ABBA Info, July 1985: Agnetha’s record talk

During Agnetha’s visit to Belgium, the Dutch Associaton of Record Retailers had an interview with her about the retail business and the records.

“It’s pretty obvious why things went wrong with the four of us,” Agnetha says. “You know, for years we were together twenty four hours a day, we worked like madmen and during our two month long holiday, we retreated to one of Sweden’s islands where we owned a grandiose mansion. The boys worked on new songs there and rehearsed them with us.”
At the question which music she prefers, she replies: “There is so much. I love big bands like Quincy Jones, Nelson Riddle and so on. Then I admire Frank Sinatra’s timing, Andy Williams’ voice, Sammy Davis jr.’s performance. I also started to like more pop music, like Michael Jackson, Prince and Dire Straits. It’s all good. In Europe, my fellow-countryman Svend Amussen is still one of my favourites. I just loved to listen to him when I was a little girl. I think James Last, whom I got to know pretty well, is a wonderful man. And his orchestra consists of excellent musicians and I think the arrangements and the performances are very good.”
When we ask Agnetha about her private life, she says that all the magazines are already writing and gossiping about that. “Ask it my mother,” was her evasive answer.
About the record retail industry: “I know that you are writing for a trade journal, so you won’t hear anything negative from me. No, but if you really want to know. We had a wonderful success with ‘Waterloo’. They had problems pressing sufficient records. The retailers couldn’t wait to get their hands on them. The releases after that we’re received wonderfully as well. We could only be more than satisfied, both with our record company Polydor as well as with the retailers. I do know that retailers gave us a lot of confidence, even before the record was released. They placed large advance orders before they had even heard anything. That gave all four of us an enormous satisfaction, it’s just as good as getting applause. Even now that Frida and I are making solo records, the retailers are still behind us and that’s important. The retail industry is the concluding piece to the consumers. You can bet that I realise that very well. Give my best to everyone in Holland. In conclusion I want to say this: Holland as a whole has always been great for us and I really mean that from the bottom from my heart.”

ABBA Info, March 1985: Agnetha interview – Eyes Of A Woman

A 1985 interview with Agnetha about her then recent ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ album, taken from a Dutch fan magazine.

Is there something special that marks the difference between ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ and your previous album ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’?
Agnetha: “Actually, I never compare an album with my previous albums or albums by other artists. I think every album is a product that stands on its own.”
What made you decide to choose Eric Stewart as your producer?
Agnetha: “In my days with ABBA, I’ve met Eric Stewart and 10CC a couple of times. Thomas Johansson of EMA-Telstar gave me the idea to work with Eric. I thought it was a good idea and started listening to all 10CC albums. Choosing a producer is a difficult decision. You never know if you will get along and if you will understand each other when you finally meet. Thankfully, everything turned out for the best with us. Eric is a calm and pleasant person to work with.”
Not many people are aware of the fact that you used to write a lot of songs yourself. Why didn’t you write more this time?
Agnetha: “I don’t compose very much these days. I try to write one or two songs for every album. Composing is very difficult, it takes a lot of energy and patience and I’m getting ever more critical. And I don’t have much time.”
How did you and Eric choose the songs for the album?
Agnetha: “We’ve listened to about 400 songs by different composers. Eric did the same thing and the songs that we both liked best eventually made it onto the album.”
Except for that and the singing, did you work on the album in other areas?
Agnetha: “I’ve been involved in every aspect of the album, from start to finish. That way, I get a better overview of the project, I like that better.”
Did you have other musical advisors, apart from Eric?
Agnetha: “There were four people who made the decisions. Namely Paris Edvinson, the engineer, who is behind a lot of ideas and Rutger Gunnarson who has made all the arrangements. A lot of work was done in the studio with the English musicians that Eric had picked for this album.”
Most songs on ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ have lyrics about love.
Agnetha: “Yes, that’s just a coincidence. Most composers write about love. Perhaps it’s because we all have so many emotions bottled up inside and when you get the opportunity to write a lyric, these feelings may come out and you get sentimental and emotional.”

