ABBA at 50

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On 22 September 2020, all four ABBA members reunited at Ealing Studios in London to continue working on the avatar project and filming for the tour. Ulvaeus confirmed that the avatar tour would be scheduled for 2022. [106] When questioned if the new recordings were definitely coming out in 2021, Björn said "There will be new music this year, that is definite, it's not a case anymore of it might happen, it will happen." [107] ABBA appearing in a pre-recorded curtain call at the end of a ABBA Voyage concert ABBA at 50 by Carl Magnus Palm is a delightful history of the individuals as well as the group, complete with beautiful photographs. The same year the members of ABBA went their separate ways, the French production of a "tribute" show (a children's TV musical named Abbacadabra using 14 ABBA songs) spawned new interest in the group's music. People want to do it,” Andersson said. “Universal [Music Group] wants to do it. “[The Mamma Mia! producer] Judy Craymer wants to do it.”

In Australia, "Fernando" occupied the top position for a then record breaking 14 weeks (and stayed in the chart for 40 weeks), and was the longest-running chart-topper there for over 40 years until it was overtaken by Ed Sheeran's " Shape of You" in May 2017. [51] It still remains as one of the best-selling singles of all time in Australia. Also in 1976, the group received its first international prize, with "Fernando" being chosen as the "Best Studio Recording of 1975". In the United States, "Fernando" reached the Top 10 of the Cashbox Top 100 singles chart and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, ABBA's first American number-one single on any chart. At the same time, a compilation named The Very Best of ABBA was released in Germany, becoming a number-one album there whereas the Greatest Hits compilation which followed a few months later ascended to number two in Germany, despite all similarities with The Very Best album. ABBA's pre-selection also-ran ended up being the band's very first taste of success outside of Sweden. So when SVT invited them to submit a song to Melodifestivalen 1974, the foursome were left with the task of composing something that might give them an even greater level of that addictive international success they'd just sampled with Ring Ring... Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog and Benny Andersson arrive for the opening performance of Abba Voyage in May 2022. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters British manager Simon Fuller announced in a statement in October 2016 that the group would be reuniting to work on a new "digital entertainment experience". [9] The project would feature the members in their "life-like" avatar form, called ABBAtars, based on their late 1970s tour and would be set to launch by the spring of 2019. [91] Plaque commemorating their 1974 Eurovision win

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In the spring of 1982, songwriting sessions had started and the group came together for more recordings. Plans were not completely clear, but a new album was discussed and the prospect of a small tour suggested. The recording sessions in May and June 1982 were a struggle, and only three songs were eventually recorded: "You Owe Me One", "I Am the City" and "Just Like That". Andersson and Ulvaeus were not satisfied with the outcome, so the tapes were shelved and the group took a break for the summer. [61] In a May 2013 interview, Fältskog, aged 63 at the time, stated that an ABBA reunion would never occur: "I think we have to accept that it will not happen, because we are too old and each one of us has their own life. Too many years have gone by since we stopped, and there's really no meaning in putting us together again". Fältskog further explained that the band members remained on amicable terms: "It's always nice to see each other now and then and to talk a little and to be a little nostalgic." [70] In an April 2014 interview, Fältskog, when asked about whether the band might reunite for a new recording said: "It's difficult to talk about this because then all the news stories will be: 'ABBA is going to record another song!' But as long as we can sing and play, then why not? I would love to, but it's up to Björn and Benny." [49] Resurgence of public interest [ edit ] Brought on board for help with the English lyrics was Neil Sedaka - the acclaimed American singer who had also penned plenty of hits for other artists, including Stupid Cupid for Connie Francis and (Is This the Way to) Amarillo for Tony Christie. ABBA: Thank You For The Music is the German-language edition, scheduled for publication 16 September. This version also has a Luxury Edition, published 14 October, which comes in a slipcase with a poster.

Fältskog and Ulvaeus, now married, started performing together with Andersson on a regular basis at the Swedish folkparks in the middle of 1971. Upon their arrival in Melbourne, a civic reception was held at the Melbourne Town Hall and ABBA appeared on the balcony to greet an enthusiastic crowd of 6,000. In Melbourne, the group gave three concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with 14,500 at each including the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and his family. At the first Melbourne concert, an additional 16,000 people gathered outside the fenced-off area to listen to the concert. In Adelaide, the group performed one concert at Football Park in front of 20,000 people, with another 10,000 listening outside. During the first of five concerts in Perth, there was a bomb scare with everyone having to evacuate the Entertainment Centre. The trip was accompanied by mass hysteria and unprecedented media attention ("Swedish ABBA stirs box-office in Down Under tour...and the media coverage of the quartet rivals that set to cover the upcoming Royal tour of Australia", wrote Variety), [ citation needed] and is captured on film in ABBA: The Movie, directed by Lasse Hallström. ABBA's follow-up single, " Honey, Honey", peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, reached the top twenty in several other countries, and was a number-two hit in West Germany although it only reached the top 30 in Australia and the US. In the United Kingdom, ABBA's British record label, Epic, decided to re-release a remixed version of "Ring Ring" instead of "Honey, Honey", and a cover version of the latter by Sweet Dreams peaked at number 10. Both records debuted on the UK chart within one week of each other. "Ring Ring" failed to reach the Top 30 in the UK, increasing growing speculation that the group were simply a Eurovision one-hit wonder. Ulvaeus, who also said it was a no from him, added: “We can celebrate 50 years of Abba without us being on stage.” As if all this wasn't enough, the French edition of the book was also made available as a special edition magazine, published by the newspaper Le Monde.

It should perhaps be no surprise then, that the group have ruled out returning to the Eurovision contest for a final time when it is held in Sweden next year. Their ongoing popularity has meant that their 1992 greatest hits collection, Abba Gold, is the longest-running album in the UK album chart. In July, it became the first to surpass 1,000 weeks there, and is currently sitting at No 14. In about five weeks from now, my book ABBA At 50 will be published in English, so I thought it would be timely with a little recap on what the book is, its various editions, and some other things.