Story, January 1981: ABBA's music is keeping a mortally ill little boy alive

Making millions and millions every year with your music is very nice. But keeping a five-year-old boy alive with your music, now that's a different story. ABBA knows something about that.

One letter out of the tens of thousands that are being delivered at the offices of the ABBA management. A letter from grateful parents. At first, Agnetha doesn't even want to talk about it. It's an emotional matter between these parents and ABBA. Finally, she hands over the letter for us to read if we promise that we don't mention any names. It's a moving letter.
"Our litte son has become a victim of a traffic accident," the father writes. "He has been hit by a truck and brought over to the hospital more dead than alive. We were desperate. We didn't know what to do. He had always been so cheerful and full of life. And he loved your music. He sang along to all the songs."
The little boy remained in a coma for weeks. He didn't respond to all the sweet words that were whispered to him. Then his father got an idea. He brought along a cassette player to the small hospital bed and softly played tapes of ABBA. The little boy responded. At first almost imperceptible. Later on he moved his lips and eyelids.
"Afterwards he has been in critical condition a couple of times. When the situation was critical, no one was allowed near him," the father writes. "But I managed to persuade the doctors that they still had to play ABBA's music. After all, that had been his major joy in life."
It is unknown whether the upbeat sounds of the Swedish group played any part in it, but the boy is recovering. It will take a long time, but someday he will be healthy again. Agnetha feels a lump in her throat when she talks about it.
"It can't be described what you feel when you realize that you can mean something like this to people. It moves me deeply. And then we can't even be really credited for it. Anni-Frid and I are only singing it. It's Björn and Benny who write the music. I know it's an enormous gratification for them that they can make people this happy."
Benny confirms this. He nods and smiles modestly. "Money doesn't play any part anymore at such a moment," he says. "It would also be a big misunderstanding to think that our most important aim is making money. Then we would have quit a couple of years ago, because then we already had more than enough resources to lead the rest of our life in leisure. Music is communication. You achieve something with other people. That's important. This father's letter is proof of that. At moments like this I can only be thankful that I have the gift to be able to write such music."
Indeed, this isn't the only letter that shows what kind of impact ABBA's music has on people. Somewhat smilingly, Benny says that they have saved a couple of marriages already, that they kept desperate people from committing suicide and brought lovers together. "In their gratitude, these people write letters. We don't get to see everything that's written to us. Then we wouldn't have any time left to do other things. But we always see letters like this. It's inspiring."
It's remarkable that the four ABBA members are making millions of people a little happier with their music, but they don't get any happier themselves. Sometimes even on the contrary.
"There's an enormous amount of pressure on us," Benny Andersson says. "It has become necessary to shut ourselves off from the outer world, otherwise we wouldn't have a moment of peace anymore. That's not much fun, because in a way you are locked up. Personally, I don't mind it that much. Nor does Björn. Most of the time we are busy with our music and then we don't even notice what's happening around us. But the girls are having a difficult time with it. Especially Agnetha can't handle it sometimes."
"That's true," she says. She doesn't want to talk about her marriage to Björn anymore. That subject is closed. Everything that was true and untrue about that subject has been written already. Still she admits that the pressure of fame has had something to do with it. "The irritating thing is that this emotional turmoil had a physical effect on me as well. Time and time again I had to see a doctor. I had headaches, pain in my chest, in my arms, you name it. It was clear to that man that there was nothing wrong with me physically. He explained to me that when you are having emotional problems, it shows through your body. So I went to see a psychiatrist to explore this."
Agnetha rubs her temples for a while. Obviously, this hasn't been easy on her. All of a sudden she seems tired. "Going to a psychiatrist is a big step. Like many other people, I thought you had to be really crazy to reach that stage. But later on I came to realize that that's nonsense of course. A human being consists of a body and a mind. When there's something wrong with your body, you go to the doctor. When your mind isn't working properly, then you deserve a treatment too. But from a different kind of doctor."
It's the price she has to pay for the mind-boggling successes that ABBA has experienced, after winning the Eurovision Song Contest more than six years ago.

How is Agnetha doing now? She looks healthy and radiant, so she seems to be doing fine. "I feel good too. Psychotherapy has helped me a great deal. I try to look after my body to the best of my ability. If I can manage it, I eat as healthy as possible and I exercise a lot."
It's obvious that performing and working with her ex-husband Björn has been the cause of tensions too. It's not easy staying in each other's company when you have decided to separate.
"Oh well," Agnetha plays down that explanation. She rummages in the pile of mail and takes out the letter of the grateful father. "I could tell you long stories about my so-called inconveniences. But then I should actually be deeply ashamed. Mail like this is very instructive for me. When I lose myself in things like this, then I think that there can't be anything wrong with me. Nothing at all. Only when I would write letters like this myself, I would have a reason to complain."

Bravo, 1981: Björn: he almost became a teacher

After the divorce from his wife Agnetha, with whom he lived together for thirteen years, Björn Christian Ulvaeus (36) didn't remain a bachelor very long. Only one week later, he met his new life partner Lena Källersjö at a party. In the meantime the couple got married and Lena is even expecting a child. There's no doubt about it: Björn has had an easier time dealing with the divorce than Agnetha.

The ABBA guitarist was born on April 25, 1945 in Göteborg. When he was six years old, he moved with his parents to Västervik. His father had been able to get a job there at a paper factory. On his twelfth birthday, Björn got a guitar as a present; he learned his first chords from his older nephew Jon Ulfsäter.

The foundation for Björn's musical career had been laid at a very early age. Because soon after that, he started his first skiffle group together with Jon, with whom he joined another band from the city later on, the Westbay Singers. Their speciality was Swedish folk music, that they sang in English with great success.

The first big breakthrough for the Westbay Singers came in 1963, when they performed on a TV show. Someone named Stig Anderson - who had started a record company in Stockholm shortly before that - saw the broadcast and he signed the young lads right away.

First he persuaded them to take on a Swedish band name. With immediate effect, they called themselves the Hootenanny Singers.

They didn't have to wait for success very long under their new management. Already a couple of years later, Björn and his Hootenanny Singers were the most successful group in Sweden. In 1967, Björn moved to Stockholm. He wanted to study business economics and law at the university. Next to his studies, he had a job with Stig Anderson, whose record company was starting to become more and more successful.

In 1966, Björn met the second ABBA member, Benny Andersson. They became close friends very quickly and started to write their first songs together. Björn met the third member, Agnetha Fältskog, by coincidence in a television studio. Two years later, the couple was married already. When one adds on Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who performed as a solo singer prior to that, the foursome was complete. The super quartet ABBA had been born.

Björn is an ever decent and thoughtful human being. His merits are undoubtedly his efficiency, his thrift and a certain talent as an organizer.

In short: Björn is one of those young men who succeeds at everything that he sets his mind to. In the very early days he wanted to become a teacher. He often repeated this pious wish later on, especially at times when he came out of the recording studio after 14 hours of work.

The alleged ideal marriage between Agnetha and Björn came to an end in 1978. The divorce was handled without much fuss. However, there were tears. But that's hardly surprising when you have been living together for thirteen years, says Björn. Right after the divorce, Björn left their mansion and moved into a house not far way from Agnetha's. He didn't want to be too far away from the children Linda and Christian.

But Björn didn't remain alone there very long. Only a week later, he met Lena Källersjö at a party at Benny and Frida's place. Apparently it was love at first sight, because two years later the couple got married. Lena is even expecting their first child. "It doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl," he says. "The most important thing is that both of them remain healthy..."

Bravo, 1981: Benny: this is how we founded the group ABBA

I still remember vividly the day that I met Björn, early 1966. It was at a party that the Hootenanny Singers had organized. At the time, Björn was the leader of his group, and so was I with the Hep Stars. We were competing with each other in the charts, but we got along very well privately – at least after this party. But it wasn’t until a couple of months later, in the summer of 1966, that we first worked together.
We got the idea in my home town Västervik. My father had a job there in a paper mill. One night, we carried an organ, a guitar and an amplifier into his office and played together all night long. In the morning, our first joint song was ready, ‘Isn’t It Easy To Say’. I recorded the track with the Hep Stars.
In the following years, we wrote some more songs together, but it wasn’t a tight collaboration yet. Because I had some other problems to deal with first.
In 1967, the tax collectors office wanted 174.000 Swedish krona from me – I had forgotten to pay taxes. In two years time, I paid back almost the entire debt. But the next claim was already waiting for me. I had to pay an additional 83.000 Swedish krona. Added to that, my company Hep House went bankrupt. Because of a movie that we wanted to shoot – which left us with a debt of 250.000 Swedish krona – I was completely finished. I was composing like a madman, hoping I would be able to pay off my debts with the money I made from royalties. I took every job that I could get, I produced an album for Anni-Frid with whom I was already befriended at the time.
In this situation, I met Stig Anderson. He knew the music business very well, he had his own record company and he knew how to deal with money. He was the Hootenanny Singers’ manager. Björn convinced me to talk to him. We came together quickly – Stig had the idea that we should perform together as a quartet: Björn and his girlfriend Agnetha and me and Anni-Frid.
On November 1, 1970 the time had finally come. We named ourselves Festfolk Quartet and performed in Göteborg. It wasn’t an overwhelming success, but we did take our first step. Only none of us knew how we should continue. Björn still performed with the Hootenanny Singers every now and then, I produced records for other artists.

