Stig Anderson Appreciation Post

 Breaking up my Song Analysis posts to talk about Stikkan Anderson, a key player in ABBA's success story.  Without Stig, I don't think ABBA would have become the worldwide superstars that they still are today.  Stig was ABBA's manager, and co-founder of Polar Music.  Stig played a big part in buying rights to existing popular hits and adding new Swedish lyrics, which added a new level of interest throughout Sweden.  He also discovered a very young Bjorn Ulvaeus with his band, the West Bay Singers, back in the 60s, and skyrocketed their career throughout Scandinavia and parts of Europe under the new name the Hootenanny Singers.  

Aside from being ABBA's manager, Stig also contributed lyrics to a lot of ABBA's songs, including some of their most popular tracks.  His ABBA songwriting credits include: Ring Ring (Bara Du Slog En Signal), I Am Just A Girl, Merry-Go-Round, Waterloo, Hasta Manana, Honey Honey, Mamma Mia, Tropical Loveland, S.O.S., Bang-A-Boomerang, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I've Been Waiting For You, Dancing Queen, My Love, My Life, Knowing Me, Knowing You, That's Me, Fernando, Happy Hawaii, The Name Of The Game, Move On, and I Wonder (Departure).

Unfortunately, Stig and ABBA's story together didn't end on the friendliest of terms, with there even being a lawsuit over a dispute about profits.  Nowadays if any ABBA fan even remembers Stig, their opinions tend to be tainted by the negative events of this lawsuit, and many ABBA fans either forget about him  or think he's a bad guy.  In Carl Magnus Palms' book ABBA at 50, there was even this whole section highlighting the events of the ABBA vs. Stig dispute, and it really painted him badly.  But here's the thing, I don't think ABBA want Stig to be remembered that way.  At this point, the ABBA members don't seem to have any negative feelings towards Stig.  There's even a (assuming I'm remembering this correctly) a dance booth at ABBA Voyage named after Stig, and I believe hot dogs are sold at the restaurant at ABBA Voyage as a nod to Stig and his favorite food. 

Today would have been Stig Anderson's 93rd birthday.  He sadly passed away in 1997.  

The dispute that happened between ABBA and Stig was unfortunate and really sad, especially as their relationship with him never recovered, but it's not something that Stig deserves to be remembered for.  And I don't think ABBA want him to be remembered that way.  His legacy should remain as a testament to his significant contributions and unwavering dedication to their success story, allowing us to appreciate the best aspects of his impact on their remarkable journey.

 If you have the time and interest, I definitely recommend checking out this documentary all about Stig.  I think it talks about everything that happened with ABBA and Stig in a very respectful way, but doesn't leave out any of the details.