Notes - articles
"After all, we asked Björn if it wasn't a blunder to introduce Agnetha to the audience as 'my ex-wife but she is still as good as new'. Since every divorce is a painful occasion and a remark like that can come across as rather scornful? Björn appeared to be completely surprised. "On the contrary, because with that remark we only want to show the audience that it was an amicable split," he concluded. "It's normal that our fans wonder how things are between Agnetha and myself. We'd rather tell them ourselves than that they have to read false stories in the magazines. Well, I can assure you that our divorce has been handled on the best of terms, a divorce that was inevitable because neither one of us saw any future in our marriage. We've remained the best of friends and anyone can notice that. Indeed, if we had separated as enemies, we certainly wouldn't have shared the same stage ever again."
Sunday, 21 April 2013
JOEPIE, 1979: "THE DAY THAT WE BECOME BIG-HEADED, ABBA WILL BE THROUGH!"
ABBA's visit to our country was a festive occasion for Joepie as well. We - the people from the editorial staff - met some of our best friends in the business. And the winners of our ABBA competition could finally see a unique dream wish come true. Our reader Willy van Bogaert from Brussels was given the honour to greet the ABBA quartet on behalf of our magazine. He had brought a surprise as well. He gave Agnetha and Anni-Frid a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a statue of... Manneken Pis (Little Man Pee), symbol of Europe's capital. The ice was broken immediately. Martine Cant from Kruibeke was able to watch the ABBA concert before and behind the scenes. She must have been struck by the nervous atmosphere surrounding such a superstar performance. And by the rather vigorous way wherein the 'Gods of Pop' are being protected from the outer world. She followed the concert from first row. And young Sam Jaspers could have his picture taken with his idol Björn. Obviously, the pictures have taken a first-rate spot in their living- and/or bedrooms already.
After their overwhelming concert, there was a happy reunion with Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Björn and Benny. The girls were still soaking wet and visibly tired and understandably wanted to go to bed straight away. On the other hand, it has become customary on tours that Björn and Benny stick around for a while to talk to the press about the concert and the group, while enjoying a drink and a bite to eat. They looked strikingly fresh after their marathon concert of more than two hours, during which they spend all their energy. As if they had just enjoyed a relaxed night out, simple as that.
"Simple? Well yes, because we love the music and our audience that much," Björn explained. "If you do something with love, it's actually never a difficult assignment. It's a question of mentality. Which doesn't mean that we are not doing a hard job during a concert, but you couldn't tell by looking at us."
Benny, with a neverending smile on his face, adds: "When we started, the music was our hobby and despite the success and numerous obligations, it still is. And as long as this remains this way, I can't see any problems."
So quitting tours and splitting up the group are not things to expect in the near future? They both laugh. "Why would we?" Björn asks again. "It's going really well and we love our job and our fans. Apart from that, you mustn't forget that we are never obligated to do anything. We don't have to record, we don't have to tour, we don't have to do promotion. But of course it also happens that we tell ourselves 'isn't it time to go on tour now or to invite a couple of friends from the press' and that's what we do then. And all decisions are being made unanimously by the five of us, our manager, the girls and ourselves. Of course, we are in the fortunate position that we are able to work under these unique circumstances."
After their overwhelming concert, there was a happy reunion with Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Björn and Benny. The girls were still soaking wet and visibly tired and understandably wanted to go to bed straight away. On the other hand, it has become customary on tours that Björn and Benny stick around for a while to talk to the press about the concert and the group, while enjoying a drink and a bite to eat. They looked strikingly fresh after their marathon concert of more than two hours, during which they spend all their energy. As if they had just enjoyed a relaxed night out, simple as that.
"Simple? Well yes, because we love the music and our audience that much," Björn explained. "If you do something with love, it's actually never a difficult assignment. It's a question of mentality. Which doesn't mean that we are not doing a hard job during a concert, but you couldn't tell by looking at us."
Benny, with a neverending smile on his face, adds: "When we started, the music was our hobby and despite the success and numerous obligations, it still is. And as long as this remains this way, I can't see any problems."