In 1971, we signed a new contract at Polar, Stig’s record company. That’s when the story of ABBA started, although that wasn’t our name yet at the time.
In 1972, our first record was released, ‘She’s My Kind Of Girl’, a song that we had already composed in 1969. Although the cover only mentioned the names Björn and Benny, it was the girls’ voices that really stood out.
Our first big success was ‘People Need Love’. Outside Sweden, it was credited to Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida. In America, we were called Björn, Benny & Svenska Flicka.
With the growing success, we became more confident. We decided to enter the Swedish heat for the Eurovision Song Contest. ‘Ring Ring’ was the song that we composed for that event.
On February 10, 1973 the final decision would be made in Stockholm. We weren’t sure whether Agnetha would be able to take part at all. She was pregnant, and the expected date of delivery was February 2. We were more nervous than we had ever been in our life. We knew that our future was depending on our success at the contest and at the same time we had to consider that Agnetha could go into labour.
It all turned out well – until the disappointment after the votes had been counted. We had only finished in third place. This meant that the Eurovision Song Contest would pass us by. On February 23, Agnetha and Björn’s first child Linda was born.
The miracle happened later on – our ‘Ring Ring’ started to climb the charts and it sold really well outside Sweden too. We gave it another try and decided to enter the Swedish heat for the Eurovision Song Contest once again in the spring of 1974, and this time we actually made it. From then on, we named ourselves ABBA. With ‘Waterloo’ in our luggage, we travelled to Brighton to represent our home country Sweden.
When we left Stockholm, we were still convinced that we would return as the winners. But in Brighton we started to get cold feet. Barely any reporter took notice of us. Olivia Newton-John, who represented England, was the big favourite with the experts. On the other hand, this was good for us. We were able to see the city and prepare for our performance in peace and quiet. Shortly before our performance, Agnetha checked the costumes once again, Anni-Frid rehearsed the dance moves. Only Stig sat alone in his hotel room, already making plans for the future. He was thinking about how to continue with ABBA when the victory would become a fact.
Everything went really well. Nothing had been left to chance – then the nerve-racking counting of the votes started. It was an exciting neck and neck competition between us and Gigliola Cinquetti who had sung for Italy.
The tension was rising until the last minute. It was simply unbearable. We were sweating in our costumes. Like most of the other artists, our eyes were glued to the scoreboard. Then the definitive result was announced. We had won with six points ahead of Italy. For the first time in the history of the contest, a pop group had won.

Bravo, 1981: Björn: I would love to fly to the moon

As a teenager, I loved to listen to rock ‘n’ roll, but at the same time I was into folk music too. For instance, I liked the Kingston Trio. Apart from that, it was easier to start a folk group than a rock ‘n’ roll group. You only needed a couple of acoustic guitars. That was all.
Most of all, I liked Tommy Steele and Elvis. Nowadays, I think Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ is the best album of the last year. At the moment, my favourite is Barbra Streisand’s album ‘Guilty’.
For that matter, we have a subscription to the top 30 of the USA and England. These singles are sent to us every week, all of them on a cassette. This enables us to listen to the latest stuff every week. And whenever an important album is released, like the Eagles, Streisand, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd or Stevie Wonder, we obviously listen to those as well.

At one point, we met the Sex Pistols when they performed here in Stockholm. That was very funny because they told us: “Please don’t tell this to anybody, but when we are at home, we like to listen to ABBA more than anything.”
Personally, I have nothing against punk, because finally something was happening again in the music scene. A further stage of that is now new wave. There are very good groups around. I listen to everything new that’s released on the market. In my opinion, some of this new wave stuff doesn’t sound that new to me, but whatever...
In former times, I never believed that I could have a career as a musician, because my father always wanted me to become an engineer. So in school I was only interested in things that could be useful in my profession later on. Actually, I was a very good pupil. Especially in arithmetic, physics, languages and chemistry, I did very well. The rest didn’t interest me very much, unfortunately, I have to say today.
For instance, in history class I never paid attention. In general, I had fun at school. But my teachers not as much, I’m afraid. Because it was difficult for me to sit still and keep my mouth shut.
I got to know the facts of life in school. Because in Sweden, you get educated in that respect quite early, and everything is explained in a factual manner. But you only find out in reality yourself and together with friends, outside the class room. You learn the facts in school, the earlier the better.
But sex isn’t the most important thing in a relationship for me, but humour is. It’s nice when you are able to laugh together. You also have to respect your partner as a person and you mustn’t try to control each other. I think that preconditions like that are far more important.
I have a good sense of humour in every respect. That’s why my favourite actor is John Cleese. I used to like Richard Burton too, but these days he makes too much lousy movies. I prefer horror and science fiction movies. I particularly liked ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’, ‘Repulsion’ and ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers’ by Polanski.

Whenever it would be possible for private persons to fly to the moon, I would definitely do that. But I still have other dreams that I want to realise.
There are still so many countries that I’d love to see, for instance in Asia. I haven’t seen Tibet, India and Africa yet, to name a few. The most wonderful adventure for me would be a trip to China. One day I will have enough time to do it, that’s for sure. In a lot of these countries, there’s still poverty or wars are raging. Those are the biggest problems of this world for me.
The saddest thing in the industrial countries is that no one is looking at the future with confidence anymore. Everyone is having a negative attitude. People are afraid of changes.
The politicians are worse than ever. To me, they are worthless, because they have lost contact with the people. They don’t have any ideals anymore, they are managing their country. That’s all. They only peer at the votes, without really accomplishing anything. For instance in the sixties, when I was growing up, things were still different. I was looking forward to my future, my life, all the things that I was going to experience. These days, it seems to me that the brakes are put on young people. That’s why so many of them are taking drugs. They don’t have any reason to look at the future joyfully, because that’s where unemployment, crises and economic problems are waiting. And they are escaping this hopelessness with alcohol and drugs.
Myself, I only smoke at parties at the most. And I rarely have a drink. I sometimes have a beer when I’m in Germany, and a glass of wine when I’m in France. Here in Stockholm I only drink wine when I’m having dinner.
Whenever I’m asked about my goals in life, I always reply that I have already achieved my goals. It may seem that I’m already resting on my laurels. But that’s not true. I still think it’s exciting to have a number one record somewhere.
Privately, my only goal is being a good father to my children. Apart from that, I want to enjoy my life. That’s very important. Because when I feel good, the people around me are feeling good as well. If I had to live my life all over, I wouldn’t change a thing. Because I didn’t make any bad mistakes.
I’m actually not religious. I believe in something, but I haven’t decided yet what that is. Either way, I don’t believe in the religion of the church. I never go to church. I don’t believe in life after death either.
I could imagine living on a lonely island for some time. Most certainly, I would bring along my wife Lena. She is the most important thing. Perhaps my children as well. But I believe it would be better for them to stay in Stockholm. Then I would pack a whole bunch of books, a guitar, a record player and records by Herbert von Karajan, Beethoven, Bach, the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

Bravo, 1981: Benny: he was already engaged at the age of 15!

He was a jump starter: in the area of music – and in the area of love as well.
Benny Goran Bror Andersson (that’s his full name) was born in Stockholm on December 16, 1946 and he grew up in Grimsta, in the western part of the city. When he was six years old, he got his first music instrument as a present, an accordion. His father and his grandfather – enthusiastic musicians themselves – taught him the first tricks and practised with him every day.
That’s how Benny already got acquainted with music at a very young age. Through the years, this developed into a dedicated passion. Still today, Benny can’t walk past any instrument, without stopping and trying it out. He is a born musician.
On his tenth birthday, Benny got a piano. Already a couple of years later, people could admire him as a gifted young piano player in the Stockholm bar ‘Youth Garden’.
In this music bar, Benny met his first big love as well. It was the amateur singer Christina Grönvall, who Benny accompanied on the piano. Soon, the twosome was inseparable and ultimately they got engaged, when they were both 15 years old. Although they were never married, two children were born from this relationship: Peter, now 18 years old and Helen (16).
After his first assignment with the completely unknown group Elverkets Spelmanslag, Benny ended up with the Hep Stars in 1964, as their keyboard player. One year later, he had his first big success in the television programme Drop In with the song ‘Cadillac’. This melody shot to number one on the Swedish charts.

