2024 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

On April 16th, The National Recording Registry selected the latest twenty-five sound recordings to be inducted to highlight what it calls "the range and diversity of the American recorded sound heritage". The Registry is an extension of the passage by Congress in 2000 of the National Recording Preservation Act. Since 2002, the Library of Congress oversees the selection of 25 recordings, which must be at least 10 years old at the time of induction, and deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". This latest group brings the total number of recordings in the registry to 650.

Some of the recordings selected include the debut album by the new-wave rock band, The Cars; "Chances Are", the second single by easy listening crooner, Johnny Mathis to sell over a million copies; the punk-rock group, Blondie's breakthrough album, "Parallel Lines" that features the disco tune, "Heart of Glass"; "Ain't No Sunshine", Bill Withers' soul-folk song that became his first major hit; "Arrival", the fourth album by the Swedish pop quartet, ABBA that contains their international smash, "Dancing Queen"; Patti Page's popular pop version of the country song, "Tennessee Waltz"; "Ready To Die", the semi-autobiographical debut studio album from the late hip-hop artist, The Notorious B.I.G.; the crossover pop hit, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by jazz performer, Bobby McFerrin; "This Is a Recording", Lily Tomlin's first comedy album that won her a Grammy Award and the holiday classic about that reindeer with the shiny red nose originally recorded by Gene Autry, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five selections entered into the 2024 Recording Registry:

"Clarinet Marmalade" – Lt. James Reese Europe’s 369th U.S. Infantry Band (1919)
"Kauhavan Polkka" – Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl (1928)
Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946)
"Rose Room" – Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian (1939)
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" – Gene Autry (1949)
"Tennessee Waltz" – Patti Page (1950)



"Rocket ‘88’" – Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (1951)
"Catch a Falling Star" / "Magic Moments" – Perry Como (1957)
"Chances Are" – Johnny Mathis (1957)



"The Sidewinder" – Lee Morgan (1964)
"Surrealistic Pillow" – Jefferson Airplane (1967)



"Ain’t No Sunshine" – Bill Withers (1971)
"This is a Recording" – Lily Tomlin (1971)
"J.D. Crowe & the New South" – J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)
"Arrival" – ABBA (1976)



"El Cantante" – Héctor Lavoe (1978)
"The Cars" – The Cars (1978)
"Parallel Lines" – Blondie (1978)



"La-Di-Da-Di" – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick (MC Ricky D) (1985)



"Don’t Worry, Be Happy"– Bobby McFerrin (1988)



"Amor Eterno" – Juan Gabriel (1990)



"Pieces of Africa" – Kronos Quartet (1992)
"Dookie"– Green Day (1994)



"Ready to Die" – The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
“Wide Open Spaces” – The Dixie Chicks (1998)

2022 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

As many had predicted, another rematch has been set-up after the 2022 Grammy Award nominations were announced on November 15th between the pop music superstars, Beyoncé and Adele. Their previous showdown was back in 2017 when Beyoncé's critically acclaimed alt-soul collection, "Lemonade" and Adele's massive hit release, "25" were both vying for the top prize of Album of the Year with the British artist's album taking home the award. Now their latest albums; "Renaissance" which the r&b diva celebrates Black dance music and the fourth studio album by Adele, "30", will both be in competition for several Grammys including once again for Album of the Year. Beyoncé leads the pack with the most nominations this year with nine which also has made her become the most honored artist in Grammy history, tying her with husband, Jay-Z, with a career total to date of eighty-eight. Adele did not do so badly herself this year, receiving a total of seven nominations.

But there are plenty of other musicians up for the top prize. The reunited Swedish pop supergroup, ABBA's first album of new music in forty years, "Voyage" is up for Album of the Year (the first time ever for this band) and the single, "Don't Shut Me Down" receiving Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group recognition, made more surprising since this collection didn't receive much airplay here. Brandi Carlile's "In These Silent Days", Lizzo's "Special'; the commercial comeback for soul vocalist, Mary J. Blige, "Good Morning Gorgeous"; Coldplay's "Music of the Spheres" and the latest from Pulitzer-Prize winning rapper, Kendrick Lamar, "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" (with a total of eight nominations) are all up for Album of the Year. Bad Bunny with "Un Verano Sim Ti" became the first Spanish-language record ever to receive an Album of the Year nomination. And the artist who might have the best chance to create an upset between the ladies would be Harry Styles and his smash hit album, "Harry's House" which helped him receive a total of six nominations. And "Unholy", the current hit song from Sam Smith and Kim Petras, snuck in to receive a nod for Best Pop Duo/Group, making them become the first openly non-binary and transgender performers up for a Grammy.

