Happy 81st birthday, Björn!

 Today we wish our dear Björn Ulvaeus a very, very happy 81st birthday! Happy birthday, Björn! 🎉🎉🎉

 

52 years of Waterloo

 Today marks 52 years since ABBA's incredible and groundbreaking Eurovision win with Waterloo! Happy anniversary, ABBA!

 

Happy 76th birthday, Agnetha!

 Today we wish our Queen of Hearts a very, very happy 76th birthday. Happy birthday Agnetha! I hope she has an incredible day celebrating with all her loved ones. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Happy New Year, may we all have a vision now and then, of a world where every neighbor is a friend

 

Happy 79th birthday, Benny!

 Today we wish a very, very happy 79th birthday to the man behind the music, Benny Andersson!

 

Happy 80th birthday, Frida!

 Today we wish our beloved Anni-Frid Lyngstad a very, very happy 80th birthday.  Grattis på födelsedagen, dear Frida!

 

Happy 80th birthday, Bjorn!

 Today our very own Björn Ulvaeus celebrates his 80th birthday! Grattis på födelsedagen, Björn! ❤️🎉

 

51 Years of ABBA

A simple drawing to celebrate 51 years since ABBA's global success story began in 1974! Happy anniversary, ABBA!

 

Happy 75th birthday, Agnetha!

Wishing a very, very happy 75th birthday to Ms. Agnetha Faltskog, our Queen of Hearts ❤️❤️❤️ I hope she has an incredible day celebrating with all her loved ones.

 

Happy New Year!

  

May we all have a vision now and then, of a world where every neighbor is a friend <3

Happy 78th birthday, Benny!

 Wishing the maestro himself, Benny Andersson, a very very happy 78th birthday! Grattis på födelsedagen!

Happy 79th Birthday, Frida!

 To our beloved princess, 1/2 of ABBA's impeccable vocalists, absolute powerhouse and crazy talented singer...  Dearest Frida, happy, happy 79th birthday!

 

3 years of ABBA Voyage

Three years ago today, ABBA's 9th and final studio album to date, Voyage was released! I still will never get over the fact that my favorite band ever, the group that I have pretty much dedicated the last 14 years to, actually made music again - the one thing they had had pretty vowed not to do during their 40 year hiatus.

When Agnetha and Frida sing together on top of Bjorn's crafty lyrics and Benny's impeccable compositions, the result is just magical. Even after 40 years, they still managed to capture the same essence that was ABBA from the 70s and 80s into 10 new tracks.

 Last night while working on this drawing (which I'm aware is not from any of the Voyage sessions but that's because I've already drawn pretty much all the voyage pictures haha), I listened to the entire Voyage album from start to finish.  It's nothing new for me to listen to the album from track 1 all the way to track 10 because I'm always listening to ABBA's albums in full, but as I was listening, I couldn't get over how unequivocally ABBA it is.  Even with 39 years since their last recording session, the sound of ABBA was there.  And I'm not just talking about their voices and the music.

We have songs that are about the close bond that people can have (I Still Have Faith In You), slow ballads as well as upbeat dance-able tracks (Just A Notion) and then some happy tracks with hint of melancholy (Don't Shut Me Down and When You Danced With Me).  We have songs about family - be it relationship/marital/divorce issues (No Doubt About It and Keep An Eye On Dan) or just family life (Little Things.)  We have songs that seem downright depressing until the final chorus of the song when we're left with a hint of hopefulness that maybe things are going to be alright in the end (I Can Be That Woman.)  And we have songs that are profound and philosophical (Ode To Freedom) and songs that are commenting on issues with today's world (Bumblebee.)  Just to name a few recurring themes.

I feel like a lot of people who just know ABBA as the band that provided the music to Mamma Mia or as just the band who has only the tracklist of ABBA Gold, aka uncultured dummies hahahhaha jkjkjkjkjk don't realize that these are all topics that ABBA have covered throughout their prior 8 albums.  I've talked a lot of this in my song analysis series that I will get back to posting when I feel like it, but here are some examples of past ABBA songs that are about the same topics. 

Relationship/Marital/Divorce issues: The Winner Takes It All, Hey Hey Helen

Philosophical: Move On

Social Commentary: What About Livingstone

Family life: Slipping Through My Fingers

Songs that are kinda depressing but then leave us with a hint of hopefulness at the end: One Man, One Woman

Close bond/friendship: The Way Old Friends Do

And these are just the ones that I can name off the top of my head.

Even from the moment I first heard the Voyage album in full, it just felt like an ABBA album.  Everything about it screams ABBA, and I cannot be more grateful to have been there to witness this momentous album, and still to this day listen to this album on the regular. 

Happy 3 years of Voyage, the Album. ❤️

2 years of ABBA Voyage

 2 years ago was the premiere of ABBA Voyage, when much to our surprise and astonishment, the four ABBA members reunited, in public, as the entity ABBA, for the first time in nearly 40 years, and probably the last time. (Although ABBA are being awarded the Royal Order of Vasa sometime this month, although I don't know how/when/if the ceremony will be and if ABBA will attend, so we will see....)  

  I remember watching a live stream of the red carpet and watching ABBA step out, and what a moment it was!  Definitely one of the many highlights of 2022.  And of course ABBA stepped out on the stage again after the first premiere of the concert was over, and it was an extremely emotional moment.

  And of course we can't not talk about the ABBA Voyage show itself!  I still have yet to see it for myself, but all the promotion, all the rare glimpses at shots from the show in promotional material, the bootleg photos/videos, all of them just make me all the more excited to finally get to see the show for myself and I can't wait to someday be able to experience that.

  So happy 2 years, ABBA Voyage!  Here's to many many more, be it in London, Las Vegas, Australia, or all three!

  (I drew this picture last year but apparently neglected to share it here.  In fact I have a lot of ABBA-related drawings that I neglected to share, but last year was a very tough year for me... so yeah....)

Happy 79th Birthday, Björn!

 Today we celebrate one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Mr. Björn Ulvaeus' 79th birthday!  Happy, happy birthday dear Björn!  I hope he has the absolute greatest day celebrating with all of his family and friends!

50 years of ABBA - celebrating ABBA's Eurovision Win

 It was exactly 50 years ago today, that ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest.  They had done something so unique for the time, performing a more rocky song than had ever been performed before, crafting an intricate image that helped them to stand out.  They pushed the boundaries and ultimately created a new standard for all future Eurovision Song Contests. 

Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Frida did an absolutely outstanding performance, with an amazing song, and an incredible appearance, and they couldn't have done it if not for their close bond and determination to win.

Their win was well deserved, and today we celebrate with them on this absolutely iconic and incredible day.  Happy 50th anniversary, ABBA.  Hip hip hurrah!

Happy 74th birthday, Agnetha!

 Today our very own Queen of Hearts, our dear Agnetha Faltskog, turns 74!  Happy happy birthday, Agnetha!

I hope she has an absolutely fantastic day, celebrating with all of her friends, family, and loved ones.  And as always, thank you for the music. <3

Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year, Happy New Year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbor is a friend

Happy 77th birthday Benny!

 Wishing a very happy 77th birthday to the one and only Göran Bror, the master of piano, our Benny Andersson!

Happy 78th birthday, Frida!

 Today our Princess Frida celebrates her 78th birthday!  I hope she has an absolutely wonderful day celebrating with her family and friends.  We love you Frida! 💕