h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Today it might seem that ABBA is the embodyment of kitschy pop, of produced sterileness, glitter and glamour but with nothing deeply behind it. Pure fun. This notion is probably as wrong as derrogating the Beatles to a boy-group. One has to see the band in the context of time.

The arguments do have some debatable validity. The songs in retrospect sound kitschy, the lyrics deal in their majority with the good old "I love you, baby, you love me" topic. The sound is marked by full voice harmonies and a well-concocted progression of chords. There are no extreme guitar solos and few riffs. The mentioned harmonies and the keyboard also stand in stark contrast to the rock'n roll tough-boy poses of the four in their videos or on stage.

But, that's what rock'n roll was about in the mainstream end-70s and early-80s. KISS, which was the heavy metal band of the time (they supposedly ate baby chickens on stage ), for example, in an excursion to mainstream rock, sings "I was made for loving you, baby". ABBA in that time was pure mainstream rock and roll. Not just for the bad motorbike gangs, not just for the drug-oriented psychodelics, not just for the straight college youth. They had a little bit for everyone.

At that time it was also not at all ridiculous to stand on stage in leather gear, diagonal zippers, oversized pink sun-glasses making a bad-ass pose, or smiling to the camera (on cue). That kind of thing was the epitome of coolness. One met people *on the street* looking like that.

------------

There's probably a lot more to say about ABBA in context of time...

I remember looking at the album covers, at the videos and going like 'WOW, that's cool, that's sexy... When I grow up I want to marry someone looking just like Agnetha.'

HELL