Abba

[Anita Bensoussane]

They're the best group for me too, Katharine, though I don't have any knowledge of music so I don't know how the technical composition of their songs compares to that of other artists. I just love the layers and harmonies that characterise so much of their music.

Several people have said (in this thread and elsewhere) that they dislike Fernando. While it's not one of my favourite songs, I'd have classed it as a relatively average ABBA track and I was wondering why people object to that song in particular. I do wince slightly at "since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand" (which should be "for many years...") and it's terribly sentimental, but that's not unusual for ABBA. Ignoring the words and focussing on the melody, I find it rather haunting and wistful.

I like the film Mamma Mia (based on the stage musical, which I've never seen) because it has an engaging storyline into which the songs are woven convincingly, a fantastic cast and a lovely setting. It's nice to hear ABBA's melodies in a different context and there's something quite touching about the ordinariness of the singing (only Amanda Seyfried has a beautiful singing voice, I think), but of course it's nothing like listening to genuine ABBA!

Something interesting that my daughter once pointed out to me - not only is ABBA a palindrome, but so is the title of one of their songs, SOS.

[Katharine]

I wouldn't go so far as to say I dislike Fernando, but if I put the songs in order of preference, it would be near the bottom. I can't think of an ABBA song that I don't like at all. I'm not sure why I'm not so keen on that, perhaps the words play a small part, it seems to be about fighting/war, which I don't like. However, I think mainly I just find it rather slow and a bit mournful compared to many of their other songs.

I really didn't like the film at all, and found it a big let down, it's only redeeming features were Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. I've no interest in Mediterranean settings, I hated the idea of a girl growing up not knowing who her father was. I thought the fact that it could be any one of 3 men disgusting - I've never been into 'free love'. I didn't like the other female roles either, I've only seen the film once, but from what I remember, one seemed to be man mad. I also seem to remember a scene where the 3 women were all jumping around and singing like a group of teenagers, I'm afraid I like mature women to act with dignity and a bit of decorum. I'm not sure I could ever bring myself to watch it again.

I think the only good thing about the film was there was a song about a mother watching her daughter growing up.

[Anita Bensoussane]

There are some dark, sad and slightly sordid themes in Mamma Mia, but what shines through for me is the characters' determination to make the best of things, face up to the consequences of their actions and mistakes, put things right where possible and rethink the future in the light of all that has happened. The strong mother-daughter bond and enduring friendship ties are touching and make the film a joy to watch.

Going back to ABBA songs, I like most of them but I'm not keen on Rock Me or Nina, Pretty Ballerina.

Edit: I've got When All is Said and Done - a personal favourite - playing in the background:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUh4u-lYEhM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Katharine]

It's interesting to see how people can be left with a different impression from the same film/book etc. I'm almost tempted to watch it again to see if I can see it from Anita's perspective. However, I'm still left with the memory of constantly checking the counter to see how much more of the DVD I had to endure, so not sure I'm ready to sit through it again.

I don't think I'd heard Rock Me or Nina, Pretty Ballerina before. I can't say the first one was particularly good, but I didn't mind the second one so much, although for me it definitely wasn't one of their better releases. I do quite like When All is Said and Done

[Courtenay]

I do wince slightly at "since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand" (which should be "for many years...")

Me too, but considering Bjorn and Benny weren't native English speakers, they did pretty well with most of their lyrics. "Dig in the dancing queen" is another slight oddity - sometimes transcribed as "diggin' the dancing queen", which may be what it's meant to mean, but it was spelled as two words in the original lyrics, I'm pretty sure. Possibly their worst gaffe, in a lesser known song (it may have been one of their first), was "Where come to me, I am the city"... I take it they meant "Welcome"!!

Back to "Fernando", I've always liked it, even if it is a bit clichéd... it's just fun to belt out. Actually, it seems it was originally a lot more soppy than the version we all know (and love?). Look what I just learned from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_(song" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

The original Swedish-language version's lyrics were written by ABBA's manager Stig Anderson and differ substantially from the English-language version. In the original, the narrator tries to console the heartbroken Fernando, who has lost his great love. "The sorrow can be hard to bear, but the fact that friends let us down is something we all have to cope with". The chorus' lyrics are: "Long live love, our best friend, Fernando. Raise your glass and propose a toast to it, to love, Fernando. Play the melody and sing a song of happiness. Long live love, Fernando".

