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The most commercially successful pop group of the 1970s, the origins of the Swedish superstars ABBA dated back to 1966,when
keyboardistand vocalist Benny Andersson, a onetime member of the popular beat outfit the Hep Stars, first teamed withguitarist and vocalist
BjornUlvaeus, the leader of the folk-rock unit the Hootenanny Singers. The two performers begancomposing songs together and handling
session and production work for Polar Music/Union Songs, a publishing companyowned by Stig Anderson, himself a prolific songwriter
throughout the1950s and 1960s. At the same time, both Andersson ...read more
The most commercially successful pop group of the 1970s, the origins of the Swedish superstars ABBA dated back to 1966,when
keyboardistand vocalist Benny Andersson, a onetime member of the popular beat outfit the Hep Stars, first teamed withguitarist and vocalist
BjornUlvaeus, the leader of the folk-rock unit the Hootenanny Singers. The two performers begancomposing songs together and handling
session and production work for Polar Music/Union Songs, a publishing companyowned by Stig Anderson, himself a prolific songwriter
throughout the1950s and 1960s. At the same time, both Andersson andUlvaeus worked on projects with their respective girlfriends: Ulvaeus
had becomeinvolved with vocalist Agnetha Faltskog, aperformer with a recent number one Swedish hit, "I Was So in Love," under her belt,
whileAndersson began seeing Anni-FridLyngstad, a one-time jazz singer who rose to fame by winning a national talent contest.
In 1971, Faltskog ventured into theatrical work, accepting the role of Mary Magdalene in a production of Andrew LloydWebber's JesusChrist
Superstar; her cover of the musical's "Don't Know How to Love Him" became a significant hit. Thefollowing year, the duo ofAndersson and
Ulvaeus scored a massive international hit with "People Need Love," which featuredFaltskog and Lyngstad on backing vocals.The record's
success earned them an invitation to enter the Swedish leg of the1973 Eurovision song contest, where, under the unwieldyname of Bjorn,
Benny, Agnetha & Frida, they submitted "Ring Ring,"which proved extremely popular with audiences but placed only third inthe judges'
ballots.
The next year, rechristened ABBA (a suggestion from Stig Anderson and an acronym of the members' first names), thequartet submitted
thesingle "Waterloo," and became the first Swedish act to win the Eurovision competition. The recordproved to be the first of many
internationalhits, although the group hit a slump after their initial success as subsequentsingles failed to chart. In 1975, however, ABBA issued
"S.O.S.," asmash not only in America and Britain but also in non-Englishspeaking countries such as Spain, Germany and the Benelux nations,
where thegroup's success was fairly unprecedented. Astring of hits followed, including "Mamma Mia," "Fernando," and "Dancing Queen"
(ABBA's soleU.S. chart-topper), furtherhoning their lush, buoyant sound; by the spring of 1976, they were already in position to issue their
firstGreatest Hitscollection.
ABBA's popularity continued in 1977, when both "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "The Name of the Game" dominatedairwaves. The groupalso
starred in the feature film ABBA -- The Movie, which was released in 1978. That yearAndersson and Lyngstad married, as hadUlvaeus
and Faltskog in 1971, although the latter couple separated a few monthslater; in fact, romantic suffering was the subject of manysongs on the
quartet's next LP, 1979's Voulez-Vous. Shortlyafter the release of 1980s Super Trouper, Andersson and Lyngstaddivorced as well,
further straining the group dynamic;The Visitors, issued the following year, was the final LP of new ABBA material, and the foursome
officially disbandedafter the December 1982 release of their single "Under Attack".
Although all of the group's members soon embarked on new projects -- both Lyngstad and Faltskog issued solo LPs, whileAndersson
andUlvaeus collaborated with Tim Rice on the musical Chess -- none proved as successful as the group'searlier work, largely
becausethroughout much of the world, especially Europe and Australia, the ABBA phenomenon neverwent away. Repackaged hits compilations
andlive collections continued hitting the charts long after the group's demise, andnew artists regularly pointed to the quartet's inspiration:
whilethe British dance duo Erasure released a covers collection,ABBA-esque, an Australian group called Bjorn Again found success as
ABBAimpersonators. In 1993, "Dancing Queen"became a staple of U2's "Zoo TV" tour -- Andersson and Ulvaeus even joined the Irish
superstarson-stage in Stockholm --while the 1995 feature Muriel's Wedding, which won acclaim for its depiction of a lonely Australian
girl whoseeks refugein ABBA's music, helped bring the group's work to the attention of a new generation of moviegoers and music fans.
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