The release of a new ABBA album of music for the first time in decades has set the world on its haunches. I have to admit that I cried when I watched and listened to “I Still Have Faith In You”. Perhaps this is a result of the global pandemic and the effects of lockdowns, I am not sure? Will ABBA heal the world once again? The Swedish supergroup has always had a knack for crafting catchy pop songs that are so cheesy they tug at the heartstrings. It was clever to avoid exposing their aged faces and bodies to the flattening glare of video. Music is essentially an aural medium and if looks can kill best to leave them out. Soaring melodies and stirring words ride on clouds of good will and sentiment.
ABBA Sends a Global Message
This tiring Homo sapiens appreciates the message inherent inside the hooks and pop wizardry. Taking photoshopping yourself to new heights the Swedes have cooked the books for all of us ageing folk. I suspect the answer to the question, Will ABBA heal the world (again)? Is a life affirming YES. There is something clean and blandly ok about Swedish culture. I watch a fair bit of Scandinavian TV via SBS and there is something inside of me that enjoys the look and feel of it.
ABBA 20 Million Views & Counting
The new video of “I Still Have Faith In You” has registered 20 million views on YouTube. It is by far the better single released from the album. This suitably vague love song has a multitude of meanings for listeners. I had forgotten that ABBA stood as an acronym for the first letter of each member’s first name. These pop icons stand as storytellers for a generation or two or three of listeners around the globe. I think of the Viking skalds who recounted the heroic myths and legends to halls full of drunken warriors. Perhaps ABBA continues this rich Scandinavian tradition in a modern world.
ABBA Sings To Us All
The muzak riffs underpinning these songs are so naff they transcend concepts like cool. These songs speak over the top of such critical interpretations and speak directly to the heart. “Don’t Shut Me Down” is a another polysemic call to the hearts of us all. These words can be taken on many different levels, the intimate and the social call. ABBA sings to the world at a time when we most need it. These Swedish senior citizens still have it after all these years! Do I have it in me? A question for the zeitgeist.