ABBA - DANCING QUEEN

Title: Dancing Queen

Artist: ABBA

Country: Sweden

This is ABBA’s biggest hit of all time. It was released worldwide in 1976. It was the first song that was given an International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) in 1995. The ISWC is a unique identifier for musical works similar to ISBN for books.

This song was number one in the music charts of Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Eurochart 100, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Rhodesia, South Africa, Soviet, U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and of course Sweden.

This is a song that I never get tired of listening. Though it was released in 1976, this song is always fresh. For me, good music never fades. And no matter how many times this song is covered and revived by different artist, the original version is always the best.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: ABBA

cc photo, author: AVRO on Wikimedia Commons

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden.  Each of the letters of the name ABBA was taken from the first letters of the names of the members - Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni-Frid

Members:

Agnetha Fältskog

born on April 5, 1950

Björn Ulvaeus 

born on April 25, 1945

Benny Andersson 

born on December 16, 1946

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad

a.k.a. Frida Lyngstad

born on November 15, 1945

All the members were born in Sweden except for Frida who was born in Norway.

ABBA got their break when their song "Waterloo" won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 for Sweden. The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual song competition in Europe. ABBA's song "Waterloo" was the song that opens the doors for them to international stardom. Later, this was followed by numerous albums and singles that sold millions of copies worldwide. From 1972 to 1982, their singles and albums topped the music charts of many countries. They were reportedly the first pop group from a non-English speaking country who enjoyed tremendous success in the music charts of English speaking countries. During their active years, Agnetha and Björn; and Frida and Benny were married couples but divorced in 1979 and 1981, respectively.

The group's last studio album was "The Visitors" released in November 1981, and the group's last public performance as ABBA was in July 1982 at the British TV program The Late, Late Breakfast Show. The group dissolved without issuing any official statement or announcement. But according to vocalgroup.org, ABBA officially disbanded after the release of their single "Under Attack" in December 1982. All in all, ABBA had released 8 studio albums, 73 singles and 38 music videos. In 1983 and 2000, ABBA postage stamps were issued by the Swedish Postal Service.

Awards:

1980 - Georgie Award as the Best Vocal Group of the Year

            from the American Guild of Variety Artists

1992 - received Honorary Gramis Award

           Gramis Award (Sweden's equivalent to Grammy Awards)

1993 - Best Selling Swedish Artist of the Year

            from the World Music Awards

2002 - inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame

2010 - inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abba

ABBA - THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC LYRICS

ABBA - THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC LYRICS

Choice quotes from the song:

Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty?
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?

Imagine life without music. What would life be? 

Music is very useful and important. You can hear music everywhere. Even in churches and places of worship, there is music, of course some prayers are sung instead of being recited.

Music is part of our lives. It grows with us, it stays with us. It will even outlive us. Thank you for the music.

MUSIC IS LIFE'S CONSTANT COMPANION

     Music forms part of all cultures and, we could say, accompanies all human experiences, from suffering to pleasure, from hatred to love, from sadness to joy, from death to life.

- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

So true, I agree with these words from the former pope. Not every person we love accompanies us in all of our experiences in life, but music is always available for us. Friends come and go, even spouses come and go, but music accompanies us in every moment of our lives until death.