It's always difficult to find the words to describe certain things. To describe Abba simply as a Swedish pop group is to do them a disservice. It's almost as though you are giving them a label that the whole world knows anyway.
I wouldn't say that Abba revolutionised pop/rock music - they didn't. What they did do was bring a style of music to the world that brought joy and happiness. But for me Abba are/were one of the darkest groups ever. And that makes their music even more powerful. I will return to this later in this blog.
But first of all I want to describe one of the most enjoyable evenings I have had in my 40 plus years of living in Hethersett. I can't remember the date now lost in the mists of time. But I remember the venue and the evening very well. Yes folks it was the Abba tribute evening in St Remigius Parish Church.
We were all invited for an evening of singalong Abba songs. Bring your own drinks we were told. So there was plenty of wine and beer going. A small musical ensemble had been put together. They had very little rehearsal and so some of the things they played sounded rough - but it didn't matter a jot.
We all sang along to Dancing Queen, Waterloo and the rest and by the end of the evening there was dancing in the aisles. It was an uplifting evening of fun and music and showed just what brilliant songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson are/were. The hits just kept on coming and every one of the songs was instantly recognisable.
Afterwards I thought to myself - how many groups could provide music for a whole evening of singalong fun with songs that everyone knew? The only one that came to mind was The Beatles with Simon and Garfunkel a possibility.
I know that the powers that be at St Remigius have been looking at extending the range of what they do in the church. It is such an excellent venue for concerts of all kind from classical to rock. Perhaps this is something that will come to fruition once lockdown has been permanently eased.
I mentioned earlier that Abba's music is very dark. Yes its singalong friendly, it's uplifting and it's instantly hummable. But just listen closely to the lyrics. Many deal with disintegrating relationships, loneliness and much more.
It's almost as if the writers are using their songs to catalogue this disintegration, but doing it within a framework of instantly recognisable tunes. This is the brilliance of the band.
We all love Abba songs but once the gloss has worn off and the songs become part of your life, if you are like me, you look more deeply at the lyrics. If you've never done this, take a look at what Abba were writing and singing about.
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Yesterday I had a walk round the village - it seemed to take forever as there were so many people to pass the time of day with. I do love stopping to have a chat. Hethersett is by and large a very friendly place.
When I write that I can't help but think of the lyrics of another song - this one not written by Abba.
"Twelve Thirty" was written by John Phillips and recorded by The Mamas and the Papas way back in the 1960s. It chronicles the band's move to Laurel Canyon which is an area of Los Angeles that in the sixties was the hang-out of many legendary musicians. If you want to get a flavour of the place watch the Quentin Tarantino film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Anyway back to the song. The first verse is about the band's life in New York:
I used to live in New York City
Everything there was dark and dirty
Outside my window was a steeple
With a clock that always said 12:30
The next verse is a contrast and after they have moved to California:
At first so strange to feel so friendly
To say "Good morning" and really mean it
To feel these changes happenin' in me
But not to notice 'til I feel it
I do think that in Hethersett when people say hello they really do mean it.