Which song do you like best?
Agnetha: “Eric’s ballad ‘I Won’t Be Leaving You’ is one of my favourites.”
Why did you choose ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ as a single?
Agnetha: “We played different songs to several people. The majority thought that my song was most suitable. Initially, we were thinking about releasing ‘One Way Love’ but the majority of votes went to my song, so ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ it was.”
Without a doubt, the album will be compared to Frida’s album. Do you think there are similarities?
Agnetha: “No, not all songs on Frida’s album are songs that I would have picked myself.”
Are you going to do promotional tours?
Agnetha: “Only short ones. We start off in Norway and Germany, and after that Belgium. In May, I will be in Montreux and before that I will be doing a show that will be broadcast from Oslo, among others in the USA.”
Would you like to perform live again?
Agnetha: “It’s not out of the question. Perhaps something like a show in Stockholm for a short period of time. It’s rather difficult because I’m more of a recording artist than a live artist. But I do like to be on stage.”
What do you think about ABBA’s future?
Agnetha: “Together, we’ve been through a lot of good times, but bad times as well. I don’t want to put a definitive end to that period, but I don’t want to start all over again either. Those years were exhausting with a lot of travelling and a bad conscience about the children. It was marvellous to be able to experience that kind of success. It’s probably impossible for all four of us to have that kind of success on our own. At least, I don’t count on it. ABBA was a phenomenon. I can imagine that we will record an album together at some point in the future, but I don’t want all the fuss surrounding it, those days are gone.”
What are your good and bad qualities?
Agnetha: “I have both feet planted firmly on the ground, I’m very persistent. I like to go my own way. I’m not very impatient when it’s important to stay calm and I don’t like to tinker at futilities.”
What will you be doing in 1985?
Agnetha: “In the summer, I’m having some time off and in the autumn, Christian will be starting school. Then I’ll be home.”

Hitkrant, February 1985: ABBA robbed

An article from Dutch magazine Hitkrant about the tapes that were stolen from Björn’s car around 1983. The tapes included outtakes from ABBA’s 1981/82 recording sessions. The recordings have surfaced on numerous bootlegs since then.
“When a couple of cassettes were stolen from my car one and a half year ago, we were hardly worried at first,” ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus says. “The tapes only contained some leftovers from our recording sessions of that time. With the passing of time, it has become clear that we’ve put these songs to great use later on. Since the theft, a flourishing trade in mysterious ABBA-cassettes has come into being.”

“Actually, it’s all my fault,” Björn says worriedly. “In 1983, we were planning to put a couple of songs that we had recorded during the ‘Visitors’ album on a new long-player. For a moment, I left my car unattended at the parking space of the Polar Studios in Stockholm. When I returned to my car a few minutes later, the harm had been done. Someone had stolen a couple of tapes from the glove compartment.”
At first, the theft didn’t seem to be a disaster. “The album would be released a couple of months later,” Benny Andersson steps in. “The only risk was that the songs would be played on the radio before the release date of the album. That’s a bit annoying, but definitely not a catastrophe.”
This all changed when several weeks later it was decided to leave the album unreleased.
“The sales figures of the singles ‘The Day Before You Came’ and ‘Under Attack’ were very disappointing,” Björn explains. “Apart from that, Frida and Agnetha were busy with their solo projects, while Benny and I were working on our Chess musical. This meant that ABBA-songs would see the light of day without our permission, due to these stolen cassettes.”

Björn and Benny’s fear became reality. “During last year, tapes with songs like ‘Opus 10’, ‘I Am The City’ and ‘Just Like That’ suddenly appeared on the market,” Benny says. “In England, the cassettes were even sold at extortionate prices. It turned out that the starting point of this trade was Germany, which suggests that the thief could possibly be a German ABBA-fan.”
Björn and Benny are clearly burdened by the situation. “Especially, since these are unfinished versions of the songs,” Benny explains. “Most of these songs have gotten a different destination since then. That’s how the highly classical sounding ‘Opus 10’ is called ‘Anthem’ nowadays. It’s being performed by Tommy Körberg in the musical Chess. The song ‘Every Man Needs A Helping Hand’, initially sung by Agnetha, was used in Chess as well, under the title ‘Heaven Help My Heart’.”
Still, the twosome will not sit down in despair. “It’s a very annoying situation,” Björn and Benny say. “Especially, since we had plans to go into the recording studio with Frida and Agnetha just now. We still have a couple of leftovers from Chess, that we want to record with ABBA. As soon as the confusion surrounding this cassette-business is over, we will get back to work at full force. In the future, ABBA will still have to be reckoned with, no matter what.”