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 5th, 2023 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2022 Grammys:

Album Of The Year:

"Voyage" - ABBA
"30" - Adele
"Un Verano Sin Ti" — Bad Bunny
"Renaissance" — Beyoncé
"Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)" — Mary J. Blige
"In These Silent Days" — Brandi Carlile
"Music Of The Spheres" — Coldplay
"Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" — Kendrick Lamar
"Special" — Lizzo
"Harry’s House" — Harry Styles

Record Of The Year:

"Don’t Shut Me Down" - ABBA
"Easy On Me" - Adele
"Break My Soul" - Beyoncé
"Good Morning Gorgeous" - Mary J. Blige
"You And Me On The Rock" - Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius
"Woman" - Doja Cat
"Bad Habit" - Steve Lacy
"The Heart Part 5" - Kendrick Lamar
"About Damn Time" - Lizzo
"As It Was" - Harry Styles

Song Of The Year:

"abcdefu" — Sara Davis, Gayle & Dave Pittenger, songwriters (Gayle)
"About Damn Time" — Melissa Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin & Theron Makiel Thomas, songwriters (Lizzo)
"All Too Well" (10 Minute Version) — Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
"As It Was" — Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Harry Styles, songwriters (Harry Styles)
"Bad Habit" — Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Fousheé, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby & Steve Lacy, songwriters (Steve Lacy)
"Break My Soul" — Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant & Christopher A. Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
"Easy On Me" — Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
"God Did" — Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)
"The Heart Part 5" — Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
"Just Like That" — Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

Best New Artist:

Anitta
Omar Apollo
DOMi & JD Beck
Muni Long
Samara Joy
Latto
Måneskin
Tobe Nwigwe
Molly Tuttle
Wet Leg

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Easy On Me" - Adele
"Moscow Mule" - Bad Bunny
"Woman" -Doja Cat
"Bad Habit" - Steve Lacy
"About Damn Time"- Lizzo
"As It Was" - Harry Styles

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Don’t Shut Me Down" - ABBA
"Bam Bam" - Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
"My Universe" - Coldplay & BTS
"I Like You (A Happier Song)" - Post Malone & Doja Cat
"Unholy" - Sam Smith & Kim Petras

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Voyage" — ABBA
"30" — Adele
"Music Of The Spheres" — Coldplay
"Special" — Lizzo
"Harry’s House" — Harry Styles

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"Higher" — Michael Bublé
"When Christmas Comes Around..." — Kelly Clarkson
"I Dream Of Christmas (Extended)" — Norah Jones
"Evergreen" — Pentatonix
"Thank You" — Diana Ross

Best Dance/Electronic Recording:

"Break My Soul" — Beyoncé 

"Rosewood" — Bonobo
"Don’t Forget My Love" — Diplo & Miguel
"I’m Good (Blue)" — David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
"Intimidated" —  Kaytranada Featuring H.E.R.
"On My Knees" — RÜFÜS DU SOL

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album:

"Renaissance" — Beyoncé
"Fragments” — Bonobo
"Diplo” — Diplo
"The Last Goodbye” — ODESZA
"Surrender” — RÜFÜS DU SOL

Best Rock Performance:

"So Happy It Hurts" — Bryan Adams
"Old Man" — Beck
"Wild Child" — The Black Keys
"Broken Horses" — Brandi Carlile
"Crawl!" — Idles
"Patient Number 9" — Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck
"Holiday" — Turnstile

Best Rock Album:

"Dropout Boogie" — The Black Keys
"The Boy Named If" — Elvis Costello & The Imposters
"Crawler" — Idles
"Mainstream Sellout" — Machine Gun Kelly
"Patient Number 9" — Ozzy Osbourne
"Lucifer On The Sofa" — Spoon

