Eurovision Song Contest 1973 and 1974

1973 the contest was hosted in Luxembourg. This was also the year that the contestants did NOT have to sing in their native language. Therefore the songs were now going to be understood by a much bigger audience.

In The 1970s Abba 70-75

It would take thousands of pages to write about Abba, what they did for pop music and how they influenced millions of our lives and still do. Here in part one we look at Abba for the first half of the 70s decade.
Great ABBA SONGS

All the group members were singers before becoming Abba in 1972. The Swedish group consisted of Agnetha Faltskog who was born in 1950 and married fellow Abba member Bjorn Ulvaeus in 1971. Bjorn was born in 1945 and in the 200s was accused of not paying enough tax. The government came after him for 90 million Krona. He won the case and owed them nothing.

Benny Andersson was born in 1946 and married fellow Abba member Frida Lyngstad in 1978. Frida was born  in 1945 and in 1968 won the Swedish version of New Faces a talent show.

The group have sold about 400 million units and still continue to sell. They have won so many awards that it is unlikely any other group will be ever able to do the same.

Abba in 1973 had a minor hit in the UK called Ring Ring and written by Benny and Bjorn and translated into English with the help of Neil Sedaka. But it was 1974 when Abba exploded to a huge TV audience and won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest from Brighton with the amazing Waterloo. No. 1 in the UK and it gave the group a global leg up.

Amazingly the next hit only just crept into the top thirty and that was called Honey Honey. Although a cover version did chart at No.10 by a group called Sweet Dreams in 1974. The group were selling all over the world and the albums were huge.

Single wise in 1975 Abba had only a No. 38 hit with I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do, but had a No .6 hit with SOS the track that was a hit all across the world.

This led to interest in the group once again and the next hit got to No. 1 and has now become a legend, a film and a musical. Mama Mia.

Here is a documentary about ABBA the earty years.

ABBA         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY41syKisOA

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

In The 1970s ABBA 1976 to 1979

• 1974 - won the Eurovision Song Contest on April 6 for Sweden for the song "Waterloo", a song that was written expressly for the contest
• 1974 - won the Goldene Löwe von Radio Luxemburg prize (Radio Luxemburg Golden Lion Prize) for Waterloo single
• 1975 - won West German music prize Deutscher Schallplattenpreis for SOS single in a category Best Song of the Year

ABBA THE MUSIC

ABBA music through the 1970s.

See also..ABBA ARTICLES



MONEY MONEY MONEY BY ABBA Entered Chart: 20-Nov-76 Highest Position: 3 Weeks: 

I HAVE A DREAM BY ABBA Entered Chart: 15-Dec-79 Highest Position: 2 Weeks in Chart: 10 MAMMA MIA BY ABBA Entered Chart: 13-Dec-75 Highest Position: 1 Weeks in Chart: 14 S.O.S BY ABBA Entered Chart: 20-Sep-75 Highest Position: 6 Weeks in Chart: 10
 THE NAME OF THE GAME BY ABBA Entered Chart: 22-Oct-77 Highest Position: 1 Weeks in Chart: 12

 I DO I DO I DO I DO BY ABBA Entered Chart: 12-Jul-75 Highest Position: 38 Weeks in Chart: 6

 RING RING BY ABBA Entered Chart: 13-Jul-74 Highest Position: 32 Weeks in Chart: 5 TAKE A CHANCE ON ME BY ABBA Entered Chart: 04-Feb-78 Highest Position: 1 Weeks in Chart: 10 

SUMMER NIGHT CITY BY ABBA Entered Chart: 16-Sep-78 Highest Position: 5 Weeks in Chart: 9 

 GIMME GIMME GIMME BY ABBA Entered Chart: 20-Oct-79 Highest Position: 3 Weeks in Chart: 12 WATERLOO BY ABBA Entered Chart: 20-Apr-74 Highest Position: 1 Weeks in Chart: 9

 KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU BY ABBA Entered Chart: 26-Feb-77 Highest Position: 1 Weeks in Chart: 13

   

  FERNANDO BY ABBA Entered Chart: 27-Mar-76 Highest Position: 1 Weeks in Chart: 15 

DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW BY ABBA Entered Chart: 05-May-79 Highest Position: 4 Weeks in Chart: 9

DANCING QUEEN BY ABBA Entered Chart: 21-Aug-76 Highest Position: 1 Weeks in Chart: 15  CHIQUITITA BY ABBA Entered Chart: 03-Feb-79 Highest Position: 2 Weeks in Chart: 9   ANGELEYES/VOULEZ VOUS BY ABBA Entered Chart: 14/07/1979 Highest Position: 3 Weeks in Chart: 11