Tros Kompas, June 1985: The story of ABBA

TV-guide announcement of the repeated broadcast of The story of ABBA. It featured one of the last joint interviews with the four group members and it was first broadcast on December 12, 1982. I remember this well since this was my birthday and I couldn't be part of the celebrations because obviously I had to watch this...
1974. ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest. The breakthrough of a Swedish group. After that, the foursome conquers the world by storm. At a high pace, ABBA makes extremely successful records, promotional videos, movies, concert tours and is even successful in the business world.
Agnetha Fältskog: “How happy we all were in the beginning. We were just married and had an unbelievable success. Of course, this couldn’t last. For years, we were together 24 hours a day and worked like madmen. Even during our holidays, Björn and Benny kept on composing songs. In the end, it all got too much.”
The result is widely known: the ABBA-couples separated and the group was dissolved some time later. Because of its overwhelming success, the fantastic ABBA-story is brought to the screen again tonight by Veronica.

Hitkrant, 1985 & 1986: Eyes Of A Woman album review / The Angels Cry & The Way You Are single reviews

Agnetha Fältskog/‘Eyes Of A Woman’/Polydor
The ten thousands of ABBA fans can hurry to the record store again to buy Agnetha’s new album. As expected, the blonde singer has surrounded herself with top composers and musicians, so you can imagine that everything is in order in that respect.
One of my favourite songs is ‘Just One Heart’, a delightful reggae-track and a welcome change in the otherwise rather soft sounding repertoire. For me, ‘We Should Be Together’ is the catchiest track and therefore certainly has hit potential as the follow-up to ‘I Won’t Let You Go’. To finish things off, I would like to mention ‘I Keep Turning Off Lights’, an original and rhythmical song in which Agnetha once again proves her versatility. Overall, this album is certainly worthwhile, but I still believe there could have been just a bit more variation.

Agnetha Fältskog/‘The Angels Cry’/Polydor 883640
The solo careers of the ABBA-singers Frida and Agnetha are not running very smoothly and Agnetha will definitely not score a big hit with this single. Unfortunately, it’s a weak song.
It’s high time for ABBA to record another album again.

Agnetha Fältskog & Ola Hakansson/‘The Way You Are’/Indisc
Well, it isn’t easy when you have sold millions of records all around the world with ABBA, recorded two considerably less successful solo albums, and now are giving it another try with a duet. ABBA’s Agnetha recorded this rather lacklustre single together with one Ola Hakansson. Not exactly a bull’s eye, is what we would say.

Tros Kompas, 1985: Agnetha's hobbies (Eyes Of A Woman album review)

Agnetha Fältskog will not move to England, like the rumours will have you believe. The Swedish singer recently bought a farm near Stockholm. To breed horses: her biggest hobby. Another hobby is singing. Agnetha still does this with love and feeling. It can be heard on ‘Eyes Of A Woman’, her eighth solo album. Her eighth, because even before the singer started her successful career with ABBA, she already made six solo albums in the Swedish language. Two years ago, ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’ appeared, her first English-language longplay. ‘Eyes Of A Woman’, recorded under the productional supervision of Eric Stewart (ex-10CC), is the sequel and she surpassed her previous records with it. The album contains eleven songs in different styles, sung in a tasteful and relaxed manner. Out of these songs, ‘I Won’t Let You Go’, composed by herself and Eric Stewart, is already a hit. Other highlights are the joyous ‘One Way Love’, the pretty ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ and the sensitive songs ‘The Angels Cry’ and ‘I Won’t Be Leaving You’.

Pop Foto, 1985: "This is much more fun than ABBA!"

Agnetha has got the hang of it. After the enormous success of her first solo album ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’, she flung herself into the next album. It’s called ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ and Pop Foto took a look around in the studio.

“Can I have a little less bass? Yes, that’s better. And then a bit more horns!” Fully concentrated, Eric Stewart (that’s right, 10CC’s guitar- and keyboard-player) is standing next to the technician of the Polar Music Studios. Arduously, the man is operating the buttons and switches on the gigantic mixing console before them. Meanwhile, Agnetha is sitting at the other side of the big window-glass, with headphones on her blonde locks of hair. Patiently, she’s waiting until she gets a sign to start singing. Actually, she’s starting to get rather tired, because it’s half past twelve at night and this morning at half past eleven she was ready to get to work. What Eric and Agnetha are working on? That’s not so hard to guess: ‘Eyes Of A Woman’, the Swedish singer’s new solo album.
“I enjoy it tremendously to have complete responsibility for the final result,” she confesses later on. “At the moment, I think that’s more fun than working with ABBA in the old days, when you had to consider the wishes of the other group-members constantly. Because one of us wanted this, the other wanted that. But don’t get me wrong, in those days I’ve never made an issue out of it. That’s just how it goes with a group. It’s only now that I realize how refreshing it is to make the decisions completely on my own. That’s why I can fully stand behind my second solo album and I definitely don’t regret having chosen Eric Stewart as my producer. The collaboration with him works perfectly!”
Except Eric, several other celebrities have collaborated on Agnetha’s album. For instance, Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne has written a song, just like Moody Blues’ Justin Hayward. And Agnetha herself has kept her end up, because she composed the wonderful ‘I Won’t Let You Go’.
“I think it’s fantastic to write my own songs,” the Swedish blonde smiles, “but I’m not very experienced yet. That’s why I’m keeping my contribution to this album modest. But I can tell you that I get a kick out of hearing my simple tune, that I created myself, being played by several outstanding musicians. Then I’m determined to do it more often!”