Best Alternative Music Performance:

"There’d Better Be A Mirrorball" — Arctic Monkeys
"Certainty" — Big Thief
"King" — Florence + The Machine
"Chaise Longue" — Wet Leg
"Spitting Off The Edge Of The World" — Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring Perfume Genius

Best Alternative Music Album:

"WE" — Arcade Fire
"Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You" — Big Thief
"Fossora" — Björk
"Wet Leg" — Wet Leg
"Cool It Down" — Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Best R&B Performance:

"Virgo's Groove" — Beyoncé
"Here With Me" — Mary J. Blige Featuring Anderson .Paak
"Hrs & Hrs" — Muni Long
"Over" — Lucky Daye
"Hurt Me So Good" — Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Album:

"Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)" — Mary J. Blige 

"Breezy (Deluxe)" — Chris Brown
"Black Radio III" — Robert Glasper
"Candydrip” — Lucky Daye
"Watch The Sun" — PJ Morton

Best Progressive R&B Album:

"Operation Funk" — Cory Henry
"Gemini Rights" — Steve Lacy
"Drones" — Terrace Martin
"Starfruit" — Moonchild
"Red Balloon" — Tank And The Bangas

Best Rap Performance:

"God Did" — DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy 

"Vegas" — Doja Cat
"pushin P" — Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug
"F.N.F. (Let’s Go)" — Hitkidd & GloRilla
"The Heart Part 5" — Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap Album:

"God Did" — DJ Khaled
"I Never Liked You” — Future
"Come Home The Kids Miss You” — Jack Harlow
"Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” — Kendrick Lamar
"It’s Almost Dry" — Pusha T

Best Country Solo Performance:

"Heartfirst" — Kelsea Ballerini
"Something In The Orange" — Zach Bryan
"In His Arms" — Miranda Lambert
"Circles Around This Town" — Maren Morris
"Live Forever" — Willie Nelson

Best Country Album:

"Growin’ Up" — Luke Combs
"Palomino" — Miranda Lambert
"Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville" — Ashley McBryde
"Humble Quest" — Maren Morris
"A Beautiful Time" — Willie Nelson

Best Americana Album:

"In These Silent Days" — Brandi Carlile
"Things Happen That Way" — Dr. John
"Good To Be..." — Keb’ Mo’
"Raise The Roof" — Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
"Just Like That..." — Bonnie Raitt

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

"The Evening : Live At APPARATUS" — The Baylor Project 

"Linger Awhile" — Samara Joy 

"Fade To Black" — Carmen Lundy 

"Fifty" — The Manhattan Transfer With The WDR Funkhausorchester 

"Ghost Song" — Cécile McLorin Salvant

Best Latin Pop Album:

"Aguilera" — Christina Aguilera 

"Pasieros" — Rubén Blades & Boca Livre 

"De Adentro Pa Afuera" — Camilo 

"VIAJANTE" — Fonseca 

"Dharma +" — Sebastián Yatra

Best Música Urbana Album:

"Trap Cake, Vol. 2" — Rauw Alejandro
"Un Verano Sin Ti" — Bad Bunny
"Legendaddy" — Daddy Yankee
"La 167" — Farruko
"The Love & Sex Tape” — Maluma

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording:

"Act Like You Got Some Sense" — Jamie Foxx
"All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business by Mel Brooks" — Mel Brooks
"Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World" — Lin-Manuel Miranda
"Finding Me" — Viola Davis
"Music Is History" — Questlove

Best Comedy Album:

"The Closer" — Dave Chappelle
"Comedy Monster" — Jim Gaffigan
"A Little Brains, A Little Talent" — Randy Rainbow
"Sorry" — Louis CK
"We All Scream" — Patton Oswalt

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media:

"Elvis" — (Various Artists)
"Encanto" — (Various Artists)
"Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 (Vol 2)" — (Various Artists)
"Top Gun: Maverick" — Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe
"West Side Story" — (Various Artists)

Best Music Video:

"Easy On Me" — Adele
"Yet To Come" — BTS
"Woman" - Doja Cat
"The Heart Part 5" — Kendrick Lamar
"As It Was" — Harry Styles
"All Too Well: The Short Film" — Taylor Swift

Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical):

Amy Allen
Nija Charles
Tobias Jesso Jr.
The-Dream
Laura Veltz

Producer of the Year (Non-Classical):

Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
Boi-1da
Dahi
Dernst "D’mile" Emile II 

ABBA: VOYAGE

Nobody really believed it would come to pass yet after almost forty years, the Swedish pop super-group, ABBA have reunited to release new music. This legendary band, made up of Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid ("Frida") Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn Ulvaeus, have come back together for their ninth studio album which will be called "Voyage". The upcoming ten-track record (which is due out in November) makes one wonder what will ABBA in the 21st century sound like?

With two songs recently released, the answer is: exactly how ABBA has always sounded. "I Still Have Faith in You", a classic power-ballad lead by Frida, is a song about maintaining friendship in a relationship long after heartbreak and disappointment. And Agnetha takes us on the band's outre version of dance-pop with "Don't Shut Me Down".  Perhaps the rest of the album will feature an unexpected surprise or two. But maybe not. After all this time, there is no reason for ABBA to alter what has worked for them as their unique sound has been emulated by countless pop musicians ever since their heyday.

And to add to this exciting news, ABBA has announced that they will embark on a residency at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London beginning in May 2022. The ABBA Voyage concert will feature the musicians, who are all now in their 70's, performing as virtual avatars, depicting the group as they appeared back in 1979 with a live 10-piece band. I'm not sure how well this will actually work but it should certainly be interesting. In the meantime, have a listen to the the two new songs by ABBA:

CHER HAS BECOME A "DANCING QUEEN"

After finally returning to the big screen this summer with the hit musical sequel, "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again", the Oscar-winner, Cher was inspired to return to what started her career; music. She had been a fan of ABBA's music (and saw the "Mamma Mia" stage show three times) and decided to make her new album a collection of the Swedish group's greatest hits.

"Dancing Queen" will be Cher's twenty-sixth (!) studio album and is due out on September 28th. The record features her versions of such classic ABBA tunes like "The Name of The Game", "The Winner Takes It All", "One of Us", "Fernando" (which she performed in the movie) and, of course, the title track. The first taste of the record is Cher's covers of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and "SOS". If you are a fan of this legendary performer, then you are in for a treat:





And as a bonus here is a mash-up by Alex Simpson of Cher's song and Madonna's 2005 tune, "Hung-Up" which used a sample of ABBA's original track.

TAKE TWO: ERASURE

The electronic-dance music craze dominating the scene right now would probably not be happening without Erasure, one of the pioneering bands responsible for successfully merging electronic beats with pop sensibilities, The duo, made of up Vince Clarke and the out-and-fabulous vocalist, Andy Bell, first came together in 1985 and are still making music. Their sixteenth studio album, "The Violet Flame" was released last month and is moving it's way up the charts.

When Erasure first appeared, however, nobody really expected too much from the band. Their debut, "Wonderland" failed to generate much interest initially and Bell was dismissed as simply imitating Clarke's former musical partner, Alison Moyet from Yazoo ("Yaz" in America). Today, this innovative album is considered a classic with the singles "Who Needs Love Like That", "Heavenly Action" and "Oh L'amour" now quite popular.

With the release of their third album, "The Innocents",  the world had taken noticed of Erasure. This record began a long string of hit singles in their native England with twenty-four consecutively reaching the top forty. Erasure also made their first appearance on the U.S. pop chart with "Chains of Love" and "A Little Respect".

Erasure is a major fan of ABBA and paid tribute with an EP entitled, "Abba-esque" in 1992 which covered several of their songs. This collection was a major success, particularly in Europe and is said to have helped spark the renewed interest in this super-pop outfit.

