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LAUGHTER
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RADIO HOST: Do you have any stories
of what was happening?
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Wait a minute, though. Before that,
there was something else.
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There was an international award.
What was that?
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Er... The Eurovision Song Contest?
Is that what you mean? In '74?
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Tell me that story.
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It's... Is the tape running now?
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Yeah. Yeah?
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Welcome to the 19th
Eurovision Song Contest,
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being transmitted to no less
than 32 countries.
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Here we have those two guys,
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who have this burning ambition
to write songs...
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I'm Bjorn. I'm Frida.
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Benny. I'm Agnetha.
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..and then one of them falls in love
with a beautiful blonde
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00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,120
who happens to be
the most fantastic singer,
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00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,640
and then the other one falls in love
with a redhead -
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beautiful as well
and a fantastic singer!
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00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:11,320
Eurovision, we were mainly in it
to show ourselves, to show people
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that there is a band up
in Sweden, in Stockholm,
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that can write pop music.
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Eurovision Song Contest,
it has a very, very big audience,
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probably between 500
and 600 million viewers.
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We had funny costumes...
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They were tight.
They were really tight.
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..and we had a song that wasn't
the usual Eurovision stuff.
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APPLAUSE
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HOST: Oh, and it's Napoleon!
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No wonder their song
is called Waterloo!
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I don't think any one of us thought
that we would win the competition.
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Benny might have had a feeling.
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Well, I bet 100 quid on it.
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HE LAUGHS
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Good odds. 40 to 1.
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THEY LAUGH
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Really entered into the spirit
of it all, dressed as Napoleon.
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00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:03,800
For me, that was really,
really scary.
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Waiting for Waterloo by ABBA,
for Sweden.
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Watch this one.
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# My, my
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00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,680
# At Waterloo
Napoleon did surrender
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# Oh, yeah
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00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:28,840
# And I have met my destiny
in quite a similar way
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# The history book on the shelf... #
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Here are the results of
the Finnish jury -
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Sweden, 5 votes.
Cinq votes!
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# Couldn't escape if I wanted to
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# Waterloo
Knowing my fate is to be with you
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00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:50,600
# Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo... #
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00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,680
Oslo.
Sweden, 2 votes.
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00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,800
Sweden, 3 votes.
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# My, my
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# I tried to hold you back
but you were stronger
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00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:08,320
# Oh, yeah... #
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00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:12,200
Sweden, 5 votes.
Sweden's way in the lead.
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Sweden, they've never won it,
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but they've surely got to be up
amongst the reckoning with that one.
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00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:17,840
There's no doubt about it,
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the winning song of
the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest,
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00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,120
Waterloo, chante par ABBA!
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That was a great moment, really.
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00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,120
But it was a strange feeling.
I didn't expect to win.
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"Wow! OK, we've achieved this.
Now we need to start working."
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MUSIC: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
by ABBA
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SONG CONTINUES IN BACKGROUND
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SONG STOPS
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00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,200
Waterloo, the song that won last
Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest
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00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:28,400
by a mile.
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00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,000
Sung by the Swedish group ABBA,
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00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,960
Waterloo looks like being
a really big seller
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00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,480
and making a chart entry
from nowhere next week.
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00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,720
What plans have you
got ahead of you now?
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00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,680
What about conquering
foreign markets?
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00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:44,920
The dream is the United States,
of course -
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00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:46,560
if we conquer the British market,
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00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,920
because that's the first thing,
really.
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00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,040
A little-known fact, perhaps,
is that the two of you are married.
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00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:53,480
Yes, we are.
AGNETHA: Yeah, we are.
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00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,440
Do the fans get jealous?
I don't think so. No.
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00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:58,080
You don't feel that
you're literally
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00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:01,000
living in each other's pockets?
No. Sometimes.
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00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,920
I don't. Disagreement in the ranks!
LAUGHTER
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00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:07,640
The first time I met them,
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00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:12,080
I was just struck by how genuine
and normal they were.
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00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,880
They were a close-knit team,
you know?
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00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,200
And Bjorn and Agnetha,
they were like one.
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00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:02,520
Take it away, ABBA!
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00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:02,520
APPLAUSE
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00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:03,880
# My, my
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00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,880
# At Waterloo,
Napoleon did surrender... #
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00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:22,600
# At Waterloo,
Napoleon did surrender... #
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00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:24,160
..ABBA!
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00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:29,960
# Bin ich verliebt bis uber beide
Ohren und ich will... #
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00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:42,200
# Is always repeating itself
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00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:43,480
# Waterloo... #
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00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,200
ABBA were seen as total outsiders.
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00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,840
And, you know, the UK press
could be mercenary.
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00:07:07,840 --> 00:07:10,000
A lot of them seemed to turn
on the band.
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00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:11,720
You know, "It's a damp squib.
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00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,160
"It's going to end.
Tacky, plastic."
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00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,520
# I was sitting by the phone
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00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,200
# I was waiting all alone... #
103
00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,080
On first seeing ABBA,
you know, I must admit,
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00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:28,040
I wasn't sold on the fashion
at the time.
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00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:30,080
I found it a little bit cringey,
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00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,600
seeing the outfits
that they all wore,
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00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,320
and I think the outfits
were the contributor
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00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:37,960
that made them look
a little bit cheesy.
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00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,960
# Please forgive and then forget
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# Or maybe, darling, better yet
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00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:46,200
# Oh, ring, ring... #
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00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:47,400
We weren't taken seriously,
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00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,960
I think because we were wearing
such strange clothes.
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00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:54,400
We thought we had to be
more outrageous than anyone else
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00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,680
to be seen. And then we thought
it was great fun, too.
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00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,800
It was never any plan that,
"This is going to be our image,
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00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:03,120
"the kitsch."
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00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:06,640
We've really suffered for that.
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00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:29,080
The first Swedish reporter who
came to us with a mic, he said...
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00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,640
It was kind of a different
mass media climate
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00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,240
in Sweden at that time.
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00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:54,560
We were not popular.
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00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,240
In the beginning of my life
in Sweden,
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00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:03,680
when I was working at the
Swedish Broadcasting Corporation,
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00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:09,480
my co-workers, they felt
ABBA was too commercial,
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00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,920
not talking about what was happening
in the world.
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00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:18,880
We were "the upset generation".
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00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:21,720
We were upset about
the apartheid system,
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00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:26,320
we were upset about
the military coups in Latin America.
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00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,560
ARCHIVE: Chile today joined the list
of South American countries
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00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:31,680
to fall under military rule.
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00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:36,440
20,000 people disappeared
in Argentina.
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00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,280
We were upset about the wars
in Southeast Asia.
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00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,120
And we were upset
that ABBA weren't upset.
135
00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,160
There was a kind of
progressive movement
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00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,080
that looked upon ABBA
as anti-Christ.
137
00:09:57,520 --> 00:09:59,280
I first heard an ABBA record
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00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,400
because my boyfriend at that time
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00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,720
was playing guitar with ABBA.
140
00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,640
You know, he was sitting home
in our apartment,
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00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:13,320
trying out some new riffs,
so I heard the songs in many ways.
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00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:22,400
I didn't particularly listen to ABBA
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00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,000
because I was listening
to Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd
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00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,400
and the Stones and bands like that.
145
00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:56,360
Everyone thought ABBA
was just a manager who decides,
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00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:01,160
"Let's take two-good looking women,
two skilled musicians,
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00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:05,440
"put them together and make a group
that will make hits."
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00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:09,160
You know, just doing this
for the money.
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00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,080
What happens to you when you win
that contest is, if you win it,
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00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,040
you're a contest winner
and that's what you are.
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00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:35,760
I mean, everybody who ever wins it,
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00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,640
they're kind of a one-shot.
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It took us some time in Europe
to get rid of that mark.
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00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:44,920
MUSIC: SOS
by ABBA
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00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:51,200
After Waterloo,
we were trying to find our identity.
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00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:53,720
INDISTINCT STUDIO CONVERSATION
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00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:58,280
Were we a rock group or a pop group
or something in between?
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00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:26,280
Hep!
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00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:26,280
APPLAUSE
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00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,880
INTERVIEWER: How did you meet Bjorn?
Well, we met on the road, actually.
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00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,520
I was in the Hep Stars
and he was playing in a folk group.
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00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:38,760
The Hootenanny Singers?
The Hootenanny Singers, yes.
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00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:42,160
And we, just by coincidence, met
the day before he was going to do
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00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:43,600
his military services.
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00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,680
Did you do your military services?
Certainly, I did!
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00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:49,040
I shall stand up and salute, sir!
LAUGHTER
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# People need hope
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00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,000
# People need lovin'
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00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,080
# People need trust
from a fellow man
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00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,400
# People need love
to make a good livin'
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00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,120
# People need faith
in a helping hand... #
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00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,240
Er, Anna and Frida,
how did you meet Bjorn and Benny?
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00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:23,520
By that time, Frida and I
were working as
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00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:26,000
solo artists in Sweden,
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00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,160
and we had a lot of success.
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00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,160
SHE LAUGHS
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00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:33,480
I met Benny first of all in 1969,
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00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,120
and I fell madly in love with him.
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00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:53,600
I remember hearing
Agnetha's first single on the radio.
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00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,320
I was so in love.
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00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,320
HE LAUGHS
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00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,040
Fantastic, the way we sort of
came together.
183
00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,680
Who amongst the four of you
has the final say
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00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,160
in which track will make a single?
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00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,200
AGNETHA: Frida and I do.
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00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,200
LAUGHTER
187
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,600
MUSIC: Mamma Mia
by ABBA
188
00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:37,320
Mostly, we were standing in
the studio right across each other
189
00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,400
and...just singing.
190
00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:44,920
# I've been cheated by you
since I don't know when... #
191
00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,400
There was so much singing.
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00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,160
# So I made up my mind
It must come to an end... #
193
00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,560
But for me, it was not working,
it was just fun.
194
00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:56,640
# Look at me now
195
00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,040
# Will I ever learn?
196
00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:00,240
# I don't know how
197
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:03,680
# But I suddenly lose control
198
00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:07,680
# There's a fire within my soul
199
00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:08,960
# Just one look
200
00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,040
# And I can hear a bell ring
201
00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:12,360
# One more look
202
00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,200
# And I forget everything... #
203
00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,400
# Mamma mia, does it show again?
204
00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,440
# My, my
How can I resist you? #
205
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,440
When they were singing together,
doing all the harmonies,
206
00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:36,840
that sound, I can remember
4,000 metres distance.
207
00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,440
# Yes, I've been broken-hearted
208
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,880
# Blue since the day we parted
209
00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:45,160
# Why, why
210
00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,440
# Did I ever let you go? #
211
00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:50,200
Even if they sing very sad songs,
212
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,760
together, they sound
somehow jubilant.
213
00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,000
With Mamma Mia, we found,
"We're a pop group."
214
00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,840
We found our identity.
215
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:06,080
# Bye-bye
216
00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:08,280
# Leave me now or never
217
00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:09,920
# Mamma mia
218
00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:11,880
# It's a game we play
219
00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:14,200
# Bye-bye doesn't mean forever... #
220
00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,080
# Yes, I've been broken-hearted
221
00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,480
# Blue since the day we parted... #
222
00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:30,320
MUSIC FADES
223
00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:38,720
In Sweden, there was
224
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,880
almost a huge campaign against ABBA
during that time.
225
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:47,480
You couldn't be open
about liking ABBA.
226
00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,120
And we even had to hide the records.
227
00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:58,920
Sweden was supposed to host
the Eurovision Song Contest in '75.
228
00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,560
There was a discussion in Swedish
television about not taking part
229
00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,040
in this Eurovision Song Contest,
230
00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:08,960
but the rules was that
Sweden had won,
231
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:13,800
Sweden was obliged to host
the final in '75.
232
00:17:16,360 --> 00:17:19,080
There were protests.
