ABBA
basic facts
ABBA is an acronym formed from the initial letters of the names of the group´s members,
Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and
Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad.
Abba existed from around 1970 to 1982, although they've never officially "split up". They won the
Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with the song Waterloo.
Björn and Agnetha were married from 1971 to 1978 and had two children, Benny and Frida were married
from 1978 to 1981.
Please visit the links for some really good sites that can tell you everything you have ever wanted to know about ABBA. :)
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Why ABBA?
I first started to listen to Abba when I was about 11 years old. That would be 1992, I guess. I only knew very little English at the time, but it didn´t matter because I loved the melodies and the voices of the singers. Everyone else in my class was obsessed about New Kids On The Block (and only about them!) at that time so I was the odd one, listening to a band that didn´t even exist any more. (I was born in the same year that Abba released "Arrival" which was to be their final album.) I had some cassettes that my older brother had recorded and soon knew the songs by heart. ABBA was the very first thing that I called myself a fan of and so has a very special place in my heart. :)
When I learned more English, I came to appreciate the variety of themes that their songs cover - there´s everything from politics to romance, from love and heartbreak to watching your child grow, from the simple joys of life to Greek myths and so on. One thing that I appreciate especially are the human values that carry on from song to song: taking care of other people and doing what is right. Abba is often concidered to be a "hippie" band, and they do have their "people need loving" lyrics :p, but the characters in their songs are very much aware of the consequences of their actions - and that is one more reason why I love their music!
So, Abba wasn´t just my first musical interest, I still listen to it a lot. I´ve found that there´s a a song to match practically all my emotions. Another thing that I love about Abba´s music is the diversity of musical styles that they used (folk, rock, disco, musicals...) mixed with their own pop style. They were really professional song writers and singers and that´s what really counts in my opinion.
I have currently 90 songs by Abba in my computer - that´s more than by any other artist/group I´ve ever listed to. It´s impossible to try to name my favourite song, but the best include I Wonder, Soldiers, Slipping Through My Fingers, Cassandra, I Let the Music Speak and Like An Angel Passing Through My Room. I recently bought their music video collection (and I´m loving it, the silly clothes and the simple but very effective videos) and I still own that bunch of original casettes that I "inherited" from my brother. And now, thanks to Denise I run the fanlisting for the group. :)