There are so many songs that I love from this band but I've narrowed down my two favorites from Erasure:





And here is a bonus of the boys camping it up as the ladies from ABBA in the video for their version of "Take A Chance on Me":

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After my recent trip to Berlin and Copenhagen, I'm feeling a little European - musically, at least. First up, there has been plenty of buzz about the recent winner of the Eurovision Song Contest although it's been less about the actual song and more about his appearance. Twenty-five year old Tom Neuwirth from Austria performs under the drag persona, Conchita Wurst and caused quite a sensation as she sang the winning,  "Rise Like A Phoenix" while giving Beyoncé some serious competition in the glamour department. You have to wonder about all of the other songs in the contest if this was considered the best but no matter. Although the stunning Ms Wurst may be too much for America to handle but there's no denying that she knows how to sell a tune. Be prepared to be thoroughly mesmerized in this clip of the winning performance:



British pop singer Sam Smith has been coy about his sexuality since bursting on to the music scene this year. While it's certainly no one's business but his own, the new clip for his latest single, "Leave Your Lover" may have shed a little more light on that subject. He has since officially come out but none of it even matters. What is important is this performer's incredible voice:



"The Vistors" - ABBA (1981)

"Der Kommisar" - Falco (1981)

"99 Luftballons" - Nena (1983)

It's been quite a while since we last heard from La Roux. This British act took the world by storm in 2009 with their smash, "Bulletproof" and are finally back with new music. La Roux was once a duo with Ben Langmaid but now only vocalist, Elly Jackson remains. "Uptight Downtown" is the first release from the forthcoming album, "Trouble In Paradise" which is due in July:

"Uptight Downtown" - La Roux (2014)

All American girl, Ariana Grande is back with a sizzling new song, "Problem". The video has a sixties vibe and features a rap verse from hip-hop's girl of the moment, Iggy Azalea:

FOCUS ON: ABBA

Although ABBA was very popular and successful during their brief reign at the top of the pop charts in the mid-1970;s, the group wasn't given much respect and their music was considered fluff. It's funny how time can alter people's perspectives and allow them to reconsider their importance in musical history. ABBA was the perfect pop creation, combining memorable melodies with catchy lyrics and angelic vocal harmonies. Sure, looking back, the group's image was definitely cheesy and over-the-top but the music of ABBA is still being played for one simple reason: It's fun, feel-good music. All four members of ABBA each had various amounts of musical solo success in their native Sweden before coming together as a group.

Benny Andersson, at eighteen, joined the popular Swedish pop-rock group, The Hep Stars in 1963 as a keyboardist and later songwriter. The group started off as a cover band of international hits before doing Andersson's original material and had many top ten hits in Sweden before disbanding in 1969. Bjorn Ulvaeus. also at eighteen, was a singer/guitarist for the folk group, The Hootenanny Singers. He began writing English-language songs as well as had a brief solo career during his stay with this band.

The Hep Stars and The Hootenanny Singers paths crossed while performing across Sweden and Andersson and Ulvaeus became friendly and decided to try and write a song together. That song, "Isn't Easy To Say" was recorded by The Hep Stars in 1966. Stig Anderson, the manager for The Hootenanny Singers, encouraged the two to continue to write more songs together.

During the Swedish Eurovision song contest in 1969, Andersson entered but came in second but he met fellow contestant, Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Anni-Frid or as she is better known, Frida sang since she was thirteen for various dance and jazz-oriented bands. She formed her own band, "The Anni-Frid Four" in 1967 as well as recording several Swedish-language singles and five solo albums. The two began dating and Andersson would produce her debut album, "Frida" in 1971.

At seventeen, Agnetha Faltskog had a number one record in Sweden in 1968 of a song she wrote herself, "Jag Uar Sa Kar". She would release four solo albums and have many songs hit the Swedish charts. Agnetha met Bjorn in 1969 and they began dating which led to a friendship with Benny and Frida who were also a couple. The two couples first attempted to sing together during a vacation in Cyprus as they harmonized together on the beach. Andersson and Ulvaeus had begun recording their first album together with the ladies adding background vocals on several tracks. The men called their act, "Bjorn and Benny" and they had begun experimenting with new sounds and vocal arrangements. The first single, "Hej, Gamle Man (Hey, Old Man)" went to the top five on the Swedish charts. Agnetha and Bjorn married in 1971 and would later have two children together.

