182-457: Björn Again is an ABBA -inspired musical tribute act from Australia, consisting of performers from various countries. The name is a reference to ABBA guitarist and vocalist Björn Ulvaeus . The band has performed worldwide since it was formed in 1988. Björn Again parodies Swedish pop group ABBA, using a mix of English and Swedish language known as "Swenglish" or pidgin Swedish. The performers use
364-555: A Chance on Me" did not top the American charts, it proved to be ABBA's biggest hit single there, selling more copies than "Dancing Queen". The drop in sales in Australia was felt to be inevitable by industry observers as an "Abba-Fever" that had existed there for almost three years could only last so long as adolescents would naturally begin to move away from a group so deified by both their parents and grandparents. A third single, " Eagle ",
546-950: A Song") for the 1972 contest, choosing newcomer Lena Anderson to perform. The song came in third place, encouraging Stig Anderson, and became a hit in Sweden. The first signs of foreign success came as a surprise, as the Andersson and Ulvaeus single " She's My Kind of Girl " was released through Epic Records in Japan in March 1972, giving the duo a Top 10 hit. Two more singles were released in Japan, "En Carousel" ("En Karusell" in Scandinavia, an earlier version of "Merry-Go-Round") and "Love Has Its Ways" (a song they wrote with Kōichi Morita ). Ulvaeus and Andersson persevered with their songwriting and experimented with new sounds and vocal arrangements. " People Need Love "
728-455: A committee appointed by the broadcaster; and a mixed format where some decisions are made internally and the public are engaged in others. Among the most successful televised selection shows is Sweden's Melodifestivalen , first established in 1959 and now one of Sweden's most watched television shows each year. Each show typically begins with an opening act consisting of music and/or dance performances by invited artists, which contributes to
910-602: A concert tour in southern Sweden and they soon became a couple. Andersson produced her single "Peter Pan" in September 1969—her first collaboration with Benny & Björn, as they had written the song. Andersson would then produce Lyngstad's debut studio album, Frida , which was released in March 1971. Lyngstad also played in several revues and cabaret shows in Stockholm between 1969 and 1973. After ABBA formed, she recorded another successful album in 1975, Frida ensam , which included
1092-479: A different nationality or were born in a different country to that which they represented. No performer may compete for more than one country in a given year. There is no restriction regarding performers who have participated in past events competing again – whether for the same country or a different one. It is even possible for a winning performer to try and defend their title in the next edition, as happened when 2010 winner Lena competed again in 2011. However, in
1274-556: A duration of three minutes or less. This rule applies only to the version performed during the live shows. In order to be considered eligible, competing songs in a given year's contest must not have been released commercially before the first day of September of the previous year. All competing entries must include vocals and lyrics of some kind, a cappella songs and purely instrumental pieces are not allowed. Competing entries may be performed in any language, be that natural or constructed , and participating broadcasters are free to decide
1456-696: A few scenes from their self-written mini-operetta The Girl with the Golden Hair . The concert attracted huge media attention from across Europe and Australia. They continued the tour through Western Europe, visiting Gothenburg , Copenhagen, Berlin, Cologne , Amsterdam, Antwerp , Essen , Hanover , and Hamburg and ending with shows in the United Kingdom in Manchester , Birmingham, Glasgow and two sold-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall . Tickets for these two shows were available only by mail application and it
1638-507: A few shows, including a sole concert scheduled in Switzerland. The second leg of the tour, which took them through Scandinavia in January 1975, was very different. They played to full houses everywhere and finally got the reception they had aimed for. Live performances continued in the middle of 1975 when ABBA embarked on a fourteen open-air date tour of Sweden and Finland. Their Stockholm show at
1820-659: A fruitful songwriting collaboration with Lasse Berghagen , with whom he wrote his first Svensktoppen entry, "Sagan om lilla Sofie" ("The tale of Little Sophie") in 1968. Andersson wrote and submitted the song "Hej, Clown" for Melodifestivalen 1969 , the national festival to select the Swedish entry to the Eurovision Song Contest . The song tied for first place, but re-voting relegated Andersson's song to second place. On that occasion Andersson briefly met his future spouse, singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad , who also participated in
2002-593: A large, active fanbase and an influence on popular culture. The popularity of the contest has led to the creation of several similar events, either organised by the EBU or created by external organisations; several special events have been organised by the EBU to celebrate select anniversaries or as a replacement due to cancellation. The Eurovision Song Contest was developed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as an experiment in live television broadcasting and
