FLASHBACK FRIDAY: When All Is Said and Done: My ABBA Story

Tomorrow, Songs For Saturday will spotlight two brand new songs by ABBA.  So today's Flashback Friday goes back to Thursday, March 7, 2013 and my first post about my favorite band from when I was a much younger Dave-El. 

Some updates on what is to come. Since this was written, I have seen Mamma Mia! and it's sequel and enjoyed them both quite immensely.

And this post is something for a reprint of a reprint. The original post in 2013 was repurposed from something I wrote for Facebook in 2010.  

So check back in tomorrow to catch up on ABBA's new music. 

And let's go back in time for..

When All Is Said and Done: My ABBA Story

Digging thru my old Facebook posts and came across this little ditty about Benny & Bjorn...and Agnetha and Anne-Frid from 2010. 

Dirty secret time: I have all of ABBA's albums....on vinyl. Not CD. In fact, the first album I ever bought (& I'm giving away my age here) was "Arrival", ABBA's 3rd studio album and the one that really broke them big in America with songs like "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and the ubiquitous "Dancing Queen".

Entertainment Weekly said this about 'Dancing Queen': "Is there anyone who doesn't love the Swedish quartet's regally-inclined karaoke staple? Oh, I know what your thinking: ''I bet, like, John McCain doesn't love it.'' Wrong! During the 2008 presidential campaign the Republican candidate announced that this was his favorite song of all-time. He still lost, though."

Maybe he should have played it at his campaign stops more often. 

I sang "Dancing Queen" karaoke at a party once. (Yes, I know that's hard to believe but it's true: I was actually invited to a party once.) 

You know who else sings "Dancing Queen"? Bono from U2 drops it in at concerts from time to time (U2 became my new favorite band in the 80's. That's called symmetry.) One time, U2 was in concert in London at Wembley Stadium and Bono launches into Dancing Queen and who joins him but Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. (One of ABBA's last shows was at Wembley; more symmetry.)

Of course, the women got all the attention; it was kind of a Ginger vs Mary Ann kind of thing to decide between the brunette Agnetha or blonde Anne-Frid (Frieda). I kind preferred Frieda; she seemed so sad and at that age, I felt sad too. I wanted to be sad with her.

I am the only male ABBA fan I know (other than Bono) who is not gay.

Now the guys: Benny worked his tail off. He wrote the music and played all the keyboards. And it was pop music in the 70's so there was a LOT of keyboard stuff. 

Bjorn strummed an acoustic guitar and wrote lyrics. And English was not his first language so he had help. Bjorn was the Ringo Starr of ABBA.

So, as noted, I have all their albums...even the crappy disco one, "Voulez Vous". (Madonna sampled "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" from that record for one of her singles a year or two back.)

Oddly enough, I have not seen the play or the movie Mamma Mia! I have my memories of the beautiful voices of Agnetha and Freida (and occasionally Bjorn) and don't need Meryl Streep or Pierce Brosnan messing that up.

So just to make me feel old (and I need NO help with remembering to feel old), ABBA was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Anne-Frid (Frieda) made it to the ceremony...usually its just Benny & Bjorn who are the public face for the post break up ABBA. The ladies (particularly Frieda) tend to be reclusive. Of course, she saw Iggy Pop, screamed and went back to Stockholm to hide. (For crying out loud, Iggy, eat something!)

(By the way, the 2nd B is backward; I don't know how to do that.)

So that's my pondering on the subject of ABBA....when all is said and done....