Abba Biography

They were signed by Polar, the label run by their manager and Bjorn and Benny's frequent songwriting partner, Stig Anderson and proceeded to set their sights on the terminally unhip Eurovision crown, modelling their early sound on the music of Neil Sedaka and Elton John. Their first attempt at Eurovision, 1973's Swedish entry Ring Ring (co-written by Sedaka), failed. But they returned a year later with the confident, chirpy Waterloo. The single would go on to sell 1m copies, reach the Top Ten in the US and give them the first of their eighteen consecutive Top Ten hits throughout Europe. But the Eurovision tag initially stymied the creative juices of our four Swedish musical magicians and it was 18 months until the single SOS gave the group their second hit. Within a year, a trio of UK No.1 singles followed including Mamma Mia, Fernando and the camp, gay disco, party classic, Dancing Queen. Abba eventually scored nine UK No.1's between 1974 and 1980. Mamma Mia was also a No.1 in Australia where the group were incredibly popular, scoring a total of six No.1 hits.

Abba had transformed themselves from risible eurotrash to respected tunesmiths with an unabashed loved of pop hooklines. The dense, multi-layered productions were a perfect background for the perfectly matched lead vocals of Anni-Frid and Agnetha. By 1977 the Financial Times commented: "A group which has sold 30m singles and 14m albums has to be taken seriously." In 1977 Knowing Me Knowing You , taken from their No.1 album, Arrival, became Abba's fifth No.1 single and their only US chart topper. But amid the success there were reports of growing discontent within the group. Tabloid stories claimed Agnetha and Anni-Frid were constantly outdoing eachother for the spotlight while one paper reported that Bjorn called Benny "a bastard" in front of 20,000 fans during Abba's 1977 Australian tour. The band strenuously denied any in-fighting but there were upheavals. Agnetha suffered from ill health while Anni Frid learned in 1977 via a German tabloid that the father she never knew had been a Nazi soldier. Nevertheless, professionally the band continued their amazing success.

Work was begun on the feature film ABBA - The Movie, recorded during their tour of Australia. The première of the film in December 1977 coincided with the release of Abba - The Album. Hits from the LP included The Name Of The Game and Take A Chance On Me. The spring of 1978 saw the group embarking on a major promotional campaign in the US, leading to a Top 3 single with Take A Chance On Me. The hit singles Summer Night City and Chiquitita followed.

But the pressure of touring and working together took their toll and in 1978 Agnetha and Bjorn announced their split. Agnetha would insist that they "just grew apart." Anni-Frid and Benny, still engaged, married in October of that year. Somehow Bjorn and Agnetha papered over the cracks for the release of their sixth album, Voulez-Vous in April 1979. The single Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) was released in the autumn of 1979, coinciding with a major tour of Canada, the United States and Europe. But the band could no longer present an image of two perfect couples. Bjorn and Agentha's breakup was messy, the couple had two children and there were rumours of affairs.

But Bjorn still managed to wring a No.1 single out of the divorce with the hit Winner Takes It All, a sad song that required Agnetha to sing: "Tell me, does she kiss like I used to kiss you?" Abba had suddenly transformed their sunny disposition into sturm-und-drang pop and it worked! In February 1981 the final blow was dealt to Abba's happy couples image when Benny and Frida announced their divorce. But the band soldiered on and at the end of the year, their eighth album, The Visitors, was released. The video to the album's hit single, One Of Us, featured a strangely bubble-permed Agnetha cutting a lonely, sad figure as she would continue to do when the group split shortly afterwards in 1982. Agnetha effectively 'retired for a reclusive life on an island outside Stockholm where she was dogged by bad luck, beset by stalkers and failed love affairs.

With the accomplished single The Day Before You Came becoming the band's final single release, Abba disbanded in 1982. The band never officially split but fans' hopes of a reunion are remote. Agnetha failed to participate in a recent ITV show in 2004 reuniting the group for the cameras. Benny and Bjorn now concentrate their talents on West End shows. They wrote the musical Chess with Andrew Lloyd Webber while in 1999 they collaborated on the West End musical Mamma Mia, based on Abba's songs. The show opened on Broadway two years later and has become one of the world's most popular stage shows, seen by more than 17m people.

Despite not having recorded together for over 20 years Abba live on. Unmentionable in the style conscious 80s, the 90s saw a reappraisal of the band and again they became a mini industry. The compilation CD Abba Gold, released in 1992 has sold 26m copies to date. More Abba Gold sold 2.5m copies. Cover versions of the band's songs, most notably Erasure's Abba-esque EP in 1992 and tribute bands (Bjorn Again) help to maintain interest in the Swedish hitmakers. 2004 sees the 30th Anniversary of Abba's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Universal Music re-releasing the band's catalogue of albums with bonus tracks, revised artwork and expanded booklets.

Despite the pain and heartbreak of the final years of the band, the everlasting image of Abba still seems to be uplifting rather than tragic. After all, where would a hen-night/office party or kitsch gay disco be without some Abba on the turntable?