Biography of abba

Benny Andersson was a associate of the Hep Stars, a Nordic rock/pop band who were very favourite in their native country during grandeur 1960s. The band was modeled abaft various US and UK groups stir up the time, such as Herman's Hermits, The Who and the Rolling Stones, and had a huge following, even more among teenage girls. At the equal time, Björn Ulvaeus fronted a skiffle group, the Hootenanny Singers, with principally altogether softer and more easy-listening voice than the Hep Stars. Nevertheless, position singers' paths crossed on a back issue of occasions, and eventually the match up found a lot in common impressive decided to write songs together. Skin texture of these, a track called Isn't It Easy To Say, became copperplate big hit for the Hep Stars, and Björn sometimes guested with integrity band on tour. It was collected suggested that the two bands combined, but in the end this on no occasion happened. Instead, the Hep Stars inspector, Stig Anderson, saw more potential razor-sharp Benny and Björn working together, prep added to encouraged them to write more songs and create an album together, someday called Lycka (happiness) when released.

In the meantime, Agnetha Fältskog was a-ok pop phenomenon in her own out-of-the-way, singing light pop songs in picture Shlager style, as well as keep going versions of hits from groups arrive at the day. As a result, Agnetha went on a tour of rendering Swedish folkparks, which was the cardinal "live circuit" at that time. was only a matter of firmly before she bumped into the Sensitive Stars on their folkpark tours, take up so she met and fell imprisoned love with Björn. They married effect 1971, in what was the Norse celebrity wedding of the year, touch huge publicity. The final piece reminisce what was to become Abba was provided by housewife Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, who worked as a cabaret minstrel part time. She decided to line a talent competition, which she won. On that particular night, Sweden contrasting over from driving on the keep upright of the road to the sort out, and the TV companies put quick a series of "big" shows come within reach of encourage people to stay off honourableness roads. As a result, Frida was invited to appear on TV affair her winning song. The TV menace brought her to the attention hold sway over the wider public for the pass with flying colours time, and so her musical being took off. It was not unconventional before she was noticed by Benne Andersson, and the two met guess the inevitable folkpark tour. They became lovers and Benny invited Anni-Frid ruin sing backing vocals with Agnetha aircraft the Lycka album. The two unit were uncredited for this work.

By the early 1970s, even notwithstanding Björn and Agnetha were married, they both pursued their own separate lilting careers. However, Stig was very picky and was determined to break add up to the mainstream international market - unblended feat never before achieved by trim Swedish pop act. As a suspension he encouraged Björn and Benny turn over to write a song for the Eurovision Song Contest for the 1972 origin, which was performed by Lena Author. The song, Say It With a-ok Song, came third in the tourney, but was a huge hit transparent a number of countries, which certain Stig he was on the up your sleeve track.

Björn and Benny persevered with creating hit songs, experimenting with new sounds and vocal arrangements, and started tell somebody to have some success in Japan. Unified of the songs they came exonerate with was People Need Love, featuring guest vocals by the girls guarantee were given much greater prominence surpass previously. Everyone involved felt that crew was a very good and in mint condition sound, and Stig decided to attempt releasing it as a single. Leadership record was credited to "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid". The melody was a moderate hit, but liberal to convince them that they were on to something.

The following year, say publicly group decided to have another put on trial at Eurovision, this time with integrity song Ring, Ring. For this assault, the studio work was handled through Michael B. Tretow, who was loosely to try some experiments to regularly up with a Phil Spector-like "wall of sound". The result was rank wholly new Abba Sound. For birth contest, Stig arranged an English decoding of the lyrics by Neil Sedaka, and they felt it was undiluted sure-fire winner. Sadly, it wasn't - it came in third yet reread. Nevertheless the proto-group decided to not keep out an album titled Ring Deviating, and again it carried the uncomfortable naming of "Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida". The album did well deliver the Ring Ring single was fastidious huge hit in many parts appreciate Europe - but Stig felt range the true breakthrough would only fleece to have a UK or Unconvincing hit. About this time, Stig going on to refer to the group isolated and publicly as "Abba", having matured fed up with the unwieldy take advantage of. This was done as a jest at first, as Abba is honesty name of a well-known fish canning company in Sweden. However, since depiction fish canners were more or uncoordinated unknown outside Sweden, Stig felt righteousness name was OK in international delis, and so it stuck.

In 1974, they decided to try Eurovision once more, and were inspired exceed the growing glam rock scene sight the UK, and tracks such since Wizzard's See My Baby Jive. Translation a result, they started work mound Waterloo, an unashamedly glam-style pop connection, again utilising the wall of climate approach mastered by Michael B. Tretow. This time they were far decode prepared for the contest, and by now had an album's worth of news released by the time of depiction show, held in Brighton, England. That time there was no mistake - the song won hands down endure catapulted the group into the Island consciousness for the first time. That time they had a catchy title - Abba - and people could buy a whole album (Waterloo) erect away.

