Music Why are ABBA so popular?

[DennisN]

Darn, I'm having a good time finding history gems...

Here is a RARE interview where the ABBA members reveal who their favorite artists are; I've never heard them talk about this before. They also comment on Swedish language and that many in Sweden know English very well and listen very much to British and US music - I can testify this is true, I really did, and still do. And Agneta calls The Beatles legends.
And they say they started writing music because of The Beatles.

Their own personal favorite artists are:

• The Eagles
• Queen
• The Beatles
• 10cc
• Rufus
• Beach Boys

ABBA• Interview (Career/Sweden/Influences/Personal Tastes) • 1977 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]

 

[Hornbein]

Darn, I'm having a good time finding history gems...

Here is a RARE interview where the ABBA members reveal who their favorite artists are; I've never heard them talk about this before. They also comment on Swedish language and that many in Sweden know English very well and listen very much to British and US music - I can testify this is true, I really did, and still do. And Agneta calls The Beatles legends.
And they say they started writing music because of The Beatles.

Their own personal favorite artists are:

• The Eagles
• Queen
• The Beatles
• 10cc
• Rufus
• Beach Boys

ABBA• Interview (Career/Sweden/Influences/Personal Tastes) • 1977 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]

They all had really good harmony singing, with the exception of Rufus. (I dunno about 10cc). One wonders why this disappeared from music. Rufus had groove, as does ABBA.

My favorite harmony singing is by the Grateful Dead on American Beauty. They didn't know what they were doing, had no respect for any tradition, did it all by ear, but nevertheless came up with some really good and highly original stuff. They were at the time unable to reproduce it live. Many suspected ringers on the recording, but eyewitnesses all claim that it truly was them singing. But not Abba's sort of thing. Abba has some originality too, enough that they don't sound like a copy of anybody.

 

[DennisN]

with the exception of Rufus

I have never heard about that band. I'm heading to youtube now to listen to what kind of music it is.

Edit:

Ah, one of the members was Chaka Khan.
I really like her vocals, and I love this song: I Feel for You.
I loved it the first time I heard it, and I still do.

 

[Hornbein]

I have never heard about that band. I'm heading to youtube now to listen to what kind of music it is.

Tell Me Something Good was their hit record. Very clever rhythmic thing. Chaka Khan was the star, and soon went off on a solo career.

 

[DennisN]

Tell Me Something Good

I am listening to it. Really good. Extremely groovy and funky. I like.

 

[DennisN]

By the way, after ABBA quit making music, both Agneta and Frida recorded some good songs...
I don't know how well known they are out of Sweden...

I actually really like Agneta's album "Wrap Your Arms Around Me", here are three songs from that album:

The Heat Is On (with a sound that feels very tropical/Carribean)


Wrap Your Arms Around me (a very lush slow song, lovely and hypnotic)


Shame (though I don't like the verse that much, but the chorus is really, really good)


And here's one cool song with Frida:

Frida - I Know There's Something Going On

 

[DennisN]

Frida - I Know There's Something Going On

Hmm, I read an interesting comment on youtube:

Frida of ABBA! In case you weren't aware, the song is about her divorce with Benny Anderson and is a continuation of Phil Collin's - "In The Air Tonight" (which was about also about Phil's divorce)

This is why Frida asked Phil to produce the album. She connected with him in this way. It's also why the drums sound like a continuation of "In The Air Tonight."

Try playing "In The Air Tonight" and immediately after play "There's Something Going On." It'll all make sense musically and lyrically.

Just spreading some music history for everyone to enjoy

I wonder if that is correct. I know she knew Phil Collins.
I have to listen to "In The Air Tonight" and then "I Know There's Something Goin On"...

 

[Hornbein]

The Heat Is On (with a sound that feels very tropical/Carribean)

Dang. I thought she was going to cover Glenn Frey. I think a calypso version of that would work. Any takers out there? This could be your ticket to stardom!

 

[jack action]

ABBA Waterloo - Swedish version

Björn looks like a member of KISS :

 

[DennisN]

Björn looks like a member of KISS :

View attachment 353109View attachment 353110​

Haha, I've never thought about that.

 

[rcgldr]

Rufus ... one of the members was Chaka Khan.

Chaka Khan - I'm Every Woman

Chaka Khan - Ain't Nobody

 

[rcgldr]

I dunno about 10cc

If you include Godley & Creme (after they left 10cc) two main hits:

10cc - I'm Not In Love

Godley & Creme - Cry (Miami Vice version, better quality audio on this re-mix)

 

[rcgldr]

good harmony

Crosby Stills & Nash - Helplessly Hoping

Fleetwood Mac - The Chain

Elle Cordova, Toni Lindgren, Josh Tuner - Cover of The Chain (album version)

Taylor Neita, Carson McKee, Josh Turner - cover of Black Velvet

Blac Rabbit & Josh Turner - cover of Paperback Writer

 

[Hornbein]

Crosby Stills & Nash - Helplessly Hoping

Fleetwood Mac - The Chain

Elle Cordova, Toni Lindgren, Josh Tuner - Cover of The Chain (album version)

Taylor Neita, Carson McKee, Josh Turner - cover of Black Velvet

Blac Rabbit & Josh Turner - cover of Paperback Writer

That's some mighty fine harmony. Here's my vote for best sounding vocal harmony ever recorded.



The utter solidity of the rhythm section doesn't hurt either. If I taught rock I'd tell my students to (try to) play like this.

 

[pinball1970]

One crash? Very minimalistic . Ringo Starr would have been impressed, I think.

 

[jack action]

View attachment 353231

And a lefty!

 

[pinball1970]

And a lefty!

Like the great man himself.

 

[DennisN]

Another fun video...
...a woman who is a great bass player shows how to play the bass on some ABBA songs that have been mentioned in this thread... (spoiler: the basslines are not easy )

• Waterloo
• Gimme Gimme Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
• Dancing Queen
• Knowing Me, Knowing You
• Voulez-Vous

Top 5 ABBA Bass Lines | Julia Hofer | Rutger Gunnarsson, Mike Watson | Thomann​

 

[pinball1970]

Another fun video...
...a woman who is a great bass player shows how to play the bass on some ABBA songs that have been mentioned in this thread... (spoiler: the basslines are not easy )

• Waterloo
• Gimme Gimme Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
• Dancing Queen
• Knowing Me, Knowing You
• Voulez-Vous

Top 5 ABBA Bass Lines | Julia Hofer | Rutger Gunnarsson, Mike Watson | Thomann​

Thanks Dennis I will check later.

 

[Astronuc]

Fleetwood Mac - The Chain

I was thinking about the popularity of pop music and Fleetwood Mac came to mind when I recently heard a Fleetwood Mac concert on TV that a friend was watching.

Then the Beatles, Eagles, Heart and many others were popular. It's the music, the melody/harmony, the lyrics, the beat, . . . .

Very little pop music appealed to me. I was more oriented to the classic rock of the late 60s, 70s and early 80s.

 

[pinball1970]

. (I dunno about 10cc).

Wow! In terms of song writers and diversity just fantastic.

 

[DennisN]

Another ridiculously good song by ABBA...
The music, the melodies and the production in the verses are on a magical, sublime level, what can I say... I tip my hat once again...

ABBA - Chiquitita (Official Music Video)

 

[pinball1970]

Another ridiculously good song by ABBA...
The music, the melodies and the production in the verses are on a magical, sublime level, what can I say... I tip my hat once again...

ABBA - Chiquitita (Official Music Video)

The Chorus is so ridiculously uplifting, it sounds like folk.I put this and Fernando together.

 

[DennisN]

I put this and Fernando together.

I agree... they have a similar feel and approach.

 

[pinball1970]

Pure magic...

Benny Andersson plays his favourite Abba song

I dont think we have discussed this one much. What a beautiful piece? It would fit as a classical piano piece.

 

[pinball1970]

Similar to this

 

[DennisN]

I saw a very fun clip from 1976 where Björn and Benny of ABBA describe the song writing process (at 8m 44s and onwards (I tried timestamping the clip but it did not work, edit: correct timestamp link here))...

It's quite unusual to hear artists describe the song writing process, but I think they describe it well; they emphasize that it's not rational nor calculated, it's all based on feeling/intuition and it takes a lot of time to do...

ABBA In London, November 1976 (Young Nation, BBC)

 

[jack action]

 

[Hornbein]

(I tried timestamping the clip but it did not work))...

On PhysicsForums timestamping only works if the link the reader sees is text and the text isn't the URL.

