Privé, November 1979: How jogging clears Björn Ulvaeus’ mind

Recently, there were standing ovations for ABBA in Rotterdam during their concert at the ‘Ahoy’. Despite the fact that they have to perform almost every evening during their European tour, the show of the quartet is a dazzling succession of hits. Especially Björn Ulvaeus is tireless. To Privé, he revealed the secret of his remarkable physical and mental fitness: jogging. And he was even willing to show his daily exercise routine. Exclusively for Privé, he ran 25 rounds on the athletics track.

Twelve o’clock sharp, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and I meet in the hall of the hotel. Dressed in a blue jogging suit and shoes of the same colour, a towel around his neck, one of the four ABBAs is walking up to the shiny black Mercedes that’s waiting to take us to the athletics track where Björn, exclusively for Privé, will demonstrate the secret of his fitness: jogging, ten kilometres long.
During the dazzling show that ABBA brings to the stage night after night on their European tour, it was already unmistakable that the 34-year-old Björn is in great physical shape. During the concert, the guitarist of the world famous Swedish foursome is jumping around the stage as if he was a fly. He mounts the stairs, that are part of the stage design, like a hind, just as quickly he gets down from them and then dances across the entire stage again.
For two hours straight, because the ABBAs don’t allow themselves any break during the show. After the show, I asked him directly how he is able to cope with that, night after night.
“When you wait for me at the hotel tomorrow at twelve o’clock, then I will show you how I do it. I will then demonstrate my exercise routine, that I’ve been doing faithfully every day for the past five years and that keeps me fit and slim.”
On our way to the athletics track, we stop for a while in front of a sports store. The chauffeur is being sent out with the mission to buy a stopwatch and a headband (to avoid transpiration getting into the eyes).
When we resume our ride, Björn tells about his exercise programme that he’s been executing faithfully ever since the success at the Eurovision Song Contest. He says: “When we play concerts and stay at hotels, I feel the need to let off some steam. I can’t wait around in some kind of room until we are allowed to get up on stage. That’s why I decided five years ago to really stay in shape. But in an easy way. And that’s jogging. You don’t run really fast, but it isn’t walking either. When you jog, you can clear your mind. You are able to straighten yourself out. From the beginning, I’ve always jogged ten kilometres. I started at an easy pace, later on I went a little faster. And now I jog at the same pace every day. I loose as much bodily fluids as during a concert. When I’ve jogged, I feel completely purified, all the dirt is getting out of my pores and I think it enhances my musical achievement as well. I really feel fulfilled.”

At the entrance of the athletics track, the Swede is being welcomed by the supervisor. With pleasure, Björn lets himself be shown around the catacombs of the stadium. He says to me: “Actually, I don’t think it’s any fun to jog on an athletics track, because then I have to run rounds of 400 metres time and time again. I’d rather have a territory where I can run straight ahead without any turns.”
During his jogging, Björn holds a stopwatch in his hand to keep track of his own time. Twenty-five rounds long, I watch ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus pass me by. He runs a total of ten kilometres in less than an hour. Afterwards, he looks toned but not really tired. He says: “That’s because I’m able to determine my own pace. I know when it gets to much. Then I take some more time for a round and when I feel I’m up to it, I speed up again. That’s the ideal situation for me.”
At my question why not all ABBA-members have an exercise programme like this, hit composer Björn Ulvaeus smiles mildly and says: “For the time being, no one wants to jog with me, but I don’t really mind, as long as I am keeping fit myself.”

Pop Biz, 1979: ABBA Live

Report about the 1979 tour from Dutch magazine Pop Biz.
ABBA is better than ever before. That’s the conclusion of the editorial staff members that followed the popular Swedish quartet close upon their heels during the past few weeks. We saw them in Canada, we talked to them in America and we saw them in Europe. Obviously, we were very curious about the response in America. Has ABBA now conquered this trend-leading pop country?

We see the group in concert for the first time in Anaheim/California, the fifth show since the start of their world tour in Edmonton/Canada. After a show of nearly two hours, in which practically all the hits were being performed, the group, tired but fulfilled, receives a thunderous applause. Despite this, Björn and Benny are not completely satisfied afterwards. Why is that?

