The foreign tourist visiting Stockholm, Sweden, not only discovers one of the most picturesque cities in Europe, but now may know the hand of ABBA, one of the most popular and legendary groups of all time.
The weekly tour the Venice of the North includes ABBA City Walk, a tour with guides who speak Swedish or English, lasts two hours and costs 12 euros. Shown are the places that catapulted to world fame thanks to Björn Ulvaeus musical, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Frida , a Norwegian who came to Sweden as a child.
Even the name ABBA (an acronym with the first letter of Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid) appears to the visitor to Sweden from the traditional "Welcome to Stockholm!" In the broad Arlanda airport.
There, the Hall of Fame and has a portrait of the band that revolutionized pop music, along with other outstanding personalities of the country's life as Björn Borg, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Alfred Nobel, Brit Ekland and the king and the Queen.
This tribute to a group that has sold nearly 400 million albums, second only to Elvis Presley and The Beatles-, becomes relevant precisely today at 40 years of his birth as an icon, which was from 1972. Add the fact that in December will mark three decades since their separation in 1982, his last performance in a British television program.
Despite its remoteness from the arts scene and offers multimillion who refused to return them to gather on world tours, ABBA is more relevant than ever in his very loyal fans.
The infectious tunes, who frantically dance clubs and are sung by old and new fans, influencing artists, film and television. They are the delight of karaokeros . So already edited several collections with key superhits, sold in the world religiously.
The first success. This account of the path to stardom ABBA emerged in June 1966. Björn sang with a group of Swedish folklore and met Benny (the beard), who was the keyboardist of the most important Swedish pop group in the 60's: The Hep Stars.
Both boys formed a stable society of composers and mid-1969 met their half oranges: Björn Agnetha (the blonde) and Anni-Frid Benny, Frida (the dark hair).
The first session was on a day like today, March 29, 1972. People Need Love ( People need love ) was the first song they recorded and released as a group effort, but still had a solid musical entity .
It was just a project and in that time launched the four discs individually. ABBA did not exist as a real band, and the ladies were virtually invited vocalists in an album released by the duo Björn & Benny.
But there were more verses sung by them, to get their voices more relevant. Enthusiasm emerged that there was something good and Stig Andersson, owner of the Polar Music label in Stockholm, sealed it with the inelegant name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid.
"The girls just came to help their boyfriends. I could not prove that Björn & Benny recording, are the girls who make it work. They should also be accredited. Throw this record, let the public become familiar with you, not as an act, but as a group. Let the public say if no future as a quartet, "said Stig this time, later editor, manager and composer of ABBA.
The part of two minutes and 45 seconds long was acceptable success in Sweden in the summer of 1972, while in Costa Rica the single became the number 10 on the schedules of the Youth Radio One .
A magical and unexpected combination. The voices of the girls were the strongest style of recording. Agnetha's soprano voice sharper, and Frida mezzo-soprano , in a deeper voice.
The piece Merry-Go-Round ( Carousel ) was the B-side.
After all, People Need Love was incorporated in 1973 the first album, Ring Ring , which was an accurate collection of songs and helped the four to project in his rise to what would be the most iconic pop band.
It gained great popularity as ABBA World on 6 April 1974 in Brighton, England, where he won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Waterloo (in 2005 was chosen as the best in the history of this famous festival).
At that time, his albums topped the bestseller lists in Europe and its cultural impact was eloquent, being the first artists of the genre to succeed outside the European market.
They recorded eight albums, the band ABBA The Movie and bequeathed classics like Dancing Queen ,Mamma Mia , Fernando , SOS , Money Money Money , Knowing Me, Knowing You , The Name of the Game , The Winner Takes It All and Chiquitita .
The final chapter of ABBA, with their style of melodic pop and straightforward, simple letters and female voices were harmonious, there was 30 years ago, in 1982, during "times of joy and times of sorrow", as they described it.
The break came when the group the couples materialize their divorces was first Agnetha and Björn in 1980, and then Benny and Frida , a year later, in 1981.
Are Boomers. walk today what those who were members of ABBA? The four already shown their sixties and wrinkled and gray with excess, even getting richer for his many business activities.
The Quartet had met in 2008, to go to the premiere in Sweden of Mamma Mia, the hit movie that was based on their repertoire to suit the show music for the theater, which opened in 1999 in London, England.
Meanwhile, in 2009, Agnetha and Frida were reunited on stage in Sweden to receive a tribute to their careers.
The highest honor received him Benny and Frida in 2010, in New York. There ABBA entered the Hall of Fame Rock and Roll.
In January, Agnetha made a rare public appearance at the annual fashion gala of the Swedish edition of the magazine ELLE , which gave him an award as "fashion icon". In August, Benny and his orchestra will give a recital of popular music in Upsalla, Sweden.
Despite years of rumors, the leaders of ABBA, Björn and Benny, remain firmly opposed to a meeting of the group, even in 2000 rejected an offer of $ 1,000 million for a musical tour of 100 concerts.
"ABBA must remain in the memory of people and we remember what we were: young, exuberant, energetic and ambitious," said Ulvaeus, in 2008.
Not publicly responded to the suggestion that Agnetha did last year, compared to the group "to meet, talk about old times and maybe act together."
The case concerned Björn. Since 2008 have severe memory loss, which made him forget facts of his life as his membership in ABBA. While waiting for a diagnosis to confirm if it is Alzheimer's disease, turned to hypnosis treatments to try to recover his memory.
Ultimately, the most famous Swedish quartet passed the test of time, 40 years after releasing their first success.ABBA is more alive than ever!
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