233
00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:21,800
People were marching in the streets.
234
00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,040
"Stop the music festival."
235
00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:28,400
Swedish television even broadcast
236
00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,360
an alternative to Eurovision
237
00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:33,920
with a satirical song
that ridiculed ABBA.
238
00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,720
Many people think
that there is a formula
239
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:16,320
or there is a calculation behind...
It's not.
240
00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,240
It's just merely that Bjorn and I
write the music that we enjoy most.
241
00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,240
THEY SING: # There was
something in the air that night... #
242
00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:45,640
Hello, I'm Johnny Farnham
and this is Countdown...
243
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:50,320
Countdown was a huge television
pop show in Australia.
244
00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,760
They brought ABBA out
and it just blew this country apart.
245
00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,080
# There was something in the air
that night
246
00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,240
# The stars were bright
247
00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:01,680
# Fernando... #
248
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,080
They played them like mad
249
00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,880
and made them gigantic hits.
250
00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:11,160
# For liberty, Fernando
251
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:14,720
# Though we never thought
that we could lose
252
00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:16,240
# There's no regret... #
253
00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,440
Just kept getting bigger
and bigger and bigger.
254
00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:22,760
There was a song
every fucking two weeks!
255
00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:24,640
They were all over TV.
256
00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:26,240
Hello, I'm Bjorn.
257
00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,000
Hello, I'm Agnetha.
258
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:29,880
Hello, I'm Frida.
259
00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:31,680
And I'm Benny.
260
00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:36,080
From '75 to '76, ABBA songs
were number one in Australia
261
00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,240
for 42 weeks!
262
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:39,840
Nobody could ignore that.
263
00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:46,840
We had a meeting
with Peter Robinson,
264
00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,080
the head of UK
and international A&R.
265
00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:53,440
He'd just literally got in
some demos from Sweden.
266
00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:56,400
MUSIC: Knowing Me, Knowing You
by ABBA
267
00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:58,280
And there were a selection
of tracks,
268
00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,040
but the one that stood out
was Knowing Me, Knowing You.
269
00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:09,240
# No more carefree laughter... #
270
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:10,760
He just sat there and he went,
271
00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,240
"Ooh! Yeah, that's got to be
the next track."
272
00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:15,520
You know, you get that feel.
273
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,520
With that, they were now on a flow.
It was working.
274
00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:23,560
# Walking through an empty house,
tears in my eyes... #
275
00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:28,000
Judd Lander, he could not ignore
what was happening in Australia,
276
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,600
which was phenomenal.
277
00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,120
# Knowing me, knowing you
278
00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:34,640
# Aha... #
279
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:36,360
When I first heard
Knowing Me, Knowing You,
280
00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:38,560
I just thought, "Oh, my God,
this is a number one.
281
00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:39,720
"I can't believe it."
282
00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:43,160
And you just wanted to rush out
into the street and tell everybody,
283
00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:45,720
"I've just heard a future
number one!"
284
00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:47,800
# This time, we're through
We're really through
285
00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,600
# Breaking up is never easy
I know... #
286
00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:52,600
From that moment on, I just thought,
287
00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,400
"Well, I'm listening to
every track they make."
288
00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:57,480
# Knowing me, knowing you
289
00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,960
# It's the best I can do... #
290
00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:02,760
You like travelling?
291
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:04,560
Car, yes.
292
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:04,560
THEY LAUGH
293
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,600
She's very shaky about flying.
Yeah. I don't like it.
294
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:09,760
You're the happy couple. Now...
No, we are.
295
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:11,880
THEY LAUGH
296
00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:13,560
We are just engaged, you know...
You're engaged?
297
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:14,920
Congratulations. ..so that's why.
298
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:18,040
# Walking through an empty house
299
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:19,920
# Tears in my eyes
300
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,400
# Here is where the story ends
301
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:31,360
# This is goodbye... #
302
00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:35,120
After that success, did you find
that the press warmed towards you?
303
00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:37,520
They had been a little cool,
putting you down...
304
00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,240
No, not really.
They still thought that it was,
305
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,640
you know, this
commercial hit machine.
306
00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:45,640
They still do, no? They still do.
Some of them do, yeah.
307
00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:47,320
The audience that buys the record,
308
00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:50,680
I mean, it's like telling them
that they're not mature enough,
309
00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,800
that they don't know
what they're buying
310
00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,600
and they're buying something coming
out of a calculated hit machine.
311
00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,360
I think that's terrible.
312
00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:01,560
Benny and Bjorn, in England,
313
00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:06,120
your lyrics have sometimes
been called simple and naive.
314
00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:08,040
Do you not have some ambition,
the two of you,
315
00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:12,480
to perhaps put more profundity, more
depth into your lyrics sometimes?
316
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,320
Yes... Well, yes, very much so.
317
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:18,080
And if you listen to
the recent lyrics,
318
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:20,880
they're, you know, somewhat
different from the ones before.
319
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,360
But it seems that
everybody's decided anyway
320
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:28,560
that they are simple and naive
and nobody bothers to listen.
321
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,280
MUSIC: Dancing Queen
by ABBA
322
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:36,200
But they didn't veer off.
323
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,720
Regardless of the critics,
they managed to come back up,
324
00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:45,120
bringing it all together
into a 3.5-minute killer track.
325
00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,760
# Baby, baby, you're out of sight
326
00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:53,360
# Hey, you're lookin'
all right tonight
327
00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:57,080
# When you come to the party
328
00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:58,760
# Listen to the guys
329
00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,280
# They got the look
in their eyes... #
330
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:06,880
We never give up
until we're satisfied
331
00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:09,040
and we think, "This is
as good as we can do it."
332
00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:11,680
# Leave them burning
and then you're gone... #
333
00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,280
When we recorded Dancing Queen,
both Frida and I,
334
00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,680
we had those goose bumps.
335
00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:19,480
I remember recording that,
336
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,840
I really felt something
very strongly for it, you know?
337
00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,520
# And when you get the chance
338
00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:30,320
# You are the dancing queen
339
00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:31,840
# Young and sweet
340
00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:37,480
# Only 17
341
00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,760
# Dancing queen
342
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:44,160
# Feel the beat from the tambourine
343
00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:45,480
# Oh, yeah... #
344
00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:46,640
SONG FADES
345
00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:49,720
THEY PLAY "JINGLE BELLS"
346
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,200
Why do you think they are that big
around the world?
347
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:15,560
OK, I'll do that now.
No, I'm asking...
348
00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:16,960
Why...?
LAUGHS: Why do I think?
349
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,200
Yes! I think it's because
they're the only group
350
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:21,480
that's actually giving the world
351
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,200
good commercial pop music
352
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:24,920
that means 1976,
353
00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:26,680
because all the other commercial pop
354
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,400
goes back to 1975 or '74 or '73.
355
00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:30,920
It's too old.
356
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,120
These guys and the girls
are really modern,
357
00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:34,600
and yet they're commercial as well.
358
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,240
Just how big are they
in Great Britain, for example?
359
00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,400
Very big. About THE biggest
commercial band there.
360
00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,880
Erm, how much of a strain is that?
361
00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:51,480
Meaning that you're working...
Yeah. ..you're living together.
362
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:57,840
I'd say...my personal feelings
is that there's no strain at all.
363
00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,160
Mm-hm? It's...
It's rather the opposite.
364
00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:04,200
Mm-hm? It's an advantage
and a privilege to work together
365
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,720
with somebody...
The one you enjoy most in life.
366
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,320
Mm-hm. Mm-hm.
367
00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:14,080
But, of course, sometimes
you come into situations where
368
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:18,040
having to be together all the time
can create problems.
369
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,360
You know, as the band's success
grew, you know, the focus was always
370
00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:25,360
on the girls,
on Agnetha and Frida,
371
00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:28,080
and the guys were there
as the musicians,
372
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:32,440
and they were seen as a backdrop
more than front-of-house.
373
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,760
All the producers wanted
were the girls.
374
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:42,920
But trying to get the band over,
along with Agnetha,
375
00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:46,080
who didn't really want to leave
her daughter in Sweden,
376
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,480
it was a major, major problem.
377
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:52,040
That was a difficult time for me.
378
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:55,240
We got our daughter 'in 73,
379
00:25:55,240 --> 00:26:00,360
so she was just one year old
when we won in Brighton.
380
00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:02,960
So, everything happened
at the same time.
381
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,560
But that often is like that,
I think,
382
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,760
that you start your career
at the same time
383
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,280
you want to be a mother.
384
00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,480
When we did Waterloo in Brighton,
385
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:19,280
we were away for, I think,
a fortnight or three weeks.
386
00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:23,600
And when we came back, our daughter,
she didn't recognise us.
387
00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:28,040
That was a tough experience.
388
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:31,680
That was horrible. She was so small.
389
00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:35,960
Do you find there are conflicts
between being a mother
390
00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:39,280
and being a pop star?
I think so, really.
391
00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:43,400
It's hard work and
you always get to bed conscious,
392
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,840
"She wants me
and ABBA wants me
393
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,240
"and it's very hard to do it all."
394
00:26:55,840 --> 00:27:00,240
The Polish TV Studio 2
special flight on Polish Airlines
395
00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,080
is ready for boarding.
396
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,400
The special flight expects
the special guests,
397
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,080
the pop music group ABBA.
398
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,760
The Polish Television offered
Stig Anderson and ABBA
399
00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:15,720
to come to Warszawa
for a TV special.
400
00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,360
They were huge in Eastern Europe.
401
00:27:21,360 --> 00:27:24,360
ABBA cut through the Iron Curtain.
402
00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:26,040
CORK POPS, THEY CHEER
403
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:32,360
It's very difficult to get paid
from an Eastern Bloc country
404
00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:35,720
because their currency
is basically worthless.
405
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,960
Stig Anderson, who was quite clever,
he made a deal and he said,
406
00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,560
"OK, we'll do this free of charge.
407
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:45,280
"But what you're going to do
in return
408
00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:49,760
"is make a media event out of it,
and everyone wins."
409
00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:53,200
What does the word ABBA mean?
It's very simple.
410
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:59,160
ABBA is the initials of our first
name, and my name is Anni-Frid.
411
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:00,720
And I'm B - Benny.
412
00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:05,440
And I'm the other B - Bjorn.
413
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:07,960
And my wife is Agnetha.
414
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,080
She's actually in Warsaw already.
415
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:12,840
You see, when we fly,
416
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:16,000
because we have a daughter of
three and a half years old,
417
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,840
we try to fly separately
when we can.
418
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:23,960
# Where are those happy days?
419
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,640
# They seem so hard to find
420
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:29,960
# I try to reach for you
421
00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,560
# But you have closed your mind... #
422
00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:36,920
I've been flying now for...very much
around the world,
423
00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:39,080
and I've never liked it.
424
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,160
And now I'm very, very scared of it.
425
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,000
# It used to be so nice
426
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,200
# It used to be so good... #
427
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:51,880
I'm sure other parents as well
would resonate the same way.
428
00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,200
Both parents flying together -
429
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,920
"What if, what if?"
430
00:28:57,920 --> 00:28:59,520
# So when you're near me
431
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,600
# Darling, can't you hear me?
432
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:03,080
# SOS
433
00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:07,360
# The love you gave me
434
00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:09,360
# Nothing else can save me
435
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:10,920
# SOS
436
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:14,840
# When you're gone
437
00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,960
# How can I even try to go on?
438
00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:22,120
# When you're gone
439
00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,640
# Though I try
How can I carry on? #
440
00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:32,080
It was my first visit
to Eastern Europe,
441
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:39,440
and you could see everything
was a bit more worn, a bit grey.
442
00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:42,560
ABBA, it was a big riot.
443
00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:44,320
It was a big thing.