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#17330847011532184-423: A late stage, censorship of broadcast segments by broadcasters, as well as political events impacting participation. Likewise, the contest has also been criticised for an over-abundance of elaborate stage shows at the cost of artistic merit. Eurovision has, however, gained popularity for its camp appeal, its musical span of ethnic and international styles, as well as emergence as part of LGBT culture , resulting in
2366-467: A local career boost and in some cases long-lasting international success. Several of the best-selling music artists in the world have competed in past editions, including ABBA , Celine Dion , Julio Iglesias , Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John ; some of the world's best-selling singles have received their first international performance on the Eurovision stage. While having gained popularity with
2548-469: A major gay anthem ) with "Knowing Me, Knowing You" later peaking at number seven; "Money, Money, Money", however, had barely charted there or in Canada (where "Knowing Me, Knowing You" had reached number five). They did, however, get three more singles to the number-one position on other Billboard US charts, including Billboard Adult Contemporary and Hot Dance Club Play ). Nevertheless, Arrival finally became
2730-589: A non-competitive format. Over the years the name used to describe the contest, and used on the official logo for each edition, has evolved. The first contests were produced under the name of Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne in French and as the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix in English, with similar variations used in the languages of each of the broadcasting countries. From 1968,
2912-517: A one-off revival in 2008) saw the participation of NATO and EEC members – including some from outside Europe like Canada – in addition to the Eastern Bloc countries of Intervision that had set up the contest. Only after the end of the Cold War did other countries from Central and Eastern Europe participate for the first time – some of those countries having gained or regained their independence in
3094-518: A regular basis at the Swedish folkparks in the middle of 1971. Stig Anderson , founder and owner of Polar Music , was determined to break into the mainstream international market with music by Andersson and Ulvaeus. "One day the pair of you will write a song that becomes a worldwide hit," he predicted. Stig Anderson encouraged Ulvaeus and Andersson to write a song for Melodifestivalen, and after two rejected entries in 1971, Andersson and Ulvaeus submitted their new song "Säg det med en sång" ("Say It with
3276-470: A representative spokesperson for each country in turn who announces their jury's points, while the results of the public vote are subsequently announced by the presenters. In recent years, it has been tradition that the first country to announce its jury points is the previous host, whereas the last country is the current host (with the exception of 2023 , when the United Kingdom hosted the contest on behalf of Ukraine, which went first). The qualifying acts in
3458-403: A similar style or tempo are performed in sequence. Since the creation of a second semi-final in 2008 , a semi-final allocation draw is held each year. Countries are placed into pots based on their geographical location and voting history in recent contests, and are assigned to compete in one of the two semi-finals through a random draw. Countries are then randomly assigned to compete in either
3640-584: A single TV show. A pre-selection method was subsequently introduced for the first time in order to reduce the number of competing entries, with seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe participating in Kvalifikacija za Millstreet , held in Ljubljana , Slovenia one month before the event. Following a vote amongst the seven competing countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia and Slovenia were chosen to head to
3822-695: A single during the group's lifetime. ABBA: The Album topped the album charts in the UK, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, while ascending to the Top 5 in Australia, Germany, Austria, Finland and Rhodesia, and making the Top 10 in Canada and Japan. Sources also indicate that sales in Poland exceeded 1 million copies and that sales demand in Russia could not be met by the supply available. The album peaked at number 14 in
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#17330847011534004-419: A single evening event, the contest has expanded as new countries joined (including countries outside of Europe, such as Israel and Australia ), leading to the introduction of relegation procedures in the 1990s, before the creation of semi-finals in the 2000s. As of 2024, Germany has competed more times than any other country, having participated in all but one edition, while Ireland and Sweden both hold
4186-456: A standard feature of the event, began in 1958. Technological developments have transformed the contest: colour broadcasts began in 1968 ; satellite broadcasts in 1985 ; and streaming in 2000 . Broadcasts in widescreen began in 2005 and in high-definition since 2007, with ultra-high-definition tested for the first time in 2022. By the 1960s, between 16 and 18 countries were regularly competing each year. Countries from outside