Veronica, 1985: Frida quits

Frida has decided to cut all ties with showbusiness permanently. She won’t record any more albums or be available for performances. This remarkable news could be read in the October issue of the ABBA-magazine.

The decision came totally unexpected, even for the fans, and will have profound consequences. The reunion of ABBA, still hoped for by millions of admirers, is now definitely out of the question. Frida made no mistake about that. She didn’t clarify the reason for her decision in that first statement.

For the past few years, Frida has been extremely successful as a solo artist. Her recordings, among others produced by Phil Collins, were achieving excellent sales figures all around the world. Too bad.

Hitkrant, February 1985: "Eric is giving me the freedom that ABBA didn't allow me"

“Of course I’m a little bit scared of releasing something new. Still, I hope I will finally be able to get rid of those annoying ABBA-comparisons. Because I have cut all ties with that empire permanently.”
And there seems to be no way back either. Together with producer Eric Stewart, the blonde singer is working very hard on a contemporary, surprising album that will astonish friend and foe. We were the first ones to be allowed to take a look in the studio.

Agnetha looks a little tired when we see her at the Polar Studios in the evening. All day long she has worked at a feverish pace, the final deadline is drawing near. Still, the former ABBA-singer is very satisfied with the things she accomplished. Especially the collaboration with Eric Stewart, responsible for all major 10CC-successes, turned out really well.
“The funny thing is that today’s best producers have called me to realize a possible collaboration. But I’m really not the kind of person that falls for empty talk and tempting financial propositions. In the end I decided to go for the least obvious guy, a choice I haven’t regretted so far. Eric is the kind of man that doesn’t shy away from the experiment and that’s exactly what I need at this stage of my career. Agnetha Fältskog should definitely sound different to what the ABBA-fans expect from me. Apart from that, Stewart is an exceptionally charming man. He makes you feel at ease very quickly and he definitely helped me to conquer some of my fears.”

“I still hesitate when I sit down at home at my writing-table or piano,” Agnetha explains. “I’m fairly satisfied about the sound of my voice, but writing songs seems to be a totally different craft. This album will include two of my own songs. Eric has really encouraged me to take this on. I also understand that I have to get rid of those annoying ABBA-comparisons, but it takes a lot of guts. Of course, this also has to do with my musical past. With ABBA, the girls weren’t meant to make decisions. We weren’t even allowed. In the end, that was the ultimate reason to cut all ties with that empire.”

Still, Björn and Benny don’t rule out a further collaboration?
“Maybe for old times sake, to recapture that old atmosphere in a way. But for the time being I won’t get really caught up in a group again. It has cost me several sleepless nights to make those decisions, but it was necessary. I want to take control of my own career and establish myself as a full-fledged artist. The album ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ will hopefully bring me one step closer to that ultimate goal.”

Hitkrant, 1985: "First and foremost, I want to be a good mother"

“With ABBA I’ve experienced good and bad times,” Agnetha Fältskog says. “Especially all the traveling and seeing so little of your loved ones is not very easy in the end. It’s not completely impossible that a new ABBA-album will see the light of day someday in the future, but there won’t be any firm group collaboration any longer.” An honest conversation about past, present and future.