444
00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:50,320
GONG RINGS
445
00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:57,480
# I work all night, I work all day
to pay the bills I have to pay
446
00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:00,320
# Ain't it sad?
447
00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:02,600
# And still there never seems to be
448
00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:05,440
# A single penny left for me
449
00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:07,560
# That's too bad... #
450
00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:12,800
Stig Anderson and his will to become
this big music industry mogul
451
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,840
clashed against
the "Stay where you are
452
00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:20,320
"and don't get ahead of yourself
too much" attitude in Sweden.
453
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:24,560
So, because they were so closely
tied to Stig Anderson,
454
00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:28,080
when people were criticising Stig
for just thinking about the money,
455
00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,520
that sort of rubbed off
on their image as well.
456
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,120
# Ain't it sad? #
457
00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,200
So that was a struggle for them.
458
00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:37,240
# So I must leave
459
00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:39,720
# I'll have to go
460
00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:43,200
# To Las Vegas or Monaco
461
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,240
# And win a fortune in a game
462
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,600
# My life will never be the same
463
00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:52,040
# Money, money, money
464
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,160
# Must be funny
465
00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,360
# In the rich man's world
466
00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,320
# Money, money, money... #
467
00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:01,440
Are ABBA into
the millionaire bracket?
468
00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,600
Well, you can't be that...
When they calculate it...
469
00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,440
..when you are paying 85% in taxes.
470
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,040
85, I repeat.
471
00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:12,520
# All the things I could do
472
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:16,040
# If I had a little money
473
00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:18,920
# It's a rich man's world... #
474
00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:21,120
I guess you're hit with a super tax.
475
00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:25,080
Rod Stewart left England
because of the super taxes,
476
00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:27,400
or like the Rolling Stones
to France.
477
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,400
How do you feel about paying so much
to the government?
478
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,240
It's all right.
It's all right?
479
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:34,080
Money isn't everything.
480
00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:36,640
# All the things I could do
481
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:39,880
# If I had a little money
482
00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,000
# It's a rich man's world... #
483
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,960
Sweden is very important for us,
you know?
484
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:48,880
I think everybody starts...
485
00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,480
..is asking us
why we are living in Sweden,
486
00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:55,120
because of the taxes and...
You know.
487
00:31:55,120 --> 00:32:00,720
And I don't think
that we can live somewhere else.
488
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:04,000
It's very hard to think of that.
489
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,080
# It's a rich man world! #
490
00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:10,560
APPLAUSE
491
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:13,400
We're crossing live by satellite
to Sweden, to Stockholm.
492
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,240
Let's meet them now.
Would you give them a hand?
493
00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:16,800
Ladies and gentlemen, ABBA!
494
00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:18,840
APPLAUSE
495
00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:26,560
Did you ever envisage that you would
be this immensely successful?
496
00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:28,400
No. No. No way.
497
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,280
I mean, we've been...
We've been writing and recording
498
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:34,200
for a couple of years,
all the four of us,
499
00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:37,320
and we never expected this, really.
500
00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:43,800
Bjorn and Agnetha, your daughter
Linda, how old is she now?
501
00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:46,920
She will be four years tomorrow.
502
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,560
Does she yet realise who you are?
503
00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:52,480
LAUGHTER
504
00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,360
That's a funny question.
I hope she does!
505
00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,080
Well... She called me Father
this morning.
506
00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:00,200
Did she?
507
00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:00,200
LAUGHTER
508
00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:01,720
APPLAUSE
509
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:05,360
Well, let me get over
to the other two.
510
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:06,840
I want to ask them
something personal.
511
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,960
I read something in a paper.
512
00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:11,440
You two have been engaged
for seven years?
513
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:13,720
Yeah. Eight by now.
514
00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:15,680
LAUGHTER
515
00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:15,680
Eight, yeah.
516
00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:18,920
Are you ever going to make a move?
Are you ever going to get married?
517
00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:20,600
Oh, no.
518
00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:20,600
LAUGHTER
519
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,040
Look at the look on him.
Are you ready for that?
520
00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,400
LAUGHTER
521
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:28,760
No, we are not quite sure of that,
you know? We haven't...
522
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:30,600
We didn't get the time yet, so...
523
00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,840
Oh, I see. Maybe in another 10
or 12 years, you'll figure it out.
524
00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:35,160
Yes. Yeah.
LAUGHS: OK!
525
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:36,280
You never know.
526
00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,480
Thank you.
ABBA, ladies and gentlemen!
527
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,120
APPLAUSE
528
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,120
Thank you. OK. Bye now!
529
00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:47,760
Frida called me in late '76.
530
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:49,560
We were friends.
531
00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,480
We did some fun things together,
played badminton
532
00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:54,840
and were out dancing and stuff,
533
00:33:54,840 --> 00:34:00,400
and she asked me if I wanted to
join ABBA in Australia.
534
00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:03,120
It was a very easy call to make.
535
00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:09,040
CHEERING
536
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,320
CHANTING: We want ABBA!
We want ABBA!
537
00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,680
We were very nervous.
538
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,120
To be perfectly honest,
we didn't know ourselves
539
00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:21,760
whether we could cope with
a tour of this form.
540
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:23,000
They'd been saying that,
541
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,440
"Oh, they can never reproduce
that sound onstage."
542
00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:30,040
When you're trying to do
something special,
543
00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:32,880
trying to reproduce our records
544
00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:35,360
with a band, live,
545
00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:37,040
that's difficult stuff.
546
00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,080
ARCHIVE: The group's arrival
in Australia
547
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:47,200
has been accompanied
by a blaze of publicity.
548
00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:50,280
While they're here, they'll perform
at 11 concerts in ten days
549
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,280
to an estimated 140,000 people.
550
00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,360
According to the promoters,
they're bigger than the Beatles.
551
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,040
And with an entourage of 105 people,
552
00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:04,040
they're almost twice as big
as the Rolling Stones concert.
553
00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,480
ABBA are obviously
very big business.
554
00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:09,240
..live to air, and everybody
down there with radios can hear us.
555
00:35:09,240 --> 00:35:11,560
Would you like to say anything
to the people?
556
00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:15,240
I'd like to say that this is
the most fantastic reception
557
00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:16,640
we ever had.
558
00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:18,960
And, you know, we're so overwhelmed
and happy
559
00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:21,200
that I just can't say how much.
560
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:23,720
And this is really honest, you know?
561
00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:27,520
Say hello. This microphone is live
to the people down there.
562
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:29,760
They can all hear you.
Who, down on the...? Yeah. Oh.
563
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:31,320
Hello, everybody. This is Frida.
564
00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:34,280
I really appreciate this.
I love you.
565
00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:36,280
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
566
00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:40,480
That was so enormous.
567
00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:47,800
The fact that so many people
like what you are doing, it's...
568
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:49,400
You're very proud of it.
569
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,200
But I was crowded, really.
570
00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:59,000
It affects you
when it gets too much.
571
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:02,960
And I could feel that
when we were in Australia sometimes.
572
00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:08,920
Good feeling as well -
that was so enormous there.
573
00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:10,560
There was really fever.
574
00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:15,160
I think it was a little too much.
575
00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:18,080
Going on tour is really exhausting -
576
00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:21,000
to travel every day,
to change hotels,
577
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,760
you know, never unpack
your suitcases.
578
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:28,040
After a while,
it's not funny any more.
579
00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:31,800
I read somewhere where you are
the proud owner of an award
580
00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:33,680
which declares you as the lady
581
00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:36,040
with the most sexiest bottom
in Europe.
582
00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:37,920
LAUGHTER
583
00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:39,840
Is that true?
584
00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,080
How can I answer to that?
585
00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:44,320
I don't know. I haven't seen it.
586
00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:46,040
LAUGHTER
587
00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:51,120
Well, it's crass, isn't it?
It's rude.
588
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:53,200
But what can she do about it?
589
00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,240
It's completely unsurprising.
590
00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:02,760
They're not going to ask Agnetha
about the music.
591
00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,280
I think it was unworthy,
592
00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:10,320
any person to be talked about
593
00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:12,320
as a body part.
594
00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:23,080
ARCHIVE: Heavy rain tomorrow night
is now the only thing that will stop
595
00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:24,880
the ABBA concert from going ahead.
596
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:28,560
According to showground officials,
the 20,000 or so people out there
597
00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:30,880
should experience no real problems.
598
00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:35,160
How many hours do you reckon
you've been queuing for now?
599
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,520
32. 32 hours? Yeah.
600
00:37:38,720 --> 00:37:41,920
You reckon it's going to be
worth it? Yeah!
601
00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:44,120
CHANTING
602
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,800
They were extremely nervous,
absolutely.
603
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:57,480
A little group from Sweden,
going to conquer the world.
604
00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:59,560
CHANTING
605
00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,480
CHANTING
606
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:11,000
SHE SINGS
607
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,280
MUSIC BLARES
608
00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:17,280
MUSIC: Tiger
by ABBA
609
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,360
CHEERING
610
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:31,760
CHEERING
611
00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,200
# The city is a nightmare
A horrible dream
612
00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,600
# Some of us
will dream it forever... #
613
00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,520
# People who fear me
never come near me
614
00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:02,800
# I am the tiger... #
615
00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:05,480
AGNETHA: I think both Frida and I,
when we were onstage,
616
00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:08,040
a bit competing.
617
00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:11,720
It's good, because you really
do your best every evening.
618
00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:18,280
# I am behind you
I always find you... #
619
00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:23,560
So much has been written
that Frida and I were not friends.
620
00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:25,840
It's not very fair to do that.
621
00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:29,440
We had a lot of fun,
but we also helped each other.
622
00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:34,120
# Look into the shadows
and you'll see the shape of me
623
00:39:34,120 --> 00:39:35,920
# I am behind you
624
00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:37,680
# I always find you
625
00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:39,480
# I am the tiger
626
00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:44,760
# Tiger, tiger! #
627
00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,040
WHISTLING AND CHEERING
628
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:53,560
INTERVIEWER: In Australia, there
was that huge conglomeration
629
00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:57,200
of hit after hit after hit,
and there was that huge peak.
630
00:39:57,200 --> 00:39:59,080
Does that sort of bother you,
631
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:03,000
the fact that you were getting
so terribly overexposed?
632
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,560
In a way, yeah, because it's...
633
00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:08,400
It's harming us now, I think.
634
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,880
If people expect us to have
635
00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:15,160
five songs in the top ten
all the time,
636
00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:17,840
I mean, that's impossible.
That's not normal.
637
00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:42,040
When ABBA: The Album
was released in Australia,
638
00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:44,040
it doesn't do as well at all.
639
00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:49,200
So not to make too big a thing
out of it,
640
00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:51,640
but maybe there was
a bit of a worry there.
641
00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:53,520
"Oh, this isn't a number one."
642
00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:56,880
"Maybe this is the start
of the end for us."
643
00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:05,080
The new craze, they tell me.
644
00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:09,000
They are heroes, not the
nice, clean Rolling Stones.
645
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,680
They're a group
called the Sex Pistols.
646
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:15,320
Punk came along, overturning
and turning its back on
647
00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:18,080
and spitting on all
that had come before.
648
00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:19,680
Go on, you've got another
five seconds.
649
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:20,840
Say something outrageous!
650
00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:22,240
You dirty bastard!
651
00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:23,360
Go on, again.
652
00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:24,680
You dirty fucker!
653
00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:27,080
What a clever boy.
What a fucking rotter!
654
00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:28,520
Well, that's it for tonight.
655
00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:29,640
I'll be seeing you soon.
656
00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:32,360
I hope I'm not seeing you again.
From me, though, goodnight.
657
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:34,440
We felt we were caught up
in a revolution.
658
00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:38,040
And here are Bjorn, Anna,
Frida and Benny,
659
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:39,840
who go together to make up ABBA.
660
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:41,920
And first of all, I'd like to say
welcome to Blue Peter.
661
00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:43,720
Thank you.
Thanks very much for coming along.
662
00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:45,320
Nice to meet you, Shep.
Nice to meet you.
663
00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:47,040
And Shep says hello as well.
664
00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:49,560
That was the contradiction,
in a way,
665
00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:52,440
of locating ABBA,
666
00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:55,640
when what was prized was
a certain sort of roughness.
667
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:02,880
ABBA, they seemed to project
a relentless good cheer.
668
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:06,440
That was somewhat at odds
with the zeitgeist.
669
00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:09,400
I try so hard to be nice.
670
00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:13,160
They represented a wholeness,
something high-functioning,
671
00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:16,280
whereas we were just teetering
on the edge and falling apart.
672
00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:21,520
By the summertime of '77,
673
00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:23,280
punk was in the charts.
674
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:26,640
It was sometimes four or five
songs in the top ten.
675
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:30,040
Bands like ABBA
were being squeezed out.
676
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:40,160
In '77, the Pistols manager decided
to do a Scandinavian tour.
677
00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:43,680
I was brought up in England,
but I'm Norwegian.
678
00:42:45,240 --> 00:42:48,680
The first thing I remember
was Rodent.
679
00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:50,960
He was the roadie
680
00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:53,880
and he was carrying
a cassette player.
681
00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,640
And on the cassette player,
682
00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,840
they had one cassette, and it was...
683
00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:03,040
MUSIC: Dancing Queen
by ABBA
684
00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:08,080
I just turned around and went,
685
00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:09,480
"What?!"
686
00:43:10,720 --> 00:43:14,520
They played it 24/7, all the time.
687
00:43:14,520 --> 00:43:16,760
Everybody... It was Rodent's job
to turn it around,
688
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:18,360
you know, when it got to the end.
689
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:20,680
# You can dance
690
00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:23,040
# You can jive
691
00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:27,440
# Having the time of your life... #
692
00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:29,840
It's a miracle it lasted
the whole tour.
693
00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:32,640
The Pistols,
they were huge ABBA fans.
694
00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:35,920
# Digging the dancing queen... #
695
00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:38,720
A record label
can be very mercenary.
696
00:43:38,720 --> 00:43:41,360
It has to be to keep up with demand
697
00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:44,840
and with an ever-changing
musical scene,
698
00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,240
there was a little panic
in the camp.
699
00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:49,840
"Do we carry on with the band?
700
00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:51,560
"Do we call it a day?"
701
00:43:51,560 --> 00:43:53,880
That inevitably comes along.
702
00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:58,360
Having to come up with new songs
all the time,
703
00:43:58,360 --> 00:43:59,560
isn't that very difficult?
704
00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:01,000
Don't you feel enormous pressure?
705
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:02,760
Yeah, we do.
706
00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:05,680
We feel that we have to come up
with something different.
707
00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:10,760
So many people been talking
about the equivalent
708
00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:15,120
to the Sgt Pepper album, you know,
when The Beatles came up.
709
00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,040
And, um...
710
00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:19,160
..it puts a lot of pressure on us,
sure.
711
00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:26,760
Benny and Bjorn are with me.
712
00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,640
Anna is, what,
due in a couple of days?
713
00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:31,400
Yes, yes.
714
00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:33,760
She's fine, but, um...
715
00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:35,800
..a bit tired of waiting.
716
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,440
Yeah. After nine months, no wonder!
717
00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:42,200
What are you hoping for,
a boy or a girl?
718
00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,080
A dog.
719
00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,080
THEY LAUGH
720
00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:46,880
Don't tell Anna.
721
00:44:46,880 --> 00:44:49,280
# No smiles, not a single word
722
00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:51,680
# At the breakfast table
723
00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:57,360
# Though I would have liked to begin
724
00:44:59,720 --> 00:45:02,640
# So much that I wanna say
725
00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:06,600
# But I feel unable
726
00:45:06,600 --> 00:45:10,360
# You leave and slam the door
727
00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:13,840
# Like you've done many times before
728
00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:18,320
# And I cry
and I feel so helpless... #
729
00:45:18,320 --> 00:45:22,440
People have read a lot
into various lyrics.
730
00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:25,440
And of course, there is
some of that in the lyrics,
731
00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:27,480
but most is fiction.
732
00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:29,960
But the emotions are there. Yeah.
733
00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:32,920
1978 was a strange period.
734
00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:36,240
Bjorn and Agnetha's marriage
735
00:45:36,240 --> 00:45:38,360
is not going so well.
736
00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:40,880
And in the midst of all this,
737
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,280
Benny and Frida get married.
738
00:45:44,800 --> 00:45:49,000
# Where did all our love go?
739
00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:52,080
# Sometimes when I just can't cope
740
00:45:52,080 --> 00:45:55,920
# I cling to a desperate hope
741
00:45:55,920 --> 00:46:01,080
# And I cry
and I feel like dying... #
742
00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:03,000
"I cling to a desperate hope
743
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:05,240
"and I cry and I feel like dying.
744
00:46:05,240 --> 00:46:08,240
"Two friends and two true lovers.
745
00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:10,880
"Somehow we'll help each other
through the hard times."
746
00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:13,000
No, you won't...
747
00:46:13,000 --> 00:46:15,360
..and you don't.
748
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:18,560
Well, I think what men mistake
for happiness was in fact
749
00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:21,520
resignation and impatience.
750
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,440
Depends what you're in
the relationship for, I guess.
751
00:46:26,840 --> 00:46:29,520
I mean, it's always
got to be worth staying,
752
00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,600
but it might be unbearable.
753
00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:35,120
# Daydreams of a better life
754
00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:38,840
# But I have to wake up
755
00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:42,920
# The sound of a key
in the door... #
756
00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:48,480
The lyrics, they're talking
about very serious,
757
00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:50,520
you know, pains of the heart.
758
00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:53,560
Within them, they did have
really mature reflections
759
00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:55,720
on their relationships.
760
00:46:55,720 --> 00:46:59,080
In talking about things
like separation,
761
00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:04,400
they were in the flow of
what was going on socially.
762
00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:08,440
Women's liberation
is people's liberation!
763
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:09,800
It was a huge thing.
764
00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:11,360
People were not getting divorced.
765
00:47:15,720 --> 00:47:17,360
IN ENGLISH:
766
00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:19,440
IN FRENCH:
767
00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:21,560
IN ENGLISH:
768
00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:22,960
IN FRENCH:
769
00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:24,680
Do you want to answer, Benny?
770
00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:40,840
You are not afraid someone
might steal your wife?
771
00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:25,000
We know them as
the biggest artists in the world
772
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:27,880
since The Beatles,
except in the United States.
773
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:33,040
Speaking of Olivia Newton-John,
I was told that
774
00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:36,240
before being as noticed in America,
775
00:48:36,240 --> 00:48:38,440
you were quite popular in Australia.
776
00:48:38,440 --> 00:48:39,800
Is that so? Yeah, yeah.
777
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:41,400
Why do you suppose that is?
778
00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:45,880
Well, I'd say the only territory
where we don't sell records is here.
779
00:48:45,880 --> 00:48:48,400
Otherwise, they buy the records
all over the world.
780
00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:34,200
It seemed impossible to make
ABBA as big in America
781
00:49:34,200 --> 00:49:36,120
as they were everywhere else.
782
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:37,920
I mean, they were doing fine.
783
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:40,560
They had a number one hit
with Dancing Queen,
784
00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:43,040
but it wasn't as successful.
785
00:49:44,120 --> 00:49:46,600
At this time,
when ABBA are coming up,
786
00:49:46,600 --> 00:49:49,560
the measure of credibility
in popular music
787
00:49:49,560 --> 00:49:51,400
is pretty much guitar rock.
788
00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:56,480
They didn't look like
other rock stars.
789
00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:59,360
And then also, I mean, just even
the sound of the women's voices,
790
00:49:59,360 --> 00:50:02,360
I mean, that kind of
thin, high pitch
791
00:50:02,360 --> 00:50:04,800
is almost like Alvin And The
Chipmunks or something.
792
00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:07,720
It sounds like a record that's
being played too quickly.
793
00:50:07,720 --> 00:50:10,280
They knew that there was
resistance to them
794
00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:12,280
from a magazine like Rolling Stone.
795
00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:13,640
Some great songs.
796
00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:15,600
I know one you could start off
with your voice.
797
00:50:15,600 --> 00:50:17,520
Ba-Ba-Ba...
798
00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:18,640
You want to do that?
799
00:50:18,640 --> 00:50:20,960
You go on. You do it. That's good.
800
00:50:20,960 --> 00:50:22,440
# Ba
801
00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:24,200
# Ba
Ba
802
00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:26,760
# Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann
803
00:50:26,760 --> 00:50:29,640
# Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann
804
00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:32,160
# Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann
805
00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:34,120
# Barbara Ann
806
00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:37,120
# Take my hand
807
00:50:37,120 --> 00:50:39,840
# Barbara Ann
808
00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:41,440
# You got me rockin' and a rollin'
809
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:42,960
# Rockin' and a reelin'
810
00:50:42,960 --> 00:50:44,400
# Barbara Ann
811
00:50:44,400 --> 00:50:46,360
# Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann
812
00:50:46,360 --> 00:50:48,880
# Went to a dance
Looking for romance
813
00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:51,480
# Saw Barbara Ann
so I thought I'd take a chance
814
00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:52,520
# Barbara Ann
815
00:50:52,520 --> 00:50:54,280
# Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann
816
00:50:54,280 --> 00:50:55,880
# Barbara Ann
817
00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:57,360
This is the wrong way around!
818
00:50:57,360 --> 00:50:58,600
# Rockin' and a rollin'
819
00:50:58,600 --> 00:50:59,880
# Rockin' and a reelin'
820
00:50:59,880 --> 00:51:01,240
# Barbara Ann
821
00:51:01,240 --> 00:51:03,160
# Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann
822
00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:06,200
# Ba-Ba-Ba... #
823
00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:06,200
THEY LAUGH
824
00:51:06,200 --> 00:51:08,840
How come you're doing the high part
and I'm doing the low part?
825
00:51:08,840 --> 00:51:10,680
THEY LAUGH
826
00:51:10,680 --> 00:51:12,040
Can you do some opera? Huh?
827
00:51:12,040 --> 00:51:13,320
Can you sing some opera?
828
00:51:13,320 --> 00:51:15,880
Actually, I don't know many songs.
829
00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:17,760
You know, just a few.
830
00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:19,320
Just give us a few bars.
831
00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:20,880
You have got a good opera voice.
832
00:51:20,880 --> 00:51:22,160
Sing some scales.
833
00:51:22,160 --> 00:51:24,160
Couple of notes.
The one you were rehearsing.
834
00:51:24,160 --> 00:51:25,680
LAUGHTER
835
00:51:25,680 --> 00:51:27,920
The one you've been rehearsing
for a week now.
836
00:51:29,560 --> 00:51:30,760
That's not fair.
837
00:51:36,120 --> 00:51:40,200
SHE SINGS OPERA
838
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:56,280
LAUGHTER
839
00:51:56,280 --> 00:52:00,640
CONTINUES SINGING
840
00:52:00,640 --> 00:52:01,920
I like that.
841
00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:04,320
CONTINUES SINGING
842
00:52:04,320 --> 00:52:06,360
JAUNTILY: # La la la la! #
843
00:52:06,360 --> 00:52:10,640
LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
844
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:16,680
There was an interesting connection.
Chic and ABBA
845
00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:21,160
were signed to the same label
at the same time,
846
00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:24,440
and I thought that
just like my band, Chic,
847
00:52:24,440 --> 00:52:29,080
their songs and their sound
is uniquely theirs.
848
00:52:30,760 --> 00:52:34,960
You have to understand that
people have different roots.
849
00:52:34,960 --> 00:52:36,440
They're Swedish!
