ABBA was a Swedish pop music group formed in 1970 and split up in 1982. They became well known when they won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo".
The band consisted of the two couples Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, and Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (nicknamed "Frida").
The band's name ABBA is an acronym based on the first letters of each member's name.
The musical Mamma Mia! based around the songs of ABBA opened in London England in 1999.
Anyone looking for the key to Abba's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic '50s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen." And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula
