Sunday 17 January 2010

Pop Foto, 1975: Without Agnetha, no success for ABBA?

The ABBA-fans have been worried for a while when it was reported that the group was on the verge of breaking up. What was this all about? Pop Foto made some inquiries into the matter and found out the truth...

Indeed, it didn’t take much more or all of pop-lovin’ Europe would have had to face the future without the trend-leading offerings of the usually so joyous Swedish group ABBA. That’s something we don’t even want to think about. The reason for the impending break-up between the two singing couples Anni-Frid and Benny Andersson and Agnetha and Björn Ulvaeus was... Agnetha’s looks. Here and there, people had started whispering lately that ABBA would only be successful thanks to the attractive blonde singer of the group. No one knew where these talks came from and that’s how it happened that Anni-Frid and Benny thought that Agnetha had got it into her pretty little head that she was the main attraction of ABBA.

During a normal little argument, the bubble burst and the result was that Agnetha decided to leave the group immediately, despite the fact that Björn tried to change her mind. It didn’t help. “Alright,” her husband then said, “if you quit, then I’m not doing it anymore either.” And that’s how the break-up became a reality. Thankfully, the foursome thought things over after the emotions had calmed down. “Actually, this can’t be,” the Ulvaeus household mused, “there has to be a mistake.”

The other half puzzled their heads off. “This is completely unlike Agnetha, she isn’t arrogant at all.” As expected with good friends, an appointment was made to talk about the matter and that’s how ABBA found themselves in a cosy bar on a sunny afternoon in July, grumpily staring at each other, because no one actually knew how to start the conversation. All of a sudden, Anni-Frid started laughing uncontrollably and gave Agnetha a spontaneous kiss. “I’m sorry,” she said honestly, “maybe I’ve been a little stressed which caused such a stupid thought to enter my mind.” Obviously, the ice was now broken and ABBA was saved. The boys sighed with relief and cheerfully started talking about new compositions.

That’s how the fairytale of a group, wherein everyone is equally important, can go on without interruption, a fairytale that started with a modest international success for their single ‘Ring Ring’. That’s what the ABBA-members have agreed upon, after their conversation. Even if a lot of men will turn their heads whenever Agnetha walks by...

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