Abba won the ESC 50 years ago: “There wasn’t much preparation”
Published: Saturday, Mar 30th 2024, 08:30
Retour au fil d'actualité
Their albums have sold millions of copies. Their songs are catchy tunes for eternity. The band Abba is one of the most successful groups in music history and a real pop phenomenon. Björn Ulvaeus (78) is convinced that the Swedes have their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest to thank for their success. "I think that was actually the decisive factor," says the Abba musician, songwriter and producer in an interview with the German Press Agency in London.
50 years ago, on April 6, 1974, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad thrilled the audience, millions of TV viewers worldwide and some of the international juries with their song "Waterloo" at the ESC in the English seaside resort of Brighton. Sweden took first place for the first time and for Abba it was the beginning of a global triumph. "Back then, it was very difficult to achieve a breakthrough outside of Sweden," Ulvaeus recalls. "I think Eurovision was the only way out."
Success in the preliminary decision only at the second attempt
He had actually wanted to take part in the ESC with Abba a year earlier. The quartet entered the Melodifestivalen, the Swedish preliminary round, with "Ring Ring", but was unsuccessful. "In 1973, the Swedish preliminary round had a jury, so-called experts, who chose the wrong song," says Ulvaeus. "And there was a huge outcry in the Swedish newspapers. People were really angry and said that they should have chosen "Ring Ring" by Abba instead."
This "wrong song" was "You're Summer - You Never Tell Me No" by Nova. The pop duo is probably only remembered by absolute ESC experts outside of Sweden. Perhaps also because the band was actually called Malta, but changed their name to Nova due to possible confusion at the ESC. After all, Sweden ended up in fifth place in 1973.
In hindsight, it was a stroke of luck for Ulvaeus that he failed with Abba at the first attempt at Melodifestivalen. "I'm glad they chose the wrong song," says the music legend. "That was good for us, because the following year they let the audience vote for the first time and we won hands down with "Waterloo". And then we went there."
Band and record company planned ahead
The band and their record company were confident and had prepared everything for a worldwide release. "It was very professional," Ulvaeus recalls. The album "Waterloo" was released in March. "Some of us thought we might win. I myself thought we might reach number six or seven or something. But I expected us to stand out because the song was so different from the usual Eurovision songs."
17 artists competed against each other in Brighton on April 6, 1974. Cindy and Bert competed for Germany with "Die Sommermelodie". The 19th ESC should actually have taken place in Luxembourg. However, the Grand Duchy had won two years in a row and had already hosted the competition the previous year. The decision was made not to hold it a second time due to the costs involved. So Great Britain and the BBC stepped in as organizers.
Thunderous applause in the hall
Abba had the starting slot number 8 and conductor Sven-Olof Walldoff, who entered the stage in a Napoleon costume, drew great applause in the Brighton Dome. In fact, most of the accompanying music came from tape, after the rules had been changed in this respect. Radiant and wearing glitter make-up, Anni-Frid and Agnetha, who was repeatedly mistakenly called Anna by the BBC presenter, walked onto the stage. "My, my! At Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender."
There was no choreography or spectacular stage show back then. The perfectionists of Abba had not specially rehearsed the rousing performance. "No, there wasn't much preparation," says Ulvaeus, "because the ladies, the girls, knew what to do. And we had already done it in the Swedish preliminary round." There they had sung "Waterloo" in Swedish. Apart from that, everything remained the same, including the now iconic glitter costumes. "So we just repeated what we had done before, but in English."
Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid received thunderous applause in the hall for their rousing performance. The verdict of the ten-member jury was narrower. Each country could award a total of ten points - one per jury member - which were distributed among the participating countries. The Swedes from Germany received two points. The British, who competed with Olivia Newton-John ("Long Live Love"), received zero.
Scoring becomes a thriller
The announcement of the points turned into a thriller and a duel between the Swedes and the Italian singer Gigliola Cinquetti ("Si"). It was only shortly before the end that Abba was crowned the winner with 24 points, because Italy - in second place with 18 points - was the last country to be announced and was unable to give itself any points. Germany finished in last place, tied on points with Portugal, Norway and Switzerland.
For Abba, the performance meant the hoped-for career boost. The single "Waterloo" conquered the charts worldwide. The album of the same name became the best-selling to date in Sweden and reached number six in Germany. It was the start of a global career - even in the initially skeptical UK. Today, thousands of visitors come to London every week to see the spectacular hologram show "Abba Voyage" and the Abba musical "Mamma Mia".
No hope of an Abba reunion
Without Eurovision it would have been "very difficult", Björn Ulvaeus is certain. "I don't think it would have turned out like this." The final placement at the ESC, on the other hand, was less relevant. "Even if we had finished in fifth place, we would have had a big hit with "Waterloo", which would have launched our career. Winning wasn't as important as taking part."
A commemorative plaque for Abba is installed at the Brighton Dome to mark the 50th anniversary. The BBC produces a new documentary film. The album is reissued as a deluxe edition. The fact that the Eurovision Song Contest is being held in Sweden of all places in the "Waterloo" anniversary year is seen by some as more than just a coincidence. But the high hopes of many fans are unlikely to be fulfilled on May 11. Björn Ulvaeus recently made it clear that the Abba members will not be performing together at the music show in Malmö.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic