his grandchildren.

Even 10 years before the appearance of the ABBA group, Björn Ulvaeus began performing on stage and had already managed to work with many successful Swedish groups. Besides music, Björn has always been interested in foreign languages. It is interesting that at the time of the global popularity of the Swedish four, he was the only one of them who spoke English.

Benny, Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Bjorn. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Björn Ulvaeus and his bandmate Benny Andersson are an example of true friendship: having started their creative work together long before ABBA, they still collaborate successfully. Former soloists worked on the project of the group “Gemini” in the late 80s, writing several compositions for the group. And in 1989, the producer turned to them Judy Kramer, who came up with the idea of ​​​​creating the musical “Mamma Mia!” based on the band's songs.

Today, Bjorn and Benny are considered one of the wealthiest people in show business in their country: they founded their own companies and are involved in producing. However, now Ulvaeus has begun to pay less attention to music, and devotes himself more to social activities.

Bjorn Ulvaeus. Photo: www.russianlook.com

Benny Andersson is known to the world not only as former soloist group "ABBA", but also as a composer, producer, arranger. He first appeared on stage at the age of eight and still remains true to his talent.

Benny Andersson. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Benny is great at creating both individual works, and the music for feature films. His first attempt at working with the big screen took place in the early 70s, when he wrote the composition for the Swedish film “The Seduction Of Inga”, which was never released. However, Benny's soundtrack was released in Japan and became a top ten hit. After the breakup of ABBA, Andersson wrote the music for the film Mio in the Land of Faraway, based on the famous book Astrid Lindgren“Mio, my Mio”, and in 1992 - a popular opening melody for the European Football Championship held in Sweden.

Currently, the former lead singer of ABBA continues to write music for films and leads the Benny Andersson Orchestra, which is very popular in Sweden.

Not everyone knows that one of the soloists legendary group has long been officially called Her Serene Highness the Princess Anni-Fried Reuss von Plauen. In 1992 popular singer married a German prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss von Plauen. Unfortunately, seven years later her husband died of cancer, and a year earlier in car accident my beloved daughter died.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

After the breakup of the group, the singer released several solo albums, but now she is only involved in charity work, is an honorary member of various public organizations, finances a fund for helping orphans and sponsors music festival in Switzerland. Anni-Frid is a close friend of the Swedish royal family and is one of the richest people in her country.

In an interview, the Swedish star states that he does not miss the group ABBA, since she has new life which brings a lot of joy.

The Swedish quartet ABBA soared to the top of the charts in English-speaking countries in the mid-70s of the last century and remained at the top of their fame for ten years.

This is the most successful Scandinavian music project and one of the most famous in the world. ABBA's songs are still heard on the radio, and albums continue to be bought up by fans.

History of creation and composition

The group consisted of two guys and two girls, and from the capital letters of the names of the participants, the name of the group was obtained. The young people made up two couples: she was married to Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad were in a civil union for the first time and formalized the relationship only in 1978.

When discussing the name of the musical group, the options “BABA” and “Alibaba” were proposed. In 1976, the second letter was reversed, creating the corporate logo. Interestingly, it was also the name of a Swedish seafood processing company, so we had to ask permission from entrepreneurs to use the brand. Over all the years of ABBA's existence, the composition of the group has not changed.

Agnetha Fältskog was born on April 5, 1950, and began her singing career at the age of 13. At 15, Agnetha was a soloist in the Bengt Engharts Orchestra, and at 17 she wrote the song Jag var så kär (I Was So in Love), which became a hit in Sweden. For her creativity, the girl chose the pop music genre. Self-written hits ensured the singer's popularity at home and abroad. Agneta collaborated with German producer Dieter Zimmermann, performing songs in German.

Bjorn Ulvaeus was born on April 25, 1945. At the age of 12, the teenager, together with his cousin Jon Ulfsäter and bass guitarist Tony Root, organized music group. He experimented with styles and took part in competitions. From 1964 to 1974 he performed as a member of the Hootenanny Singers, who recorded 16 albums during this time.

Benny Andersson was born on December 16, 1946, and first appeared on stage at the age of 8 with his father and grandfather playing accordions. At the age of 18, Benny joined Hep Stars as a keyboard player, the most popular rock band in Sweden.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad was born on November 15, 1945, and was orphaned at an early age. She began performing as a danceband pop singer at the age of 13. Together with a jazz group, she performed cover versions of songs by such artists as and Count Basie. At the age of 18, she created her own group, named Anni-Frid Four in her honor.