Is there a big difference between Agnetha the singer and Agnetha privately?
“Definitely. I think that the image the audience has of me is totally wrong. Everyone seems to think that I’m a very vulnerable woman, who has difficulties standing up for herself. In reality it’s not like that at all. I am very shy, but I know exactly what I want. I like to go my own way. For instance, I realize now, more than ever, that in your life you always have to give priority to the things that are most important to you. For me, those are my children. That’s why I try to travel as little as possible. But I can record an album, I think.”
Why did you choose Eric Stewart as your producer?
“Indeed, finding a suitable producer is not very easy. I had met Eric and the other guys from 10CC a few times already during ABBA’s heyday. But it was risky, because beforehand you never know how you will get along. But things turned out for the best, because Eric is a calm man, it was very pleasurable working with him.”
Why did you write so few songs for the album yourself?
“Because I have very little time for that. Composing songs takes an enormous amount of energy and patience. And every time I get more critical when it comes to the songs. Apart from that, I don’t want to neglect my children anymore, the way I used to do when I was with ABBA.”
There are a lot of love-songs on your album. Is that a coincidence?
“Yes and no. All composers mostly write about love. It’s probably because a human being is full of emotions, that he wants to release while writing a song. Personally, I feel very comfortable with sentimentality and romance.”
Why did you choose ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ as a single?
“Eric and I left that to other people to decide on purpose. When you are recording an album, you’re so much into it that you can’t decide which song should be the single yourself. A convincing majority of my advisers went for ‘I Won’t Let You Go’”.
Are you considering any live performances?
“I don’t rule it out. I would like to get up on stage once again, especially in Stockholm. Actually, I see myself more as a recording artist than a performer, but I still enjoy to perform live.”
Any chances of a career as an actress?
“Why not, actually? I played a part in a Swedish movie not too long ago and I had to play several characters in a television special as well. It felt very good. Singing and acting seems like a fun combination.”
What are your plans for 1985?
“The spring is devoted completely to promoting the album. After that, I want to take an extensive break. At the end of this year, my son Christian will be going to school for the first time. I wouldn’t want to miss that for the world. It’s even possible that I will record a children’s album with him. As you can see, being a good mother comes first for me from now on.”

Muziek Expres, 1985: Just now, Agnetha is truly happy

After the release of her second solo album, Agnetha is sure about one thing: with ‘The Eyes Of A Woman’ she’s on the right track.

She shines as bright as the sun, the beautiful Agnetha Fältskog. The recording sessions for her brand-new album ‘The Eyes Of A Woman’ have been completed recently, and now Agnetha finally has the time to take things easier.

“I still have to do some interviews, but luckily I can stay in Stockholm for that and I don’t have to go abroad in the near future. As it happens, I hate to fly,” she confesses while smiling kindly.
“A few years ago, there was no escaping that, because I obviously had to adjust to the three other ABBA-members. But now I’m free to decide what I will and won’t do. And to be honest, I feel a lot happier with that.”

Although ABBA still exists officially, for the time being we shouldn’t set our hopes on a reunion too much.
“Indeed, for the time being it doesn’t look like it,” she says. “We all went our separate ways more or less. And with success! Apart from that, all four of us seem to feel a lot more happy and free than a few years ago. In any case, that certainly goes for me. I feel much more mature and confident now. I know exactly what I want, and luckily there are no Bennys or Björns around to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do.”

Veronica, 1985: Agnetha Fältskog: "You never get used to success"

This article was published in Dutch TV-guide Veronica in 1985, shortly after Agnetha's Eyes Of A Woman album was released.
Agnetha Fältskog, the 35-year-old ashblonde ABBA-singer, hates doing interviews. But she would like to share a thing or two about her new solo album ‘Eyes Of A Woman’, produced by 10CC’s Eric Stewart. Openly, Agnetha talks to your very own Veronica-guide reporter about her solo career, ABBA’s reunion and her biggest dream... a part in an international movie.

She speaks English with a funny Swedish accent and with a soft, clear voice she talks enthusiastically about her second English-language solo album, that was released worldwide recently.
“Each time when you give birth to a ‘child’ like that, it’s exciting all over again,” says Agnetha. “You just have to wait and see how your record will be received and how it will do. With ABBA, we were incredibly spoiled. Every record was a million-seller. I’ve come to realize that it’s impossible for us as solo artists to expect the same thing. That’s why it’s an enormous kick when the record company calls you up to say that there’s a big demand for your new album all over the world. Because believe me, you never get used to success!”
At a very young age, Agnetha was already a big star in Sweden. Even before her glorious time with ABBA, she recorded six Swedish solo albums, that did very well in her own country. Her first English-language solo album appeared in 1983. With ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’, a Mike Chapman production, she proved that she was worthy of international acclaim on her own as well. Chapman’s influence had a lot to do with that. Still, Agnetha chose 10CC keyboard player Eric Stewart as a producer this time. Why is that?
“I had a tremendous time working with Mike, but I want to prevent repeating myself at all cost. That’s why I asked Eric this time. I’ve always been a 10CC fan as well. Eric’s music stands for quality.”
Agnetha is over the moon about her new record, the perfect collaboration with top musicians like Jeff Lynne (ELO), Vic Emmerson (Sad Café), John Wetton and Geoff Downes (Asia). Agnetha’s own composition ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ has been released as a single and is in the Top 40 right now.

