Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Frida conquered the world with their sweet pop harmonies, irresistible sing-along choruses and splendidly co-ordinated outfits.
As the tribute musical Mamma Mia! hits the silver screen for the first time, we open the history books to discover the ten top facts that all aspiring super-fans should know...
Something's fishy...
#1: What's in a name?
ABBA took their name from the first letter of the names of all four members – Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid – but it also happened to be the name of a fish processing company in seafood-loving Sweden. The quartet had already released a single under the name Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid called People Need Love when they decided to shorten the name. As Abba (the fish-canners) were unknown outside of Sweden, the company allowed the group to use the name for their Eurovision entry in 1973. Waterloo won the contest, and the company allowed them to keep their poptastic moniker.
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#2: Famous fans
There's no shame in admitting a love for Sweden's pre-eminent pop maestros. Noel Gallagher has admitted he's a fan, as have dance-rock outfit Primal Scream (in fact, they recorded part of new album Beautiful Future in the Stockholm studio where ABBA recorded S.O.S and Money, Money, Money). New wave icon Elvis Costello has admitted the piano melody in his hit Oliver's Army was based on Dancing Queen. And none other than The Who's Pete Townshend told Ulvaeus that S.O.S was one of the greatest pop songs he'd ever heard.
Agnetha Fältskog
#3: Agnetha the astrologist?
Agnetha Fältskog has had the most intriguing of careers post-ABBA. With millions of album sales and chart-topping hits across the globe, she had no desperate need to forge a career for financial sake. Instead, during a faltering solo career which saw no music for nigh-on 14 years, Faltskog entered into a relationship with a Dutch fan - Gert van der Graaf – which ended with her having to issue a restraining order against him. Faltskog has apparently spent much of the time since ABBA's hiatus concentrating on astrology and yoga.