Young people, passionate about music, met in the late 60s. First, the male part of the quartet sang (in both senses). Soon the duo Björn & Benny were joined by their friends. Bjorn and Agnetha got married, and Benny and Anni-Frid lived together. Stig Anderson, who became the director of ABBA, played a major role in the formation of the team.

Music

The first song the duo wrote for worldwide fame took third place at the Swedish Melodifestivalen (Eurovision qualifying competition) in 1972. The single People Need Love was released under the authorship of Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid, rose to 17th place in the Swedish charts and became famous in the USA. Not giving up the idea of ​​getting to Eurovision, the group, directed by Stig Anderson, translates the lyrics of the song Ring Ring into English language.

The legendary "ABBA"

This attempt again gave only third place at Melodifestivalen. Another attempt in 1974 brought success. Waterloo, written under the influence of English glam rock, won Eurovision, became a hit number 1 in the UK, and reached number six on the American Billboard Hot 100. Inspired by the success, the winners went on tour around Europe, but were coldly received by the public. Distinctive feature of the ABBA group was the creation of a staged video for each single created.

"ABBA" at Eurovision-74

Only in their native Scandinavia did artists gather crowds of fans even at concerts under open air. In January 1976, the song Mamma Mia topped the English charts, and SOS topped the American charts. Individual singles become more successful than albums in the United States, so in 1975 ABBA collected the six most popular songs under one Greatest Hits cover.

This album included the composition Fernando, which took first positions in the English-speaking countries of three continents, which in popularity was second only to the song Dancing Queen, included in the Arrival album. In 1977, the musicians who had become superstars again made a concert tour of Europe, continuing their touring performances in Australia. ABBA music video director Lasse Hallström made the film ABBA: The Movie about his stay on the Australian continent.

"ABBA" - "Fernando"

The film was so popular at the worldwide box office that even Soviet viewers got the opportunity to see it, but only in 1981. In 1978-1979 the group was at the peak of its popularity. The team is investing in equipment at the Polar Music recording studio in Stockholm and working on new albums and touring North America.

In 1980, ABBA members, despite the excellent reception in Japan, realized that it was impossible to constantly maintain a monotonous sound. The album Super Trouper, whose most famous songs were The Winner Takes It All and Happy New Year, uses more synthesizers, and the lyrics have become more lyrical. At this time, Bjorn and Agnetha decided to separate, which was reflected in their work.

"ABBA" - "Happy New Year"

The same year, the collection Gracias Por La Música was released - hits translated into Spanish. Since 1981, the quartet's activities began to decline. There was a discord within each couple, which also affected their joint creativity. The artists assured fans that changes in their personal lives would not affect the group’s activities, but to maintain good relationship They failed within the team.

At the time of the group's collapse, the discography of the musical group consisted of 8 albums. Since 1982, the girls each began their own solo careers, and the men began composing songs for musicals. The musical “Mamma Mia!”, created on the basis of 22 songs by the group, was made into a film of the same name.

"ABBA" - "Mamma Mia"

The premiere of the film brought together the legendary four in Stockholm in 2008, but even the million-dollar fees offered by eminent impresarios did not entice the aging musicians to resume their concert activities. The band members have not officially announced their disbandment, but they no longer play together, and the four of them simply appear in public extremely rarely.

ABBA now

In 2016, the only concert of the reunited group took place in honor of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the musical group. The ensemble members have been counting since the moment Bjorn and Benny met. The ceremony took place in the capital of Sweden.

ABBA concert - 50th anniversary

At the same time, the musicians began preparing for a tour of their own holograms. Together with programmers and designers, the artists plan to prepare the show for 2019 and send their avatars on tour. In 2018, the quartet members recorded a song, which received the working title “I Still Have Faith In You.”

“A real group of musicians will take the stage to play. There will be concert lights, sound and everything else. The only ones who won’t be there “live” are us, but we’ll be there anyway!”

– Benny Anderson said in an interview with Swedish television SVT.