I don't believe there is a common song writing process. Richard Rogers was as good a songwriter as anyone and they say he was very methodical and calculating. He attended many musicals and analyzed what got the audience going and what didn't. Tom Sholtz, I'm told was very methodical and calculating but didn't go out much. Some are fast, some are slow. Tom Petty said it took him weeks to write a song. I'm usually very fast but depend entirely on inspiration and very seldom compose anything. I know Bob Dylan and Lennon/McCartney could and did toss off big hits in a few hours but dunno if that was their usual schtick. Some people write lyrics first, Tom Petty did chords first, others melody first, others do whatever. I once had a song come to me in a dream. It's also usual that pop songwriters lose the knack after a few years, but Nile Rogers and Mick Jagger didn't. Robby Krieger said Light My Fire was the first song he ever wrote (!) Ya never know.

 

[DennisN]

Tom Petty said it took him weeks to write a song. I'm usually very fast but depend entirely on inspiration and very seldom compose anything.

Your post reminded me of a video I recently saw and enjoyed very much, so I'd like to share it...
Tom Petty was talked about in it (and I am a big fan of him) and Rick Rubin hailed him as a great hook writer. He also hailed Red Hot Chili Peppers as among the best musicians on the planet.

The video is a long interview Rick Beato did with the legendary producer Rick Rubin about his diverse career as a producer for various artists (they talk about Tom Petty from 54:24 and onwards). It was very interesting to hear his approach to music and production in general, I personally got a lot out of it, actually.

The Rick Rubin Interview (Rick Beato)


Well, I can't post this without also posting a great song by Tom Petty :

 

[pinball1970]

On PhysicsForums timestamping only works if the link the reader sees is text and the text isn't the URL.

I don't believe there is a common song writing process. Richard Rogers was as good a songwriter as anyone and they say he was very methodical and calculating. He attended many musicals and analyzed what got the audience going and what didn't. Tom Sholtz, I'm told was very methodical and calculating but didn't go out much. Some are fast, some are slow. Tom Petty said it took him weeks to write a song. I'm usually very fast but depend entirely on inspiration and very seldom compose anything. I know Bob Dylan and Lennon/McCartney could and did toss off big hits in a few hours but dunno if that was their usual schtick. Some people write lyrics first, Tom Petty did chords first, others melody first, others do whatever. I once had a song come to me in a dream. It's also usual that pop songwriters lose the knack after a few years, but Nile Rogers and Mick Jagger didn't. Robby Krieger said Light My Fire was the first song he ever wrote (!) Ya never know.

Paul McCartney dreamt "Yesterday" and woke up with it in his head. He sang it to the others because he was convinced he had pinched it.
He put chords to the tune and called it scrambled eggs as a place holder.

My feeling is that these guys just lived and breathed music and things were popping into their heads all the time.
ABBA were as good as any of them in my opinion.
They had so many great ideas and would put so much into one track.
Some good songs have a catchy bit, the part you sing along to or that catches your ear, the hook.
ABBA would have three or four killer hooks in one track, just a few notes sometimes.

An example, SOS, intro, interesting pretty. Verse very pretty and sad, hook, Keys run to Chorus hook -sing along -hook, "When you're gone" totally different change, four chords hook.

Now your hook may not be mine but they place them in and none of them sound contrived. One or two will find you.

Seeing them live in the 1970s would have been something else.

 

[DennisN]

An example, SOS, intro, interesting pretty. Verse very pretty and sad, hook, Keys run to Chorus hook -sing along -hook, "When you're gone" totally different change, four chords hook.

Yeah, they stuffed A LOT into that song (and others).
I definitely don't remember when I heard it the first time (I was probably younger than 10), but I reckon it must have been surprising to hear it the first time, with a sort of rock chorus with fuzz guitar coming in after that sad, mellow verse and pop chorus .

 

[DennisN]

Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters (US)) talk open-heartedly about other artists (Queen, Black Sabbath, Kiss, ABBA, Prince, James Brown, The Beatles)...

They talk about ABBA at 1m 10s...

[ABBA] ...It's like the best pop music ever made, I think.

Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins talk about bands (60 minutes)

 

[DennisN]

A lot of good snippets of ABBA covers from various people in this clip...

There were particularly two that stood out for me:

• A duo (a guy and girl) playing "Dancing Queen" live on a street at 6:43 (sounding great)
  
  
• A guy playing rock guitar to "Gimme Gimme Gimme!" at 8:35 and 10:17 (great feel and sound)

ABBA in Rock'n Roll Hall Of Fame (03.15.2010) - acceptance by Frida ft Dave Grohl & fans

 

[pinball1970]

Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters (US)) talk open-heartedly about other artists (Queen, Black Sabbath, Kiss, ABBA, Prince, James Brown, The Beatles)...

