Mamma Mia! How does one write a music column on a day like this? Narendra Modi gives us a run for our money. Donald blows his own Trump-et. And at the India-England cricket Test in Rajkot, our fielding is a mess.
I start thinking of songs related to each development. The Modi announcement reminds me of ‘Money, Money, Money, It’s So Funny’. The Trump victory makes me hum ‘The Winner Takes It All’. And the cricket status makes me want to send an ‘SOS’ to anybody could who help.
Aah, all these songs are by the Swedish group ABBA. Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog. The group has been at the back of my mind for a few days, specially after they announced they will do a unique digital project next year with renowned producer Simon Fuller. The general belief is that they will sit in their individual living rooms, and record this ‘reunion’.
I am not really sure whether this comeback is good news or not. This isn’t the first time they will reunite, as they did a one-off show in Stockholm in June to celebrate 50 years since Benny and Bjorn first met. Yet, I’d rather sing ‘Thank You For The Music’ for whatever they did before splitting in 1982.
The truth is, I have been a huge ABBA fan, since even before getting the first strand of my moustache. In fact, I beat Arvind Kejriwal by three decades. On odd days, I would have a crush on Anni, and on even days, I would admire Agnetha. For me, Benny and Bjorn have been the best songwriting team after John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Many of us grew up on ABBA, Boney M, Bee Gees, Carpenters and Donna Summer; that whole late 1970s vibe when teenage boys brushed their hair and walked like John Travolta, and girls had ABBA hairdos and expressions, whether they suited them or not.
ABBA was the favourite. We jived to ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Voules Vouz’ and ‘Honey Honey’, and mastered the wrong steps. In an emotional mood, we sang ‘Waterloo’, ‘Chiquitita’ or ‘Fernando’, and irritate the entire neighborhood. When romantic, we hummed ‘Angel Eyes’, ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ or even silly lyrics like ‘As good as new, my love for you, and keeping it that way is my intention; As good as new and growing too, Yes, I think it’s taking on a new dimension’.
All that was great. But suddenly, our worlds changed. We became older, and moved to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Doors, Jethro Tull, Iron Maiden, so on and so forth. All that pop music became more old-fashioned than Travolta’s hairstyle. ABBA … er … who??
The 1980s and 1990s flew past in a quest for musical exploration. And suddenly, ABBA returned to our lives. Tribute bands like Bjorn Again, ABBA Gold and ABBA Mania mushroomed. We picked up their catalogue, and educated our kids about their magic, hoping they would stop playing Justin Bieber or Yo Yo Honey Singh.
Now, there is this fancy digital project. Yes, new audiences may be exposed to their songs. But the fact is that Agnetha will be 67 then, and the others in their early 70s. Will they have the right chemistry, the right voices?
Some 15 years ago, I would have sung ‘I Have A Dream, A Song To Sing’ with the hope that they would reunite. But my fear is that this comeback is happening a bit late. I’d rather listen to their CDs for a few days now. It will be more rewarding than seeing all these Facebook and WhatsApp posts on 500-rupee notes, grope tricks and dropped catches.
Narendra Kusnur is a freelance music writer