Stig Anderson, now the manager of Bjorn and Benny, was determined to have them conquer the international market with their music. "People Need Love" was released in 1972 and credited as "Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid". The song went to number seventeen in Sweden but it also charted in the U.S., although it only made it as high as number one hundred and fourteen but it was still promising. Their manager felt that the song could have gone higher if they had a major label behind them.

Using all of their names was unwieldy, so they came up with using the acronym, "ABBA" which stood for Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni-Frid but they actually got the original idea for the word from the name of a Swedish canned fish company.

The foursome decided to record an album together and "Ring Ring (Dig)" was released in 1973. The album and the title track did well, hitting the top ten charts in Belgium, Holland, Norway and South Africa but Anderson would only be satisfied with success also in the U.K. and the United States. ABBA released their next single, "Waterloo" which became their first number one song in the major markets such as Germany, UK and Australia and the song got as high as number six in the U.S.

In 1974, ABBA began their first tour of Europe and while it started off disappointing, the band actually had to cancel dates due to poor ticket sales, but by the end, ABBA played to sold-out crowds.

ABBA recorded an English version of the song, "Fernando" in 1976 after the Swedish-language version recorded by Frida for her 1975 solo album went to number one.This version became a smash hit, going to number one in thirteen countries and selling over ten million copies.

ABBA's next album, "Arrival" in 1976 went to number one all over Europe and Australia due to the hit songs, "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Money, Money, Money" and "Dancing Queen", which managed to hit number one in thirteen countries including their only chart-topper in the United States.

ABBA began a world tour in 1977 and at this point, they were superstars and played to millions of fans across the globe. A feature-length film was made by acclaimed Swedish film maker, Lasse Hallstrom entitled, "ABBA The Movie" that had a loose plot that used footage from their concerts in Australia to tie it together. A studio album called, "The Album"was released to coincide with the film project.

After being together for almost ten years, Benny and Frida finally married in 1978 during the height of ABBA's fame but the marriage was short-lived and the couple divorced in 1981. Around this time, Bjorn and Agnetha separated in 1978 and divorced in 1980.

ABBA released "The Visitors" in 1981 with the recording of the album tense and stressful due to their personal relationships collapsing. While the album managed to top the charts across most of Europe, "The Visitors" was not as big of a commercial success as their previous albums.

The group attempted to record another studio album in 1982 but it was not working so ABBA decided to release a greatest hits compilation, "Abba:the Singles"  that featured the new songs,"Under Attack" and "The Day Before You Came". After an appearance on a Swedish television program on December 11, 1982  to promote the album, this was the last time ABBA performed together and although they never officially announced the break-up, ABBA was over. Andersson and Ulvaeus teamed up with Tim Rice to compose the musical, "Chess" in 1983 while Lyngstad and Faltskog each released English-language solo albums.

By the 1990's, the music of ABBA experienced a resurgence, thanks in part to things like Erasure's tribute album to the band, "Abba-Esque" in 1992 and the use of the group's music in the films, "Muriel's Wedding" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" but the ultimate salute to ABBA was the stage musical, "Mamma Mia!" that opened on the West End in London in 1999. It was based on the songs of ABBA which became a smash hit, playing to forty-two million people around the world, grossing over two billion dollars and was made in to a very successful film in 2008. All four members of the group came together for the Swedish premiere of the musical in 2005 as well as the film premiere in 2008.

ABBA has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making them the second best-selling bands and the fourth best-selling music artists in history. The group was inducted in to The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2010.

Here are a few of my favorite ABBA songs:

"Dancing Queen" - ABBA (1976)

"The Name Of The Game" - ABBA (1977)

"Take A Chance On Me" - ABBA (1978)

"Thank You For The Music" - ABBA (1978)

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" - ABBA (1979)

"Lay All Your Love On Me" - ABBA (1981)

Here is a vintage music video of the band performing, "Mamma Mia".  ABBA also are one of the first bands to truly use this device (before MTV) as an easy way to promote their music out around the world as there are many videos available of their songs:

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I don't even know what auld lang syne means and I hate the song so I want to use this song I just discovered from Abba to express the joy of surviving the past year and moving on to the new year, 2011.

I'm hoping for the best and I wish happiness and prosperity for all in this upcoming year.

Happy New Year - Abba