Simply put, from the early 1970′s until the early 1980′s, ABBA was the biggest selling musical group in the world.
The Swedish supergroup was first formed in Stockholm in 1970.
I had heard a few of their songs like “Mamma Mia” and “SOS” on the radio here in the US when I was a kid, but it was when I moved to West Germany in 1976 that I saw just how truly popular they were. ABBA was literally everywhere in Europe in the mid 1970′s. On radio, TV, on shirts, posters, books, you name it… Everywhere you looked was ABBA ABBA ABBA. We lived in an upstairs apartment above a German family. I think the only English the German boy downstairs knew was “Do you like Agnetha or Anni-Frid?”
Personally, I liked Anni-Frid. (The brunette)
ABBA consisted of:
Anna-Frid Lyngstad – The Brunette
Bjorn Ulvaeus – The blonde haired dude
Benny Andersson – The dude with the beard
Agnetha Faltskog – The Blonde
They have sold over 375 Million albums worldwide, making them the 4th best-selling artists in music history, behind only The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley.
During their peak years, Ulvaeus and Faltskog were a married couple, as were Andersson and Lyngstad.
Ulvaeus and Faltskog divorced in 1979, Andersson and lyngstad in 1981.
The group recorded 8 studio albums in their career.
Their hits have included:
SOS
Waterloo
Honey Honey
Mamma Mia
I do I do I do I do
Fernando
Dancing Queen
Money Money Money
Knowing me Knowing You
The Name of the Game
Take a Chance on Me
Does your Mother Know
Chiquitita
The Winner Takes it All
Super Trouper
When all is said and Done
and many others….
Their signature hit was 1976′s “Dancing Queen“, their only hit to reach #1 on the Billboard Charts here in the US.
The group broke up in early 1983.
Despite not having recorded in nearly 30 years, the group continues to sell 2-3 Million albums per year worldwide.
Lyngstad and Faltskog both pursued solo careers after the group disbanded. Anni-Frid Lyngstad had a hit in 1982 with the song “I know there’s something going on“, billed then as just “Frida“, which peaked at #13 on the Billboard Charts. Agnetha Faltskog cracked the top-30 in 1983 with the single “Can’t Shake Loose“.
In 2000, it was reported that the group had declined an offer of $1 BILLION US Dollars to reunite and do a 100 show worldwide tour.
The groups music inspired the recent popular musical and movie “Mamma Mia“. Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who composed all the music of ABBA, participated in the development of the musical along with playwright Catherine Johnson.
Anni-Frid is actually from Norway. She married a German Count in 1992 and her legal name is now “Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen“.
Agnetha Faltskog is still a popular solo artist in Sweden.
Abba was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
I LOVED ABBA as a teenager and their music still makes me dance. Their song, Knowing Me, Knowing You is about breaking up, but it is all happy and dancey. Odd people.
By: yellowcat on October 31, 2011
at 1:34 pm
Gotta love ABBA! And “Mama Mia” was a fun musical. Happy Halloween, Mark.
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on October 31, 2011
at 1:51 pm
I found my ABBA Greatest Hits album this past year! Given to me by my high school sweetheart.
By: Linda on October 31, 2011
at 1:55 pm
Ahhhhhh, Abba!
By: John on October 31, 2011
at 2:33 pm
Uh…yeah. My mother listened to so much ABBA during my childhood that I’m officially traumatized. Nothing quite like a woman who speaks broken English/Italian singing in a Swedish accent. My ears are still bleeding.
By: H.E. ELLIS on October 31, 2011
at 5:10 pm
Thanks for this. I loved Abba. I never knew any of this, especially that they were fourth.
By: Christine Grote on October 31, 2011
at 5:28 pm
You won’t believe this – but just this morning I thought to myself “Self, I wonder if Idiot has ever done a post about ABBA?” God’s truth. That makes me either psychic or psychotic. You decide. (I could have looked it up but I was at work and they really do expect me to work. Bastards.)
By: k8edid on October 31, 2011
at 5:38 pm
H.E. ELLIS – I can just imagine “Dancing Queen” in an italian accent…… yikes
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 31, 2011
at 6:07 pm
If I’m not mistaken it’s what we used to take down Noriega.
By: H.E. ELLIS on October 31, 2011
at 6:08 pm
Christine – I had forgotten just how short of a time they were actually together. They actually didn’t start charting hits until like 1974 here and were done by 1983….. just 9 short years….
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 31, 2011
at 6:09 pm
k8edid – Spoooooooookkkyyyy……. And here I was last night, thinking that SOMEWHERE….out there…..there was a blog sister that I could sense wanted ABBA to be profiled…… Now I know that was you…… If I happen to do this again with another artist…. you let me know….. AFTER I blow your mind by profiling that next artist…..
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 31, 2011
at 6:12 pm
H.E. ELLIS – I remember that……. holed up in that compound with “Mamma Mia” blasting 24hrs a day must have drove him nuts!!
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 31, 2011
at 6:13 pm
Okay, admit it – you’ve been caught at least once singing ABBA in the shower, right? (Who of us “of a certain age” hasn’t?
)
By: John Erickson on October 31, 2011
at 6:43 pm
No-Hio – I think pedaling to “Dancing Queen” is probably what broke my foot….
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on October 31, 2011
at 6:52 pm
Boy do I hate that band. Always have. Didn’t mind Mama Mia so much, in the day though, couldn’t stand Abba. Call me anti, but for Led Zepplin, Rush, FM Rock kinda crowd these guys were the anti good band.
By: Sank on October 31, 2011
at 8:27 pm
I was so surprised to find out that I can sing along with every song in Mama Mia without blinking. I hadn’t realized I’d listened to that much ABBA in my youth!
By: Sparrow on November 1, 2011
at 5:40 am
As a “rocker” in the ’70s, I publicly denied liking them but it wasn’t until the late ’80s that my girlfriend at the time used to listen to ABBA covers sung in Vietnamese, so I bought her a CD, cassette, or whatever of the actual real Swedish band. She dumped me weeks later, but we remained friends (whenever she needed my help).
By: HoaiPhai on November 16, 2011
at 4:33 pm
Matey
By: craigdalejohn on December 3, 2011
at 9:53 pm
I have every album that Abba recorded (or should I say CD’s).I know all of their songs off-by-heart.
By: Bill on February 5, 2012
at 11:30 pm
I like Agnetha & Frida equally.They’re both gorgeous.
I have every ABBA album (CD) they released.
I know all of their songs off=by-heart.
By: Bill on February 5, 2012
at 11:33 pm