Björn: “During the first hour, we were far too strained. Everything went according to plan, but we were paralysed with nerves. The audience doesn’t really notice, but the people from the media do.”
Benny: “Still, I’m satisfied with how the tour is proceeding. The first week is always difficult.”
Then why did they start their tour in America?
Benny: “We’ve talked about this for a long time. Should we start out in Europe to loosen ourselves up or burn loose in America right away. In the end, we went for the second option. We would have been nervous either way.”

The ABBA-ladies are willing to talk, but we are not allowed to take any pictures. They are still marked by fatigue. What did Agnetha think about the response in America?
Agnetha: “Up till now, it’s reasonably good. It’s safe to say that half of the audience consists of fans. But you will have to win the other half over with a good show.”
Was she stricken with nerves as well?
Agnetha: “I was scared to death that I’d loose my voice due to my nerves. America is really important to us. We won’t get a second chance.”

Joepie, 1977: Anna is pregnant

Announcement of Agnetha’s second pregnancy from Belgian magazine Joepie.

Blonde Anna from ABBA is pregnant and expecting a second baby in November. “Anna’s got her head up in the clouds,” is what Björn told us over the phone (it was clear that he couldn’t be more proud). “Actually, we already wanted to have a baby at the beginning of this year, but it took us a lot of effort to persuade Anna to wait a little longer, for the sake of our European tour. She has to take things a little easier, because with Linda, not everything was plain sailing. Although the doctor has assured us that everything is going fine now. The album is now almost finished, which means that Anna is able to relax until November. Her parents will move in with us for a while, to help Anna out...”
And Björn jokingly adds: “We might even give him (or her) a Belgian or Dutch name, because the ‘accident’ must have happened while we paid a visit to your countries...”
One more thing: Anna would love to have another girl, while Björn is counting on a boy.

Joepie, 1977: A brand new hobby for ABBA

Now that Björn and Anna are preparing for the arrival of their second baby, the quartet has time to spare. Time to re-catch their breath, to start exploring forgotten hobbies again, or discover new ones. Like horse riding, for instance.
“A new hobby for Björn, Anna and myself,” Benny smiles under his beard. “But not for Frida. She used to do this when she was still a teenager. But you know how the story goes: your job takes up all of your time, and there isn’t any time left for hobbies. But now that we are more or less forced to take things easier for the sake of Anna, all of a sudden we have time to spare. It was Frida who has pushed us to try some horse riding. All four of us went to a riding school here in Stockholm, and during a couple of days, we took some private lessons with an experienced horseman.”

Only one week later, Björn and Benny would surprise their wives with a highly original gift: four genuine racing horses.
“Yes, that experience turned out better than we thought,” according to Benny. “Now we can trot around at home as much as we want. It’s really pleasant. And relaxing...”

Story, January 1981: ABBA’s Agnetha: “I wanted to be sure of Dick’s love.”

A gossip article from Dutch magazine Story about Agnetha’s relationship with Dick Håkansson.
Agnetha, ABBA’s blonde singer, is going through difficult times. After her divorce from Björn, she kept having problems that seemed to be solved when she fell in love with Dick Håkansson. But after a few weeks, Agnetha found out that she was mistaken...

Never before had the staff of the Metropol hotel in Stockholm seen so many beautiful women together as on that evening. Whence all this female beauty? Dick Håkansson, owner of the exclusive Dots Design boutiques, had organised a fashion show in which his latest collection was being shown. The most famous models presented Dick’s designs to the selected guests. Somewhere among the guests was the, to Dick Håkansson, most beautiful woman: Agnetha Fältskog, the blonde singer from the group ABBA. A few months ago, you’ve been able to read in Story that Dick was Agnetha’s new love. At that time, they were more than happy with each other. Unfortunately, after a few weeks Agnetha discovered that she actually wasn’t ready yet for a new man in her life. After her divorce from Björn, the problems for Agnetha had not been completely solved.