But the anticipated subsequent success failed to materialize, although Benny was writing songs for his group industriously. The business side of the group started deteriorating, on top of that there were enormous tax debts. In 1967, the Hep Stars disbanded permanently.
Not long after that, Benny took his first step towards ABBA. He met Björn Ulvaeus. They wrote their first melodies in an office of a paper factory, where Björn’s father worked and in 1969, they performed together.
One year earlier, Benny had met his future wife Frida Lyngstad. They first met during a radio broadcast; sparks were flying immediately. But it wasn’t until 1978 that they got married in all secrecy in the church of Lidingö in Stockholm. They were inseparable and very happy for almost thirteen years. That’s why the announcement of their divorce came as a shock, both to the fans and their close acquaintances.
The divorce was dealt with rather smoothly. Benny came home one day in their mansion and told Frida that he had met another woman. It was the 38-year-old Mona Nörklit, who had been working at the Swedish broadcasting company up till then.
“Still, Frida and I have remained good friends,” says Benny, “not least because of our joint work with ABBA. We have a good rapport, she respects me and I respect her. We talk a lot about music. And we see each other very often because of the children. They shouldn’t suffer from our divorce.”

Bravo, 1981: Anni-Frid: I regularly read my horoscope

It’s difficult to say what I would have become if I hadn’t been a musician. Ever since I was seven years old, singing has been the centre of my life, and I already sang in school and church choirs when I was a child.
That’s why a lot of subjects bored me in school although I was a very good pupil. When I turned sixteen, music was taking priority. And that’s how it has been ever since. If I could live my life again, I wouldn’t change a thing, including all the mistakes. Because up till now life has been very good to me. Why would I do it differently?
I believe that I have changed to my advantage in recent years, although I think it’s very difficult to judge my characteristics and be honest at that.
Basically, I’m a peaceful and friendly person. Only every now and then I fly off the handle. When I was younger, this happened more frequently. Now, I’ve become a little quieter and I’m more in control of myself, so that such outbursts only happen occasionally.
I have realised that all the problems in this world would be solved if the people would finally learn to live in peace with each other. The worst thing in the world today is that there is always a war going on. I feel very sorry for drug addicts as well. They must be very unhappy people that don’t have any goal in life or don’t have anyone to give them inner stability.
Where I am concerned, I smoke a cigarette every now and then, mostly when I’m at work or when I feel stressed, but not every day. Every now and then, I have a glass of wine or champagne, but not regularly.
I don’t rely on fashion, although I am rather vain and I do follow the latest trends. But this has changed in recent years as well. I used to be a slave to fashion. Now I’m more critical and whenever something doesn’t suit me I leave it be.

Despite the discipline and love for my profession, I sometimes long for a day off. Then there’s nothing better for me than to forget about every chore and cooking as well and simply hang around and maybe read a book. Then I would allow myself to have some pieces of chocolate. I simply love chocolate, but I can’t eat it because I have to watch my slender figure. However, having snacks is part of a perfect day off for me.
I’m often asked what’s the most important thing in a relationship, according to me. My answer is quite simple: always telling each other the truth, being honest and loving each other. The worst thing is envy. That destroys every relationship.
Speaking of love: one of the most beautiful tokens of love was given to me last Christmas by my daughter. She had made a clay sculpture of me: a woman with long red hair that had her mouth wide open, that should be me. It really was very, very nice.
What else pleases me? When it comes to music, I especially love the group Earth, Wind & Fire and I play their songs constantly. Two years ago, I met them too, when we both performed at the Unicef concert. Apart from that, I like the movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
When I’m being asked if I believe in God, I can only answer that I’m convinced that there is a higher power, but I can’t define it. I feel the same way about horoscopes. I read them regularly, although I would never base any decision on them.
I rather rely on something real. For instance, you can see that from the things that I would take with me to a lonely island. That would be a man, my children and a boat. It would be enough for me when I would have something to eat as well. And I would also pack matches – not for cigarettes but to be able to light a fire.

Bravo, 1981: Agnetha: I believe in a higher power

Often I’m being asked what kind of profession I would liked to have had if I hadn’t become a singer. I think I would have worked with children. I might have been a teacher, perhaps a singing teacher. Although I always wanted to become a dentist when I was still in school. I was very interested in that. But I already started singing professionally when I was fifteen years old. In addition I lost my interest in teeth. Since then I’m fully occupied with my job and I’m enjoying the little spare time I have twice as much.
Whenever I have a day off, I at least jog through the woods. These days I only manage to do this twice a week. Approximately two or three kilometres. Apart from that I swim a lot and I like to listen to music. I love classical music, especially Tchaikovsky. I don’t like heavy rock music. Obviously I spend most of my spare time with my children. I rarely go out. Fashion isn’t very important to me either. I like to look at it but I don’t buy the latest trends. The trends change so frequently, I’d rather stick to my personal style. I don’t relate to punk fashion and that whole wave at all. I believe that punk is a cry for help from the young generation.
I have my own perceptions of a relationship with a man. In my opinion, honesty is the most important thing in a relationship. And reliability – that you can depend on someone. This creates an atmosphere wherein one can feel secure.
Unfortunately, these days a lot of young people are trying to replace the feeling of security with drugs. I reject drugs. And I’m sorry for all the people that use drugs. They must be very unhappy. Especially here in Sweden it’s very bad. Very young teenagers are already taking drugs. That frightens me. I barely smoke myself, maybe only at parties. When I’m alone, I try to avoid cigarettes. Drinking – well, I like to have a glass of red wine or champagne every now and then, but hard liquor, absolutely not.

In interviews, I’m always being asked how I was in school. In the beginning I was very good, until I turned twelve or thirteen, then it started to go downhill a bit. I hated Physics and Chemistry. Mathematics was okay. I loved Music, English and German as well for that matter. I was very good at languages. I was known as a quiet pupil in school. Only a couple of times the teachers objected to my behaviour when I exchanged messages with my friends. Sometimes we sent each other chewing gum this way. Or we communicated the latest things about boys, how the previous night had been or something like that.
At the time, my pop idols were Connie Francis and Neil Sedaka, Brenda Lee, Dusty Springfield and Sandy Shaw. My favourite song is ‘Soul Shadows’ by the Crusaders. Apart from that I like to listen to the Pointer Sisters.
Now something about my own characteristics. I am very honest because I expect that from others too. I think I am generous as well. And I’m a mother with my body and soul. I love my children more than anything. My worst feature is that I’m very stubborn. I rarely take advice from others because I believe that I always know myself what’s best for me. But things have always worked out well with this method. Whether it’s good or bad, I always make up my own mind about things, when it comes to music or movies as well. I am a real movie fan, I especially like movies by Polanski. I thought ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ was especially good. I like movies that make you think. I don’t care much for Science Fiction movies. My favourite actors are Jill Clayburgh and Gene Wilder. I’m fascinated by dynamic scenes. For instance, privately I like to drive my car as well. I passed my driving test very quickly. I was eighteen when I got my driver’s licence.
When it comes to religion: yes, I believe in God. But I don’t go to church regularly. But at least at Christmas. I believe in a higher power. On the other hand, horoscopes leave me cold. Still I read them every now and then and it’s always fun when a prediction comes true. But I only notice the positive things in horoscopes. I quickly forget about the rest.
In general, I have a very positive attitude in life. But if I could live my life all over, I think I would rather be a different person. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But none of them were so bad that I regret them. Up till now, I’ve lived my life true to my character. My main goal in life is being a person that’s accepted by others and that everyone likes.
Although I like to be with other people, there are only very few of them that I would take along to a desert island. Among them are my children and a man. But only one – not more. Apart from that I would pack something to eat and music by the Pointer Sisters, Crusaders, Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand.

Bravo, 1981: Anni-Frid: With the help of Bravo, she found her father

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad, the fourth of the SuperSwedes ABBA, has a very special connection to Bravo. Because thanks to Bravo, she found her father, a German officer who was considered to be missing when the war had ended and whom she had never seen yet up till then.
In 1977, Bravo reported about the ancestry of the ABBA star and in that context also mentioned the name of her father, Haase, who was believed to be dead. A couple of days later, family members of one Alfred Haase from Karlsruhe contacted Bravo and they said that he might very well be the father of the famous ABBA star.
A furhter investigation of the life of the then 58-year-old pastry baker Haase ruled out the last doubts: Anni-Frid had found her father again. In 1977, Frida met him for the first time in Stockholm. The meeting – set up by Bravo – was very cordial and both of them made contact with each other right away, although they had some language problems.
Anni-Frid was born on November 15, 1945 in a small village, not far from the Norwegian town Narvik. Her mother, Synni Lyngstad, had met the German officer Haase – who was stationed in Norway – in the last year of the war and they spent a summer in love with each other. The bitter end came when Alfred Haase had to withdraw to his home country with his battalion towards the end of the war. Although he promised that he would return, things remained silent. Intense research – started by Frida’s mother – led to the wrong conclusion that Alfred Haase was dead.
Anni-Frid’s mother was never able to cope with the loss of the man she loved. Two years later she died – lonely and abandoned – at the age of 21. Anni-Frid was taken into care by her grandmother.
The old lady knew very well that a child of a German soldier wasn’t very welcome in her home country at the time. That’s why she moved to Sweden with Anni-Frid where she made a living as a seamstress in the little town of Torshälla.