So quitting tours and splitting up the group are not things to expect in the near future? They both laugh. "Why would we?" Björn asks again. "It's going really well and we love our job and our fans. Apart from that, you mustn't forget that we are never obligated to do anything. We don't have to record, we don't have to tour, we don't have to do promotion. But of course it also happens that we tell ourselves 'isn't it time to go on tour now or to invite a couple of friends from the press' and that's what we do then. And all decisions are being made unanimously by the five of us, our manager, the girls and ourselves. Of course, we are in the fortunate position that we are able to work under these unique circumstances."
So, there will be more ABBA tours, even giant world tours like this one? "I wouldn't rule it out, although I have to add that we won't question any decisions that we have made together," according to Björn. "We have decided that we don't want to perform during the summer months anymore because we want to spend time at home and be with our families. That's why we refused to perform during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games '80 in Moskow. Perhaps we won't go on long and exhausting tours anymore either. Not only for family reasons but also because tours are in fact very unproductive artistically and we would much rather work on new compositions and other projects, like guiding and producing other artists. But concerts are certainly not ruled out. For instance, next year in March we will be on tour in Japan for three weeks."
When we asked them about the reasons for ABBA's gigantic success, they admitted honestly that they actually don't really know themselves. "There's not an exact formula to be successful in the music business," says Björn. "You create compositions that you believe in and then you hope that the audience will like them as well. A couple of reasons for our success? Obviously our sound. Our two good-looking singers as well. And for the rest I wouldn't know. Either way, we hope that this enormous success won't go to our heads, because the day that we become big-headed, ABBA will be through."
After all, we asked Björn if it wasn't a blunder to introduce Agnetha to the audience as 'my ex-wife but she is still as good as new'. Since every divorce is a painful occasion and a remark like that can come across as rather scornful? Björn appeared to be completely surprised. "On the contrary, because with that remark we only want to show the audience that it was an amicable split," he concluded. "It's normal that our fans wonder how things are between Agnetha and myself. We'd rather tell them ourselves than that they have to read false stories in the magazines. Well, I can assure you that our divorce has been handled on the best of terms, a divorce that was inevitable because neither one of us saw any future in our marriage. We've remained the best of friends and anyone can notice that. Indeed, if we had separated as enemies, we certainly wouldn't have shared the same stage ever again."
Because the financial interests have become too big? "Oh, not at all. Everyone is always talking about all the money we are making. Of course we know what happens to our bank accounts, but it stops there. Our music is our first and only important concern. We want to make the music that we love and we'd like to do that the rest of our lives!"
When we asked them about the reasons for ABBA's gigantic success, they admitted honestly that they actually don't really know themselves. "There's not an exact formula to be successful in the music business," says Björn. "You create compositions that you believe in and then you hope that the audience will like them as well. A couple of reasons for our success? Obviously our sound. Our two good-looking singers as well. And for the rest I wouldn't know. Either way, we hope that this enormous success won't go to our heads, because the day that we become big-headed, ABBA will be through."
After all, we asked Björn if it wasn't a blunder to introduce Agnetha to the audience as 'my ex-wife but she is still as good as new'. Since every divorce is a painful occasion and a remark like that can come across as rather scornful? Björn appeared to be completely surprised. "On the contrary, because with that remark we only want to show the audience that it was an amicable split," he concluded. "It's normal that our fans wonder how things are between Agnetha and myself. We'd rather tell them ourselves than that they have to read false stories in the magazines. Well, I can assure you that our divorce has been handled on the best of terms, a divorce that was inevitable because neither one of us saw any future in our marriage. We've remained the best of friends and anyone can notice that. Indeed, if we had separated as enemies, we certainly wouldn't have shared the same stage ever again."
Because the financial interests have become too big? "Oh, not at all. Everyone is always talking about all the money we are making. Of course we know what happens to our bank accounts, but it stops there. Our music is our first and only important concern. We want to make the music that we love and we'd like to do that the rest of our lives!"
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►News
Something about the article published yesterday by SVD
Björn Ulvaeus ångrar sina ord om Agnetha Fältskog
Björn Ulvaeus lamenta sus palabras sobre Agnetha Fältskog...
Björn Ulvaeus regrets his words about Agnetha Fältskog...
Published Oct 13, 2019 at 11am
"I would never have said today. We behaved so damn annoyingly idiotically stupid, ”says Björn Ulvaeus in an interview with SvD.Photo: SVEN LINDWALL
During an Abba performance at Wembley in 1979, Björn Ulvaeus presented his colleague Agnetha Fältskog as “a good old friend of mine… the blonde one”.
- I would never have said today. We behaved so damn annoyingly idiotically stupid, says Björn Ulvaeus in an interview with SvD.
Björn Ulvaeus is no stranger to appearing in various social debates.
During the fall of 2017, he told me that he had begun to critically examine his previous approach to women.
In a debate article in Svenska Dagbladet, the Abba star wrote that he began to notice power imbalances in conversations with his fellow human beings.
“ I notice that I'm thinking: Am I loud? Am I spreading myself? A meeting with two women and five men. Is there a tendency for the men to interrupt the women or do they seem to agree with what they had just intended to say? ".
BJÖRN ULVAEUS REGRETS THE WORDS ABOUT AGNETA FÄLTHSKOG
In "The Women Who Shaped Pop History," written by Anna-Charlotta Gunnarson, it says about a gig Abba made at the legendary Wembley arena in the British capital London, according to SvD.
When the band members were introduced Benny Andersson first said: "Björn's old friend Agnetha, the little blond girl" about band colleague Agnetha Fältskog.
Björn Ulvaeus called her "a good old friend of mine ... the blonde one". Today, the Abba star regrets the words about her colleague.
- I would never have said today. We behaved so fucking annoyingly stupid stupid. You don't get it, but ... so there it is. You grow, you change, he says in an interview with SvD.
ULVAEUS: "IT WAS A DAMN SHAME"
The book also depicts how Agnetha Fältskog doubted herself when creating music. When asked about Björn Ulvaeus's structures in the music industry that make women do just that, he answers:
- So, both Benny and I tried: Can't you write to us? But she didn't. I never really understood why. She should have had enough confidence, for she had shown what she could, and wrote brilliant songs that had very well been placed on our records.
- But somehow she quit then. She quit altogether. It was a shame. But there was definitely nothing with Benny and me that made her feel that "Nänänä, didn't you come with yours ..." There was nothing like that, I can guarantee.
►Björn Ulvaeus lamenta sus palabras sobre Agnetha Fältskog
Publicado el 13 de octubre de 2019
Durante una actuación de Abba en Wembley en 1979, Björn Ulvaeus presentó a su colega Agnetha Fältskog como "una buena amiga mía ... la rubia".
Hoy lo lamenta
- Nunca lo habría dicho hoy. Nos comportamos de una manera tan estúpidamente molesta como idiota, dice Björn Ulvaeus en una entrevista con SvD.
Björn Ulvaeus no es ajeno a aparecer en varios debates sociales.
Durante el otoño de 2017, me dijo que había comenzado a examinar críticamente su enfoque anterior hacia las mujeres.
En un artículo de debate en Svenska Dagbladet, la estrella de Abba escribió que comenzó a notar desequilibrios de poder en las conversaciones con sus semejantes.
“ Noto que estoy pensando: ¿Soy ruidoso? ¿Me estoy extendiendo? Una reunión con dos mujeres y cinco hombres. ¿Hay una tendencia de los hombres a interrumpir a las mujeres o parecen estar de acuerdo con lo que acababan de decir? ".
BJÖRN ULVAEUS LAMENTA LAS PALABRAS SOBRE AGNETHA FÄLTSKOG
En "The Women Who Shaped Pop History", escrita por Anna-Charlotta Gunnarson, dice sobre un concierto que Abba hizo en el legendario estadio Wembley en la capital británica de Londres, según SvD.
Cuando se presentaron a los miembros de la banda, Benny Andersson dijo por primera vez: "La vieja amiga de Björn, Agnetha, la niña rubia" sobre la colega de la banda Agnetha Fältskog.