“Obviously, Björn and I didn’t get divorced head over heels,” Agnetha explains. “Until the very end, we’ve tried to give our marriage a chance. Both of us wanted to make the best of it. We even went as far as deciding to have a second child, that could perhaps bring us closer together again. To our regret, we didn’t succeed and after having been married for nine years, we eventually had to cut the knot and we both went our separate ways. But you mustn’t think that all difficulties were over and done with after that. Since we kept working with ABBA, Björn and I still saw each other every day and that didn’t make things easier. Especially in the beginning, I found it very difficult to sing together with Björn as if nothing had happened. To be honest, I got more and more depressed and I even thought about leaving the group. Of course I changed my mind about that, because then I would be disappointing my colleagues as well. Still, I was more and more down-hearted. And at that time, I got to know Dick. He talked to me for days, or rather: he listened to me. I started to see a brighter future. Dick had a little daughter from a previous marriage and she got on perfectly with my children, Linda and Christian. And I felt happy with Dick. After a couple of weeks, he already moved in with us and it seemed as if all problems had been solved.”
For a while, Agnetha stops talking. Thoughtfully, she gazes in the distance, but then continues: “Still, that wasn’t the case. Without giving it too much thought, I had started a new part of my life, while I still hadn’t dealt with the previous part. It all went much too fast. Perhaps you can compare it with starting to read a new book, when you have just finished the previous one. So that you haven’t been able to digest the first one in a proper way.”

“I’ve told this to Dick as well and he understood completely. The situation was different for him. He had been divorced for several years and rarely saw his ex-wife, if ever. I explained to him that I cared a great deal for him and that I probably wouldn’t be able to live without him, but that I didn’t want to start a new life with him until I was really ready for it. Now, I’m telling all this in a businesslike manner, but you can take it from me that I burst into tears, everytime I talked to Dick. He was so sweet and understanding that it caused me a lot of pain to talk to him about my mixed feelings. Another man probably would have said that I’d have to choose and that he’d leave me otherwise, to never return again. Dick’s reaction was completely different. He said that he would go to his own house and that I could reach him day and night. As soon as I had straightened myself out, I had to tell him and then we would start talking again.”
Agnetha grabbed this opportunity with both hands, which left her alone with her two children once again. Still it was completely different from the first time. During rehearsals with the other ABBA-members, she was cheerful and upbeat again and since then, she was able to talk to Björn in a normal way and sing with him as well. Several weeks passed by, which gave Agnetha the opportunity to put things in perspective. She came to the conclusion that Dick had started to mean so much to her that she missed him already.
“And all of a sudden, his invitation for the fashion show was lying on my doormat,” Agnetha continues. “My first reaction was not to go, because I didn’t think it was the most suitable place to talk to Dick. On the other hand, I understood very well that it would be a very important evening for Dick, and that he would love to have the woman he loves by his side. That’s how I walked around for days, not knowing whether to go or not. In the end, I decided to go at the last instant. I thought it would be better to not go on my own. That’s why I brought a girlfriend, who is also Linda and Christian’s nanny, along. As soon as we had entered the big hotel doors, I saw Dick standing in the hall and a few seconds later, he turned around and looked me straight into my eyes. I can’t describe what went through me at that moment, but I had the feeling that a swarm of butterflies was flying through my stomach. He walked up to us straight away and I could see in his eyes how happy he was that I had taken his invitation. Obviously, there wasn’t much time to talk, but we got that opportunity after the show. I still can’t say how our relationship will develop. I’ve taken the first step by going to his show. That has to be a sign for Dick, concerning how I think about our future. I will now leave the rest up to him...”

Bravo, May 1978: ABBA Star-Album

ABBA: their profiles, their autographs.

Björn Ulvaeus was born in Göteborg on April 25, 1945.
Heigth: 1,76 metres – Hair: blonde – Eyes: blue.
Björn has been married to Anna since July 6, 1971.

Anna was born as Agnetha Fältskog in Jönköping on April 5, 1950.
Heigth: 1,72 metres – Hair: blonde – Eyes: blue.
Together with Björn, Anna has a daughter Linda and a son Peter Christian.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad was born in Eskilstuna, Norway on November 15, 1945.
Heigth: 1,72 metres – Hair: brown – Eyes: green-brown.
Anni-Frid has been living together with Benny since 1970. Two children from a previous marriage.

Benny Andersson was born in Stockholm on December 16, 1946.
Heigth: 1,80 metres – Hair: blonde – Eyes: blue.
Two children from a previous relationship.

ABBA: a look into their family and career album. Important photographs from Anna, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid’s lives.

1952: Benny got an accordion when he was six years old.

1963: Together with friends, Björn (second from left) starts the group the Hootenanny Singers. Until 1969, they are one of the most successful groups in Sweden. They sang folk songs and schlagers.

1971: Björn and Anna get married on July 6. They had known each other for two years.

1968: Anni-Frid records songs with Lars Berghagen; but she’s making a name for herself as a solo singer as well.

1968: Anna is working on a solo career. Until the autumn of 1975, she has released records under her maiden name Agnetha Fältskog.

1970: Anni-Frid and Benny move in together. From her first marriage to Ragnar Fredriksson, she has a son Hans and a daughter Liselotte.

1974: On April 6, ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with ‘Waterloo’. Their career takes flight.

1975: ABBA performs on their first own television show in Germany on Musikladen in Bremen. It turns them into eternal superstars with us as well.

1977: ABBA films the movie ‘ABBA’ in Australia. Here a dream scene with Anna and Anni-Frid with the persistent disc-jockey.

1977: During their last German tour in January 1977, Anna and Anni-Frid present themselves in skin-tight outfits and they are wearing wigs.

1977: In December, Björn and Anna have a son, Peter Christian.

1978: Exclusively for Bravo, ABBA let themselves be photographed all day long.

1978: A Bravo-reader presents them with the Bronze Otto 77. It is their third. In 1974, they achieved Silver.

Hitkrant, October 1977: ABBA’s quiet guy - Music is in Benny’s blood!

Benny in the limelight for a change. A cover and an article from Dutch magazine Hitkrant, October 1977.
Every member of ABBA has something that makes him or her stand out. With Benny Andersson, it’s not always that obvious. After all, he is a quiet and rather inconspicuous young man. But Benny has a secret weapon and his life partner Anni-Frid reveals what it is: “Benny is the ideal man, because he has so much charm and a sense of humour. That’s why every woman is falling for him.”

Benny looks a little reserved on hearing these words, but he still confirms: “Yes, that’s actually true. During the period that I was playing with the Hep Stars, I could indeed get as many girls as I wanted; at the time, I thought that was awesome. But now, Anni-Frid can get as many men as she wants to. We’re even!!”

Benny was born in Stockholm on December 16, 1946 and he actually listened to music already from his cradle: his parents made music and his grandfather taught him the basic principles. When he was six years old, he got his first accordion When he was seven, he already started performing together with his parents. Actually, he never had any real music lessons, but music is in Benny’s blood!

Until he turned seventeen, he kept performing together with his parents and in the meantime he had met Christina Grönvall, a girl that he fell hopelessly in love with. When Benny was fifteen years old, the couple got engaged. But their marriage deteriorated later on. It was dissolved and the two children, Helen and Peter, stayed with Christina.

When Benny was playing with the group Elverkets Spelmanslag, the then fairly well-known band the Hep Stars came to see them one evening. Coincidentally, the Stars were looking for a keyboard player and in 1964, Benny joined the group. That’s when everything started: the Swedish media tagged them as the Swedish Beatles. They achieved their major breakthrough with a song called ‘Cadillac’: the Hep Stars were famous.
But financially, everything was one big mess: paying taxes, no one had ever heard of such a thing. It has been very difficult for a couple of years and also during the ABBA-period Benny has had to bend over backwards to pay off all kinds of back debts, all the more because Benny attributes very little value to money and easily gives away hundreds of Dutch guilders when he thinks that someone needs it. Stig Anderson hasn’t been able to completely break this habit.

The rest is history: in 1966, Benny met his later ABBA-partner Björn and with that, the foundation was laid for one of the most famous pop groups that music has ever known. This leaves Benny rather unaffected, a friendly young man who prefers to spend his time sitting on his island and composing. But who still has his secret weapon!