850
00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:40,560
They're not from California
or New Orleans or whatever.
851
00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:44,200
They have a culture
that is uniquely theirs.
852
00:52:46,040 --> 00:52:50,000
It's very difficult to say
exactly what ABBA is.
853
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:52,480
Because we've been exposed
to the American music scene,
854
00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:55,840
the English,
the Swedish folk music scene,
855
00:52:55,840 --> 00:52:59,400
to the Italian, German, French.
856
00:52:59,400 --> 00:53:04,120
There are a lot of styles,
a lot of different traditions
857
00:53:04,120 --> 00:53:06,840
that we now and then like to try.
858
00:53:09,600 --> 00:53:10,840
It must be very difficult to say.
859
00:53:10,840 --> 00:53:14,040
On average, how long does it take
for you to write a song?
860
00:53:14,040 --> 00:53:15,920
That's impossible to answer.
861
00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:18,360
Sometimes, you know, it takes...
862
00:53:18,360 --> 00:53:20,040
It takes you a week
863
00:53:20,040 --> 00:53:22,720
and there's no song at all
for two weeks.
864
00:53:22,720 --> 00:53:24,920
And sometimes it takes four hours
865
00:53:24,920 --> 00:53:27,640
and there is almost
a complete song there.
866
00:53:27,640 --> 00:53:30,200
Let's say it has taken us
a year for each album.
867
00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:21,040
I get this call from the head
of entertainment at the BBC.
868
00:54:21,040 --> 00:54:22,600
"Hi, Judd."
869
00:54:22,600 --> 00:54:24,800
"Listen, we need ABBA."
870
00:54:24,800 --> 00:54:27,880
"We're doing a Christmas special.
We'd love ABBA to come."
871
00:54:34,280 --> 00:54:36,080
Well, aren't they lovely? See...
872
00:54:36,080 --> 00:54:38,240
That applause. It just shows you
how lovely you are.
873
00:54:38,240 --> 00:54:40,520
I'll just check your details.
874
00:54:40,520 --> 00:54:42,360
He seems like a nice boy,
doesn't he?
875
00:54:42,360 --> 00:54:45,680
LAUGHTER
876
00:54:45,680 --> 00:54:47,000
Which one are you?
877
00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:48,560
I'm Bjorn. Bjorn? Yes.
878
00:54:48,560 --> 00:54:51,720
Bjorn. That's a very popular name
for babies in Sweden, isn't it?
879
00:54:51,720 --> 00:54:54,160
Yeah, they say
there's one Bjorn every minute.
880
00:54:54,160 --> 00:54:57,080
LAUGHTER
881
00:54:57,080 --> 00:54:59,720
He's going to be trouble, isn't he?
882
00:54:59,720 --> 00:55:03,240
This was one of the big, major
Christmas shows,
883
00:55:03,240 --> 00:55:05,720
a show called
the Mike Yarwood Show.
884
00:55:05,720 --> 00:55:08,600
He was a showbiz impersonator,
comedian
885
00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:10,920
and highly respected entertainer
886
00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:14,320
with the biggest viewership
at the time in the UK.
887
00:55:14,320 --> 00:55:17,160
They're one of the world's
most popular singing groups
888
00:55:17,160 --> 00:55:18,960
and I love them.
I know you love them.
889
00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:20,200
Millions do.
890
00:55:20,200 --> 00:55:21,560
ABBA.
891
00:55:21,560 --> 00:55:27,520
APPLAUSE
892
00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:37,880
# I'm nothing special
893
00:55:37,880 --> 00:55:40,760
# In fact, I'm a bit of a bore
894
00:55:43,120 --> 00:55:45,640
# If I tell a joke
895
00:55:45,640 --> 00:55:48,280
# You've probably heard it before
896
00:55:51,080 --> 00:55:53,040
# But I have a talent
897
00:55:53,040 --> 00:55:55,440
# A wonderful thing
898
00:55:55,440 --> 00:56:00,000
# Cos everyone listens
when I start to sing
899
00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:02,800
# I'm so grateful and proud... #
900
00:56:02,800 --> 00:56:04,600
We arrived at the hotel,
901
00:56:04,600 --> 00:56:08,280
all marched up to the suites,
902
00:56:08,280 --> 00:56:11,120
and I said goodnight.
903
00:56:11,120 --> 00:56:13,120
And there was Agnetha on her own.
904
00:56:14,640 --> 00:56:17,080
And I saw her going into
her own suite.
905
00:56:20,080 --> 00:56:23,160
A slight loneliness
was showing on her face.
906
00:56:23,160 --> 00:56:24,960
You know, the sort of...
907
00:56:24,960 --> 00:56:26,480
It was sad, actually.
908
00:56:31,440 --> 00:56:38,200
That television special actually
aired on Christmas Day in the UK.
909
00:56:38,200 --> 00:56:40,440
So while the British public were
910
00:56:40,440 --> 00:56:43,800
sitting in front of this big
television special
911
00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:45,920
and enjoying ABBA
912
00:56:45,920 --> 00:56:49,760
and seeing them as a happy group
of two happy couples,
913
00:56:49,760 --> 00:56:54,880
the reality of it was that
on that very same day,
914
00:56:54,880 --> 00:56:58,880
Agnetha took the kids and moved out.
915
00:57:06,720 --> 00:57:08,880
The marriage didn't work,
916
00:57:08,880 --> 00:57:12,920
but we still worked
very well together as...
917
00:57:12,920 --> 00:57:15,160
as musicians and artists.
918
00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:20,840
So we decided to split up
the marriage, but not split up...
919
00:57:20,840 --> 00:57:22,280
..split up ABBA.
920
00:57:25,960 --> 00:57:27,840
I think that was brave of us.
921
00:57:30,880 --> 00:57:33,640
But we were in the middle
of something
922
00:57:33,640 --> 00:57:36,680
and there were no hard feelings.
923
00:57:36,680 --> 00:57:40,440
And we knew, all of us,
that this is our way to succeed.
924
00:57:40,440 --> 00:57:43,360
We want to follow,
to do this and to continue,
925
00:57:43,360 --> 00:57:46,480
even if there were some hard times.
926
00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:49,920
I don't want to put the blame
on ABBA.
927
00:57:49,920 --> 00:57:53,880
I mean, we are growing apart
sometimes
928
00:57:53,880 --> 00:57:56,760
and you can't do anything about it.
929
00:58:10,880 --> 00:58:13,840
Coming up next from the General
Assembly of the United Nations,
930
00:58:13,840 --> 00:58:15,200
the concert of the year.
931
00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:16,600
A Gift Of Song -
932
00:58:16,600 --> 00:58:18,720
the Music for UNICEF Concert.
933
00:58:18,720 --> 00:58:22,240
APPLAUSE
934
00:58:22,240 --> 00:58:27,880
MUSIC: Chiquitita
by ABBA
935
00:58:34,960 --> 00:58:38,040
# Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong
936
00:58:40,560 --> 00:58:45,560
# You're enchained by your own
sorrow
937
00:58:47,840 --> 00:58:51,760
# In your eyes
938
00:58:51,760 --> 00:58:56,760
# There is no hope for tomorrow... #
939
00:58:56,760 --> 00:58:58,960
UNICEF needed to raise money
940
00:58:58,960 --> 00:59:02,840
for its children's charities
around the world.
941
00:59:02,840 --> 00:59:08,320
# I'm a shoulder you can cry on... #
942
00:59:08,320 --> 00:59:14,120
The artists donated royalties
for a song and UNICEF got it all.
943
00:59:14,120 --> 00:59:17,840
# Now I see you've broken
a feather... #
944
00:59:17,840 --> 00:59:20,240
Here I am, sitting
in the United Nations
945
00:59:20,240 --> 00:59:24,440
and ABBA are rising into view
on a turntable.
946
00:59:24,440 --> 00:59:26,000
And it was cool.
947
00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:30,040
# I hope we can patch it up together
948
00:59:31,160 --> 00:59:36,640
# Chiquitita, you and I know
949
00:59:36,640 --> 00:59:39,320
# How the heartaches come
and they go
950
00:59:39,320 --> 00:59:41,080
# And the scars they're leaving... #
951
00:59:41,080 --> 00:59:44,280
Chiquitita was an enormous
multimillion seller
952
00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:47,640
around the world
and raised millions of dollars
953
00:59:47,640 --> 00:59:51,200
for projects in Latin America
and Southeast Asia,
954
00:59:51,200 --> 00:59:52,600
among other places.
955
00:59:53,840 --> 00:59:55,720
I wonder if we can move
on very quickly, in fact,
956
00:59:55,720 --> 00:59:58,640
to the success, the great
success story of Chiquitita,
957
00:59:58,640 --> 01:00:01,640
which, as well as being
a number two hit in Britain, Frida,
958
01:00:01,640 --> 01:00:03,920
has now proved to be
your biggest success
959
01:00:03,920 --> 01:00:05,680
in Spanish-speaking territories.
960
01:00:05,680 --> 01:00:06,960
There's a wee bit of a story
961
01:00:06,960 --> 01:00:08,800
behind how and why
that happened, isn't there?
962
01:00:08,800 --> 01:00:11,280
We felt that it would be nice
to do it in Spanish
963
01:00:11,280 --> 01:00:14,040
because it's very much a Spanish
song, I mean, in the style.
964
01:00:14,040 --> 01:00:16,120
Sort of reminiscent of Fernando
as well, isn't it?
965
01:00:16,120 --> 01:00:17,280
Yeah, it is, in a way.
966
01:00:17,280 --> 01:00:21,600
So we called a Spanish teacher
to teach us how to pronounce
967
01:00:21,600 --> 01:00:24,720
the words and the lyrics in Spanish.
968
01:00:24,720 --> 01:00:27,720
I think it turned out very well.
969
01:00:29,600 --> 01:00:30,960
One day...
970
01:00:32,680 --> 01:00:34,280
"God dag."
971
01:00:34,280 --> 01:00:37,560
"My name is Stikkan Anderson
972
01:00:37,560 --> 01:00:43,200
"and I have a small pop group,
973
01:00:43,200 --> 01:00:47,200
"and I want a Spanish coach."
974
01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:50,000
A small group!
975
01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:50,000
LAUGHS
976
01:00:52,080 --> 01:00:56,760
Stikkan Anderson was very
enthusiastic about taking
977
01:00:56,760 --> 01:00:59,800
ABBA in Spanish to South America
978
01:00:59,800 --> 01:01:01,800
because with so many people,
979
01:01:01,800 --> 01:01:04,480
commercially, it makes sense.
980
01:01:06,560 --> 01:01:10,760
I called my sister in Argentina.
981
01:01:10,760 --> 01:01:12,400
She was, like, crazy...
982
01:01:19,600 --> 01:01:21,280
ABBA SINGING IN SPANISH:
983
01:01:27,800 --> 01:01:31,200
It could be someone
with suffering of love,
984
01:01:31,200 --> 01:01:34,080
but I have to be very honest.
985
01:01:43,240 --> 01:01:46,880
For me, it's a song
about solidarity.
986
01:01:49,920 --> 01:01:53,600
When you have difficult
political times,
987
01:01:53,600 --> 01:01:59,040
like the military dictatorship
in Argentina or somewhere,
988
01:01:59,040 --> 01:02:03,040
you anyhow are a human being,
a person.
989
01:02:03,040 --> 01:02:05,640
You want some minutes of happiness.
990
01:02:16,240 --> 01:02:17,760
CROWD CHANTS:
991
01:02:19,200 --> 01:02:20,520
ABBA:
992
01:02:27,640 --> 01:02:29,320
And I am convinced...
993
01:02:44,480 --> 01:02:47,400
When Agnetha was singing,
994
01:02:47,400 --> 01:02:52,160
it was such an emotion because of
the words in Spanish for me.
