fresh starts in a new you
"Vignettes about events such as the genesis of “Mamma Mia!” and capsule profiles of each member—Andersson the fountain of melodies, Ulvaeus the introspective searcher, Fรคltskog the reluctant star, Lyngstad the tragic child with a perfect voice—are interposed with bits of chatty musical sociology, all given a pleasant breeziness in Sarah Clyne Sundberg’s translation. We learn about raggare, Sweden’s distinctive rocker culture, and about dansbands, the typically horn-driven groups that play an eclectic mix of styles at open-air dances. Fรคltskog and Lyngstad both started their musical careers singing in dansbands; as Gradvall writes, ABBA would occasionally draw on this tradition, as in “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” with its metallic swarm of saxophones."