At the age of 13, Frida had her first musical experiences as a singer with a dance band. At the time, she had to disguise her true age, because otherwise she wouldn’t have been allowed to work.
Her second assignment led her to the – then very well-known – jazz band Bengt Sandlunds Big Band, where she met her first love, the bass player Ragnar Fredriksson. Shortly after that, Ragnar and Frida even started their own band which was called Anni-Frid Four. Privately, the couple was inseparable as well, they got married. Anni-Frid had two children, Hans (1963) and Liselotte (1967).
In the same year that Frida’s second child was born, she enjoyed her first musical success as well. With the song ‘A Day Off’ she won the talent competition New Faces that was organised every year in Sweden on the Day of the Child. After that, everything went quickly: recording sessions, promotional tours and tours with well-known Swedish singers.
In 1969, Frida’s turn in the direction of ABBA was finally established. At a concert in Malmö, she met Benny Andersson, who was on the road with the Hep Stars at that time. For Anni-Frid and Benny it was – as it is beautifully put – love at first sight. Only a few months after they had first met they started living together in Stockholm. In 1978, they got married in all secrecy.
But their happiness wouldn’t last for long. In the winter of 1980, Benny fell in love with another woman. Her name is Mona Nörklit and she is a production assistant at the Swedish broadcasting company. A long talk between Benny and Frida resulted in a decision that was a big schock to all fans and friends of ABBA: a divorce.
Six weeks later, Frida stated in an interview that she had found a new man. Allegedly, it’s Bertil Hijert (37), vice-president of a textile company in Uppsala, according to a British newspaper. Frida: “He has become a part of my life. Marriage is not important to me any longer, but I do need love.”

Bravo, 1981: Is Agnetha annoyed now? – Björn secretly married her best friend

Ever since Björn got married to his girlfriend Lena Källersjö – who is a deadringer for Agnetha, his ex-wife – in the beginning of this year, the rumours are heating up again. Because Björn’s walk down the aisle in the little town Grythytta in the middle of Sweden took place in all secrecy – far away from publicity and even without the other ABBA members.
In spite of the fact that Björn met the 30-year-old advertisement assistant Lena at a party at Benny and Frida’s home. Lena and Anni-Frid were close friends and it wouldn’t be long before a cordial friendship developed between her and Agnetha as well. Agnetha even regularly entrusted Lena with both her children Linda (7) and Christian (3). During the last world tour, Björn’s new girlfriend spent quite a few weeks with the other ABBA members as well. So why this secrecy?
Björn: “Secrecy and dark clouds are not an issue with ABBA. Our wedding was purely a private matter. As a matter of fact, it was the wedding day of my sister Eva-Margarete, who got married to the Swedish racing driver Leif Asterhag in Grythytta. Lena and I just joined in.”
Isn’t Agnetha – in the bottom of her heart – a little annoyed at Lena, who has now permanently blocked her way back to Björn?
Agnetha: “Nonsense. I’ve already dealt with my divorce from Björn – mentally as well – some time ago. Lena has nothing to do with that. I wish her and Björn all the best in their joint future. After all, at some point there will be a new life partner for me as well.”
But, where men are concerned that show up at Agnetha’s side, publicity is keeping a close watch, which irritates the blonde ABBA singer. Some of her furious reactions were even explained as an intention to leave the group.
Agnetha: “It bothers me that – due to ABBA’s popularity – my private life has been publicised to the extent that every man that is spotted with me is labelled as a possible new husband. But that’s no reason for me to leave ABBA. I can understand very well that Björn and Lena got married in all secrecy. I will look for a new life partner in all peace and quiet – without publicity – as well. But this has nothing to do with ABBA. We will stay together, as long as the audience still likes our music.”
The other members share this opinion as well. But still, all four of them are trying to take root musically on their own as well, outside the group.
Björn and Benny are writing a musical that should have its premiere even this spring. Anni-Frid and Agnetha are having solo plans. Agnetha has already taken the first step in that direction. At the end of last year, she recorded a Christmas album together with her daughter Linda, although its release has been postponed for a year, so that it wouldn’t have any effect on the sales of the ‘Super Trouper’ album.
“That’s all true,” Anni-Frid confirms. “But firstly, at the moment I’m not having any concrete solo plans yet, and secondly, it wouldn’t hurt ABBA in any way. Many groups – like for instance Status Quo – are riding on a double track and they still stick together. Why wouldn’t that be possible with ABBA?”

Bravo, 1981: Agnetha: during her first performance, her pants fell down

Since her divorce from Björn, Agnetha Fältskog is living a lonely life with her children in her mansion in Lidingö. The new man in her life is called – or rather: was called – Dick Håkansson. They met each other in the spring, but in the meantime they have ended their relationship.
These days, Dick is still a welcome guest at Agnetha’s home. “We are friends and see each other every now and then,” Dick commented. There’s no doubt about it: Agnetha has known happier times in her life...
She was born in Jönköping, on April 5, 1950. Her father’s name is Ingvar, her mother’s Birgit. Ingvar Fältskog was the man who came up with most of the ideas for the local New Year’s revue, for which he wrote the dialogues. Meanwhile, he also performed himself in several parts.
Mother Birgit loved to sing, and often as well, but not in front of an audience. That’s how little Agnetha grew up in a very musical home. At the age of six, she made her debut in a scene of a Christmas entertainment show, that had been organised by her father.
Agnetha performed the well-known and popular ‘Billy Boy’. A performance that’s still the talk of the town in Jönköping today. But not because of Agnetha’s voice, but because of something that happened during the second chorus of the song: The zipper of Agnetha’s pants broke and her pants fell down.
However, this incident didn’t prevent Agnetha from carrying on with her blossoming career. In that same year, she started taking piano lessons. In the beginning, she practised on the neighbour’s piano, until she got one of her own at the age of seven.
At the age of fifteen, she started singing; she performed with the dance band ‘Bernt Enghardts’. During the day she worked as a telephone operator at a car firm and in the evening she sang with the band. In the long run, she wasn’t able to combine her singing with her job – she quit her job and concentrated on her career as a singer.

The band sent a demo to the then very well-known ‘Little Gerhard’, who was a singer and a producer at a record company. The company thought that the band was mediocre, but they thought that Agnetha’s voice was wonderful. Even more so because she sang melodies that she had composed herself.
Agnetha was called to Stockholm for some test recordings and she recorded two singles. The first one was called ‘I Was So In Love’. On January 23, 1968, this song entered the Swedish charts at number three. After that, further records kept on coming, like for instance ‘Without You’ and ‘Everything Has Changed’ and ‘Once We Were Together’.
These three were the most successful ones and they were composed by Agnetha herself. In less than a year Agnetha Fältskog had established herself and she became one of Sweden’s most popular artists. Already then, the media were starting to take an interest in everything she did. Large headlines appeared in the summer of 1968, when she got engaged to the German record producer Dieter Zimmermann.
For six months, Agnetha lived in Germany; she recorded several songs in German, but her international career didn’t take off and the engagement was broken off.
Back in Sweden, in the summer of 1969, Agnetha was a star in the big TV shows and she sang songs by Jules Sylvain. Among the other participants were the Hootenanny Singers.
One of their members was called Björn Ulvaeus. He had already met Agnetha earlier, during a folk park tour. But it wasn’t until the summer of 1969 that they discovered their love for each other. In April 1970, they got engaged during their holiday on Cyprus, and they got married in July 1971. Among the guests at the wedding were Benny and Anni-Frid. The four of them would work together intensely in the future...

Joepie, August 1981: Big boss ordered ABBA to take a vacation – To overcome artistic and private problems

Things are not looking up for ABBA at the moment. Although you immediately wonder what could possibly dampen the festive spirit in the Swedish superstar camp. Because for starters, there is the increasing success of their newly released single ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’. Apart from that, a very mysterious remix of that very same track, originating from Canada, is currently a top favourite in all the trendy discotheques. Meanwhile, the ‘Stars On 45’ part 2 medley of all the ABBA hits seems to become a guaranteed number one hit in virtually every country in the world at the moment. Reason enough for a telephone conversation with the quartet’s big boss, Stig Anderson.

The fifth ABBA, as Stig is often called, is actually not surprised at all when we ask him why an umpteenth single was culled from the ‘Super Trouper’ album instead of the announced new composition. Allegedly, four brand new tracks for the upcoming album have been completed.
“That’s true, but in the end we decided to pass on them,” he admits honestly. “We listened to them for days but our unanimous decision remained the same, we don’t think they are strong enough to release as a single. Oh, all of these songs would probably be able to occupy a position on the charts but our reputation has become more important to us than a hit that we’re not completely satisfied with. We don’t want to mislead the fans in any way.”
Likewise, the album that was initially scheduled for a September release has been postponed for six weeks and it probably won’t be available in the shops before Christmas and the holiday season. Artistic and technical problems, is what we understand.
“As you know, Benny and Björn are adamant about coming up with new compositions that are not a copy of something they have already done before,” according to Stig. “After everything they’ve done already, that’s definitely not an easy task. And it becomes more difficult with every album. Björn and Benny are worried about that too. They were even prepared to postpone their holiday so that they wouldn’t fall behind. But I objected to that. As a matter of fact, I’ve ordered them to take a holiday. They were living so stressfully that they wouldn’t have lasted for a couple more weeks. On top of that, there are the private problems that all four of them have been suffering from and that they may not have digested yet. Apart from that, ABBA now consists of four members, who don’t have anything to do with each other privately any longer, which doesn’t make it easier to plan things and work together. But, believe me, we will manage.”

