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Comments
Such great songwriters. Not many bands have such a quality back catalogue.
I think they just kept getting better the older they got. The visitors is still my favourite Abba album.
This blows my mind. I can't wait for the live concert. Amazing!
Interesting that for the first single they didn't opt for a "3 min 30 sec super catchy/hooky" track, the classic 1970s style ABBA track (do "singles" even exist anymore?).
Instead they have released a 5:20 slow build 75BPM song.
But they do sound quite like a natural extension from the last album "The Visitors".
Obviously they have thought about it quite a bit... :-)
As I get older, the more in awe I am of the immense skill that’s required to write songs that can be belted out by huge crowds of people. More power to them. I used to fantasise about being in that helicopter from Arrival.
I’m a little skeptical, though, of the virtual live show. I’m sure they put the time into the motion capture, but the combination of that still-evident uncanny valley brought out by facial complexity, ray tracing skin translucency, etc AND the awkward mapping of Anni-Frid in her 70s onto Anni-Frid FROM the ‘70s… I dunno.
Yup, this is so cool. There are some bands that really made a mark in music history and ABBA is no question about it one of those bands. Embarking on this digital journey they take for example Kraftwerk’s vision one step further, by not just using robots, they use themselves.
Agneta, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid not just made immortal musical masterpieces, now they made themselves immortal. And they seem so relaxed and happy about it as if they were out buying milk…😊.
/DMfan🇸🇪
I don’t know who said it, but there’s a quote about ABBA that I’ve always thought probably has a lot of truth to it.
“There are two kinds of people: those who like ABBA, and those who pretend to not like ABBA because it’s fashionable to not like them.”
A few things that stand out to me in their songwriting:
The choruses are often very long and broken up into different sections with different melodies. Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen are prime examples of this. I think this is in part what makes the songs so catchy and memorable: the melodies are varied and interesting.
The arrangements are rock solid and not a second is ever wasted. You never get boring moments in an ABBA song. There are often lots of little musical motifs thrown in for a couple of bars between vocals, and these are usually very catchy in themselves. The guitar line after the chorus in Knowing Me Knowing You for example, or the varied musical licks at the end of the verse lines in Dancing Queen, with a different call-and-response on each line.
Remarkably good lyrics for writers working in a second language.
I find it really surprising that no-one has ever really managed to copy their songwriting tricks since then, with the dense and disparate musical elements and the long flowing choruses, but it goes to show what good writers they were.
I've always marvelled at "Dancing Queen" and loved listening to it on headphones.
There are 1,001 things going on in that single and the mix is perfect - you can hear every little riff, motif and vocalisation in the arrangement. It really is a perfect pop record.
And then there's the costumes...
I'm also a big fan of their songwriting. Usually I'm not a fan of pop music and ABBA are some of the few that really achieved what I would say is the holy grail of good pop music and many failed terribly in reaching that. That is: creating easy listening songs with catchy melodies while being very musical with interesting chord progressions and key changes, rhythmical complex but still easy to dance to, having a signature style that everyone instantly recognizes after a few notes. ABBA hast it all.
Swedes, correct me if I'm wrong, but in my observation Swedes or Scandinavians in general virtually grow up with English as a second language. Their native languages are close to English and movies and TV shows are never dubbed (like in Germany). Also culturally Scandinavians feel more close to Britain, looking more at London than Berlin or Paris.
This is so true. "Back when songs were written by musicians, not programmed by committees" , somehow people put more substance in them. My favourite example is How deep is your love by the Bee Gees. Like the ABBA hits you mentioned, Richard, it's amazingly rich in musical content. Today's producers would make a whole album out of what was poured into that one song.
I guess it's a bit like walking around in a random European city and marvelling at how careful and detailed the architecture of even simple, run-of-the-mill residential houses were up to quite recently, compared to the stuff we build today. Which doesn't mean today's stuff is bad, just that those were definitely different times.
Anyone know how much the ticket will cost?
You are putting it rather grimly.
I think it all depends on how much sovereignty an artist has over their music. Be it a number one pop star or more left wing entity, there is always a spectrum and a degree of resistance to the ‘maximise revenue at all cost’ capitalist approach.
In the case of ABBA I suspect it was just one prolific writer that had stuff pouring out of him. Using the feedback loop where whatever you’ve just thought of inspires the next bit etc. I don’t know how they did it but it’s a state of flux that is possible even to the common mortals like us. I’m digressing.
