Today is Agnetha Fältskog's birthday. Or, perhaps more descriptively... it is the birthday of the blonde girl in ABBA. And try as I might I "Can't Shake Loose" (Children of the 80s may recognize the reference --the rest of you are SOL) ABBA is, as you may have read or heard for yourself, the most ingenious pop band in the history o' the universe. Even if there are bands churning pop hits out in other galaxies, I feel completely confident in saying that there's no way any group anywhere -- ever -- has produced as consistently catchy a discography as the beloved Swedish quartet.All that said it's important to acknowledge that you'd be completely justified in being sick to death of them. I think it was Mamma Mia that did it for me. I had to put the ABBA CDs away for a few years. Many of my friends from high school still wonder how I, such a huge ABBA fan, have not seen Mamma Mia onstage. My answer: I never will. ABBA was perfect as is. I don't need some soulless jukebox musical to further overplay the songs at me.
My all time favorite ABBA songs for those who have valiantly made it to the end of this post (six of them just for "par3182"):
1. The Name of the Game
2. Knowing Me Knowing You
3. One of Us
4. Summer Night City
5. The Way Old Friends Do
6. Under Attack
As to the sex quotient of ABBA? Well, I'll just say this: Remember how Fleetwood Mac and Culture Club disintegrated due to interband romances? Remember how No Doubt looked shaky for awhile when whatshisname dumped Gwen? Copycats! ABBA did it first.
ABBA did it best.
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tags: abba, broadway, music, celebrities
other atypical HDH selections:
"Lady Tottington" , Tim Gunn, "Starbuck", and La Streep
and something more traditionally piping hot
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11 comments:
For me:
1 The Visitors
2 When All Is Said And Done
3 SOS
4 Dancing Queen
5 Mamma Mia
6 The Winner Takes It All
Rob
I'm sorry, I can't work up a lot of enthusiasm for this Hottie. Maybe I should try harder...
Although my favorite Abba moment/memory is in Muriel's Wedding, when Toni Collette, in frumpy nerd mode, sings Abba under her breath, out of shyness. Especially since Collette is in reality an awesome singer. That is comic gold.
1. Take a Chance On Me
2. SOS
3. Dancing Queen
4. Under Attack
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
6. Mamma Mia
My favs...
1. The Winner Takes it All
2. Knowing Me Knowing You
3. Dancing Queen
4. Fernando
5. Take a Chance on Me
And I confess that it was Muriel's Wedding that ignited my curiosity and led to my devotion.
Don't talk about Muriel's Wedding around me... I could rant for hours on the awesomeness of that movie. "You're terrible Muriel" = one of the movie quotes of the decate definitely.
BTW, without Australia you wouldn't have ABBA as we know it. They have freely admitted that (their movie was filmed here, even). So... you might as well just thank me because I am Australia.
:)
I first heard ABBA in Spanish. They made an album of their best songs and sang them in Spanish. Funny, don't you think, with their accents and the changes in the lyrics? I think that my sister still has the lp.
My favorites:
1. The Winner Takes It All
2. Thank You for the Music
3. Dancing Queen
4. Knowing Me Knowing You
5. Fernando
I actually don't know many ABBA songs that aren't on their Gold collection (which I won in a contest) so my list isn't very destinct.
1. Take a Chance On Me
2. Dancing Queen
3. Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)
4. Mamma Mia
5. SOS
6. Knowing Me, Knowing You
I'm an insanely huge ABBA fan and cherish all my old ABBA LPs from high school. My favorite ABBA movie moment is the "ABBA turd" scene in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and it was none other than birthday girl Agnetha that Guy Pierce/Felicia Jollygoodfellow followed into the ladies room.
If you have not seen Mamma Mia then you are missing out! I'm a huge ABBA fan and was dancing in the aisle by the end. It's the chessiest, funnest show out there.
It's true, Glenn, without you (i.e. Australia), we'd have no Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, Goeffrey Rush, Olivia Newton-John, Judy Davis, or Ian Thorpe, and no Muriel's Wedding, no Sydney Opera House (it's beautiful, I've been there) and no kangaroos. I would not want to live in a world without these things. I salute you.
i'm in favor of skipping the kangaroos.
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