[Anita Bensoussane]

That's interesting, Courtenay. I agree that Bjorn and Benny did a very good job with most of their lyrics. Even when they did use clichés at times, they worked them in beautifully and, in some of their songs, the lyrics are masterful. Take I Let the Music Speak, for example, which is absolutely gorgeous - sublime both lyrically and musically:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyfvl5L6JNU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm hearing images, I'm seeing songs
No poet has ever painted.
Voices call out to me, straight to my heart,
So strange, yet we're so well acquainted.
I let the music speak with no restraints,
I let my feelings take over,
Carry my soul away into the world
Where beauty meets the darkness of the day.

Where my mind is like an open window,
Where the high and healing winds blow.
From my shallow sleep the sounds awake me,
I let them take me,
(Let them wake me, let them lull?/lure?/love? me, let them take me.)

Let it be a joke,
Let it be a smile,
Let it be a farce if it makes me laugh for a little while.
Let it be a tear,
Let it be a sigh,
Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry.

Some streets are emptiness, dry leaves of autumn
Rustling down an old alley.
And in the dead of night I find myself
A blind man in some ancient valley.
I let the music speak, leading me gently,
Urging me like a lover,
Leading me all the way
Into a place
Where beauty will defeat the darkest day.

Where I'm one with every grand illusion,
No disturbance, no intrusion.
Where I let the wistful sounds seduce me,
I let them use me
(All illusion, no disturbance, no intrusion.)

Let it be a joke,
Let it be a smile,
Let it be a farce if it makes me laugh for a little while.
Let it be a tear,
Let it be a sigh,
Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry.

Let it be a tear,
Let it be a sigh,
Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry.

Let it be the joy of each new sunrise
Or the moment when a day dies.
I surrender without reservation,
No explanations,
No questions why.
I take it to me and let it flow through me,
Yes, I let the music speak,
I let the music speak.

I've said My Love, My Life is my favourite ABBA song, but actually I'm torn between that and I Let the Music Speak!

It's interesting to see how people can be left with a different impression from the same film/book etc. I'm almost tempted to watch it [the Mamma Mia film] again to see if I can see it from Anita's perspective. However, I'm still left with the memory of constantly checking the counter to see how much more of the DVD I had to endure, so not sure I'm ready to sit through it again.

I suppose we may never see eye to eye on that, but it's heartening to see that there are quite a lot of ABBA fans on the forums!

[Katharine]

That's a really interesting song, I'm only familiar with the 'best' hits. I know there has been the odd dodgy lyric, but on the whole I'm amazed at how well they wrote considering English wasn't their first language.

Anita, I'm happy to agree to disagree about the film. I don't know if ABBA had any input in the film, or whether they just allowed their songs to be used? Either way, it won't stop me enjoying their music.

I think some of my favourite ABBA lyrics come from Thank You For The Music.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I don't know if ABBA had any input in the film, or whether they just allowed their songs to be used?

I believe Bjorn and Benny were involved with the stage musical of Mamma Mia and the film version.

I Let the Music Speak was on the album The Visitors (1981). I loved that album and used to play it a lot.

[Moonraker]

"Dig in the dancing queen" is another slight oddity

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Dancing Queen

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/abba/dancingqueen.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[pete9012S]

Mamma Mia? Surely it's worth watching just for this!

Mamma Mia! Pierce Brosnan Singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvTEvmhnAMk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(even better played loud through headphones... )

[Courtenay]

I've seen that too, Nigel, but I had a music book of ABBA songs at one stage - produced by their actual publishers, with all the lyrics as they were officially written - and I was surprised to find it was "dig in the dancing queen" when "digging" would have made a lot more sense. (This was also where I found the song I mentioned earlier with "where come" instead of "welcome".) I would guess they originally wrote "dig in" and it was corrected somewhere further down the track.

[Courtenay]

Mamma Mia! Pierce Brosnan Singing.

[Maggie Knows]

While it's not one of my favourite songs, I'd have classed it as a relatively average ABBA track and I was wondering why people object to that song in particular.

Because when I was a kid it was Number 1 for about 7 weeks and it got flogged to death on the radio, TV chart shows, etc.

Up until that point I liked Abba, and indeed was taken to see them in concert on their Australian tour.

It was never the same after Fernando though. After Fernando they became regarded as quite naff, they fell considerably out of favour I think.

[floragord]

I don't recall much of the original ABBA music (being of the Classic FM and David Jacobs "our kind of music" club )but love the movie MAMA MIA, its always on TV somewhere or the other!, I find it really brilliant how the songs fit the story - and the Greek island setting looks absolute paradise

[Moonraker]

Fans of Abba might be interested to learn that the 2008 film, Mamma Mia!, is on ITV3 at 8pm today.