Calling all ABBA-maniacs

All it took was a song called “Waterloo” to propel a relatively unknown Swedish pop band to near-instantaneous worldwide stardom. Who on this side of the Atlantic can name even one Song of Europe winner? But ABBA’s April 6, 1974, victory soon had both the song and its singers on the lips of the world.

Though the group no longer performs, tribute bands help keep the ABBA spirit alive and ABBAMANIA, considered one of the best in the world, will perform the songs made famous by the Swedish fab four at the Northwest Florida State College Mattie Kelly Arts Center on March 6, just nine days before ABBA itself will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

ABBA was named for its four members, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. (A Swedish fish cannery, also called Abba, granted the group permission to use their name provided they didn’t do anything to reflect poorly on the company.)

The group’s instantly recognizable “backwards B” logo was inadvertently created during a German magazine shoot in which each member held up a cut-out of their respective initials. One of the men accidentally held his B upside down.

“Waterloo,” which was originally called “Honey Pie,” is the only Song of Europe winner to reach top ten status in the U.S. Even pop diva Céline Dion’s 1988 winner, “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi,” is unknown by most Americans. “Waterloo,” which ABBA sang in English in the contest, ushered in an era of unsurpassed catchy lyrics, bouncy beat, sophisticated instrumentals and stage costumes that the group’s members today admit were a little embarrassing.

Though ABBA has never formally dissolved, their last public appearance as a group was on a Dec. 11, 1982, British television show. Their music, like that of other hugely successful artists of their era and before, however, has continued to win generation after generation of fans.

Films such as “Muriel’s Wedding” and “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and the phenomenal success of the 1999 stage musical “Mamma Mia” and its 2008 film version continue to introduce ABBA’s tunes to new audiences.

The Emerald Coast Concert Association closes its 2009-10 season with ABBAMANIA’s March 6 performance. Sold out wherever they perform, these nine musicians, who hail from Toronto, will transport you back to the glam rock of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s to when ABBA’s concerts were feasts of music and dazzling spactacle.

With authentic costumes made by the seamstress from the Broadway smash hit “Mamma Mia” and incredible vocals, ABBAMANIA performs 22 of ABBA’s hit songs. This is a concert for all ages to enjoy—and sing along with. Relive classics including “Fernando,” “SOS,” “Mamma Mia,” “Super Trouper,” “Voulez Vous,” “I Had A Dream,” “Dancing Queen,” and, of course, “Waterloo,” the song that launched ABBA to stardom.

Only a few seats remain for the 7:30 p.m. concert. For tickets call (850) 362-9356. To learn more about ABBAMANIA, visit www.abbamania-theconcert.com.

An ABBA Close Encounter

While studying in Sweden over the summer of 1980, my friends and I spent one sunny afternoon on a Baltic Sea beach. Suddenly a white helicopter swept over us and out to sea. Across the bottom of the aircraft was the unmistakable ABBA logo, set in News Gothic, complete with the backwards B.

Though I started late in the group’s career, I was by then a fan of their music, and thus about had apoplexy. I couldn’t understand why my hosts, as well as everyone else on the beach, were so nonchalant. Why, the ‘copter was so low, we could’ve waved to Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Frida!

Then my friend Curt explained their lack of excitement. Due to the country’s burdensome tax laws that required the wealthy to reinvest in Swedish industry, ABBA had become one of Sweden’s biggest corporations. They were right up there with Volvo and Saab-Scania. Among their holdings were several offshore oil rigs and the helicopter was simply ferrying workers or supplies out to one of them.

Sadly I could not have expected even a wave from Benny, let alone a kiss blown from Frida.