Here they go again: ABBA reuniting after 40 years
ABBA, the Swedish pop group that produced hits like "Dancing Queen" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You," released its first album in four decades on Nov. 5. "Voyage" grew out of a new virtual reality concert experience that will debut in London in May.
Baillie Walsh/BANG Showbiz/Reuters
Four decades since ABBA鈥檚 last album, the band鈥檚 music has weathered critical derision, changes in musical fashion, and Pierce Brosnan鈥檚 rendition of 鈥淪.O.S.鈥 in the movie musical 鈥淢amma Mia!鈥 Yet, if anything, the band has actually grown in popularity over the years. So when ABBA recently shocked the world by reuniting, one of its first new singles referenced its own history 鈥 and return.聽
鈥淣ew spirit has arrived,鈥 sing the group鈥檚 two female vocalists on 鈥淚 Still Have Faith in You.鈥 鈥淲e have a story and it survived.鈥
The instantly recognizable sound of Benny Andersson, Agnetha F盲ltskog, Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad, and Bj枚rn Ulvaeus spans 鈥 and unites 鈥 generations. Some observers say that ABBA鈥檚 music endures because Mr. Ulvaeus鈥 down-to-earth lyrics reflect everyday concerns even as Mr. Andersson鈥檚 stratospheric melodies offer a release from them. Fans hope that ABBA鈥檚 new album 鈥淰oyage,鈥 released Nov. 5, can deliver on those qualities.
Why We Wrote This
ABBA is known for its upbeat pop lyrics and memorable melodies. The pandemic has acted like a Bat-Signal of sorts for the Swedish singers, who return at a time when fans say songs like the group鈥檚 are needed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 totally fantastic that it鈥檚 arriving now,鈥 says American singer-songwriter John Grant, who has covered ABBA鈥檚 鈥淎ngel Eyes.鈥 鈥淲e definitely need that because there鈥檚 been a shift in the world that鈥檚 been rather ugly.鈥澛
The super troupe 鈥 which consisted of two married couples 鈥 was long deemed uncool. A disco-glam wardrobe that included matching ponchos didn鈥檛 exactly help. Its breakthrough was the 1974 Eurovision competition, a kitsch annual televised event. The Swedes鈥 winning entry, 鈥淲aterloo,鈥 was about that most natural of topics for a pop song: Napoleon Bonaparte. Over time, ABBA鈥檚 lyrics evolved.聽
鈥淏j枚rn settled into the portrayal, or the point of view, of the ordinary man or woman,鈥 says Carl Magnus Palm, whose books about the group include the upcoming 鈥淎BBA on Record.鈥 鈥溾楧ancing Queen,鈥 for instance, is one of those songs. That鈥檚 what the song is about 鈥 it鈥檚 just leaving your humdrum existence, if only for a few hours on the dance floor.鈥
The peppy pomp of hits such as 鈥淢oney, Money, Money鈥 or 鈥淭he Winner Takes It All鈥 belies the weighty lyrical subject matter.聽
鈥淚 thought of them as this cute, foreign band that was like a pop-y Fleetwood Mac,鈥 admits musician Nicole Atkins.聽
But when the American songwriter recorded her 2014 album, 鈥淪low Phaser,鈥 in Malm枚, Sweden, she frequented a restaurant with a karaoke jukebox consisting solely of ABBA.聽
鈥淎s I got into them, I was like, 鈥極h, the reason that these songs are great is because there鈥檚 sunshine melancholy,鈥欌 says Ms. Atkins, who released the disco-pop album 鈥淚talian Ice鈥 in 2020. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e songs you鈥檇 be crying to if you weren鈥檛 dancing to them.鈥
ABBA鈥檚 saddest song, 鈥淭he Day Before You Came,鈥 from the early 1980s, reflected the divorces of both couples and heralded the group鈥檚 dissolution. But dozens of ABBA tribute bands worldwide kept the music alive, says Halina Ulatowski, founder of one such U.S.-based act, Dancing Dream. ABBA鈥檚 music has also been critically reappraised. 鈥淎BBA is more popular in the U.S. and the world now than it was in the 鈥70s,鈥 says Ms. Ulatowski. 鈥淭he reason for it is definitely the 鈥楳amma Mia!鈥 stage show and the two movies.鈥澛
ABBA鈥檚 return was sparked by the creation of a virtual reality concert experience. Youthful-looking avatars of the group 鈥 ABBAtars 鈥 will perform inside a London arena. While conceiving the show, which opens in May, ABBA聽recorded the 10-track album.聽
鈥淲e were all terrified that there was going to be this crazy Cher auto-tune on things,鈥 says Mr. Grant, the musician. 鈥淗earing Frida and Agnetha singing together again, there鈥檚 nothing like it.鈥 聽
He adds that ABBA鈥檚 lyrics sometimes betray the fact that the Swedes are writing in their second language. Another new song, 鈥淒on鈥檛 Shut Me Down,鈥 includes the phrase 鈥淵ou look bewildered.鈥
鈥淭hat seems totally out of place in a pop song,鈥 says Mr. Grant. 鈥淪o when I heard that I was like, 鈥楾hey really sound like themselves in every aspect, even those weird word choices.鈥 And I love that.鈥澛
The album cover depicts a solar eclipse in which the sun is starting to reemerge. Anita Notenboom, co-founder of the Official International ABBA Fan Club, found the image uplifting in this pandemic era.聽
鈥淚 was thinking about what kind of name you can give [the album],鈥 says Ms. Notenboom. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥楳aybe they will call it 鈥楬ope.鈥欌 But when I heard that it was called 鈥榁oyage,鈥 I thought, 鈥楬ow appropriate. ... We are going on a voyage with them.鈥欌