Where popularity is concerned, the four Swedish superstars don’t have anything to worry about for the time being. Their market value is enormous, even to the extent that there are always clever guys lurking around to get a piece of the ABBA fever. That’s how an illegal version of ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ made its way to Europe from Canada and is now a very popular track in our discotheques. The 12-inch mix is several minutes longer than the single version because the disco-flavoured intro of the song is repeated indefinitely at the start of the song and it’s also sequenced in between the verses.
“These are things that you have to deal with when you are successful,” says Stig. “The Beatles have experienced this as well, so has Elvis. In a way, you have to take it as a compliment. But I do intend to try and take legal actions. After all, we don’t get any royalties from an illegal record like that, and we are entitled to that. No, I much prefer the creator of the ‘Stars On 45’ ABBA compilation. For a change, we are making some money without having to work very hard for it. But what’s even more important is that a compilation like that could provide a complete breakthrough in the few countries where we haven’t managed that yet. The first ‘Stars On 45’ reached the number one spot in the United States. Just imagine that the second one with ABBA songs will follow the same path. This could mean a complete breakthrough in that territory for us. Although some of our records did chart in America, we haven’t reached the absolute top yet. Well, if ‘Stars On 45’ can get us there now, we can only thank the man who is the creator of it all.”

Bravo, 1981: In these houses, ABBA is hiding!

By July, their new single should have been released, and for that reason they’ve been in the recording studio for weeks on end. But the critical masterminds of ABBA, Björn and Benny, still weren’t able to make up their minds. They gave green light to a holiday, after which they will continue their recording sessions again.
Especially Agnetha was very relieved: now she will be able to spend the summer with her children after all...
“We have finished recording four brand new songs for the new album,” Björn explained: ‘When All Is Said And Done’, ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’, ‘Two For The Price Of One’ and ‘An Angel Passing Through The Room’. All songs are composed by Björn and Benny and all of them are good songs, but: “These songs aren’t suitable to become a single A-side. That’s why we’ve decided to postpone the release of the new single until September/October. That’s the reason why we have to keep you in suspense for such a long time.”
The album should be released in November. But still, ABBA has prepared a summer surprise for their German fans: the tracks ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’/‘On And On And On’ from the ‘Super Trouper’ album have just been released as a Disco-Maxi-Single in our country.
In the meantime – until Björn and Benny will get back to work in the studio in August – the four Swedes have withdrawn in their homes with their new life partners. Benny shares his town house with his girlfriend, television presenter Mona Nörklit.
The wildest rumours are going around about the new boyfriend of the dark-haired ABBA singer Anni-Frid. Because Benny’s ex-wife won’t reveal whether it’s her bodyguard and personal driver Lars ‘Blomman’ Blomberg or the Swedish financial manager Bertil Hjert (37). His Mercedes Coupe is often parked for days in front of Anni-Frid’s residence.
Instead, blonde Agnetha is making no headlines at all. Since her divorce from Björn, she has withdrawn with both her children in her country house.
Björn and his second wife Lena Källersjö are living a quiet life in their Stockholm residence as well. Their ‘love nest’ is hidden behind a wall, protected by an intercom. In October, the same month wherein the new single is due to appear, Björn and Lena are expecting their first baby.
Even though the ABBA members are devoting their time completely to their families these days, they are still successful on a musical level: in the beginning of June, when ABBA manager Stig Anderson and John Spalding were in New York to renew the record deals for New York and Canada, the group was proclaimed ‘Vocal Group of the Year’ over there.

Hitkrant,1981: Agnetha’s Dallas

The life of the members of ABBA is gradually starting to resemble an episode of Dallas. Divorces, new love affairs, it doesn’t end.
To make this comparison to the American series even more clear, lately Agnetha has frequently been spotted with the director of the series, Gunnar Hellström.
The 52-year-old Hellström is denying a love affair, but he has stated to be extremely impressed with Agnetha. That’s why he wants to offer her a part in a movie in the near future.

Joepie, April 1981: 10 years of ABBA

More than one and a half million copies in England, 800.000 in Germany, 360.000 in Sweden, 450.000 in France and Belgium, 180.000 in Japan, 400.000 in Canada and 550.000 in the United States – the sales figures of ABBA’s most recent album, ‘Super Trouper’. Mind-blowing results of a group that’s being mentioned in the same breath as phenomena like Elvis Presley and the Beatles. And rightfully so, because this isn’t the first time that the Swedish quartet has achieved figures like this. Since they won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton in ’74 with ‘Waterloo’, the musical empire grew bigger and bigger every day, and ABBA turned into the pop phenomenon of the seventies.
One of these days, a brand new single will be released, undoubtedly the next one in a long string of number ones. In the meantime, Anna, Frida, Björn and Benny don’t rest on their laurels. At the moment they are working on a TV special in a studio in Stockholm, that will be called ’10 years ABBA’. Negotiations with a well-known American superstar are well underway. Allegedly, that superstar is going to host the programme and interview the four members about the past, present and future. In between, old clips of songs are being shown. Indeed, it’s ten years ago that Anna, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid released their first single under the name ABBA, the initials of their names. Björn, who had founded the Hootenanny Singers in ’63 and achieved considerable success in Sweden with that group, got to know Benny, the mastermind behind the Hep Stars, likewise a popular group in Sweden. Both of them were hired as composers and producers by Stig Anderson, who had started the record label Polar Music together with a friend. In ’69, Benny met Frida, and Björn met Anna. While the girls initially stayed at home when Björn and Benny were working in the studio with other artists, later on they were recruited regularly to do backing vocals. Both Anna and Frida had been working as a singer before that, solo or with local groups. In ’70, the four of them performed together for the very first time, as the once only group Festfolk Quartet (Engaged Quartet). It wasn’t until one year after that that they would reach for the top under the name ABBA.
So, ten years ago the musical fairytale started. On our next two pages, a short overview of this extraordinary career...

1971: Björn and Benny are primarily working as producers at Polar Music, the label that was started by ABBA manager Stig Anderson. For their studio work, they are regularly recruiting their respective girlfriends, Anna and Frida. The duo writes the soundtrack for ‘The Language Of Love’ and they receive an international award for that. Björn and Anna get married on July 1. A couple of months later, the first ABBA single is released, ‘She’s My Kind Of Girl’. Only Björn and Benny are featured on the sleeve.
1972: Beyond all expectations, the record becomes a giant hit in Japan: half a million copies are being sold. ‘People Need Love’ is the next single (this time, all four are featured on the sleeve), and this record is quite successful in Japan as well.
ABBA enters the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo. That same year, another record is released, ‘Better To Have Loved’. In the meantime, Björn and Benny keep on producing and composing for other Swedish artists.
1973: ABBA decide to try their luck in the Swedish heat for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song ‘Ring Ring’. They are the top favourites, but they only finish in third place. Two weeks after the festival, Linda, Björn and Anna’s daughter is born. Despite the disappointing result, ‘Ring Ring’ becomes a hit in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria and South Africa. Among other things, ABBA is guest on Slalom with the song. In the summer, their first tour in their home country is being planned.
1974: ABBA takes another chance in the Swedish heat for Eurovision, and this time they win. On March 4, they represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton (England), with ‘Waterloo’. They finish... first! It becomes the first, and up till now the only, Swedish win in the Eurovision Song Contest. A first, small-scaled, tour is being planned, with the Beatmakers as their opening act.
1975: Most European countries have surrendered to ABBA’s charms... except England. The group Sweet Dreams covers a song from an ABBA album, ‘Honey, Honey’, and scores a big hit in England. ABBA sees a first opportunity to conquer England go by. Three big European hits set the tone for the ABBA year ’75: ‘I Do, I Do, I Do’, ‘SOS’ and ‘Mamma Mia’. Furthermore, they finish a Scandinavian tour and they do their first television shows in America.
1976: ABBA expands their success: with ‘Mamma Mia’, the quartet manages to reach the top spot in the British charts for the first time, and in Australia a true ABBA mania is on its way. A television show is breaking all records over there and ABBA turns out to be even more popular than the Beatles at the time. ‘Fernando’ is the next single and it becomes another worldwide hit. In ’76, the Swedish king Carl-Gustav is getting married, and especially for this occasion ABBA writes ‘Dancing Queen’. The song, that initially wasn’t intended for single release, gets into the American top ten. The year is finished off with ‘Money, Money, Money’.
1977: ABBA has turned into a world group and a first, serious world tour is being planned. The set list is primarily based on the album that was released in November ’76, ‘Arrival’. During the tour, a film crew is tagging along, to catch the shows on film. For the acted scenes of ABBA’s first feature film, ‘The Movie’, the quartet travels to Australia. Due to the tour and the movie, there’s a lack of time and only two singles are released: ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ and ‘The Name Of The Game’. ‘The Movie’ has its premiere at the end of ’77.
1978: The movie is a huge success all over the world. ABBA can afford to take things a little easier. Björn and Benny need a little more time to prepare the album ‘The Album’. Björn and Anna have a second child, son Christian. This year is finished off with two singles as well: ‘Take A Chance On Me’ and ‘Summer Night City’.
1979: Like a bolt from the blue, Anna and Björn announce that they have decided to separate, in mutual understanding. The first rumours start to circulate: ABBA is about to fall apart, the divorce is the final blow! ABBA doesn’t respond to the rumours. On top of that, confusion is caused by Stig Anderson’s remark at the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel that the contract with ABBA will come to an end in ’80. Everything points to a permanent split up, but ABBA returns with a series of hits (‘Chiquitita’, ‘Does Your Mother Know’, ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme’, ‘Take A Chance On Me’, ‘Voulez-Vous’), with the album ‘Voulez-Vous’ and a major world tour that starts off in Canada in September.
1980: ABBA takes a break for a couple of months, in the meantime they release ‘I Have A Dream’ as a single. Björn and Benny interrupt their preparations for the new album to tour extensively in Japan. For three weeks.
In the summer, they score another big hit with ‘The Winner Takes It All’. Anna has an affair with ice hockey player Dick Håkansson, but for the rest there’s a complete silence. New rumours about a possible split up start circulating. But at the end of the year it’s all about ABBA again, thanks to the new album ‘Super Trouper’. The single of the same name reaches the top of the charts, true to tradition.
1981: The year is still fresh, but the fans have had to digest two big surprises already. Björn marries Lena, a secretary that he met shortly after the divorce. And a couple of weeks later, Frida and Benny announce that they are getting a divorce. At the moment, ABBA’s plans are rather vague. A new single is on its way, meanwhile Benny and Björn are working hard on the new album.