Agnetha: life after ABBA

After the breakup of the group, Agneta Fältskog released solo discs for five years, after which she remained silent for almost 10 years. In 1996, the singer returned to show business. Agneta presented a book of memoirs, a collection of her best songs, and in the new century she released the albums “My Coloring Book” and “A”. At the initiative of the BBC television channel, a documentary film “Agnetha: ABBA and Beyond...” was created, dedicated to the biography of the singer. Agneta now lives a quiet life on the Ekerö estate near Stockholm, surrounded by grandchildren, dogs and horses. Her hobbies include yoga and astrology.

Anni-Frid bears the title of Dowager Princess of Reuss von Plauen, lives in the Alpine village of Zermatt, is friends with the Swedish royal family, and is involved in charity work related to the protection of nature. A few years after graduation creative activity The group released solo discs, but the personal tragedy experienced in the late 90s influenced the singer’s worldview. In 1998, Anni-Frid's daughter from her first marriage died in a car accident, and a year later her husband died of cancer.

Benny and Anni-Frid

But Bjorn and Benny continue to play music professionally. They own a production center. Over time, both musicians joined the ranks of the richest representatives of show business in Sweden. They are currently working on an English-language production of the musical Chess, which is planned to be shown in the US and UK. Benny also directs musical group, which bears his name - “Benny Andersson Orchestra”. Over time, Benny has established himself as a composer and arranger, whose songs become hits. His hits are known not only in Europe and the USA, but also appear on the charts of Asian countries. Among the musician’s popular tracks is the anthem of the 1992 European Football Championship.

You can touch the history of ABBA in the American Rock and Roll Hall and Museum of Fame, located in Cleveland, or in the Swedish ABBA Museum (Abbamuseet) in Stockholm. The museum, like the group itself, has established official page V "Instagram", where photographs of exhibits and videos of musicians in their prime appear, as well as the latest news about the lives of musicians.

The music of the ABBA group continues to be heard on many stages around the world. Popular hits were used during the Fan Fest festival dedicated to the World Cup in Russian cities.

Cher - ABBA cover versions

In 2018, the famous American singer released an album of her own cover versions of ABBA songs. The idea of ​​creating such a disc was inspired by the artist’s experience of participating in the film version of the musical “Mamma Mia!” 2”, where she played the role of the heroine’s mother and sang the hit Fernando. The film will start in Russia in August 2018.

Discography

• 1973 - “Ring Ring”
• 1974 - "Waterloo"
• 1975 - ABBA
• 1976 - "Arrival"
• 1977 - “The Album”
• 1979 - “Voulez-Vous”
• 1980 - “Super Trouper”
• 1981 - “The Visitors”

Clips

• 1974 – “Waterloo”
• 1975 – “Mamma Mia”
• 1976 – “Fernando”
• 1976 – “Money, Money, Money”
• 1978 – “Take a Chance on Me”
• 1980 – “Happy New Year”
• 1981 – “Lay All Your Love on Me”

ABBA - Waterloo(1974). The group's first hit, with this song ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. On October 22, 2005, as part of the ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, "Waterloo" was recognized as the best song in the entire history of the competition. "Waterloo" is sung from the perspective of a girl who is ready to give up, just as Napoleon had to surrender at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

ABBA - S.O.S.(1975). This song is my favorite in the work of ABBA, also because it was theme song my favorite Japanese TV series, Strawberry on the Shortcake. It is noteworthy that "S.O.S." John Lennon named ABBA among his favorite songs.

Agnetha Fältskog is the lead singer of ABBA.

Before joining ABBA, Agnetha was a fairly successful solo singer in Sweden. In 1972, Agnetha performed the role of Mary Magdalene in the Swedish production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1975, already a member of ABBA, Agnetha released an album in Swedish, Elva kvinnor i ett hus (Eleven Women in A House). After the breakup of ABBA, Agnetha also released several new solo albums.

On July 6, 1971, Agnetha married another ABBA member, Bjorn Ulvaeus. Romantic relationships came up with him during filming on Swedish television in May 1969. They had two children.

Wedding of Agnetha Fältskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus

Agnetha and Bjorn separated in 1979 and Agnetha left them common house on Christmas night. However, they decided that their troubles in family life should not in any way affect their work together as a group. Agnetha was later married again, although briefly, to the surgeon Thomas Sonnenfeld.
Bjorn married Lena Calercio, a music journalist, in 1981.

ABBA - Dancing Queen(1976). This song is considered ABBA's best.