There’s always been tension between the record company executives and recording artists, ever since selling records was a thing. In fact, very likely even before people would make albums, the single was the thing that had to carry all the energy. Bringing the necessity to bend art to put bread on the table.
I’d put it this way: there are prolific artists with integrity and those who choose the $$$.
Not much has changed as far as I’m concerned.
As for ABBA, great band, definitely appeals to my cheesy side. I sing their songs almost every day in music therapy sessions!! 😬
Wait...I don't dare to play the video yet, but are you saying that ABBA, the band, is alive and just had a new album? Seriously? If so, wow! I certainly live in a cave and have never heard anything about this until now...
Yeah the Beegees were also terrific songwriters, and they also wrote stuff for other artists (Islands In The Stream being a favourite).
ABBA are in a league of their own though IMO. Up there with McCartney/Lennon and Bob Dylan.
Oh! No word, speechless!
Completely agree with both of you here. It's been a fashion, unfortunately, to look down on the 70s pop music. To that I say "Try it. Go back to the 70s and try to write great pop hits." 99% of those people would fail the test. It's not about complexity but great musicianship.
my friend worked on this!! not sure what her exact role was, some sort of production coordinator or something. so rad! long live ABBA!!
I don't disagree with what you say (except this last sentence), but I feel like we're talking about different things. To my point, can you name a few current hit pop songs that have "multiple tunes" within one song, each worthwhile on its own, along the lines of the songs Richard and I mentioned? I'm not saying there aren't any, or that the old ones were "better" than a one-tune, no-key-change effort from last month - I do realise it's all subjective. I'm just saying the way these songs were put together is different, and there isn't much like them being produced today.
Tbh I don’t listen to pop music at all other than what my 11 y o plays to me. It’s mostly garbage but there are a few notable exceptions from mark ronson, willAm, Farrell williams, Bruno Mars, etc.
It’s the same when I look at the 60’s and 70’s music. There are a few notable exceptions that stood the test of time but mostly they were copy cats jumping on whatever band wagon was going in that era.
I know where you coming from and I’m more like devil’s advocate here. I could very easily find myself saying exactly what you’re saying but on reflection I’m still thinking that there is good pop music out there.
Please tell me this is sarcasm.
Not at all, as well you know. Let us end this at: we’re all different and see and look for different things in music.
I didn't well know - honestly.
I thought you were being sarcastic as those 2 decades had so many changes in musical styles and are generally defined as a blossoming of popular music.
But yes, we all have different views. That is obvious.
Again, we agree. Also, playing the devil's advocate is fine, everyone agreeing with everyone all the time would be unbearably boring and static.
I have a dream that we all just say thank you for the music instead of being under attack? When all is said and done we can behave the way old friends do. Mamma mia, gimme gimme gimme a synth after midnight so me and my dancing queen can have our last summer.
😁
OK so I got 4 tickets (main arena standing) to see a virtual gig - maybe I'm just a sad old git but I'm looking forward to it. On another note I went to see Martin Ware & Heaven 17 do the 1st two Human League albums live (Reproduction / Travelogue) at The Roundhouse on Sunday night & it was ace! Went & drooled over the complete Roland System 100 modular that was used live (along with JP4, Korg 700 etc.) so perhaps that redeems me a bit!!
Haha, not taking part in the debate but just have a look at this excellent video from Rick Beato, dealing with how good pop music was before, compared to today's standards.
Theres no question that nobody can or wants to do pop music like they used to. People aren’t gonna go through that painstaking—spending weeks or sometimes months on getting one song right—effort to pack things to the brim (not to mention exercise the musicianship), to exhaust all their creativity on one song and then do it 9 more times. Popular music just isn’t valued as much anymore. It’s as disposable as some middle-of-the road comic book.
But, there are still a few things today that approach that pure ecstasy and inspire that same sugar rush feeling despite a lack of obsessive attention toward detail and whip-smart musicianship. The Swedes remain the leaders at it, for obvious reason. But multi-part choruses are too much to ask for. It’s hard enough to get a prechorus/postchorus out of pop music these days. Hell, it’s hard enough just to get more than a hook repeated 4 times.
That's a very interesting point you're making.
Anyone know how the ABBA song went? Did it go straight to the top of the Top 40 or whatever people use these days to measure streaming sales?