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Abba: the famous Swedish pop group celebrates its 50th anniversary
Abba: the famous Swedish pop group celebrates its 50th anniversary
(France 2)
On April 6, 1974, 50 years ago, a Swedish pop group won Eurovision with their song “Waterloo”. With its 400 million albums sold, Abba is ahead of Elvis on streaming platforms and close behind the Rolling Stones.
Waterloo, or when the name of a French military holiday becomes a Swedish musical triumph. A loving capitulation. 20 minutes from Brussels, on the grounds of the battle, an exhibition retraces the destiny of the Abba saga, in the city which inspired the Eurovision winner 50 years ago. In 1973, the quartet failed auditions with a song in Swedish. The group is still looking for itself. The following year, they took their revenge by dusting off the competition. “In 2 minutes 50, Abba goes from shadow to light, (…) they shake up all the clichés of this competition”explains Jean-Marie Potiez, curator of the Abba exhibition in Waterloo.
The disco emperor
Abba becomes the emperor of disco and has a string of hits. In 1982, the group broke up and fell into oblivion for a while before films and a musical revived it in the 2000s. The concerts of their revolutionary holograms were a triumphant success. And the Abba madness is not about to stop: evidenced by the flashmob organized in London, Saturday April 6, in Waterloo station.