They talk about ABBA at 1m 10s...



Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins talk about bands (60 minutes)

"How can you not love ABBA?"

Dave Grohl summed it up perfectly.

 

[DennisN]

I just saw a fun "recent" (3 years ago) clip from BBC...
...Björn and Benny being very relaxed and joking around...
...and they were asked if they would consider writing for a UK entry in the EuroVision contest, and surprisingly (to me) they were not against the idea (* see edit below)...

I post it here for fun:

Abba on new album Voyage: 'We don't need to prove anything' - BBC News


* Edit: the interview above was a slightly different cut.
In the one below they talked about UK and EuroVision:

Abba on new album Voyage: We don't need to prove anything (BBC)

 

[DennisN]

This was fun to watch, at least the intro and reaction (the rest is a long video I haven't watched).
This is a classical musician reacting to The Winner Takes It All by ABBA, and according to her she knows a number of classical musicians who have a deep respect for ABBA .
It was interesting too see her get so moved by the song. Well, I've said in this thread before that this song is a masterpiece .


ABBA, The Winner Takes It All - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

 

[DennisN]

The Eagle is possibly my favourite

just listened to a Q&A from last year where Björn and Benny were asked what their own favorite ABBA songs are, and one of the songs was "Eagle" (Q&A@39m05s)

Eagle

Eagle
- just magnificent.

Two more youtubers (US) here discovering how good the song "Eagle" is...

I actually can't really understand why this song is not more well known than it is.
I think it's the same even in Sweden, actually. It is not one of ABBAs most known songs.
But I consider it a masterpiece; I would personally be very, VERY proud if I've composed it.

ABBA's "Eagle" Is a Masterpiece of Engineering | Gen X Reaction


ABBA Reaction EAGLE (Long Version) STUNNED!!! | Dereck Reacts

 

[rcgldr]

ABBA (along with a lot of other bands) did a cover of Pick A Bale Of Cotton in this medley

Abba - Pick A Bale Of Cotton (part of a Medley)

Version most people have heard from the end of The Jerk:

 

[DennisN]

Another fun clip with the guy who actually mixed ABBAs "Dancing Queen", Michael B Tretow:

ABBA - The mixing of Dancing Queen (Michael B Tretow)​

 

[DennisN]

Just for fun I ran an AI analysis today (genre analysis) of ABBA:s song "Eagle" which has been mentioned a couple of time in this thread before. It was interesting, I think.
(AI tool: https://audioaidynamics.com/genre-finder)

On Wikipedia the song is categorized as progressive rock/art rock.

The result of the AI analysis was a bit different.
It shows that this song is a mix of pretty different genres, mainly rock, electronic, folk, world & country and pop. I think it's a good description, and I think it clearly shows the versatility of ABBA as artists.

Here is a clip I made which shows the AI analysis of the song being done in realtime:
(luckily there were no copyright restrictions (see note below), so I can post it with clear conscience , and I've also set the video as "unlisted", so it can't be found via youtube)

ABBA - Eagle (AI analysis by Audio AI Dynamics (genre finder))


The result of the AI analysis was this:

Genres:

Rock 40.1%
Electronic: 16.3%
Folk, World & Country: 15.7%
Pop: 14.9%
Funk/Soul: 13.0%

Description (by the AI):

The song combines elements of Rock, Pop, Folk, World and Country with Electronic music. Its feel is energetic and upbeat with an emphasis on the beat that keeps you moving along. The mood is relaxed as it blends different genres such as rock-pop or pop-rock to create a unique sound that appealed to various audiences. Emotionally impactful: This song would make someone feel happy and content while also reminding them of...

* Copyright notice from youtube:

 

[robphy]

Just for fun I ran an AI analysis today (genre analysis) of ABBA:s song "Eagle" which has been mentioned a couple of time in this thread before. It was interesting, I think.
(AI tool: https://audioaidynamics.com/genre-finder)

That's neat.
The next stage could be, with the help of a database,
identifying songs with similarly-weighted components
or even similar rhythms, melodies, or lyrics... e.g. identifying covers or samples.

 

[DennisN]

Another fun clip with the guy who actually mixed ABBAs "Dancing Queen", Michael B Tretow:

Regretfully I've just learned that Michael B Tretow has passed away.

