Abba Happy Christmas

 

As you may know I’m a huge ABBA fan and unless you’ve been living on another planet you’ll be aware of their first studio album for 40 years, Voyage; four pensioners getting together and recording some music.

The fab four, ( well the other fab four ) about three years ago.

The Abbatars. Imagine what the MIE bloggers would look like with this kind of tech.

My friend and I (he’s the one who’s heart stopped when Agnetha told him she liked his skirt – he was wearing a kilt at the time), have  often pondered why they do what they do. Why were these ladies the  most photographed ladies on the face of the planet and nobody really knew their name? Why have they not got plumped lips and flat foreheads?  Why do they smile rather than pout?  Why do we think of them as making happy music that makes us smile, when in fact the lyrics are often full of melancholy.

                                                 

                            As they are now. Ags and Frid used to be the same height so I think Frid has a little bit of osteoporosis.

Is it for the money? Obviously yes, but mostly no, because they don’t need it. They don’t live a Kardashian lifestyle. They tend to live on islands with their dogs, children and grandchildren. As a band they have always split everything four ways (like U2) and unlike The Eagles, who had to keep splitting up and reforming. Benny would be nothing without Bjorn’s lyrics, neither of them would be anything without those voices. Despite marriages and divorces they have all remained friends and business partners over the years, sensible when there's mutual grandchildren. There was never ever any huge falling out. Although, to be fair there is a wonderful film clip where Bjorn says something like ‘it's impossible to be in a group with two very strong women without there being arguments’. He does a slight eye roll at the words ‘two strong women’.

                                              

Pardon the pun, but Voyage has smashed records. Now only The Beatles and Elvis have outsold them. Their world wide sales are eye watering, Don’t Shut Me Down went to No 1 in 19 countries. It only went to No 2 in Portugal, there was an immediate Social Media campaign that Portugal should get its affairs in order, and they did. And it went to No 1.

                                         

The Avatar Concert is opening in May next year. For  5 weeks the four of them were on stage in Sweden having their movements computerized, then 500 animators took nearly a year to pull together a computerized stage show (the music is live, but the singing and the people on stage are not). While recording this in a film studio in Stockholm, they felt it just wasn’t right as there was no audience to look at or to respond to. So word went round the neighbouring studios that as long as nobody said anything, for the next five weeks  in the afternoon, they could come and see ‘ABBA in concert’.  The entirety of the audience were the dinner ladies and it shows what respect they have that not a word was said.

                                               

                                                                     Circa 72? 73? I think Agnetha is very pregnant here.

Like their song Chiquitita, all proceeds for Little Things, the Christmas single,  are going to UNICEF. Chiquitita has raised millions over the years for the charity.

 And here is the question, is there a cynical advertising campaign beyond all this, or do they just have that very low key Scandi thing going on. What is this video about?

#ABBAVoyage - Björn with Sir Ian McKellen 2021 knitting ABBA Christmas clothing - Bing video 

Two men sitting on a settee knitting, but everybody talks about it because there are so many questions, such as why?   Why Sir Ian McKellen? Why Bjorn? Why knitting? Why don't they say anything? Who came up with that for an idea?

Below is the video for Little Things which is a sort of  Xmas message to the world.

ABBA - Little Things - YouTube

As somebody pointed out, the video starts with the kids connecting to virtual reality and then through that become  live performers....why the band are going in the opposite direction.

                                         

                                                 All geared up for the VR recordings.

The overriding emotion to the new album coming out was "thank goodness for that", post COVID and all this crap the world can really do with some more ABBA tunes to sing along to, to dance to,  to fall off the sofa getting drunk to. They may be full of sadness but with  our government anything that brings a smile to the face is worth doing.

                                            

Journalist ;  Why are you not touring with a live show?

Bjorn ;  Because we are too old and wrinkly. People want us as we were then, not as we are now. There'd be no dignity.

Journalist ; But what about The Rolling Stones? They still tour?

Bjorn; Exactly.

Caro Ramsay