995
01:03:24,080 --> 01:03:25,600
For me, it was magic.
996
01:03:29,640 --> 01:03:31,240
It was magic.
997
01:03:39,400 --> 01:03:43,080
In a way, ABBA was political.
998
01:03:43,080 --> 01:03:47,440
When they were collecting
money for UNICEF,
999
01:03:47,440 --> 01:03:49,200
that is political.
1000
01:03:49,200 --> 01:03:53,400
What they were not doing was,
they were subtle.
1001
01:03:53,400 --> 01:03:57,320
They have bigger visions
of solidarity.
1002
01:04:31,480 --> 01:04:33,040
SONG FADES
1003
01:04:36,480 --> 01:04:39,080
What about the sort of family life
now in ABBA?
1004
01:04:39,080 --> 01:04:41,640
You're getting an awful lot of
publicity on various lines,
1005
01:04:41,640 --> 01:04:43,000
actually, of the family life.
1006
01:04:43,000 --> 01:04:46,800
Has it in any way caused
any problem professionally?
1007
01:04:46,800 --> 01:04:49,720
You know, is it difficult at all?
1008
01:04:49,720 --> 01:04:51,720
When you are a person
that everybody knows,
1009
01:04:51,720 --> 01:04:53,000
you have to take that.
1010
01:04:53,000 --> 01:04:54,840
You know that they are
going to write about it
1011
01:04:54,840 --> 01:04:56,280
and you have to take it. Yeah.
1012
01:04:56,280 --> 01:04:59,120
So we don't look at the papers
too much ourselves.
1013
01:04:59,120 --> 01:05:00,200
Yeah.
1014
01:05:09,600 --> 01:05:13,280
They were professionally
still working very well together,
1015
01:05:13,280 --> 01:05:17,720
but particularly Agnetha
clearly didn't want to be there.
1016
01:05:19,720 --> 01:05:21,520
She was very professional.
1017
01:05:21,520 --> 01:05:23,440
She turned up for the interviews,
1018
01:05:23,440 --> 01:05:25,560
she had the pictures taken,
1019
01:05:25,560 --> 01:05:28,160
but clearly just didn't enjoy
being there any more.
1020
01:05:33,720 --> 01:05:35,360
I've got something for you.
1021
01:05:37,240 --> 01:05:39,640
This is Richard Skinner
with a Radio 1 exclusive,
1022
01:05:39,640 --> 01:05:41,000
as Benny... Hello, Richard.
1023
01:05:41,000 --> 01:05:42,720
Hi! Bjorn... Hello.
1024
01:05:42,720 --> 01:05:44,400
..Agnetha... Hi, everybody.
1025
01:05:44,400 --> 01:05:46,040
..and Frida... Hello.
1026
01:05:46,040 --> 01:05:49,440
..of ABBA talk to us about their
latest album, Voulez-Vous,
1027
01:05:49,440 --> 01:05:51,320
and we play tracks from the album.
1028
01:05:51,320 --> 01:05:53,560
# People everywhere
1029
01:05:53,560 --> 01:05:57,120
# A sense of expectation
hangin' in the air... #
1030
01:05:57,120 --> 01:05:59,400
Interestingly, it's a sort of
disco, funk sound
1031
01:05:59,400 --> 01:06:02,040
on that title track, Bjorn,
and in a way it sums up the album.
1032
01:06:02,040 --> 01:06:03,760
It's a new move for the group,
isn't it?
1033
01:06:03,760 --> 01:06:05,600
Yeah, that's what we feel ourselves.
1034
01:06:05,600 --> 01:06:08,640
# Voulez-vous?
Ah-ha
1035
01:06:08,640 --> 01:06:10,600
# Take it now or leave it
Ah-ha
1036
01:06:10,600 --> 01:06:12,400
# Now is all we get
Ah-ha
1037
01:06:12,400 --> 01:06:16,680
# Nothing promised, no regrets
1038
01:06:16,680 --> 01:06:19,960
# Voulez-vous?
Ah-ha
1039
01:06:19,960 --> 01:06:21,960
# Ain't no big decision
Ah-ha
1040
01:06:21,960 --> 01:06:23,880
# You know what to do
Ah-ha
1041
01:06:23,880 --> 01:06:27,680
# La question, c'est voulez-vous? #
1042
01:06:27,680 --> 01:06:30,240
When I first heard the album,
1043
01:06:30,240 --> 01:06:32,680
I thought, "Oh, they've peaked."
1044
01:06:32,680 --> 01:06:37,400
It seemed to gesture
to disco too much.
1045
01:06:37,400 --> 01:06:40,240
Now, who am I to say they shouldn't
have made a disco record?
1046
01:06:40,240 --> 01:06:42,200
Because disco was so big.
1047
01:06:42,200 --> 01:06:45,320
MUSIC: Good Times
by Chic
1048
01:06:45,320 --> 01:06:50,040
I grew up in the era of
discos and dancing.
1049
01:06:51,360 --> 01:06:54,520
The Latino, the Asian, the black,
1050
01:06:54,520 --> 01:06:56,440
the queer community.
1051
01:06:56,440 --> 01:06:59,040
The music brought us all together.
1052
01:06:59,040 --> 01:07:01,640
# Good times
1053
01:07:01,640 --> 01:07:04,240
# These are the good times... #
1054
01:07:04,240 --> 01:07:06,440
No matter how much it morphs,
1055
01:07:06,440 --> 01:07:09,600
this is a whole American vibe
1056
01:07:09,600 --> 01:07:12,200
that comes from soul music.
1057
01:07:12,200 --> 01:07:14,640
# Good times... #
1058
01:07:14,640 --> 01:07:16,920
Everybody made a disco record.
1059
01:07:20,400 --> 01:07:23,000
And so ABBA delved into disco.
1060
01:07:24,160 --> 01:07:27,680
MUSIC: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
(A Man After Midnight) by ABBA
1061
01:07:45,040 --> 01:07:46,920
# Half-past twelve
1062
01:07:46,920 --> 01:07:50,880
# And I'm watching the late show
in my flat all alone
1063
01:07:50,880 --> 01:07:55,440
# How I hate to spend
the evening on my own
1064
01:07:55,440 --> 01:07:57,000
# Autumn winds
1065
01:07:57,000 --> 01:07:58,760
# Blowing outside the window... #
1066
01:07:58,760 --> 01:08:01,040
It was a successful disco record.
1067
01:08:01,040 --> 01:08:02,920
I mean, there's no doubting it.
1068
01:08:02,920 --> 01:08:06,520
Gay discos, particularly because,
of course, of the title.
1069
01:08:06,520 --> 01:08:08,720
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
(A Man After Midnight).
1070
01:08:08,720 --> 01:08:10,680
So, needless to say,
1071
01:08:10,680 --> 01:08:12,680
when the clock struck 12:01...
1072
01:08:12,680 --> 01:08:14,680
HUMS SYNTH MELODY
1073
01:08:21,400 --> 01:08:24,320
But it turns out the timing
was terrible.
1074
01:08:26,440 --> 01:08:29,200
50,000 people,
the largest crowd of the season,
1075
01:08:29,200 --> 01:08:31,000
showed up at Chicago's Comiskey Park
1076
01:08:31,000 --> 01:08:32,440
for the twi-night double-header
1077
01:08:32,440 --> 01:08:34,760
between the White Sox
and the Detroit Tigers.
1078
01:08:34,760 --> 01:08:37,440
15,000 others had to be turned away.
1079
01:08:37,440 --> 01:08:40,040
Many had come for
Disco Demolition Night,
1080
01:08:40,040 --> 01:08:41,680
a promotional gimmick.
1081
01:08:41,680 --> 01:08:43,640
Between games, as planned,
1082
01:08:43,640 --> 01:08:47,520
a huge box containing thousands
of disco records was blown up.
1083
01:08:50,280 --> 01:08:53,080
Yes! That's real good!
1084
01:08:54,600 --> 01:08:56,200
The rest was unplanned.
1085
01:08:56,200 --> 01:08:59,000
Fans stormed out onto the field
in the thousands.
1086
01:08:59,000 --> 01:09:01,280
Disco records were hurled
like Frisbees.
1087
01:09:01,280 --> 01:09:03,680
Bonfires were set,
bottles were thrown.
1088
01:09:09,080 --> 01:09:11,440
"Disco sucks!",
we can now clearly see,
1089
01:09:11,440 --> 01:09:14,840
was basically a racist and
homophobic reaction
1090
01:09:14,840 --> 01:09:17,000
from rock fans.
1091
01:09:18,480 --> 01:09:21,040
A lot of radio stations
stopped playing disco.
1092
01:09:22,800 --> 01:09:25,680
Disco died almost overnight.
1093
01:09:30,320 --> 01:09:33,920
ABBA was bringing in a lot
of disco elements into their music
1094
01:09:33,920 --> 01:09:36,840
at just the moment when disco
was publicly demonised.
1095
01:09:38,040 --> 01:09:41,680
This album wasn't going to make it
easy for them to break America.
1096
01:09:42,760 --> 01:09:45,800
ABBA, Sweden's greatest export.
1097
01:09:45,800 --> 01:09:47,920
On their very first American tour...
1098
01:09:49,440 --> 01:09:50,840
..ABBA: The Concert.
1099
01:09:52,680 --> 01:09:56,080
This was going to be their first
North American tour.
1100
01:09:56,080 --> 01:09:58,520
It opened in Edmonton of all places,
1101
01:09:58,520 --> 01:10:00,880
which is quite far north, in Canada.
1102
01:10:00,880 --> 01:10:03,480
Rolling Stone flew me up
there to interview them.
1103
01:10:05,680 --> 01:10:08,760
A rush of photographers
met ABBA at the airport.
1104
01:10:08,760 --> 01:10:10,800
Journalists from around the world
1105
01:10:10,800 --> 01:10:13,360
chasing the elusive
public image of ABBA.
1106
01:10:14,800 --> 01:10:18,000
We've done a lot of television and
radio and interviews and all that
1107
01:10:18,000 --> 01:10:21,240
without touring and doing
live performances.
1108
01:10:21,240 --> 01:10:26,200
Not being available here
in North America
1109
01:10:26,200 --> 01:10:27,960
is definitely a disadvantage.
1110
01:10:27,960 --> 01:10:29,680
We're here to try to change that.
1111
01:10:33,720 --> 01:10:35,880
They were very unassuming,
1112
01:10:35,880 --> 01:10:39,920
but clearly the tour was
important for them.
1113
01:10:41,960 --> 01:10:44,200
The truck drivers and
the people at the airport,
1114
01:10:44,200 --> 01:10:46,160
and the people
who worked in the hotels,
1115
01:10:46,160 --> 01:10:48,880
they all seemed to love ABBA,
1116
01:10:48,880 --> 01:10:52,880
but they were not that big
in America then.
1117
01:10:52,880 --> 01:10:56,280
We were playing in small places,
not huge arenas.
1118
01:10:57,680 --> 01:11:01,440
Well, Benny, ABBA seem to be
an entire unit to themselves.
1119
01:11:01,440 --> 01:11:04,760
You record your own records,
you write your own material,
1120
01:11:04,760 --> 01:11:06,080
you promote your own stuff.
1121
01:11:06,080 --> 01:11:08,720
Is there not a danger that
there could be a certain sameness
1122
01:11:08,720 --> 01:11:10,240
about the whole thing?
1123
01:11:11,720 --> 01:11:13,440
Um, well...
1124
01:11:11,720 --> 01:11:13,440
CHUCKLES
1125
01:11:17,440 --> 01:11:20,360
I'm sure that they felt
they weren't being taken seriously
1126
01:11:20,360 --> 01:11:21,520
as music people.
1127
01:11:23,840 --> 01:11:26,480
In the hotel,
when I interviewed them,
1128
01:11:26,480 --> 01:11:28,200
Bjorn had said,
1129
01:11:28,200 --> 01:11:30,840
"It may be pop music to you,
but it's soul to us."