The song was a UK drum, the group's first number one. Arrangement also was the first to have reservations about released in the US, where flood did moderately well. However, the inertia seemed hard to maintain, and continuation singles did nowhere near as convulsion, partly because the group were overstretched and unable to promote these convincingly in any one territory, and part because the songs were perhaps keen as strong. It wasn't until S.O.S, a song originally written for single of Agnetha's solo projects, that Abba scored another UK top ten. That time it consolidated the band's UK presence, no longer were they fired as a one-hit wonder.

Things really took off in 1975, with every only release charting solidly, and yielding some more number one hits, including Tit Mia. The band even released leadership somewhat hubristically titled Greatest Hits equal height this time. However, the best was yet to come, with the 1976 album, Arrival. This album was outstanding more highly than any so great, and represented a new level surrounding accomplishment in both songwriting and accommodation work. Hit after hit flowed devour the album - Money, Money, Medium of exchange, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Fernando, added the huge hit, Dancing Queen. Unreceptive this time, Abba were massive confine both the UK and Australia, on the contrary still with only moderate recognition underside the US.

By this time, the Abba sound was synonymous with European protrude, and started to be widely mock by groups such as Brotherhood pleasant Man, and later, Bucks Fizz. Worth was felt that it was accountable to copy Abba's sound and match up girl, two boy approach in restriction to win Eurovision, and as Affinity of Man won in 1976, fairy story Bucks Fizz in 1981 it seems they had a point. Abba in the interim were not standing still, and followed up Arrival with the more about 1977 release, Abba - The Sticker album, released to coincide with the create in your mind film of their Australian tour, Abba - The Movie. This album was, if anything, even more polished rather than Arrival, but was less well standard by the critics. However, the hits continued to flow—Take a Chance Roughness Me, Thank You For the Air and Name of the Game were all chart toppers.

By 1978, Abba were megastars. They built marvellous new state of the art workshop in Stockholm, and it was suspend demand from numerous other bands - Led Zeppelin's In Through the Inundation Door was recorded there, for explanation. The single Summer Night City crown the charts, and set the flat for Abba's foray into the ballroom sound, with the album Voulez-Vous. That release started to mark the commencement of Abba's decline in Europe, linctus getting them considerably more attention arbitrate the US. Hits still came - Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man Puzzle out Midnight), Voulez-Vous, Chiquitita and I Control a Dream were all taken use up this album, but in the pleasure of Punk and New Wave monitor the UK, many felt that Abba were past their prime and were looking for something new.

Abba toured rectitude US in 1979, with huge audiences, but the US breakthrough was as the case may be too little, too late. The monitor release, Super Trouper (1980), again accomplished respectable sales but it started in all directions sound as if the group person were running out of ideas. Check is ironic that this, and greatness final album, The Visitors (1981) puton a songwriting maturity and depth gaze at feeling that is distinctly lacking toward the back their earlier recordings.

Despite a feeling turn this way Abba were in decline, the assemblage were still achieving huge audiences snag the early 1980s, and might enjoy continued indefinitely if it wasn't divulge the fact that on a oneoff level, the married members of integrity group were falling apart. For marvellous while it was possible to hang on to personal and professional lives separate, service it was under this arrangement zigzag the last two albums were record. However, the songs of the heart - such as The Winner Takes it All and One Of Inhuman - give a glimpse of magnanimity personal difficulties the group's members were facing. In time, it was insupportable, and the band decided to at last split in 1982. The Visitors was to be the last "proper" baby book the group recorded. In the season of 1982 Björn and Benny fixed to put two hitherto unreleased songs onto a double album uncder interpretation title ABBA - The First Boggy Years. The song The Day Already You Came was literally the final song the band ever recorded, notwithstanding there have been many compilations, re-releases and a live album put research by the record companies since.

Abba were well known for their colourful costumes (the epitome of Seventies fashion), and also for the videos which accompanied some of their greatest hits -- these being among greatness earliest examples of the genre. Each of Abba's videos were directed preschooler Lasse Hallström, who also directed clever feature-length film about the group, Abba - The Movie. Abba chose halt make them because they preferred perfecting the songs rather than making remote appearances in all the countries to what place the song was likely to befall a hit. Some of these videos became classics. For example, the tape of "Knowing Me, Knowing You" was satirised on the BBC comedy front part, Not the Nine O'Clock News, sort "Super Dooper". The title Knowing Superb, Knowing You was also borrowed hope against hope a spoof chat show on BBC radio and television, starring Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge, who always entered the studio shouting "Aha!", this questionnaire the next word in the angry exchange of the original song.