ABBA soloists Agneta Fältskog (left) and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad (right)

In 1963, 17-year-old Anni-Frid married salesman and musician Ragnar Fredriksson. They had two children. Annie divorced her first husband in 1970 and since 1971 began living with ABBA member Benny Andersson. They officially formalized the relationship in 1978, their marriage lasted only three years, they divorced in 1981.

Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad and Benny Andersson

On August 26, 1992, Frida married her longtime friend, Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss von Plauen (1950 - 1999). Since then, she has been officially known as Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Fried Reuss von Plauen. Prince Henry died of cancer in 1999.
Benny Andersson married Swedish TV presenter Mona Norklit in 1981.

ABBA - Take A Chance On Me(1978). The first ABBA song that sank into my soul.

ABBA(in Russian - ABBA) - a Swedish musical quartet that existed in 1972-1982 and was named after the first letters of the names of the performers. It is one of the most successful bands in the history of popular music and the most successful of those created in Scandinavia: the group's records have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide. The quartet's singles have topped the world charts since the mid-1970s ( Waterloo) until the early 1980s ( One of Us), and compilation albums topped the world charts in the 2000s. They remained on radio playlists and their albums continue to sell to this day.

They were the first representatives of continental Europe to achieve first place in the charts of all the leading English-speaking countries (USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand).

Compound

• A Agnetha Åse Fältskog - vocals (b. April 5, 1950, Jönköping, Sweden).
• B Björn Kristian Ulvaeus - vocals, guitar (b. April 25, 1945, Gothenburg, Sweden).
• B Benny Bror Göran Andersson - keyboards, vocals (b. December 16, 1946, Stockholm, Sweden).
• A Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad - vocals (b. November 15, 1945, Ballangen/Narvik, Norway).

History of the group

The founders of the group were musicians, singers and songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. They first met at a party in the summer of 1966 and decided that they should write songs together. Benny was at that time the keyboard player of a popular band in Sweden Hep Stars, Bjorn singer and guitarist in the ensemble Hootenanny Singers. At a concert in Malmö, Benny met singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who had been singing with different groups and even performed at song festivals in Japan and Venezuela. Then Bjorn saw in television show like singing his own song Jag var så kär Agnetha Fältskog, and decided to meet her.

For the first time, the whole four gathered to record a television program in Stockholm, and began singing together in November 1970. Almost simultaneously with the quartet's debut in one of the Gothenburg restaurants on November 1, 1970, Bjorn and Benny's own album was released Lycka with songs in Swedish, in which Agnetha and Frida participated as backing vocalists. In 1971, Benny and Bjorn went to work for the company Polar already as producers. The tragic death of Bengt Bernhag, the closest friend and ally of the head Polar Stig Anderson brought producer Bjorn Ulvaeus to the vacant position. Stig offered the young author this position, but Bjorn was not entirely happy with it. He agreed on the condition that his co-author, Benny Andersson, would also be hired. The head of the company did not have a salary for two, and aspiring authors had to work part-time.

ABBA – POP PHENOMENON OF THE XX CENTURY

Agneta Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad. What do these names mean? Often about nothing. But if you add up the first letters of the names, you get... . This abbreviation says a lot and a lot. Yes, 4 Scandinavians turned the whole world upside down with their songs. And this is not an exaggeration.

They were the first representatives of continental Europe to win first place in the charts of all leading English-speaking countries.

Benny and Bjorn

Benny Andersson was the keyboard player of the Swedish pop group Hep Stars, popular in the second half of the 1960s. They performed remakes of international hits. Strength bands had their live performances with spectacular shows. The group's fans, or rather female fans, were mostly girls. The group was rightfully called Swedish. Benny Andersson played the synthesizer and gradually began to write original compositions, many of which became hits.

Bjorn Ulvaeus was the lead singer of the popular folk group Hootenanny Singers. He and Andersson sometimes met and agreed to record together. Stig Andersson, manager of the Hootenanny Singers and founder of the Polar Music record label, saw great potential in working together Andersson and Ulvaeus and strongly supported any of their endeavors. He believed that someday they would become famous throughout the world. The duo eventually recorded the album "Lycka" ("Happiness"), in which they included their own compositions. On some songs you could clearly hear women's voices their friends - Agnetha and Frida.