Hitkrant, January 1981: What should ABBA do now? – ABBA off to Ireland?

1980 didn’t end very joyful for ABBA: the threat by an up till now unknown faction to kidnap Agnetha and Björn’s little daughter Linda has put a severe pressure on the Swedish quartet. Strict police protection, house arrest, problems. What should ABBA do now? Although there haven’t been any new threatening letters, the Stockholm police is taking this case very seriously and the threat remains weighing heavy on the four – five, counting Linda – shoulders.

All trips have been cancelled for the time being, and this at a time when a couple of very important trips had been planned. Because it is namely inevitable that – even as one of the most popular pop groups in the world – after having just released a new album you can’t sit back in a lazy chair and wait around how it’s going to sell.

No, promotion has to be done: interviews, radio and television performances, it all comes with the business, if you want to remain the centre of attention. Where the performances in Germany and England had already been cancelled and the scheduled television broadcasts had to be set up via a satellite link with Stockholm, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to go ahead with the other promotional trips.
And this is damaging ABBA’s career: it’s something completely different to see a group actually perform live, rather than on a television screen from Stockholm or – in the worst case scenario – not at all. ABBA’s Swedish record company told us that they are more or less desperate. The insecurity about the group’s safety is ruling all decisions at the moment.

Another problem: due to all the difficulties surrounding the group, the intended distribution of ABBA shares on the Stockholm stock market has become uncertain as well. The insecurity about the future doesn’t make future investors very keen on spending money.
We hope it will all be resolved in the near future. At the moment, the turn of the year is a period of worries and questions for ABBA. It’s our wish – and most probably your wish as well – that 1981 will turn out to be more peaceful for ABBA.

The problems surrounding ABBA seem to be serious: in an interview with an Irish newspaper, Björn Ulvaeus stated: “If they keep on pursuing and threatening us in Sweden, chances are that we will be moving to Ireland.”
Björn and Benny have already spent several holidays in Ireland and it suited them splendidly. Certain spokespersons in that country are even claiming that the foundation has already been bought, whereupon the ABBA houses are planned to be constructed.

Muziek Expres, March 1981: The ABBA Business, part 2

Here’s part two of a lengthy article called The ABBA Business, as published in Dutch magazine Muziek Expres in 1981.
ABBA is one of the best selling products in the world. This product consists of the exceedingly strong melodies by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and the good looking and singing duo Frida Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog. But there’s more behind this quality product. For instance, a golden recording method and a flourishing company with twenty-five employees who are all under the leadership of ABBA manager Stikkan ‘Stig’ Anderson. In this second part of The ABBA Business, among other things, interviews with the producers duo Ulvaeus/Andersson, manager Stig Anderson and sound technician Michael Tretow.

Manager and president Stig Anderson comes out of his office, looks around and subsequently puts out his hand to me. “Come on in, have a seat, would you like some coffee, I’ll be right with you, have a cigarette, did you bring a tape recorder, where is your photographer, what time is it, aha, then I still have 45 minutes, wait awhile, I’ll be right back...”
The office is decorated quite modestly, a couple of gold records on the wall. The rest of the trophies is spread over the entire building. A nice arithmetical problem: how many gold and platinum records have been handed over with interim total sales of fifty million singles and albums?
ABBA is the richest company in Sweden and, apart from that, has a considerable amount of financial influence in other companies. There’s no business like ABBA business. For most people, ABBA is a band, for some others a money machine and for many Swedes, except for a music group, canned herring and caviar as well. Because there’s another company in Sweden that’s called ABBA. ABBA with the sea scent had no objection to the ABBA that produced sounds, so today two ABBAs exist. With the difference that the musical ABBA put one B backwards. For that matter, since a couple of years the musical ABBA indirectly has shares in ABBA the fish factory as well. What a coincidence...
He enters the room, meanwhile gesturing industriously to his ex-secretary and now vice-president Görel Hanser. He hands over my coffee with a foot-bath personally. Then we are alone. Anderson (I’m allowed to call him Stig, if I want) drinks his coffee black, but during the entire interview he keeps stirring his cup. From time to time, his other hand puts out a burning cigarette in the ashtray. I only knew Anderson from the pictures that were taken during the illustrious Eurovision Song Contest (April 6, 1974) in Brighton. The boss of the ABBA company now looks like he is sixty years old, instead of fifty, an age that he has yet to achieve.
A little question at the president: has everything been achieved where music is concerned?
A passionate Anderson: “The basic assumption of that question is completely wrong. How often do I have to say that money is not the most important thing. It’s the fun and after that it’s the money. Artistically speaking, you have never reached your peak. ABBA has a recognizable sound, but none of these songs sound the same.”
He’s right about that. However... the money, it keeps coming in. The assets of the four ABBA members is estimated at nearly 200 million Dutch guilders, Stig Anderson himself has plenty of dough as well: 30 million. Such an enormous wealth is not within easy reach for everybody, and certainly not that kind of success. What’s the secret?
Stig: “In the first instance, I think it’s luck. Because you have got to have luck, otherwise nothing will happen. Furthermore, I believe that we as a group have created a rather unique situation. I wanted to have everything under one umbrella. To have a record company and at the same time publish music and so on. This means that you benefit from your own creations one hundred percent. No one will exploit you. It’s a smart, democratic and social system.”
Stikkan’s plan was that smart that even too much money was coming in at one point. And the tax-collection office kept calling ‘Ka-ching’. That’s why the company ABBA, that initially only occupied itself with musical activities, rapidly started participating in other kinds of companies. Buying and especially investing was the device. And all of a sudden, they were acquired faster than the speed of light: warehouses, supermarkets, houses, sports businesses, an art gallery. They invested in oil, cucumbers, horses and bicycles. It’s Anderson’s dream to introduce his ABBA on the stock market. “A sensible fan will then, apart from the latest ABBA album, buy an ABBA share as well...”

A shrewd business man, that Stikkan Anderson. First a salesclerk, then a teacher, after that a lyric writer and president of his own music publishing company. “Why should others make money of my songs.” Anderson already had a lot of hits credited to his name and a lot of money in his bank account before he first met Björn and then Benny. For instance, he wrote the music and original lyrics for the European hit that became well-known in Holland under the title ‘Hou Je Echt Nog Van Mij Rockin’ Billy’, sung into the charts in 1960 by Ria Valk. That gold record is hanging on the office wall as well. Doesn’t he miss this writing?
“Yes, very much. As you know, I’ve contributed to a lot of ABBA hits as well, especially lyrically. But I don’t have any time these days to sit down and write songs myself. Artistically speaking, I still think along with ABBA. The outfits, album sleeves, stage designs, promotion, songs, actually I interfere with everything. Keeping yourself busy on a business level only tends to become tiresome. I think that having conversations with foreign record companies is a creative job as well. As you may know, ABBA’s own record company Polar Records has closed distribution deals with all kinds of big record companies all over the world. In every country, I’ve chosen the best record company. Why? Very simple, because every record company is as good as its president. It might very well be the case that one record company is very good in Holland and that same company in England very bad.”

