“They’ll still play ‘Dancing Queen’ next year.” Just ask Madonna, who directly appealed to the group for a sample of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” for her 2005 hit “Hung Up.”Īndersson and Ulvaeus could easily have just sat on their piles of kronor, with the knowledge that their place in the record books was secure: “What is there to prove?” Andersson said. The band’s classic songcraft and studio wizardry continues to bridge musical allegiances, drawing fans as diverse as Elvis Costello, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jarvis Cocker, Kylie Minogue and Dave Grohl. “They are truly a global phenomenon, and have been so since they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with ‘Waterloo.’ ”Īnd every decade or so, something has rekindled interest, starting with the 1992 compilation “Abba Gold,” which is still on the British charts more than 1,000 weeks after its release (I wrote the liner notes to a 2010 reissue). “Abba is simply one of the biggest groups in the history of popular music,” Michelle Jubelirer, president and chief operating officer of Capitol Music Group, wrote in an email. Abba is now widely respected as a purveyor of sophisticated pop craftsmanship, and its enduring popularity transcends generations and borders. Conversations about pop have shifted over the decades, helping the group overcome the “cheesy Europop” tag that often stuck to it during its 1970s prime - “We have met the enemy and they are them,” American critic Robert Christgau wrote in 1979.
Since it went offline in 1982, Abba has continued to thrive. Still, they might have had an inkling a reunion would spur interest. “You just take a chance, you risk a thumping.” It was hard to tell if he was echoing the title of one of Abba’s most famous songs on purpose these guys have a way with dry humor. “We had no idea it would be so well received,” Ulvaeus said. (The 10-track “Voyage,” which shares its name with the forthcoming live show, is out Nov. Starting in a custom-built London venue next May, the group will perform as highly sophisticated avatars (or in this case, Abbatars) designed to replicate their 1979 look - the era of feathered hair and flamboyant stage wear.Īndersson, 74, and Ulvaeus, 76, two of the most low-key men in a high-stress industry, said they were genuinely surprised, and possibly a little relieved, by the excitement that greeted the new album’s announcement. Now Abba is risking perhaps its most valuable asset - its legacy - by not only releasing a fresh addition to its catalog, but creating a stage show that features none of its members in the flesh. The 1999 jukebox musical “Mamma Mia!” paired the group’s hits with an unrelated plot, sparking a slew of imitators and two film adaptations that brought us the spectacle of Meryl Streep singing “Dancing Queen.” Its 1981 album “The Visitors” is generally acknowledged as the first commercial release on compact disc. Starting in the mid-1970s, it was among the first acts to make elaborate promotional mini-films - we’d call them music videos now - most of them directed by Lasse Hallstrom. But its paradigm-shifting impact can’t be measured only in numbers: The group was known for taking risks with technology and the use of its songs.