Interview with Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA) PLUS Frida 1967-1972

[Kush]

probably some of the very first music I heard...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTTb6yXzMlU

[Kush]

Fernando
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQsjAbZDx-4


The Winner Takes it all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c

[Kush]

Digging deep in ABBA's music I unearthed this little gem by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. 38 songs on 2 CDs from her pre-ABBA years. Not easy to find (at least in the US) I ordered it from an Amazon seller. I think mostly jazz and folk style including a terrific version of LC's Suzanne in Swedish.


En Ledig Dag (live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHUGxTvkKis

Suzanne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3iNZYZ7c3M

Min Soldat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPOFNxFOM-4

Peter, Kom Tillbaka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0juqEN5cig

she sings some impromptu opera at Andy Gibbs request (not on the CD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkHfg58keM

[Kush]

More great ABBA songs: their songs after the assorted breakups/divorce became darker and even their looks changed from sweet happy go lucky to darker shades.
'When all is said and done' is a great song on the same theme as 'The Winner Takes it all'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUh4u-lYEhM

Here's to us, one more toast
And then we'll pay the bill
Deep inside both of us
Can feel the autumn chill
Birds of passage, you and me
We fly instinctively
When the summer's over
And the dark clouds hide the sun
Neither you nor I'm to blame
When all is said and done

In our lives, we have walked
Some strange and lonely tracks
Slightly worn but dignified
And not too old for sex
We're still striving for the sky
No taste for humble pie
Thanks for all your generous love
And thanks for all the fun
Neither you nor I'm to blame
When all is said and done

It's so strange when you're down
And lying on the floor
How you rise and shake your head
Get up and ask for more
Clear-headed and open-eyed
With nothing left untried
Standing calmly at the crossroads
No desire to run, there's no hurry anymore
When all is said and done

Standing calmly at the crossroads
No desire to run
There's no hurry anymore
When all is said and done

In happier times with 'Why did it have to be me' live in '76
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNZtlLW19uM

and more jazz from Frida

Mad about the Boy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU-fUUOIEbg

Stars Fell on Alabama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-PvF4HoYP8

[Kush]

Some lesser known but brilliant songs - written in a non native language too. Take a bow, Benny and Bjorn!

Cassandra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2SQhnOxqiU

The Day Before You Came
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HnOFwqpLRQ

Happy New Year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uo0JAUWijM

how it all started big time (Eurovision,1974)...and the rest was history, as they say!
Waterloo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FsVeMz1F5c

Cassandra
Down in the street they're all singing and shouting
Staying alive though the city is dead
Hiding their shame behind hollow laughter
while you are crying alone on your bed
Pity, Cassandra that no one believed you
But then again you were lost from the start
Now we must suffer and sell our secrets
Bargain, playing smart, aching in our hearts

Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood
now the last day is dawning
Some of us wanted but none of us would
listen to words of warning
But on the darkest of nights
nobody knew how to fight
and we were caught in our sleep
Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe you really had the power
I only saw it as dreams you would weave
Until the final hour

So in the morning your ship will be sailing
Now that your father and sister are gone
there is no reason for you linger
You're grieving deeply but still moving on
You know the future is casting a shadow
No one else sees it, but you know your fate
Packing your bags, being slow and thorough
Knowing though you're late that ship is sure to wait

I watched her ship leaving harbor at sunrise
sails almost slack in the cool morning rain
She stood on deck, just a tiny figure
Rigid and restrained, blue eyes filled with pain

[Tundra]

I love the song 'Cassandra'. I also really like this one - 'Move On': http://youtu.be/zWbiI93fXmQ

[Kush]

Hi Tundra,

Thanks for the link to Move On - either I have not heard it before or do not remember it. In the 70s ABBA used to play at our home all the time - I was too young to pay much attention or remember the names of the songs but the sound stayed with me. I am making a compilation of their songs and will add Move On to the list. Here are a few others:

Should I laugh or Cry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_uiKm7wsmI

I am the City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsznMjw-BsI

Our Last Summer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6YqC3D0GMo

Chiquitita (live 1979)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h2wRKSVdks


I am the City
Coming through a cloud, you're looking at me from above
And I'm a revelation, spreading out before your eyes
And you find me beautiful and irresistible
A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size,
And you feel a strange attraction,
Ooh, ooh the air is vibrant and electrified,
Welcome to me, here I am my arms are open wide

Somewhere in the middle of the never ending noise,
There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats
And a million voices blend into a single voice,
And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets,
People come and take their chances,
Ooh, ooh, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose a lot
Come make your own contribution to this melting pot

I'm the street you walk, the language you talk
I am the city, the skyline is me and the energy
I am the city, the famous hotels
And the cocktail bars, and the funny smells
And the turmoil of cars, and the people
The air that you're breathing is me,
Yes I am the city, you let me be

People feed me with their lives, I am a hungry soul
And they all worship me, and pay their homage day and night
Everyday I hear a lot of tired, shuffling feet
But come tonight they will be dancing in the neon light,
Dazzled by the crazy magic,
Ooh, ooh, they're grabbing pieces of the fatted calf
And in the wind if you listen hard, you'll hear me laugh

I'm the street you walk, the language you talk
I am the city, the skyline is me and the energy
I am the city, the famous hotels
And the cocktail bars, and the funny smells
And the turmoil of cars, and the people
The parks and the squares that you see,
All the sounds that you hear,
And the air that you're breathing is me,
Yes I am the city, you let me be
I am the city, you let me be, I am the city

The famous hotels and the cocktail bars,
And the funny smells and the turmoil of cars,
And the people, the air that you're breathing is me
Coming through a cloud, you're looking at me from above
And I'm a revelation, spreading out before your eyes

I'm the street you walk, the language you talk
I am the city yes, I am the city, you let me be
And you find me beautiful and irresistible,
A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size,
The skyline is me and the energy,
I am the city you let me be

Somewhere in the middle of the never ending noise,
There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats
I'm the street you walk, the language you talk
I am the city, yes I am the city, you let me be
And a million voices blend into a single voice,
And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets,
The skyline is me, and the energy
I am the city you let me be.