Björn says about Stikkan: “In former times, Stikkan was indeed often on top of the songs, yes. He helped us out with the lyrics, chords and he gave us very valuable advice with his expertise in this business. Obviously, this has decreased over time. Meanwhile, we have become experts in this business ourselves. But despite Stig’s focus on business activities, he remains the most artistic manager. He is still on the same wavelength. Therefore, ABBA consists of five masterminds...”
According to Stig, there are indeed five and he’s certainly not the only one responsible for the Big Success.
“Nonsense. That would be true if I had written and sung everything myself.”
But Stig likes to commend himself for the fact that he put the guys on the girls’ track and therefore he is taking credit for putting the eventual ABBA together. Andersson met Björn Ulvaeus already back in 1964, one of the Hootenanny Singers, who were then very popular in Sweden. He was the songwriter of that successful band, just like Benny Andersson was of another Swedish top group in those days: the Hep Stars. Benny was the pianist and he even came to Holland to perform ‘Sunny Girl’ on television, which was a huge hit in our country at the time. The two B’s of ABBA recorded an album together in 1969. Actually, it wasn’t massively successful. Stig: “I expected more from it. But what was missing from that record became all the more clear later on...”
What was lacking were female vocals, like Frida and Agnetha’s. Vocals as they sounded on the song ‘Waterloo’. The song that started their victory. While most Eurovision winners don’t have a very prosperous career, ABBA managed to work magic with one magnificent song after the other. Songs that are pieced together perfectly soundwise. Therefore, the producers Ulvaeus and Andersson are often called the Phil Spectors of the seventies. Benny: “A compliment, but it’s a bit exaggerated. The most important thing is that we have found a sound that harmonizes with the melodies. I think that the team is smaller than you would think. No, you choose musicians that go with a song. Actually, the team consists of the four of us and the technician. He is crucial, no matter what...”

Technician Michael B. Tretow usually works for ABBA at the Polar Studios. And when he doesn’t have to work for ABBA, he works at home. For himself. In his own studio, an hour’s drive from Stockholm. Goodness knows how Michael looks like in person, but on the phone he sounds a bit like this: “At home, I mostly do recordings for audio visuals or things like that. I don’t have a real studio here, you know. It’s not that advanced. It’s more like a control room and some microphones in the bathroom. But I’ve recorded quite a lot here.”
ABBA as well?
“Haha. No, we only do that in the Polar Studios. We have more options there.”
Tell me, Michael. In what respect do you see yourself as someone whose contribution was vital to ABBA’s success?
“Now that’s a question. I truly believe that every self-respecting technician would have done the things that I did. Do a good job and think along. It’s your job.”
But didn’t you invent a certain technique that made the sound bigger?
“That’s true, yes. I incorporated a couple of speed changes. When you play back a recorded voice at different kinds of speed, you get some kind of enhanced sound. These days, there is equipment to do that.”
What does a recording period for one song look like?
“On the first day, the basic instruments like bass, drums and piano are recorded, the second day is used to add a couple of separate instruments and the next day the vocals are recorded. So that’s when the ladies enter the studio and mostly Benny and Björn are singing along on backing vocals as well. The next day a couple of overdubs are being done and then the mixing starts. That’s mostly the longest period. Sometimes we even spend months on that. We spent eight months on the whole album ‘Super Trouper’.”
Is there some kind of recipe for the ABBA sound?
“As I mentioned earlier, the separately recorded voices. Apart from that it’s really the song that should have enough quality. If that isn’t the case, you can bend over backwards as a technician, but you won’t succeed. And without Agnetha and Frida, the ABBA sound would never have been the ABBA sound...”

Björn and Benny are somewhat vague about their future. The first one says that there are no plans outside ABBA. “There are,” the other then adds. But Björn puts a stop to it. He tells Benny that he can’t say anything about that yet. Bad luck. Let’s give it another try. How about that musical? Four years ago it was announced for the following year. “That doesn’t mean that it’s off the table,” Björn says smilingly. “It will come, when we have the time,” Benny adds.
Wrong, gentlemen. Stig Anderson has just claimed that he has scheduled a meeting about this musical business a day after tomorrow. Basically, everything seems to be settled. Well, financially speaking, that is. Because according to Stikkan, a concept still has to be found. The theme that the musical will revolve around. Only then, action can be taken. That basic theme has to be on the table faster than the speed of light though, because Stikkan already has a couple of things planned concerning this musical in 1981. So there’s work to be done.

Privé, July 1981: The never-before-told sadness of ABBA

After Benny and Frida had announced their divorce in February 1981, the tabloids had plenty to speculate about, and that’s what they did. If I’m not mistaken, this story appeared first in English newspaper The Daily Mirror and then it was copied in lots of magazines all over the world.

What went wrong with ABBA, the most successful pop group in the world? While the group achieved everything there is to achieve in pop music, the private lives of Anni-Frid, Benny, Björn and Agnetha have turned into a disaster. Instead of two loving couples, they are now two divorced couples. They all go their separate ways and they talk about the day that the group will fall apart... forever. For the first time, the Swedish stars talk openly about their heartaches and their prospects, now that they have completely grown apart.

Agnetha: “When Björn remarried, I cried.”
She is a quiet, lonely, blue-eyed angel. The divorce has clearly been the hardest on Björn’s ex-wife Agnetha Fältskog. Not too long ago, the media proclaimed her as the woman with the sexiest bottom in Europe. But this could cause a distorted view of her image. The vulnerable side of her personality is clearly revealed when she talks about the emotional turmoil that her divorce has caused.
Agnetha tells: “You remember all the pain and the struggles and you ask yourself: do I really want to go through all this again? It’s frightening. If I would find the perfect man, then I would get married again. But it’s difficult. It’s very, very difficult.”
While talking, she smokes one cigarette after the other and drinks litres of coffee in a living room, situated above the recording studio of the group.

Agnetha has pearl-white teeth and her hair is a crisscross of blonde curls. In a girly whisper, she says: “I am someone who is afraid of a lot of things. I have phobias, sickening anxieties. I’m afraid to mingle with people. I can’t go shopping. I can’t go out and go to restaurants or bars. If I do go out, people stare at me and I can’t cope with that. That fear to go out the door is my biggest phobia. I’m a very anxious kind of person. I am able to handle some fears that I have, like my fear of flying. Before my plane takes off, I have a drink. When we are up in the air, I have another one and just before we land another one. That way,” the attractive, 31-year-old singer says, “I’m half-drunk when I reach my destination. Then I don’t worry about flying anymore.”
Since her divorce from Björn, she is even less able to control her fear of going out. A good friend of hers said: “Agnetha has devoted herself completely to her two children, since she got divorced. It’s like she is punishing herself for something wrong that’s in her imagination. She never goes out. Her whole life revolves around working and her children.”

Agnetha: “Swedish newspapers always write untruths about me, so I know that no one is going to believe me, but I really don’t have a steady boyfriend. I mostly spend my time at home, with my children. I read a lot and I compose songs that I would like to sing myself at some point. Of course, I meet men,” she says, “and when a man tells me that I’m beautiful or sexy, because he really thinks so, I don’t mind at all that he tells me that; I just don’t agree with him at all. I don’t think I’m beautiful or sexy. I don’t have any confidence in that. But I do have confidence in what’s inside my head. I do think that I’m intelligent. Men really seem to be impressed by me and by the fact that I’m rather smart. They also seem to be scared off by the knowledge that I have built a big career. I don’t know why, they should be proud of my career, but they are not.”

Agnetha is clearly still saddened by her divorce. “I’ve gone through an extremely painful depression. The thought that I had to continue on my own, drove me crazy. Björn always took care of everything because we were very young when we got together and all of a sudden I had to stand on my own two feet. And it did affect me, when he met Lena. But when he remarried, I cried. It hurt. It hurt a lot and it was so weird that he had found someone else so soon.”
Just like the other ABBA-members, Agnetha thinks the day that ABBA will stop existing is drawing near. She has thought a lot about how her life will continue after that. “I want to be a movie star,” she confesses. “I hope that a producer will be interested in me.” The other important part of Agnetha’s life is being a mother to her two children, Christian (3) and Linda (8). “To be a good mother, a woman needs to have confidence. And to feel confident, I need a career. We have stopped travelling with the group. We’ve done that for so many years. Look at all the damage it has done: we were two couples when we started out, now we are four individuals.”