When I met Eric for the first time last summer, we must have listened to about 400 songs together. Each time, it’s very hard work to choose suitable songs. That’s why Eric encouraged me to write my own songs. My only regret is that I can’t write lyrics. After three words I go blank, frustrating really. My command of the English language isn’t good enough either. I’m very happy with Eric’s lyrics, they suit me very well. On the B-side of the single, there’s a self-penned ballad ‘You’re There’. Unfortunately, that song didn’t come out as well as I hoped. That’s why it was left off the album. All other songs for ‘Eyes Of A Woman’ have been collected by Eric. Last year, he called several of befriended top composers, who started working especially for me. I think it’s an enormous honour that so many important people wanted to work on my album,” says Agnetha sincerely. “The singing isn’t especially easy for me,” she confesses. “I’m very ambitious, maybe too ambitious. It always takes some time before I find the right sound. Sometimes I have to re-record my vocals for a song six times. Luckily, Eric is very patient. He has taken care that my voice has been committed to tape the best way possible, and we’ve also paid a lot of attention to the backing vocals.”

Recording music is important to Agnetha, but her family always comes first. Long promotional trips abroad are out of the question. She limits herself to a few TV-shows, such as her own gala-show in ‘The Golden Rose Festival’ of Montreux.
“The endless touring and travelling is definitely over. Whenever I’m away from home for a few days, I can’t think of anything else but my two children, Linda (11) and Christian (7). I’ve come to realize more and more that there are more important things in life than just success. The children are entitled to a mother that can spend time with them. They grow up so fast, I don’t want to miss out on their childhood.”

The rumours that ABBA will come together again, are getting more frequent these days. Björn and Benny even said in a recent interview that the new ABBA-album should be in the shops around Christmas.
What are Agnetha’s views on an ABBA-reunion?
“I don’t object, as long as it’s just a record,” she says. “But performing... never again! I know Björn, Benny and Frida want to continue with ABBA more than anything. That’s their dream, breathe new life into the group. I’ve always put a brake on that because I wasn’t ready for it emotionally. Now I feel I can deal with it, as long as I’m able to combine it with my solo career, and with my family. There certainly aren’t any definite plans. We’ll see when the time is right.”
Agnetha still has a warm understanding with her ex-husband Björn. During the celebratory performance in Stockholm of the musical ‘Chess’ – composed by Björn and Benny – Agnetha was present as a guest of honour. But she could have been on stage just as well.
“Björn called me at home and asked me if I wanted to play the part of Svetlana, the Russian player’s wife. I thought it was really sweet of him to think of me, but I couldn’t accept the offer. I told him: ‘Björn dear, it can’t be, because then it will turn into an ABBA-album again. That wouldn’t be right, not for you either!’”

Agnetha still has one big wish, that she hopes will be fulfilled one day. Three years ago, she made her screen debut in the Swedish movie ‘Raskenstam’, not counting the concert-film ‘ABBA – The Movie’.
“The acting felt good,” says Agnetha. “I’m dreaming of a part in an American movie, that will be released worldwide. The director of ‘Raskenstam’, Gunnar Hellström, is working on a sequel. But I’d rather do something completely different now, like an English-language movie or a play. Maybe there’s a producer in Hollywood, who will give me a chance. That would be the best possible thing, that could be in store for me now,” Agnetha concludes.

Libelle, 1985: My children hardly knew a family-life, but they do have a mother to talk to, even about their most intimate feelings

Frida paid a visit to Holland in 1984 to promote her Shine album. Around this time, Dutch magazine Libelle published this very open and sincere interview with Frida.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad (39) was born in the Norwegian village Narvik. At the age of 2 she lost her mother and was brought up by her grandmother. She met her father for the first time 7 years ago. “He came too late to still be a real father to me,” she says in an interview Libelle had with her. She talks about her childhood and about her 2 children, whom she wanted to give all she missed herself as a child, about her 2 marriages and the time she travelled the world with her children and ABBA.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad is in Rotterdam, on the eleventh floor of the Hilton Hotel. Downstairs fans are waiting patiently for an autograph. She is strikingly young with her purple-red punk hairdo. Politely and very self-confident she says: “I would appreciate it if you didn’t smoke here.” She hasn’t quite recovered yet from the time difference, after a visit to her daughter in New York. No coffee, but water. A thick, knitted cardigan around her shoulders. “I might be getting the flu,” she says quietly. For a moment she looks like the image many people have of her. A somewhat sad, lonely woman, who still hasn’t found happiness, despite all the success in the world. An image that may find its origin in her childhood and that’s kept alive by the fact that she is still alone after her divorce from Benny Andersson. Her loneliness is something that’s brought up in interviews a lot as well, so much so that it has almost become her trademark. Unintentionally, so it seems later.

