I have a dream, a song to sing. And the song I want to sing is the new ABBA tune, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ when they release it in December this year. Fans of the band are delighted that the Swedish pop sensations are back in the studio after 35 years, even though they have only announced two songs, the other titled ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’. Yes, there are cynics wondering whether they will retain their earlier success or fit in the electronic dance movement era. We’ll need to wait until December to discover that.
For teenagers growing up in the mid to late 1970s, ABBA was often considered to be a primary introduction to western pop music, besides Boney M and songs from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, featuring the Bee Gees and others. Some had heard evergreen singers like Cliff Richard and Jim Reeves before but the waves ABBA created were special. And why only teenagers? Even our parents would hum along.
What made ABBA so unique? To begin with, their tunes had pure melody and simplicity, and the lyrics were easy to remember. Singers Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad had beautifully structured voices and great pitching, even though they sang in Scandinavian accents. Finally, with their compositions and arrangements, Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have been considered among the best songwriters ever.
Those days, the main access to music was the radio. Some of us saved our pocket money to buy vinyls or get blank cassettes recorded but instant access and exposure came through the air waves. Naturally, ABBA became hugely successful among radio listeners. Songs like ‘Waterloo’, ‘Honey Honey’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’, ‘Voulez Vouz’ and ‘Angel Eyes’ were huge hits, piquing an interest in the group’s other numbers. Friends exchanged notes about favourite tracks and would decide who would buy which record, so they could exchange later.
The 1977 film, ABBA - The Movie , directed by Lasse Hallstrom, became a cult among fans across the world. Containing footage from their Australia tour, it features tracks from ABBA - The Album besides earlier hits. The group was regularly on top of the charts till 1981, when differences crept in between members during the recording of The Visitors . They disbanded the following year, and members stuck to solo projects. The next generation of teenagers doted on Michael Jackson and Madonna.
Interestingly, ABBA’s fans had by then moved into newer genres, mainly rock and heavy metal, and in some cases jazz. Their idols suddenly became passé, and remained so till the late 1990s when a slew of compilations were released on CD. Overnight, the group lent nostalgia, and ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Voulez Vous’ made a club revival. Films like Muriel’s Wedding (1994), The Adventures Of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert (1994) and the 1999 musical, Mamma Mia! which was later adapted into a film in 2008 added to the group’s resurgence. The Mamma Mia film sequel is scheduled for a July release this year. Tribute bands and show concepts like Bjorn Again, ABBAmania, ABBA Gold and Platinum are routinely performed in Mumbai.
Though the group members made a surprise one-off appearance in 2016, they don’t have any plans to tour at the moment. However, they will appear as holograms in a virtual show later this year. The legacy has clearly moved forward for a band that was a rage once. Let’s hope these two songs are just the beginning of another era.