1130
01:11:32,480 --> 01:11:34,240
The men did the interviews.
1131
01:11:34,240 --> 01:11:35,800
The women were not part of it.
1132
01:11:35,800 --> 01:11:38,240
And I remember getting
the sense at that time
1133
01:11:38,240 --> 01:11:41,080
that the women were less enthused
about going on tour.
1134
01:11:43,480 --> 01:11:45,920
It was a hard-core tour.
1135
01:11:45,920 --> 01:11:48,000
There was a lot of back-to-backs
1136
01:11:48,000 --> 01:11:51,000
and a lot of travelling.
1137
01:11:51,000 --> 01:11:53,520
FRIDA PRACTISES
1138
01:11:53,520 --> 01:11:55,920
A lot of practice.
1139
01:11:57,280 --> 01:12:01,800
AGNETHA PRACTISES
1140
01:12:01,800 --> 01:12:04,560
They were quite thorough
in their work.
1141
01:12:11,040 --> 01:12:15,280
You would always hear Frida
and Agnetha singing backstage,
1142
01:12:15,280 --> 01:12:18,280
and that was always interspersed
with laughter.
1143
01:12:18,280 --> 01:12:20,600
And I remember saying to Frida,
"Oh, it's been so great."
1144
01:12:20,600 --> 01:12:22,360
"The tour's been so great
and everything,
1145
01:12:22,360 --> 01:12:23,680
and it's so great to see you."
1146
01:12:23,680 --> 01:12:25,800
"And you guys,
you're just all so happy together."
1147
01:12:27,560 --> 01:12:30,160
And she said, "It's not quite
what it seems, Patrick."
1148
01:12:32,560 --> 01:12:37,840
MUSIC: Summer Night City
by ABBA
1149
01:13:05,120 --> 01:13:07,640
# End of night
1150
01:13:07,640 --> 01:13:10,680
# A new day dawning
1151
01:13:10,680 --> 01:13:15,040
# And the first birds start to sing
1152
01:13:16,040 --> 01:13:20,720
# In the pale light of the morning
1153
01:13:20,720 --> 01:13:26,200
# Nothing's worth remembering
1154
01:13:26,200 --> 01:13:28,320
# It's a dream
1155
01:13:28,320 --> 01:13:31,360
# It's out of reach... #
1156
01:13:31,360 --> 01:13:36,080
The response from the audience
was not as it was in Australia.
1157
01:13:36,080 --> 01:13:40,320
I'm not sure that we did
sell out all concerts.
1158
01:13:43,640 --> 01:13:48,280
But, you know, American audiences,
it's not easy to please.
1159
01:13:55,480 --> 01:13:59,680
They were really struggling
and fighting to do a good tour
1160
01:13:59,680 --> 01:14:01,320
and to break in America.
1161
01:14:01,320 --> 01:14:03,200
That was the sole purpose.
1162
01:14:05,800 --> 01:14:08,800
For Agnetha, that part of the tour
was really difficult.
1163
01:14:10,640 --> 01:14:12,880
She was fairly newly divorced.
1164
01:14:12,880 --> 01:14:14,680
She felt alone.
1165
01:14:14,680 --> 01:14:16,560
She hated flying.
1166
01:14:19,640 --> 01:14:21,440
Tornado, October 3rd.
1167
01:14:21,440 --> 01:14:23,360
We got many reports of tornadoes
on the ground.
1168
01:14:23,360 --> 01:14:24,880
Funnels and quite a bit of damage.
1169
01:14:24,880 --> 01:14:27,680
Some winds estimated
in excess of 100mph.
1170
01:14:27,680 --> 01:14:31,760
I can't stress enough, you should
take immediate safety precautions.
1171
01:14:31,760 --> 01:14:33,280
I don't like to fly.
1172
01:14:34,440 --> 01:14:38,960
On our tour, I think we flew
from New York to Boston.
1173
01:14:38,960 --> 01:14:40,800
We were up in the air for
1174
01:14:40,800 --> 01:14:43,600
one and a half...years,
I almost said!
1175
01:14:43,600 --> 01:14:44,720
SHE LAUGHS
1176
01:14:44,720 --> 01:14:46,240
One and a half hours,
1177
01:14:46,240 --> 01:14:48,680
with this terrible weather.
1178
01:14:48,680 --> 01:14:51,920
They tried to take us down,
1179
01:14:51,920 --> 01:14:56,440
but we couldn't land
because the airport was blown away.
1180
01:14:59,440 --> 01:15:03,240
That was really, really scary
moments for us
1181
01:15:03,240 --> 01:15:05,920
and we were all four in the plane.
1182
01:15:05,920 --> 01:15:08,200
More than 400 people hurt.
1183
01:15:08,200 --> 01:15:10,600
One man killed by the storm.
1184
01:15:10,600 --> 01:15:12,080
Damage extensive,
1185
01:15:12,080 --> 01:15:15,160
expected to run into
the millions of dollars.
1186
01:15:15,160 --> 01:15:17,080
After that, I got sick.
1187
01:15:18,200 --> 01:15:20,840
My whole body was sick.
1188
01:15:22,280 --> 01:15:24,320
That was some hard times, really.
1189
01:15:26,400 --> 01:15:31,160
We came to a point when I said that,
"I can't do this.
1190
01:15:31,160 --> 01:15:34,560
"We have to have
some kind of limit."
1191
01:15:36,440 --> 01:15:39,440
Touring, it takes too much away
1192
01:15:39,440 --> 01:15:44,400
from the creativity that is
essential to write songs.
1193
01:15:44,400 --> 01:15:47,000
Of course it's fun to be onstage,
1194
01:15:47,000 --> 01:15:49,080
facing the audience and all that.
1195
01:15:49,080 --> 01:15:51,520
That's only two hours a day.
1196
01:15:51,520 --> 01:15:54,560
The other 22 hours
is just struggling,
1197
01:15:54,560 --> 01:15:56,720
getting from place to place.
1198
01:15:56,720 --> 01:16:00,920
# Super Trouper beams
are gonna blind me
1199
01:16:00,920 --> 01:16:04,760
# But I won't feel blue
1200
01:16:04,760 --> 01:16:08,720
# Like I always do
1201
01:16:08,720 --> 01:16:13,120
# Cos somewhere in the crowd
there's you... #
1202
01:16:13,120 --> 01:16:18,440
For almost every artist, America
is the way to break it worldwide.
1203
01:16:18,440 --> 01:16:21,400
We've done it worldwide
without America.
1204
01:16:21,400 --> 01:16:23,080
We can live without it.
1205
01:16:24,080 --> 01:16:27,280
So it doesn't mean life or death.
No.
1206
01:16:27,280 --> 01:16:30,560
# I was sick and tired of everything
1207
01:16:30,560 --> 01:16:35,280
# When I called you last night
from Glasgow
1208
01:16:35,280 --> 01:16:38,800
# All I do is eat and sleep and sing
1209
01:16:38,800 --> 01:16:43,920
# Wishing every show
was the last show
1210
01:16:43,920 --> 01:16:48,000
# So imagine I was glad to hear
you're coming
1211
01:16:48,000 --> 01:16:50,520
# Suddenly I feel all right
1212
01:16:50,520 --> 01:16:52,280
# And suddenly it's gonna be
1213
01:16:52,280 --> 01:16:58,880
# And it's gonna be so different
when I'm on the stage tonight
1214
01:16:58,880 --> 01:17:03,240
# So I'll be there when you arrive
1215
01:17:03,240 --> 01:17:06,360
# The sight of you will prove to me
I'm still alive
1216
01:17:06,360 --> 01:17:09,080
# And when you take me in your arms
1217
01:17:09,080 --> 01:17:11,760
# And hold me tight
1218
01:17:11,760 --> 01:17:17,480
# I know it's gonna mean
so much tonight
1219
01:17:17,480 --> 01:17:21,040
# Tonight the Super Trouper
lights are gonna find me... #
1220
01:17:21,040 --> 01:17:23,880
We're at the gates of the BBC, where
there's a lot of expecting fans
1221
01:17:23,880 --> 01:17:27,080
hoping to catch a glimpse of their
favourite pop group, ABBA.
1222
01:17:27,080 --> 01:17:28,920
You're obviously all ardent fans...
Yeah.
1223
01:17:28,920 --> 01:17:31,120
..and willing to stand around
for quite some time.
1224
01:17:31,120 --> 01:17:33,120
BOTH: We'd do anything for them.
Right.
1225
01:17:33,120 --> 01:17:35,080
Tell me something.
We are girl-less this morning.
1226
01:17:35,080 --> 01:17:36,480
Where are the ladies?
1227
01:17:36,480 --> 01:17:37,880
We've been working so hard lately
1228
01:17:37,880 --> 01:17:39,840
that they're simply
too tired to come.
1229
01:17:39,840 --> 01:17:41,120
All right. How are you...?
1230
01:17:41,120 --> 01:17:43,680
We've been having, like,
38 gigs in a row.
1231
01:17:43,680 --> 01:17:45,520
How are you standing up to it?
1232
01:17:45,520 --> 01:17:47,880
Well, we're not, really.
1233
01:17:45,520 --> 01:17:47,880
THEY LAUGH
1234
01:17:49,840 --> 01:17:53,600
America was weird, but
when they came back to the UK,
1235
01:17:53,600 --> 01:17:55,680
things couldn't have been
more different.
1236
01:18:04,840 --> 01:18:06,240
Wembley.
1237
01:18:06,240 --> 01:18:08,280
It was like a mega event.
1238
01:18:09,360 --> 01:18:12,480
It was like pop royalty
had come to town.
1239
01:18:16,280 --> 01:18:19,400
Is it far to go? Yeah.
1240
01:18:19,400 --> 01:18:21,160
It is? Yeah. Good.
1241
01:18:27,320 --> 01:18:30,200
When I heard that they
sold out six concerts
1242
01:18:30,200 --> 01:18:33,600
and they could have sold out
six more or 15 more,
1243
01:18:33,600 --> 01:18:35,320
I was a bit shocked
1244
01:18:35,320 --> 01:18:37,800
because that's very few bands
that can do that.
1245
01:18:40,120 --> 01:18:42,960
It also attracted the critics.
1246
01:18:43,960 --> 01:18:47,880
The irony was that you'd have
high-end music journalists
1247
01:18:47,880 --> 01:18:50,360
who'd already criticised them all,
1248
01:18:50,360 --> 01:18:53,240
but suddenly they wanted
that VIP ticket
1249
01:18:53,240 --> 01:18:54,920
and I'd wind them up, saying,
1250
01:18:54,920 --> 01:18:57,920
"But I thought you
didn't like the band!"
1251
01:18:57,920 --> 01:19:01,840
SHE PRACTISES
1252
01:19:06,560 --> 01:19:09,120
HITS HIGH NOTE
1253
01:19:10,760 --> 01:19:15,800
INDISTINCT CONVERSATION
1254
01:19:26,560 --> 01:19:28,320
Soon as they came out...
1255
01:19:28,320 --> 01:19:31,040
CHEERING
1256
01:19:31,040 --> 01:19:34,080
..there was a roar
that you would not believe.
1257
01:19:34,080 --> 01:19:37,680
CHEERING
1258
01:19:37,680 --> 01:19:41,920
MUSIC: Voulez-Vous
by ABBA
1259
01:19:55,000 --> 01:19:57,200
# Voulez-vous
1260
01:19:57,200 --> 01:19:59,040
# Ah-ha
1261
01:19:59,040 --> 01:20:00,840
# Ah-ha
1262
01:20:00,840 --> 01:20:02,840
# Ah-ha... #
1263
01:20:02,840 --> 01:20:05,200
Everybody wanted to go to the shows.