Frida was born 39 years ago in the Norwegian village Narvik at a time that didn’t hold much promise for the future. She’s the daughter of a German officer, who returned to his home country after the war. 7 years ago she met him for the first time. “It was all very strange. I received a letter from someone who claimed to be my half-brother. He had read a biography about me and came across some things he had also heard from his father. As it turned out, that indeed was my father. I looked him up, mainly out of curiosity. He came too late to still be a real father to me. I was a grown woman. As a child, he could have meant something to me, but now not anymore. Still the meeting meant a great deal to me and we kept in touch ever since. It was a very strange emotion, when we met eye to eye. You know: this is my father. But all the emotions going with that, were strange to me. No, I never blamed him for anything. After all, he was a victim of the circumstances as well. As a German officer he hardly could stay in Norway after the war.”

Her mother died when Frida was 2 years old, after that she was brought up by her grandmother. She moved with her to the Swedish town Eskilstuna, because in Narvik her history was stained.
“I don’t like to talk about my childhood,” says Frida. “Not because it’s a period I want to forget – there were plenty of happy times as well – but it doesn’t suit my philosophy of life. I take everyday as it comes. That’s the reason why I don’t want to look too much at the future. It’s crazy, but this summer I was back in Eskilstuna. I hadn’t been there since my grandmother died, sadly before ABBA took off. When I drove off, I couldn’t imagine what it looked like anymore. What I saw was the memory, the city of my childhood.”

Frida has 2 children herself. Daughter Lotta is 18 years old and a student in New York. Son Hans is 21 and lives and works in Stockholm.
“He writes songs, plays in a band, produces and arranges and is, well, very talented. I see in him much of the same urge as I had to get into the music industry. It’s something magical, something that can’t be explained. I never understood where it came from, it just was there. With Hans it may be easier to understand, for he has a mother in the music industry. But on the other hand, Lotta is finding her own way as well.”
Talking about her children, Frida slowly becomes more personal. When we talk about raising children, she says: “Every mother wants to give her children what se didn’t have herself. Something I have always missed, is a mother to talk to. Despite all her efforts, my grandmother never was able to fulfil that role. There was too much age difference. I know that my children do have a mother like that. We are not afraid to talk to each other, even when it comes to the most intimate feelings. That’s a good thing. That they trust me, are not afraid to come to me. I see them often, yes. A few times a year I fly to New York and Stockholm, and Lotta and Hans also visit London regularly, where I’ve been living the past 2 years. Of course it’s a shame that we’re living so far apart, and sometimes I miss them very much, but we all lead our own lives. I tried to raise them like that, as independent people with responsibility, who have both feet on the ground, capable to make their own decisions. I think I’ve succeeded. I have tremendous respect for the way they lead their lives. They are able to manage themselves. That’s a big relief, and makes missing them not painful. Actually, it’s a good feeling being so young and having such grown-up children. I do worry if they are happy as well. You can guide children and make them able to lead their lives. But it’s no guarantee for happiness. Happiness is something that comes from within, it can’t be taught. They have to experience everything in life themselves. All I can do is be there when they need me, to talk to. Even if they are on the other side of the world, I’m still their mother. I keep feeling the responsibility. Something I’ve learned myself is that communication is an important tool to happiness. Communication between people is something difficult. People very seldom manage to really communicate. That’s what I’ve told my children as well. It’s important for them to open up, be friendly to people, and really try to connect. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by doing that. Communicating also means listening very carefully, understanding how people are. With me it wasn’t like I instantly realized I wasn’t communicating, it took me several years. My divorce from Benny has been a turning point in that respect. That’s the time that I really needed to connect to other people, more than ever. To Benny, but also to friends. When we separated, I had to make a decision in life. I looked at everything I experienced up to that point. I wanted to find out how to continue. During that time I started talking. For the first time I opened up completely. That was probably the best experience in my life thus far, and it meant a great deal to me. I now have confidence in myself and life. Because then I realized what was really wrong. I know myself much better now, and that means I’m no longer afraid, I’m much stronger and I can encounter people openly. The fact that Benny and I weren’t really communicating, was an important reason for our divorce, of course apart from some other reasons. It was only during the last 4 weeks we were together, that we really talked. I had the feeling that was the first time. It’s strange, but you see that happening often when relationships come to an end. It’s as if you suddenly realize you’re going to lose something, and want to get the pieces in the right place at the last minute. It’s also important to know why it happens. Otherwise it’s going to drag on. It means that partners have to speak their mind, something that apparently wasn’t possible during the relationship. I sometimes compare it with people who are dying. You often hear they use their last hours to set the record straight. For me, a divorce is partly dying. Maybe that’s why we had such good talks those last few weeks. To be honest, it was the best period of our marriage. I have no regrets. The conclusion remained the same after those 4 weeks. But the result is that Benny and I are still good friends. It was a good divorce, as far as you can call a divorce that. The sadness remains, but you can make it easier on each other. We did just that and I’m glad for it. Benny and I can still talk about intimate things, good moments we had together. Those are emotions you only shared with each other, something you can’t talk about to somebody else. If you couldn’t ever talk about it again, if there would be no friendship left at all, it would seem those things never happened. As if there never was a marriage. After my divorce from Benny I got a lot of support from friends. They filled the void and made sure I didn’t step into a new relationship immediately. I don’t think I would have made it without my friends. I wouldn’t have existed the way I do now. That’s why friendship means very much to me. Of course, when you love someone so much that you are able to share your life with him, that’s the best there is. But relationships like that are more rare than good friends. My friends were sensible enough to not be sad with me, but they pushed me forward. They made sure I didn’t give up. It made me appreciate them more than I already did.”