Björn: “I was single for only one week.”
Lyric writer, singer and guitarist Björn Ulvaeus is usually very reluctant when it comes to talking about intimate details about his private life. But this time, he agreed to tell everything to Privé. “To clear things up, once and for all.” Sitting relaxed in ABBA’s recording studio in Stockholm, he talks about the end of his marriage to Agnetha: “When you talk to someone, like I talked to Agnetha, and you honestly try to discuss things, solve your problems and you don’t succeed, then you know it’s time to call it a day. So that’s what we did. But we didn’t give up on our marriage easily or quickly. It took two years before we eventually agreed to get a divorce. First, we went to a psychiatrist and he helped us to discuss our problems in an honest way. At the end of those two years of continuous talks, we were completely sure that we were making the right decision, believe me. There was no tension, but of course there were tears. What do you expect, we had been together for thirteen years!”
A good friend of the couple claims: “Björn was truly impossible. He found mistakes in everything that Agnetha did or didn’t do. And he was getting ever more jealous, without any reason.” When the divorce became final, two years ago, the children were still too young to realise what was going on. They are now living with Agnetha, but their father can see them as often as he wants. And that’s almost every day. Two years ago, Björn left the house, after having discussed the divorce with Agnetha, and moved to a nearby apartment. He was single for a short period of time, something that’s now a source of amusement to Björn.

He says: “I was single for one week and then I met Lena.” Lena is Björn’s new wife and he proudly announces: “My wife is pregnant. I don’t care whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as she and the baby are healthy. After all, I already have a son and a daughter. But there’s no jealousy between Lena and Agnetha. They have met each other and all three of us are good friends.”
It was a dazzling romance. He met Lena (32), who is a television personality from Stockholm, at a party that was, ironically, organised by Benny and Frida. Within five months, they were living together. Björn and his Agnetha are divorced but the group remains intact, at least for the time being. However, for the first time Björn reveals that he is thinking about the definitive end of ABBA. “We no longer have any financial reason to stay together,” he says. “Each one of us has more than enough money.”

Björn (36) says that he wouldn’t change much if he could go through the past ten years again. Still, there have been problems. Like last year, when the ABBA-concert for German television had to be cancelled, due to a kidnap threat of Björn’s children. “It was awful,” Björn says. “John Lennon had just been shot which made us even more aware about the danger that was threatening us; we try to protect ourselves while we are living our lives. John Lennon’s death has affected me deeply. Although we never met him, he inspired Benny and me to start composing songs. That’s why it seemed as if we had lost a close friend.” Björn still loves to compose songs and he says that he really likes his job. But with the end of ABBA in sight, for the first time Björn had to think about what he wants to do in the future. “I have a crazy idea,” he says with joy in his eyes. “I would like to be a writer for the stage. I would love to write a play and listen to actors and actresses making my words come to life.”

Benny: “Mona is my new life partner.”
The other composer of the supergroup ABBA, Benny Andersson, is a bundle of nerves. His hands are shaking when he talks about his failed marriage and he is nervously busy with his cigarettes without interruption. He says: “I don’t know how other people deal with things like this. Frida and I are still partners in ABBA. We are still friends. We are just not partners in marriage any longer.” His marriage to Anni-Frid Lyngstad ended in a dramatic way, according to friends. “Benny came home one day and said that he had found another woman. Frida was devastated,” someone said who knows the group up close. The new woman in Benny’s life is Mona Nörklit, a 37-year-old Swedish television personality. Benny confirms: “Mona is my new life partner. You can call her that. Frida and I are still friends. I respect her and she respects me for what we both can do on a musical level.”

But that’s not completely true. There’s a clear tension between the two. There’s nothing left of the fun and joyous atmosphere of the old days. Benny is very nervous. It’s clear that he has suffered the most. “We have discussed whether the group would be able to stay together after our divorce,” he says. “But we thought that ABBA had already survived Björn and Agnetha’s divorce. Therefore, the group would be able to survive ours as well.” During the conversation with Benny, one gets the impression that it’s getting ever more difficult for him to find the motivation that’s needed to continue with the group.
He says: “Financially speaking, we no longer have any worries. And our dreams of becoming superstars have exceeded our wildest imagination. We love our musical creations and as long as we do that, we will keep on going. We will quit when we think it isn’t fun anymore. What we are doing now, is not a skilful job. I know that we sell a lot of records, and that we make an enormous amount of money, but in fact it doesn’t mean anything. I like to create music, create a melody from nothing. We never thought that we would get as big as we are now. After all, we are just ordinary people, leading a normal life. In the morning, we go to our job, we go to restaurants a couple of times a week, and at the weekend we go out boating. I think all of this has happened without us having any influence on the matter.”
Just like the other members of the group, Benny sees the end of ABBA drawing near as well. He thinks the group will last for two more years, or two more albums.

“The ABBA-sound is created by the girls. Björn and I may compose the songs, but the girls are the ones who create the sound. There’s no ABBA without them.”
Regarding ABBA’s most recent album ‘Super Trouper’, of which millions of copies were sold all over the world, it’s interesting to know that Benny thinks that the biggest change in their music has been the technical development. After the two-hour conversation, during which Benny drank three cups of coffee and smoked half a pack of cigarettes, he sums up his feelings about ABBA. “I don’t think we have any power as individual artists,” he says. “I don’t even know if we have any power as a group. No one would buy a Volvo just because ABBA says so. We are mainly family people with a strong family background. Ten years ago, we got together to perform and we’ve lasted for a decade. We are not the angels that some people think we are. We are normal people with all the problems that normal people experience as well. But apart from that, we happen to be a group that’s called ABBA.”

Frida: “A divorce was the only solution.”
There’s a new man in ABBA’s Anni-Frid’s life. But the dark-haired singer, that got divorced not too long ago, carefully hides him away from publicity. But she did introduce him to her ex-husband Benny, and all three of them are good friends, according to Frida.
The beauty with the flame red hair denies that her lover is her chauffeur Lars Blomberg, like many newspapers reported. He is a rich Swedish businessman. “I’ve learned from my mistakes from the past,” she says. “I don’t want to expose my boyfriend to all the publicity and all the questions and that’s why his name remains a secret. But you can tell everybody that I’m in love and that Frida has a new boyfriend. He is not in the music business and I think that’s great. He is a part of my life, but I’ve come to realise how important it is to develop interests outside the show business as well.”
She has two children from her first failed marriage, Hans (18) and Lise-Lotte (14). Her second marriage, to ABBA’s Benny Andersson, ended as well. Now she says: “Marriage isn’t important to me any longer. But love is. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.” Does she want any more children? “Hans and Lise-Lotte are already grown,” she says. “I’m not sure if I would want to start all over again.” Last February, Benny and Frida announced their divorce and within six weeks, her new man came into Frida’s life. “Benny and I are better able to work together, now that we’ve separated,” she says. “Our personal relationship is more relaxed now. Benny and I are good friends and we like each other a lot. Actually, what has happened isn’t sad at all. We just grew apart due to different interests in life. We’ve always been honest to each other. We talked and talked and talked and eventually we both came to the conclusion that a divorce was the only way out.”

However, the direct cause for the divorce was the fact that Benny, after having lived together with Frida for nine years and four years of marriage, had found another love. When he had told Frida, they started talking about a divorce. A good friend says: “It was like a bolt from the blue to her and she was devastated. There was a lot of crying and talking, but once he had told her, there was no turning back and a divorce was inevitable.”
Out of all the ABBA-members, Frida is the most publicity-shy. More than the others, she feels like a victim of inaccurate, twisted and made-up stories. “The way that people look at us has a lot to do with their imagination and very little with us as human beings,” she says. “They only see the surface, they don’t have a deeper view of us as people. They only see the fun side, our costumes, the things we do, the things that all those made-up stories are saying. When I started out, I wanted to have an audience that would know me as a human being. The perception that they were having of me was completely wrong. But I don’t care about that very much anymore. I feel safe and secure about the way that I am. I don’t have to explain that to everybody anymore. I would have reached this stage either way, but being in love has definitely helped me.”
As a thirteen-year-old girl, Frida dreamt of being a big star. She got her first spark of hope that this would come true one day, when ABBA recorded their first album. Now, she is a superstar and a fashion icon that inspires girls all over Sweden to go to the hairdresser and ask for a wild, flame red hairdo like Frida’s. She started dying her hair years ago and it became ever more red. But at the start of ABBA’s career, not everything was looking rosy.

“The first time that the group performed, was in 1971 at a local restaurant,” Frida says. “We were horrible. The audience hated us and we thought that we might be out of our minds.” Obviously, ABBA is now world famous and during the past six years the group has sold records at the amount of nearly one and a half billion Dutch guilders, which turned all four members into multi-millionaires.
Ironically, Frida is still worried about money. “Once every month, we have a meeting to discuss our investments,” she says. “All our decisions have to be unanimous. And I really worry whether I’ve made the right decisions.”
Years ago, when Frida was still married to Ragnar Fredriksson – the marriage from which both her children were born – she seemed to be predestined for a traditional life as a wife and a mother. In the evenings, she sang with local cabaret groups, but her life mainly revolved around her family. Now she says: “I couldn’t have coped with that.”
For two days, she talked openly to Privé. “I’m taking the chance,” she says. “But maybe people will really get to know me this time.” It seems that Frida wants to share even more of her soul with her audience. The truth about her as a human being. The true, deep story.