ABBA tribute band to appear with Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
Even the most devoted pop music enthusiast may not recognize the titles “A Bit of Myself,” “The Story of My Life,” “Boogaloo” or “Billy Boy.” That's because they were working titles that were discarded in favor of “The Name of the Game,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance On Me.”
The group responsible for that quartet of memorable hits of course is ABBA, the Swedish pop group with an international following. Active from 1972 to 1982, ABBA produced 73 singles, 21 of which landed on Billboard's pop chart.
Interest in ABBA's music resurfaced in 1999 when two dozen of their hits were strung together to create the musical “Mamma Mia!” in London. The Broadway production opened in October 2001. Both are still running.
The mid-1990s also saw the creation of Waterloo, an ABBA tribute band that will appear in concert as part of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic's 2011-12 pops season. The singers are Patrik Lundstrom (portraying original ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus), Martin Hakansson (Benny Andersson), Mia Ternstrom (Anni-Frid Lyngstad) and Matilda Lindell (Agneta Faltskog).
Nationalistic pride is something that crosses every country's border. One roots for the hometown girl or the favorite son who makes it big. In a recent interview with Ternstrom, I asked what the music of ABBA meant to the Swedes.
“They're the pride and glory of our music industry,” Ternstrom said. “Every kid growing up in that era stood in front of a mirror singing ABBA songs. It's a huge part of our culture because those melodies go straight to the heart.”
Tribute bands typically set out to recreate what it might have been like to hear the original band in concert. For some, like 1964 as the Beatles, authenticity is paramount. The four singers not only sound like the Beatles, they capture the group's look through costuming and movement.
Waterloo features a quartet of singers whose vocal style recreates the distinctive sound of ABBA. And to add greater authenticity, the group tours with two original ABBA rhythm section members. Joining the singers in Oklahoma City will be Mike Watson (bass) and Roger Palm (drums).
Ternstrom says she was always a huge ABBA fan, a factor that helped land her the role of Lyngstad when she joined Waterloo in 2007. But singing along with a recording was far different from performing the challenging vocals with her fellow vocalists.
“I was struck by how hard the songs were, particularly because they sound so easy,” Ternstrom said. “When you study them, you find out that there are so many hidden little things that make them more complicated than they sound.
“When Benny and Bjorn wrote the songs, they created a unique sound for the women that is very difficult to imitate. Anni-Frid was actually born in Norway and if you're Swedish as I am, you can hear those nuances in her singing. I really try to pronounce everything as she did.”
Ternstrom said that while her husband has grown tired of listening to her practice at home, their five-year old daughter takes quite a different view of her mother's unique musical opportunity.
“She loves to play with my wigs and keeps asking to try on my costumes,” Ternstrom said. “She has been to two performances and now she really wants to go on stage and sing. To my daughter, I am ‘mamma mia.'
“I think this is the best job you could have as a singer. Audiences start cheering before we ever open our mouths to sing. People love the music and it's like they share that love with us. As Bjorn used to say, ‘Peace, love and ABBA.'”