The interview turns philosophical.
“I divorced twice in my life, and that didn’t happen in vain. It made me think. About the world around me and about myself. In a way I believe in destiny, that there’s a meaning in things that happen. Not that you can sit back in a chair and wait what’s coming to you, no, you have to work at it yourself. Try to create something positive out of the negative. You have to fight for things in life that you really want. My aim is to know as much as possible about myself, get to know myself. Know why I’m here. I will have to work my whole life to get there, and still I will never reach it. I will have died before I reach it. No, it’s not idealistic. Everyone should explore that, to live consciously. Be happy with small things. At the moment I’m successful. I’ve achieved everything I dreamed of as a child. I’m a wealthy woman, have money, two fantastic children and great friends. When it comes to big things I have no complains. That’s exactly what makes me return to details. To value small things in a way I never did in the past. It gives me so much more in life. It’s time for awareness. The main advantage of having money, is that it gives me the time to think about other things. In the past I was busy fighting for my existence. Not anymore. I have the time to learn about myself. At the moment that’s the main value in life for me, it makes me happy. Indeed, I’m not lonely like so many people seem to think. I keep saying that, but people don’t listen well enough. Or maybe they think it’s more interesting if I am lonely. In that case, I have to disappoint them. Believe it or not, I’m really very happy. In the sense that I find my existence very satisfying at the moment. The real feeling of happiness is just a small moment, a fleeting thing. It can happen totally unexpected. You can suddenly get this warm feeling, that makes you feel on top of the world. But it can’t be maintained. That’s not necessary either. A short moment is enough, you can live on that for a long time. I know for many people being happy means having a family. I live alone and that’s the reason people assume I’m lonely and unhappy. For me it’s more important to find harmony within myself, and that there are people around me who love me and understand me. That doesn’t have to be a family. I’m not afraid to live my life alone. It’s a fear many people have. A family gives a sense of belonging, something to fall back on that no-one can take away. Unfortunately it often turns out to be an illusion. I don’t have that urge to commit myself, never had it. If it comes, it can be fantastic, but you mustn’t pursue it. I live my own life and it makes me happy. Maybe it has to do with the fact I never had a family-life myself, and had little of that with my children as well. When I divorced my first husband, the children had to stay with him, because I couldn’t go anywhere. When Benny and I were together, it never came to having a family. Of course my children came to visit me, but it was the start of ABBA. The start of a circus that took us all over the world. Lotta and Hans travelled along occasionally, but you couldn’t call it a normal family-life. A family where mother is having dinner ready in the evening, when father comes home from work. I never knew this kind of life, and I don’t think I could live it. My children couldn’t either. No matter how strange life with ABBA was, they did enjoy it. They lived among people who cared about each other, who were friendly and treated them as grown-ups, not as children. It was one big family. Altogether it lasted for 10 years, and none of us would want to have missed it, including Lotta and Hans. We still feel fortunate for having been able to experience it.”