Chiquitita
Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong
You're enchained by your own sorrow
In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow
How I hate to see you like this
There is no way you can deny it
I can see that you're oh so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, tell me the truth
I'm a shoulder you can cry on
Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on
You were always sure of yourself
Now I see you've broken a feather
I hope we can patch it up together

Chiquitita, you and I know
How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leaving
You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end
You will have no time for grieving
Chiquitita, you and I cry
But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you
Let me hear you sing once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita

So the walls came tumbling down
And your love's a blown out candle
All is gone and it seems too hard to handle
Chiquitita, tell me the truth
There is no way you can deny it
I see that you're oh so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, you and I know
How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leaving
You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end
You will have no time for grieving
Chiquitita, you and I cry
But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you
Let me hear you sing once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita

[Kush]

More great ABBA songs. Benny & Bjorn are like the Great Swedish Songbook! A treasure trove of songs.

Like an angel Passing Through my Room
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1lvfxULoYY

I Let the Music Speak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLM1pRQVPQE

One Man One Woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw_fuu9jIOc

The Piper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjgG8EfsB1M

Andante, Andante
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_2nspV4V8

I downloaded Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter's cover album of ABBA songs where in addition to recorded ABBA songs, there are also a few songs by Benny & Bjorn that were never recorded by ABBA as a group such as I Walk with You, Mama.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iml13RIS8U0



I Let the Music Speak

I'm hearing images, I'm seeing songs
No poet has ever painted
Voices call out to me, straight to my heart
So strange yet we're so well acquainted
I let the music speak, with no restraints
I let my feelings take over
Carry my soul away into the world
Where beauty meets the darkness of the day

Where my mind is like an open window
Where the high and healing winds blow
From my shallow sleep the sounds awake me
I let them take me
(Let them wake me, let them now, let them take me)

Let it be a joke
Let it be a smile
Let it be a farce if it makes me laugh for a little while
Let it be a tear
Let it be a sigh
Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry

Some streets are emptiness, dry leaves of autumn
Rustling down an old alley
And in the dead of night I find myself
A blind man in some ancient valley
I let the music speak, leading me gently
Urging me like a lover
Leading me all the way
Into a place
Where beauty will defeat the darkest day

Where I'm one with every grand illusion
No disturbance, no intrusion
Where I let the wistful sounds seduce me
I let them use me
(All illusion, no disturbance, no intrusion)

Let it be a joke
Let it be a smile
Let it be a farce if it makes me laugh for a little while
Let it be a tear
Let it be a sigh
Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry

Let it be a tear
Let it be a sigh
Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry

Let it be the joy of each new sunrise
Or the moment when a day dies
I surrender without reservation
No explanations
No questions why
I take it to me and let it flow through me
Yes, I let the music speak
I let the music speak




Like an Angel Passing Through my Room

Long awaited darkness falls
Casting shadows on the walls

In the twilight hour I am alone
Sitting near the fireplace
Dying embers warm my face
In this peaceful solitude
All the outside world subdued

Everything comes back to me again
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room

Half awake and half in dreams
Seeing long forgotten scenes

So the present runs into the past
Now and then become entwined
Playing games within my mind
Like the embers as they die
Love was one prolonged goodbye

And it all comes back to me tonight
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room


I close my eyes
And my twilight images go by,
All too soon
Like an angel passing through my room

p.s. The term 'Andante' refers to a slower tempo in Italian musical terms, faster than 'Adagio' and slower than 'Allegro' - I was curious about the song and looked it up.

[Kush]

More from Anne Sofie Von Otter's ABBA music

Like an Angel Passing Through My Room
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l-G4fcoKdg

The Winner Takes it All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlva82jbB9Y

The winner takes it all
The loser standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny

The Gods may throw the dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear

Another outstanding song on her album is Heaven Help my Heart - another one that was never recorded by ABBA as a group but was used in the Musical 'Chess'. I could not find Anne Sofie's version on youtube but here is Judy Kuhn:

Heaven Help My Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4B4mr369CY


If it were love I should give that love every second I had
And I do
Did I know where he'd lead me to?
Did I plan
Doing all of this for the love of a man?
Well I let it happen anyhow
And what I'm feeling now
Has no easy explanation
Reason plays no part
Heaven help my heart
I love him too much
What if he saw my whole existence
Turning around a word, a smile, a touch?

One of these days, and it won't be long,
he'll know more about me
Than he should
All my dreams will be understood
No surprise
Nothing more to learn from the look in my eyes
Don't you know that time is not my friend
I'll fight it to the end
Hoping to keep that best of moments
When the passions start
Heaven help my heart
The day that I find
Suddenly I've run out of secrets
Suddenly I'm not always on his mind

Maybe it's best to love a stranger
Well that's what I've done -- heaven help my heart
Heaven help my heart