Agneta and Frida

Agneta Fältskog is the youngest member of the group. When she was 17 years old, her song became No. 1 in Sweden. Many critics believed that she talented composer. Along with writing her own songs, she also recorded cover versions of foreign hits and performed them at Swedish amateur competitions. As a result, she became the most popular pop singer of that time. In 1972, Agnetha was cast as Mary Magdalene in a Swedish production of the musical. Critics praised her work in this project.

Agnetha crossed paths with Frida on a TV show, and a little later she met Bjorn at a concert.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad sang with various groups working in dance style. Later she joined a jazz band. In 1969, she won a national talent competition. Her professional career began with the signing of a contract with the Swedish branch of EMI in 1967. At the same time, singles with songs performed by her began to be released, but a full-fledged long-playing album was released only in 1971.

She met Benny Andersson at a TV studio. A few weeks later, on a concert tour in southern Sweden, a second meeting took place. Benny recruits Frida and Agnetha as backing vocalists for the recording of the album "Lycka".

2 + 2= ABBA

In the early 1970s, Bjorn and Agnetha were married, and Benny and Frida lived together. This did not stop them from pursuing their own musical careers in Sweden. Stig Andersson wanted to break into the international music market. He inspired Benny and Bjorn to write a song for. The song “Say It With a Song” took 3rd place, which confirmed Stig's opinion that he is on the right track.

Benny and Bjorn experimented in songwriting with new sound and vocal arrangements. One of them was "People Need Love" with girls' voices, which had a very good effect. Stig released it as a single, under the credits of Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. The song reached number 17 on the Swedish charts. This reassured everyone that they were moving in the right direction.

The following year they made an attempt to break into Melodifestivalen with the song "Ring Ring". Stig commissioned translations of the song lyrics into English. They intend to win first place, but only end up third. The promotional group releases the album “Ring Ring” under the same awkward title “Björn & Benny”, “Agnetha & Frida”. It sold well, and the song "Ring Ring" became a hit in many European countries, but Stig felt that a breakthrough could only happen if the song became a British or American hit.

Whatever you name the yacht, that’s how it will sail

In the spring of 1973, Stig, tired of the awkward name of the group, began calling it privately and publicly as . This At first it was a joke, since it was the name of a well-known seafood processing company in Sweden. Agneta says: “When we decided to call ourselves A-B-B-A, we had to get permission from this company. There they answered us: “We agree, just make sure that we don’t feel ashamed of you.” I don’t think they should be ashamed of the group.”

The team also organized a competition to choose a name in a local newspaper. Options included Alibaba and BABA. In Hebrew and Aramaic, the word "abba" means "dad."

The very first time the name was found written on paper was during a recording session at Metronome Studio in Stockholm in 1973. The first single released under the name was "Waterloo".

ABBA– an acronym formed from the first letters of the names of each member of the group: Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid (Frida). The first B in the group's name became inverted in 1976 and formed the corporate logo.

Breakthrough

Bjorn, Benny and manager Stig believed in the possibilities of Melodifestivalen and. Composers were invited to write a new song for the 1974 competitions. They settled on "Waterloo". The song was performed at a show at the Brighton Dome in England, went to number one and made them a household name in England, as well as reaching the top of the charts throughout Europe.

"Waterloo" was the first song to reach No. 1 in England. In America, it reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their next single, "So Long", reached the top 10 in Sweden and Germany, but failed to chart in England. But the next release, “Honey, Honey,” managed to break through to number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

In November 1974 she went on their first international tour to Germany, Denmark and Austria. It didn't turn out to be as successful as the group had hoped. even canceled several concerts because tickets were not sold. The second leg of the tour, which took place in Scandinavia in January 1975, was completely different from the first: they sold out houses and finally received the reception they had expected.

The release of their third album "ABBA" and third single "SOS" entered the top 10, and the album peaked at number 13. The band was no longer treated as a one-hit wonder. Success in Britain was confirmed when it reached No. 1 in January 1976. In the US, the song received a BMI Award for being the most played song on radio in 1975. Despite this, success in the States was inconsistent.

ABBA without ABBA

In January 1981, Bjorn married Lena Calerso, and the band's manager, Stig Anderson, celebrated his 50th birthday. I prepared a gift for him for this event, writing down the song “Hovas Vittne”, dedicated to him and released in only 200 copies on red vinyl records. This single is now the most coveted item for collectors.

In mid-February, Benny and Frida announced that they were going to divorce. Later it became known that their marriage had been experiencing problems for a long time. Benny married Mona Norklit.