Google Translate of article in Swedish:

Michael B Tretow is dead – created the iconic Abba sound (Aftonbladet)
Abba stars: "You meant more to the four of us than anyone else"

Our music lives on, it seems, and you are the one who made it sound timeless," says Benny Andersson.

...

Björn Ulvaeus remembers his friend with warmth.
"His importance to Abba cannot be overstated. He was a warm, generous person and a good friend.

Article:
https://www-aftonbladet-se.translat...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Rest in peace. The music will live on.

 

[Death Metal]

ABBA knew how to write melodic songs with high degrees of internal contrast. Think of something like Kraftwerk or even Hank Williams Sr. The Beatles had a similar approach. Most rock is rhythm music where any melody serves the harmony which is there to accentuate melody. ABBA gave rock some dimension. The best Motorhead and Misfits tracks do the same, but you have to choose songs carefully.

 

[DennisN]

ABBA would have three or four killer hooks in one track, just a few notes sometimes.

An example, SOS, intro, interesting pretty. Verse very pretty and sad, hook, Keys run to Chorus hook -sing along -hook, "When you're gone" totally different change, four chords hook.

Yeah, they stuffed A LOT into that song (and others).
I definitely don't remember when I heard it the first time (I was probably younger than 10), but I reckon it must have been surprising to hear it the first time, with a sort of rock chorus with fuzz guitar coming in after that sad, mellow verse and pop chorus .

We are in good company ; here a couple of other musicians hail the song "S.O.S.", and also provide examples why they think it is a great song:

ABBA - The greatness of S.O.S.


Original song:


And here is a longer clip where two fun guys react to and analyze the song, and conclude that ABBA nailed it in this song.

 

[DennisN]

Another example showcasing the immense versatility of the band... I don't think it's a very well known song, and I don't think they did any other song like this one. It is quite a unique song, in my opinion.

According to me, it's a mix of pop, folk and... medieval music (!), and they actually include some short Latin lyrics ("sub luna saltamus", which means "we dance beneath the moon"), and that section sounds to me a bit like a medieval or early classical music choir. Clearly it is written by people with great musical talent .

And even though it sounds a bit cheerful, it's got a darker meaning:

The song is loosely based on the famous story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, but lyricist Björn Ulvaeus cites the novel The Stand by Stephen King as a source of inspiration.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Piper_(song)

‘The Piper’ was inspired by the Stephen King novel The Stand, about a Hitler-style leader and “the fear that there will come a time when people will want such a leader again”, as Bjorn has said.

Source: What is that song about? (which describes meanings and/or inspirations for various ABBA songs)

ABBA - The Piper

 

[pinball1970]

Another example showcasing the immense versatility of the band... I don't think it's a very well known song, and I don't think they did any other song like this one. It is quite a unique song, in my opinion.

According to me, it's a mix of pop, folk and... medieval music (!), and they actually include some short Latin lyrics ("sub luna saltamus", which means "we dance beneath the moon"), and that section sounds to me a bit like a medieval or early classical music choir. Clearly it is written by people with great musical talent .

And even though it sounds a bit cheerful, it's got a darker meaning:


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Piper_(song)



Source: What is that song about? (which describes meanings and/or inspirations for various ABBA songs)

ABBA - The Piper

This always reminded me of a Scottish type of folk like "Arrival."

That little baroque break at 58 seconds just heavenly, typical ABBA. Brilliant.

 

[DennisN]

Melodies galore...

ABBA - Our Last Summer (Lyrics)

 

[DennisN]

On the original topic, "Why are ABBA so popular" I just read a fun article with six artists commenting on ABBA:

6 artists on their favorite ABBA songs (Crack Magazine)
https://crackmagazine.net/article/lists/6-artists-on-their-favourite-abba-songs/


Jarvis Cocker (frontman of the UK Britpop band Pulp) said something really funny :

People used to really make fun of Abba and it’s really easy to do that I suppose because they were never really cool, but I think everybody’s jealous of them in a way because they made these records that were indestructible, like they’ll last until the end of time because there’s nothing wrong with them. They even sound indestructible because they sound so clean and perfect, like they’d survive a nuclear attack. Them and cockroaches would still be around.

 

[DennisN]

Haha, I just found another lovely historical clip...
...here are Björn and Benny in the recording studio while recording "ABBA: The Album".
They show a young fan how to play "Fernando" and they also play a snippet of the amazing song "The Name of the Game" which is being recorded.

They speak Swedish in the clip, but the clip has English subtitles.

ABBA: Recording ABBA - The Album