Agnetha Fältskog – A

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
agnetha-faltskog-a

Three songs have emerged as favourites for me, as I've listened "properly" to the new album by Agnetha Fältskog over the last couple of weeks. The first single, "When you really loved someone" is one of those great pop ballads about love gone wrong. The video tells the story of an older, wiser woman offering advice to a younger woman who is going through the traumas of a relationship break-up. As the video features a 70's/Swedish looking couple, you can't help but think it's a song for … [Read more...]

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ABBA Museum Opening

May 7, 2013 By 7 Comments
Fireworks for the ABBA Museum Opening

It's late Monday night, my final night in Sweden (sadly), and I've just arrived home from the music, fireworks and celebrity-spotting of the official opening of the long-awaited ABBA Museum. The idea for a permanent ABBA Museum in Stockholm has been around since the end of 2006. The original idea was for the museum to inhabit the space now occupied by the city's Fotografiska Museet. When that didn't prove to be economically viable, the organisers launched a number of short-term exhibition … [Read more...]

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Life Is Good As An ABBA Song

April 19, 2013 By 2 Comments
ABBA Museum

"I always smile when I hear an ABBA song played at a bar in Sweden. There's absolutely no sense of hipster irony in playing ABBA in Sweden. Just pure affection..." I thought to myself. I was sitting at a bar in Gamla Stan and "One Of Us" came over the speakers. It was the third time I'd heard ABBA played in a shop, restaurant or bar that day. First, over a lunch. Then over a mid-afternoon coffee. Then, later in the evening, they were in my head again. Oh, and I passed the ABBA Museum (still … [Read more...]

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International ABBA Day – The Main Day

April 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Boot Scootin' ABBA Fan

“If you're in the ABBA Museum and you're standing near the Ring Ring exhibit, you should answer the phone, as it's probably going to be Frida” we were told by Ingmarie Halling from the ABBA Museum, soon to open in Stockholm. “And if you see the piano suddenly playing, it's gonna be Benny doing it remotely”, she added. The telephone call from Frida (or indeed any member of ABBA, as “they all have the number”, we were told) was inspired by a John Lennon exhibition in New York. When … [Read more...]

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International ABBA Day – The First Night

April 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
ABBA Quiz Winners

I'll be the first to admit I can sometimes be a little bit socially awkward. In a group of four or five people I'm fine, but in a large room I am often the "wall flower" who finds it difficult to meet people and to make conversation. Thus, I've felt slightly apprehensive about my plans to attend the International ABBA Day, held annually at Roosendaal, a small town in The Netherlands. Even though I've "known" a lot of the people attending for many years through the internet, the idea of meeting … [Read more...]

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The Dutch Train System – Part Two

April 6, 2013 By 2 Comments
The hand-written note from a lovely woman at the train station.

The only two words of the Dutch language I know are "alstublieft" and "bedankt" (please and thankyou). So the following translation of the accompanying hand-written note is only a guestimation on my part. The bearer of this note is obviously a complete idiot. In 2008 he came to the Netherlands and got completely lost on the train system then. Remember how we all laughed when we read his blog? Five years later he's back and he still has no idea. If you find him, please have pity on him, and … [Read more...]

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