Björn and Benny were writing songs for the new album. At the end of April, the group participated in the Dick Cavett Meets ABBA TV program, where they performed 9 songs. This became their last live performance in front of an audience.

The team never officially announced the end of their activities, but the group has been considered broken up for a long time. In 1982 she gave her last concert in Stockholm. Their last performance as a group took place on the British television program The Late, Late Breakfast Show.

In January 1983 Agnetha began recording solo album, while Frida has already released her own "Something's Going On" a few months earlier. The album turned out to be very successful. Bjorn and Benny began writing songs for the musical and their new project with the group “Gemini”. And the group was “put on the shelf.”

The men denied that the group had broken up. Frida and Agnetha said several times that they would certainly get together again to record a new album in 1983 or 1984. However, the team no longer had those relationships conducive to teamwork. Since then, the Swedish foursome did not appear in public in full force until 2008, when the Swedish premiere of the musical film Mamma Mia! took place.

"Mamma Mia!"

During the premiere of the musical in different countries The band members appeared in front of the public several times. In October 2006, three members of the famous Swedish quartet Frida Lyngstad, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson came to Moscow especially for the premiere of the musical. Agneta Fältskog thanked her in writing for the invitation, but did not come.

At the premiere of the film "Mamma Mia!" in Stockholm in 2008, for the first time in almost 20 years, all four members of the group gathered in one place. The cameras recorded them on the balcony of the cinema hall, mixed with the leading actors in the film. It was not possible to photograph the entire foursome separately from the other artists.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph following this premiere, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson confirmed that they would no longer get together on stage. "There is nothing that could make us to unite. Money is not a factor that matters to us in this issue. We would like people to always remember us as we were: young, bright, full of energy and ambition.”

This may be confirmed by an incident that occurred in 2000... but first things first. A new growth in popularity, like all music from the disco boom, began in 1992. Polydor has reissued all of the band's hits on two CDs. Erasure released an EP of modern cover versions of the band's songs called "ABBA-esque", and Australian band Bjorn again achieved rapid success with a faithfully reproduced and highly recognizable band image and sound ABBA.

Now let's go back to 2000. According to media reports, she refused a contract for a round-the-world series of performances with the old lineup worth almost $1 billion! Like this. However, in 2010, Lyngstad said that she met with Agneta Faltskog - and they discussed the possibility of performing together for the first time since the breakup of the group. Wait and see.

The Swedish musical quartet of 1972-1982 is one of the most successful groups in the history of popular music and the most successful of those created in Scandinavia. The group's recordings have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide. The quartet's singles topped the world charts from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, and their compilation albums topped the world charts in the 2000s. They remained on radio playlists and their albums continue to sell to this day.

Sweden for Russians with love

In 2011, the “Map for Excursions” went on sale in Sweden, where texts in Swedish and Russian are collected in one booklet with photographs and a map of Stockholm. The booklet's subtitle begins with the words: “A tour in the footsteps of Sweden’s most famous pop group, as well as Stockholm in the 1970s!”

Two years ago, the book “ABBA-guide in Stockholm” was published - a tour of 60 places or “footprints”, telling about the group in English and German languages. After interviewing sellers of tourist shops, it turned out that Russian tourists also show great interest in the group. In all the tourist shops they asked if this book was in Russian. Now a fold-out booklet with a map “in the footsteps” of the group is available in Swedish, English, German and Russian.

The Russian version of the card costs 40 CZK. You can buy it in the store at the Stadsmuseum, which is located next to the Slussen metro station, located on the square called “Russian Court”.

FACTS

After meeting Frida, Benny began producing her solo career. Despite the growing popularity ABBA, at the end of 1975 Frida completed work on her Swedish-language solo album. It is noteworthy that this record opened with the world famous song “Fernando”, but in Swedish. Fearing idle speculation, band director Stig Anderson insisted on continuing the ensemble's joint work. The subsequent solo album of the dark-haired lead singer of ABBA was released only in 1982.

Wall of sound technology has always been used in recordings.

Over the course of 3 weeks in the summer of 1975, the tour performed 16 outdoor concerts in Sweden and Finland, attracting huge crowds. Their show in Stockholm at the Gröna Lund amusement park was watched by 19,000 people.

Updated: April 13, 2019 by: Elena