1264
01:20:05,200 --> 01:20:07,880
The who's who of showbiz
wanted to go.
1265
01:20:07,880 --> 01:20:12,000
I remember the VIP area at Wembley
on the left was chocker
1266
01:20:12,000 --> 01:20:15,720
and some of the VIPs,
like Zeppelin, The Who.
1267
01:20:16,760 --> 01:20:18,120
We were really surprised
1268
01:20:18,120 --> 01:20:21,120
to see that these guys were
coming to see ABBA.
1269
01:20:21,120 --> 01:20:22,880
That was the thrill, actually,
1270
01:20:22,880 --> 01:20:25,480
that we will have
a following with our heroes.
1271
01:20:26,760 --> 01:20:29,760
# Voulez-vous... #
1272
01:20:29,760 --> 01:20:32,800
One of the most flattering things
I've heard in my life was
1273
01:20:32,800 --> 01:20:35,720
I ran into Pete Townshend
and he says, you know,
1274
01:20:35,720 --> 01:20:38,040
"SOS is the best pop song
ever written."
1275
01:20:39,720 --> 01:20:40,920
I was so proud.
1276
01:20:51,960 --> 01:20:58,440
CHEERING
1277
01:20:58,440 --> 01:21:00,120
Hello, everybody.
1278
01:21:03,000 --> 01:21:05,800
It's now three years ago
since we were in London
1279
01:21:05,800 --> 01:21:07,480
and played the last time.
1280
01:21:07,480 --> 01:21:08,720
It's far too long.
1281
01:21:08,720 --> 01:21:11,080
It really feels good to be back,
I can tell you that.
1282
01:21:11,080 --> 01:21:15,560
CHEERING
1283
01:21:15,560 --> 01:21:19,320
It's been tough in many ways,
but it's been very rewarding
1284
01:21:19,320 --> 01:21:22,960
because we've showed our
critics, audiences,
1285
01:21:22,960 --> 01:21:24,640
as well as ourselves,
1286
01:21:24,640 --> 01:21:26,120
we can make it live.
1287
01:21:28,640 --> 01:21:31,560
That confidence was there
the whole time.
1288
01:21:31,560 --> 01:21:34,120
It was there from the tour, '77.
1289
01:21:35,560 --> 01:21:39,080
When you do something
that you can stand up for,
1290
01:21:39,080 --> 01:21:42,920
then you have the confidence
because no-one can touch you.
1291
01:21:42,920 --> 01:21:46,080
They can say, "This is crap."
Yeah, fine, but I love it.
1292
01:21:48,200 --> 01:21:51,280
The difference now
was that they could
1293
01:21:51,280 --> 01:21:54,680
share the confidence
with the audience.
1294
01:21:54,680 --> 01:21:57,320
They were quite proud of
what they had achieved.
1295
01:22:06,600 --> 01:22:14,600
# You and I can share the silence
1296
01:22:14,600 --> 01:22:17,440
# Finding comfort together
1297
01:22:17,440 --> 01:22:22,040
# The way old friends do
1298
01:22:22,040 --> 01:22:26,120
# And after fights
1299
01:22:26,120 --> 01:22:30,960
# And words of violence
1300
01:22:30,960 --> 01:22:34,320
# We make up with each other
1301
01:22:34,320 --> 01:22:39,760
# The way old friends do
1302
01:22:39,760 --> 01:22:43,680
# Times of joy
1303
01:22:43,680 --> 01:22:49,360
# And times of sorrow
1304
01:22:49,360 --> 01:22:56,640
# We will always see it through
1305
01:22:56,640 --> 01:23:01,920
# Oh, I don't care
1306
01:23:01,920 --> 01:23:07,880
# What comes tomorrow
1307
01:23:07,880 --> 01:23:11,280
# We can face it together
1308
01:23:11,280 --> 01:23:17,160
# The way old friends do
1309
01:23:17,160 --> 01:23:21,880
# We can face it together
1310
01:23:21,880 --> 01:23:28,960
# The way old friends do. #
1311
01:23:28,960 --> 01:23:31,120
CHEERING
1312
01:23:38,240 --> 01:23:42,680
One thing we'd learned was
that everything starts with a song.
1313
01:23:46,160 --> 01:23:49,080
I think great music is created
1314
01:23:49,080 --> 01:23:53,120
from the human experience.
1315
01:23:54,800 --> 01:23:56,760
Deep emotions.
1316
01:24:01,280 --> 01:24:07,360
Writing a lyric is something
in between a poem and a melody.
1317
01:24:09,760 --> 01:24:13,640
It would conjure up not only a mood,
1318
01:24:13,640 --> 01:24:16,040
but, like, images sometimes in me.
1319
01:24:17,840 --> 01:24:19,080
Almost cinematic.
1320
01:24:29,080 --> 01:24:32,680
Peter, the head of
UK and international A&R,
1321
01:24:32,680 --> 01:24:34,720
called me up.
1322
01:24:34,720 --> 01:24:36,600
New tracks had come along.
1323
01:24:39,360 --> 01:24:41,880
The business is
a very cynical business.
1324
01:24:41,880 --> 01:24:44,360
You know, you've got
executives there who,
1325
01:24:44,360 --> 01:24:47,040
all they're interested in
is the next dollar.
1326
01:24:48,680 --> 01:24:50,680
But when we were listening
to that track...
1327
01:24:51,840 --> 01:24:53,160
..there was a silence there.
1328
01:24:54,280 --> 01:24:58,080
We all knew what it was all about.
1329
01:24:58,080 --> 01:25:01,400
MUSIC: The Winner Takes It All
by ABBA
1330
01:25:04,800 --> 01:25:08,320
I first presented the lyrics
one morning in our studio...
1331
01:25:09,920 --> 01:25:12,120
..and we had this fantastic
backing track.
1332
01:25:14,720 --> 01:25:16,600
# I don't wanna talk
1333
01:25:18,600 --> 01:25:22,600
# About things we've gone through
1334
01:25:22,600 --> 01:25:26,120
# Though it's hurting me
1335
01:25:26,120 --> 01:25:29,000
# Now it's history
1336
01:25:30,480 --> 01:25:32,480
# I've played all my cards...
1337
01:25:32,480 --> 01:25:36,360
I'm a very much feeling person,
1338
01:25:36,360 --> 01:25:40,400
and I really try to
put my life experience
1339
01:25:40,400 --> 01:25:45,960
and my feelings,
everything in the song.
1340
01:25:45,960 --> 01:25:48,280
# The winner takes it all
1341
01:25:49,880 --> 01:25:53,480
# The loser standing small
1342
01:25:53,480 --> 01:25:54,800
# Beside the victory... #
1343
01:25:54,800 --> 01:25:57,560
Going through a divorce
is difficult,
1344
01:25:57,560 --> 01:25:59,040
as anyone would know who's done it.
1345
01:26:00,400 --> 01:26:04,000
That was, of course,
taking up my thoughts.
1346
01:26:04,000 --> 01:26:06,000
# I was in your arms
1347
01:26:07,760 --> 01:26:10,960
# Thinking I belonged there
1348
01:26:10,960 --> 01:26:15,320
# I figured it made sense
1349
01:26:15,320 --> 01:26:17,760
# Building me a fence... #
1350
01:26:17,760 --> 01:26:20,640
But there was not one winner
in the case of us.
1351
01:26:20,640 --> 01:26:22,800
# Building me a home
1352
01:26:22,800 --> 01:26:26,400
# Thinking I'd be strong there
1353
01:26:26,400 --> 01:26:27,840
# But I was a fool... #
1354
01:26:27,840 --> 01:26:29,480
It was powerful.
1355
01:26:29,480 --> 01:26:31,880
You know, one of our best, I think.
1356
01:26:31,880 --> 01:26:33,840
It's really honest.
1357
01:26:33,840 --> 01:26:36,360
# The gods may throw a dice... #
1358
01:26:44,480 --> 01:26:47,360
I think he was writing
about all the four of us.
1359
01:26:47,360 --> 01:26:49,520
# Loses someone dear
1360
01:26:49,520 --> 01:26:52,960
# The winner takes it all
1361
01:26:52,960 --> 01:26:54,520
# The loser has to fall... #
1362
01:26:54,520 --> 01:26:58,240
The Super Trouper album, I think,
turned everything around,
1363
01:26:58,240 --> 01:27:02,160
getting the sales and finally
getting some brilliant reviews.
1364
01:27:15,920 --> 01:27:19,760
# Somewhere deep inside
1365
01:27:19,760 --> 01:27:23,360
# You must know I miss you... #
1366
01:27:23,360 --> 01:27:25,000
Everybody is happy with it.
1367
01:27:25,000 --> 01:27:27,960
In Holland, it's already
a golden album.
1368
01:27:27,960 --> 01:27:29,240
You must be rich.
1369
01:27:29,240 --> 01:27:31,120
But are you happy too?
1370
01:27:31,120 --> 01:27:33,160
Sometimes. Sometimes not.
1371
01:27:33,160 --> 01:27:34,960
As other people,
1372
01:27:34,960 --> 01:27:38,560
life goes up and down, I think.
1373
01:27:38,560 --> 01:27:42,520
# Spectators of the show
1374
01:27:42,520 --> 01:27:45,920
# Always staying low
1375
01:27:45,920 --> 01:27:47,760
# The game is on again... #
1376
01:27:55,360 --> 01:27:56,880
# I don't wanna talk... #
1377
01:27:56,880 --> 01:28:01,840
We could feel that it suddenly
had got a bit heavy.
1378
01:28:01,840 --> 01:28:04,240
It was not so fun any more to record
1379
01:28:04,240 --> 01:28:07,800
and it was something
in the atmosphere,
1380
01:28:07,800 --> 01:28:09,520
a bit tragic.
1381
01:28:09,520 --> 01:28:10,800
# But you see
1382
01:28:10,800 --> 01:28:17,600
# The winner takes it all
1383
01:28:17,600 --> 01:28:24,080
# The winner takes it all... #
1384
01:28:27,520 --> 01:28:32,160
We had a very explosive
and creative period.
1385
01:28:33,280 --> 01:28:36,640
We organically
came together gradually
1386
01:28:36,640 --> 01:28:38,520
and then it happened
1387
01:28:38,520 --> 01:28:41,240
and then it stopped.
1388
01:28:41,240 --> 01:28:43,200
# Takes it... #
1389
01:28:43,200 --> 01:28:44,720
MUSIC STOPS ABRUPTLY
1390
01:28:44,720 --> 01:28:46,760
It's fascinating, that story.
1391
01:28:48,480 --> 01:28:50,040
It is dramatic.
1392
01:28:50,040 --> 01:28:51,320
OK. Waterloo.
1393
01:28:51,320 --> 01:28:55,320
Why did you decide to
try out at the Eurovision...?
1394
01:28:55,320 --> 01:28:56,800
What's the actual title?
1395
01:28:56,800 --> 01:28:59,280
Eurovision Song Contest.
1396
01:28:59,280 --> 01:29:02,840
You know, you have to realise
that at that time
1397
01:29:02,840 --> 01:29:05,040
it was virtually the only thing
that could help you
1398
01:29:05,040 --> 01:29:06,800
get outside the borders of Sweden.
1399
01:29:08,160 --> 01:29:10,960
Nobody would listen to a tape
from Sweden at that time.
1400
01:29:13,040 --> 01:29:16,280
We had to prove
that we were different.
1401
01:29:16,280 --> 01:29:18,600
We had to fight our way.
1402
01:29:18,600 --> 01:29:21,520
We just started working
really, really hard.
1403
01:29:31,800 --> 01:29:34,520
MUSIC: Lay All Your Love On Me
by ABBA
1404
01:29:46,720 --> 01:29:53,760
# Don't go wasting your emotion
1405
01:29:53,760 --> 01:29:57,960
# Lay all your love on me. #
166491
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