Björn Ulvaeus la llamó "una buena amiga mía ... la rubia". Hoy, la estrella de Abba lamenta las palabras sobre su colega.
- Nunca lo habría dicho hoy. Nos comportamos tan jodidamente molestamente estúpido estúpido. No lo entiendes, pero ... así que ahí está. Creces, cambias, dice en una entrevista con SvD.
ULVAEUS: "FUE UNA MALDITA VERGÜENZA"
El libro también muestra cómo Agnetha Fältskog dudaba de sí misma al crear música. Cuando se le preguntó sobre las estructuras de Björn Ulvaeus en la industria de la música que hacen que las mujeres hagan exactamente eso, responde:
- Entonces, tanto Benny como yo lo intentamos: ¿no puedes escribirnos? Pero ella no lo hizo. Realmente nunca entendí por qué. Debería haber tenido suficiente confianza, ya que había demostrado lo que podía y escribió canciones brillantes que muy bien se habían colocado en nuestros discos.
- Pero de alguna manera ella renunció entonces. Ella renunció por completo. Fue una pena. Pero definitivamente no había nada entre Benny y yo que la hiciera sentir que "Nänänä, no vengas con los tuyos ..." No había nada de eso, te lo puedo garantizar.
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Björn Ulvaeus ångrar sina ord om Agnetha Fältskog
Publicerad 13 okt 2019 kl 11.00
nder ett Abba-framträdande på Wembley 1979 presenterade Björn Ulvaeus sin kollega Agnetha Fältskog som ”a good old friend of mine … the blonde one”.
I dag ångrar han orden.
– Så skulle jag aldrig ha sagt i dag. Vi betedde oss så jävla generande idiotiskt dumt, säger Björn Ulvaeus i en intervju med SvD.
Björn Ulvaeus är inte främmande för att synas i olika samhällsdebatter.
Under metoo-hösten 2017 berättade han att han kritiskt börjat granska sitt tidigare förhållningssätt gentemot kvinnor.
I en debattartikel i Svenska Dagbladet skrev Abba-stjärnan att han börjat lägga märke till maktobalanser i samtal med sina medmänniskor.
”Jag märker att jag tänker efter: Är jag högljudd? Breder jag ut mig? Ett möte med två kvinnor och fem män. Finns det en tendens att männen avbryter kvinnorna eller verkar det som om de senare håller inne med det de just hade tänkt säga?”.
BJÖRN ULVAEUS ÅNGRAR ORDEN OM AGNETA FÄLTHSKOG
I ”Kvinnorna som formade pophistorien”, skriven av Anna-Charlotta Gunnarson, står det om en spelning Abba gjorde på legendariska Wembley-arenan i brittiska huvudstaden London, enligt SvD.
När bandmedlemmarna presenterades sa Benny Andersson först: ”Björn’s old friend Agnetha, ´the little blond girl” om bandkollegan Agnetha Fältskog.
Björn Ulvaeus kallade henne ”a good old friend of mine … the blonde one”. I dag ångrar Abba-stjärnan orden om kollegan.
– Så skulle jag aldrig ha sagt i dag. Vi betedde oss så jävla generande idiotiskt dumt. Man fattar det inte, men… så där är det. Man växer, man förändras, säger han i en intervju med SvD.
ULVAEUS: ”DET VAR JÄVLIGT SYND”
Boken skildrar också hur Agnetha Fältskog tvivlade på sig själv när hon skapade musik. På frågan om Björn Ulvaeus sett strukturer inom musikindustrin som gör att kvinnor gör just det, svarar han:
– Alltså, både Benny och jag försökte: Kan du inte skriva till oss? Men hon gjorde inte det. Jag förstod aldrig riktigt varför. Hon borde ha haft tillräckligt självförtroende, för hon hade ju visat vad hon kunde, och skrivit lysande låtar som mycket väl hade platsat på våra skivor.
– Men på något sätt så lade hon av då. Hon lade av helt och hållet. Det var jävligt synd. Men det fanns definitivt ingenting hos Benny och mig som gjorde att hon skulle ha känt att ”Nänänä, kom inte du med dina…” Det fanns ingenting sådant, det kan jag garantera.