4368-459: A star. After going through considerable effort to locate the singer, he arranged for Agnetha to come to Stockholm and to record two of her own songs. This led to Agnetha at the age of 18 having a number-one record in Sweden with a self-composed song, which later went on to sell over 80,000 copies. She was soon noticed by the critics and songwriters as a talented singer/songwriter of schlager style songs. Fältskog's main inspiration in her early years
4550-572: A true breakthrough release for ABBA on the US album market where it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified gold by RIAA . In January 1977, ABBA embarked on their first major tour. The group's status had changed dramatically and they were widely regarded as superstars. They opened their much anticipated tour in Oslo , Norway, on 28 January, and mounted a lavishly produced spectacle that included
4732-499: A unique theme and identity created for that year's event; since 2013, the opening of the contest's final has included a "Flag Parade", with competing artists entering the stage behind their country's flag in a similar manner to the procession of competing athletes at the Olympic Games opening ceremony . Viewers are welcomed by one or more presenters who provide key updates during the show, conduct interviews with competing acts from
4914-599: A way to produce cheaper programming for national broadcasting organisations. The word "Eurovision" was first used by British journalist George Campey in the London Evening Standard in 1951, when he referred to a BBC programme being relayed by Dutch television. Following several events broadcast internationally via the Eurovision transmission network in the early 1950s, including the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, an EBU committee, headed by Marcel Bezençon ,
5096-404: A week there, followed by "Mamma Mia" staying there for ten weeks, and the album holding down the number one position for months. The three songs were also successful in nearby New Zealand with the first two topping that chart and the third reaching number two. In March 1976, the band released the compilation album Greatest Hits . It became their first UK number-one album, and also took ABBA into
5278-408: A well-known fish-canning company in Sweden, and itself an abbreviation . However, since the fish-canners were unknown outside Sweden, Anderson came to believe the name would work in international markets. A competition to find a suitable name for the group was held in a Gothenburg newspaper and it was officially announced in the summer that the group were to be known as "ABBA". The group negotiated with
5460-558: Is Martin Österdahl , who took over the role from Jon Ola Sand in May 2020. A detailed set of rules is written by the EBU for each contest and approved by the Reference Group. These rules have changed over time, and typically outline, among other points, the eligibility of the competing songs, the format of the contest, and the voting system to be used to determine the winner and how the results will be presented. All competing songs must have
5642-467: Is Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, which was attended by almost 38,000 spectators in 2001 . With a population of 1,500 at the time of the 1993 contest , Millstreet , Ireland remains the smallest hosting settlement, although its Green Glens Arena is capable of hosting up to 8,000 spectators. Unlike the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup , whose host venues are announced several years in advance, there
Björn Again - Misplaced Pages Continue
5824-455: Is a light-hearted parody of ABBA performed in pidgin Swedish or 'Swenglish.' Original band members included Rod Stephen, Peter Ryan, John Tyrrell, Dorina Morelli, Kathy Riseborough, Gavin Charles, and later Janette Stuart. Since the band's debut in 1989, Björn Again has performed approximately 5,500 shows in 72 countries over 34 years. By 1997, the band had three touring lineups. John Tyrrell has been
6006-406: Is a non-profit event, and financing is typically achieved through a fee from each participating broadcaster, contributions from the host broadcaster and the host city, and commercial revenues from sponsorships, ticket sales, televoting and merchandise. The host broadcaster will subsequently select a host city, typically a national or regional capital city, which must meet certain criteria set out in
6188-401: Is allowed during performances. The main vocals of competing songs must be performed live during the contest. Previously live backing vocals were also required; since 2021 these may optionally be pre-recorded – this change has been implemented in an effort to introduce flexibility following the cancellation of the 2020 edition and to facilitate modernisation. Since 2013 ,
6370-528: Is calculated for each country, and the country which has obtained more points from the public voting following this calculation is deemed to have placed higher. Since 1957, each country's votes have been announced during a special voting segment as part of the contest's broadcast, with a selected spokesperson assigned to announce the results of their country's vote. This spokesperson is typically well known in their country; previous spokespersons have included former Eurovision artists and presenters. Historically,
6552-410: Is included in the 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -hour documentary Frida – The DVD . Lyngstad released several schlager style singles on EMI with mixed success. When Benny Andersson started to produce her recordings in 1971, she had her first number-one single, "Min egen stad" ("My Own Town"), written by Benny and featuring all the future ABBA members on backing vocals. Lyngstad toured and performed regularly in
6734-414: Is invariably featured during this voting period, which on several occasions has included a well-known personality from the host country or an internationally recognised figure. The results of the voting are subsequently announced; in the semi-finals, the 10 highest-ranked countries are announced in a random order, with the full results undisclosed until after the final. In the final, the presenters call upon
6916-511: Is limited to a maximum of six, and no live animals are allowed. Since 1990 , all contestants must be aged 16 or over on the day of the live show in which they perform. Sandra Kim , the winner in 1986 at the age of 13, shall remain the contest's youngest winner while this rule remains in place. There is no limit on the nationality or country of birth of the competing artists, and participating broadcasters are free to select an artist from any country; several winning artists have subsequently held
7098-550: Is mentioned in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) and a plot point in the Father Ted episode " A Song for Europe " (1996). Preparations for each year's contest typically begin at the conclusion of the previous year's contest, with the winning country's head of delegation receiving a welcome package of information related to hosting the contest at the winner's press conference. Eurovision
7280-425: Is published on the official Eurovision website after the final, including each country's televoting ranking and the votes of its jury and individual jury members. Each country's individual televoting points in the final are typically displayed on-screen by that country's broadcaster following the announcement of the winner. Participating broadcasters are required to air live the semi-final in which they compete, or in
7462-602: Is surrounded on this LP by so many good tunes that the mind boggles." In Australia, the airing of the music videos for "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Mamma Mia" on the nationally broadcast TV pop show Countdown (which premiered in November 1974) saw the band rapidly gain enormous popularity, and Countdown become a key promoter of the group via their distinctive music videos. This started an immense interest for ABBA in Australia, resulting in "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" staying at number one for three weeks, then "SOS" spending
Björn Again - Misplaced Pages Continue
7644-498: Is typically held at a venue in the host city on the Sunday preceding the live shows, which includes a red carpet ceremony for all the participating countries and is usually broadcast online. Accredited delegates, press and fans have access to an official nightclub, the "EuroClub", and some delegations will hold their own parties. The "Eurovision Village" is an official fan zone open to the public free of charge, with live performances by
7826-533: Is typically that country's national public broadcasting organisation. The programme is staged by one of the participant countries and is broadcast from an auditorium in the selected host city. Since 2008, each contest is typically formed of three live television shows held over one week: two semi-finals are held on the Tuesday and Thursday, followed by a final on the Saturday. All participating countries compete in one of
8008-528: Is usually no purpose-built infrastructure whose construction is justified with the needs of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the 2012 edition , hosted in Baku , Azerbaijan, was held at Baku Crystal Hall , a venue that had not existed when Azerbaijan won the previous year. Most other editions have been held in pre-existing venues, but renovations or modifications have sometimes been undertaken in
8190-467: The Billboard 200 chart, but received unanimous praise from US critics. The Los Angeles Times said the album was a "compelling and fascinating debut album" that captured the spirit of mainstream pop, and described it as "immensely enjoyable and pleasant", while Creem said it was "a perfect blend of exceptional, lovable compositions". ABBA's follow-up single, " Honey, Honey ", peaked at number 27 on
8372-517: The BRIT Billion Award , which celebrates those who have surpassed the milestone of one billion UK streams in their career. ABBA were the first group from a non-English-speaking country to achieve consistent success in the charts of English-speaking countries, including the United Kingdom , Australia , United States , Republic of Ireland , Canada , New Zealand and South Africa . They are
8554-549: The Billboard 200 chart. Opinions were voiced, by Creem in particular, that in the US ABBA had endured "a very sloppy promotional campaign". Nevertheless, the group enjoyed warm reviews from the American press. Cashbox went as far as saying that "there is a recurrent thread of taste and artistry inherent in Abba's marketing, creativity and presentation that makes it almost embarrassing to critique their efforts", while Creem wrote: "SOS
8736-719: The Buckingham Palace Christmas party in London, attended by the Queen and members of the royal family. They also presented a show in honor of Agnetha Fältskog at Stockholm's TV3/TV6 tenth-anniversary party, when Fältskog was quoted saying “It was a great show. I loved the choreography" and "Good luck for the tour.” ABBA ABBA were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog , Björn Ulvaeus , Benny Andersson , and Anni-Frid Lyngstad . They are one of
8918-499: The COVID-19 pandemic . No competitive event was able to take place due to uncertainty caused by the spread of the virus in Europe and the various restrictions imposed by the governments of the participating countries. In its place a special broadcast, Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light , was produced by the organisers, which honoured the songs and artists that would have competed in 2020 in
9100-548: The Dutch name Eurovisiesongfestival was used when the Netherlands hosted in 1976 and 1980 . Original songs representing participating countries are performed in a live television programme broadcast via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks simultaneously to all countries. A "country" as a participant is represented by one television broadcaster from that country, a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and
9282-669: The Entertainment Centre . The trip was accompanied by mass hysteria and unprecedented media attention ("Swedish ABBA stirs box-office in Down Under tour...and the media coverage of the quartet rivals that set to cover the upcoming Royal tour of Australia", wrote Variety ), and is captured on film in ABBA: The Movie , directed by Lasse Hallström . The Australian tour and its subsequent ABBA: The Movie produced some ABBA lore, as well. Fältskog's blonde good looks had long made her
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#17330847011539464-555: The Eurovision feed transmitted by the EBU, the EBU/Eurovision network logo ident (not to be confused with the logo of the song contest itself) is displayed. The accompanying music (used on other Eurovision broadcasts) is the Prelude (Marche en rondeau) to Marc-Antoine Charpentier 's Te Deum . Originally, the same logo was used for both the Eurovision network and the European Broadcasting Union, but they now have two different logos;
9646-471: The Gröna Lund amusement park had an estimated audience of 19,200. Björn Ulvaeus later said, "If you look at the singles we released straight after Waterloo, we were trying to be more like The Sweet , a semi-glam rock group, which was stupid because we were always a pop group." In late 1974, "So Long" was released as a single in the United Kingdom but it received no airplay from Radio 1 and failed to chart in
9828-488: The International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), which further expanded the number of broadcasters by including those from countries of the former Eastern Bloc . These events impacted the contest as they expanded the number of broadcasters eligible to participate with those from new countries. 29 countries registered to take part in the 1993 contest, a figure the EBU considered unable to fit reasonably into
10010-671: The Radio Times , to commemorate the 30 years since their Eurovision Song Contest win with " Waterloo " in Brighton on 6 April 1974. In 2009 the band performed Metallica 's "Enter Sandman", with an additional drummer, to a Sonisphere Festival crowd at Knebworth , as a nod to the headlining act. They were the opening act on the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival in 1999, 2009, and 2019. On 17 December 2012, Björn Again performed at
10192-550: The YouTube channel is still active. Agnetha Fältskog (born 5 April 1950 in Jönköping , Sweden) sang with a local dance band (headed by Bernt Enghardt) who sent a demo recording of their music to Karl-Gerhard Lundkvist . The demo tape featured a song written and sung by Agnetha: "Jag var så kär" ("I Was So in Love"). Lundkvist was so impressed with her voice that he was convinced she would be
10374-466: The green room , and guide the voting procedure in English and French. Competing acts perform sequentially, and after all songs have been performed, viewers are invited to vote for their favourite performances—except for the performance of their own country—via telephone , SMS and the official Eurovision app. The public vote comprises 50% of the final result alongside the views of a jury of music industry professionals from each country. An interval act
10556-459: The 1973 Swedish entry. Stig Anderson started planning for the 1974 contest. Ulvaeus, Andersson and Stig Anderson saw possibilities in using the Eurovision Song Contest to make the music business aware of them as songwriters, as well as to publicise the band. In late 1973 they were invited by Swedish television to contribute a song for the Melodifestivalen 1974 , and the upbeat song " Waterloo "
10738-633: The ABBA logo, employing a different font. In 1992, Polygram added a crown emblem to it for the first release of the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits compilation. After Universal Music purchased PolyGram (and, thus, ABBA's label Polar Music International), control of the group's catalogue returned to Stockholm. Since then, the original logo has been reinstated on all official products. ABBA entered the Melodifestivalen with " Ring Ring " but did not qualify as
10920-559: The Anni-Frid Four. In the middle of 1967, she won a national talent competition with "En ledig dag" ("A Day Off"), a Swedish version of the bossa nova song "A Day in Portofino", which is included in the EMI compilation Frida 1967–1972 . The first prize was a recording contract with EMI Sweden and to perform live on the most popular TV shows in the country. This TV performance, among many others,
11102-548: The Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and his family. At the first Melbourne concert, an additional 16,000 people gathered outside the fenced-off area to listen to the concert. In Adelaide , the group performed one concert at Football Park in front of 20,000 people, with another 10,000 listening outside. During the first of five concerts in Perth, there was a bomb scare with everyone having to evacuate
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#173308470115311284-431: The EBU and invited associate members are eligible to compete; as of 2024, 52 countries have participated at least once. Each participating broadcaster sends an original song of three minutes duration or less to be performed live by a singer or group of up to six people aged 16 or older. Each country awards 1–8, 10 and 12 points to their ten favourite songs, based on the views of an assembled group of music professionals and
11466-466: The English name dropped the 'Grand Prix' from the name, with the French name being aligned as the Concours Eurovision de la Chanson , first used in 1973. The contest's official brand guidance specifies that translations of the name may be used depending on national tradition and brand recognition in the competing countries, but that the official name Eurovision Song Contest is always preferred;
11648-716: The European Broadcasting Area. Eligibility to participate in the contest is therefore not limited to countries in Europe, as several states geographically outside the boundaries of the continent or which span more than one continent are included in the Broadcasting Area. Countries from these groups have taken part in past editions, including countries in Western Asia such as Israel and Cyprus , countries which span Europe and Asia like Russia and Turkey, and North African countries such as Morocco . Australia became
11830-467: The French compilation album, Golden Double Album , released in May 1976 by Disques Vogue , and would henceforth be used for all official releases. The idea for the official logo was made by the German photographer Wolfgang "Bubi" Heilemann [ de ] on a velvet jumpsuit photo shoot for the teenage magazine Bravo . In the photo, the ABBA members held giant initial letters of their names. After
12012-922: The German-speaking countries. "The Name of the Game" was a number two hit in the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden while also making the Top 5 in Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Australia, while only peaking at numbers 10, 12 and 15 in Mexico, the US and Canada. "Take a Chance on Me" was a number one hit in Austria, Belgium and Mexico, made the Top 3 in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, while only reaching numbers 12 and 14 in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. Both songs were Top 10 hits in countries as far afield as Rhodesia and South Africa, as well as in France. Although "Take
12194-834: The Hep Stars' 1969 hit "Speleman" ("Fiddler"). Benny Andersson (born 16 December 1946 in Stockholm , Sweden) became (at age 18) a member of a popular Swedish pop-rock group, the Hep Stars , that performed, among other things, covers of international hits. The Hep Stars were known as "the Swedish Beatles ". They also set up Hep House, their equivalent of Apple Corps . Andersson played the keyboard and eventually started writing original songs for his band, many of which became major hits, including " No Response ", which hit number three in 1965, and " Sunny Girl ", " Wedding ", and " Consolation ", all of which hit number one in 1966. Andersson also had
12376-445: The Top 50 on the US album charts for the first time, eventually selling more than a million copies there. Also included on Greatest Hits was a new single, " Fernando ", which went to number-one in at least thirteen countries all over the world, including the UK, Germany, France, Australia, South Africa and Mexico, and the top five in most other significant markets, including, at number four, becoming their biggest hit to date in Canada;
12558-453: The UK Singles Chart in September 1992. Björn Again has performed at events worldwide, ranging from large rock festivals, including Reading and Glastonbury, to private performances for celebrities, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates , comedian Rowan Atkinson , actor Russell Crowe , and Russian president Vladimir Putin . In 1999, the UK Bjorn Again took part in a documentary for Channel 5 entitled "ABBA: Bjorn Again!", which featured
12740-444: The UK chart within a week of each other. "Ring Ring" failed to reach the Top 30 in the UK, increasing growing speculation that the group were simply a Eurovision one-hit wonder . In November 1974, ABBA embarked on their first European tour, playing dates in Denmark, West Germany and Austria. It was not as successful as the band had hoped, since most of the venues did not sell out. Due to a lack of demand, they were even forced to cancel
12922-465: The UK; and, " Knowing Me, Knowing You ", ABBA's sixth consecutive German number-one, as well as another UK number-one, plus a top five hit in many other countries, although it was only a number nine hit in Australia and France. The real sensation was the first single, " Dancing Queen ", not only topping the charts in loyal markets like the UK, Germany, Sweden, several other western and northern European countries, and Australia, but also reaching number-one in
13104-505: The UK; the only countries in which it was successful were Austria, Sweden and Germany, reaching the top ten in the first two and number 21 in the latter. In the middle of 1975, ABBA released " I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do ", which again received little airplay on Radio 1, but did manage to climb to number 38 on the UK chart, while making top five in several northern and western European countries, and number one in South Africa. Later that year,
13286-526: The US Billboard Hot 100 , reached the top twenty in several other countries, and was a number-two hit in West Germany, although it only reached the top 30 in Australia and the US. In the UK, ABBA's British record label, Epic, decided to re-release a remixed version of "Ring Ring" instead of "Honey, Honey". A cover version of "Honey, Honey" by Sweet Dreams peaked at number 10, and both records debuted on
13468-464: The US. Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest ( French : Concours Eurovision de la chanson ), often known simply as Eurovision , is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union . Each participating country submits an original song to be performed live and transmitted to national broadcasters via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks , with competing countries then casting votes for
13650-427: The United Kingdom that year. A sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again , was released in 2018. ABBA are among the best-selling music artists in history , with record sales estimated to be between 150 million to 385 million sold worldwide and the group were ranked 3rd best-selling singles artists in the United Kingdom with a total of 11.3 million singles sold by 3 November 2012. In May 2023, ABBA were awarded
13832-572: The United Kingdom, Germany and Australia and the top two in a few other western and northern European countries. In the United States, both " I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do " and " SOS " peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the latter picking up the BMI Award along the way as one of the most played songs on American radio in 1975. "Mamma Mia", however, stalled at number 32. In Canada,
14014-483: The United States, Canada, the Soviet Union and Japan, and the top ten in France, Spain and Italy. All three songs were number-one hits in Mexico. In South Africa, ABBA had astounding success with each of "Fernando", "Dancing Queen" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You" being among the top 20 best-selling singles for 1976–77. In 1977, Arrival was nominated for the inaugural BRIT Award in the category "Best International Album of
14196-504: The United States, where it peaked at number 114 on the Cashbox singles chart and number 117 on the Record World singles chart. Labelled as Björn & Benny (with Svenska Flicka) meaning Swedish Girl, it was released there through Playboy Records . According to Stig Anderson, "People Need Love" could have been a much bigger American hit, but a small label like Playboy Records did not have
14378-530: The Year". By this time ABBA were popular in the UK, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In Frida – The DVD , Lyngstad explains how she and Fältskog developed as singers, as ABBA's recordings grew more complex over the years. The band's mainstream popularity in the United States would remain on a comparatively smaller scale, and "Dancing Queen" became the only Billboard Hot 100 number-one single for ABBA (though it immediately became, and remains to this day,
14560-462: The age of 18 (as a singer and guitarist), when he fronted the Hootenanny Singers , a popular Swedish folk – skiffle group. Ulvaeus started writing English-language songs for his group and even had a brief solo career alongside. The Hootenanny Singers and the Hep Stars sometimes crossed paths while touring. In June 1966, Ulvaeus and Andersson decided to write a song together. Their first attempt
14742-399: The announcements were made through telephone lines from the countries of origin, with satellite links employed for the first time in 1994 , allowing the spokespersons to be seen visually by the audience and TV spectators. Scoring is done by both a national jury and a national televote. Each country's jury votes are consecutively added to the totals scoreboard as they are called upon by
14924-404: The arrival of the competing artists. Delegations will typically arrive in the host city two to three weeks before the live show, and each participating broadcaster nominates a head of delegation, responsible for coordinating the movements of their delegation and being that country's representative to the EBU. Members of each country's delegation include performers, composers, lyricists, members of
15106-500: The band on tour. Throughout the program the band members spoke in "Swenglish" accents. Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have both praised Björn Again. After ABBA's former members said they were not going to perform together again, Andersson was quoted as saying in 1999, "Bjorn Again are the closest you can get to seeing ABBA." The band attended a celebrity gala in costume at the London Savoy and received an award on behalf of ABBA from
15288-491: The band's "pin-up girl", a role she disdained. During the Australian tour, she performed in a skin-tight white jumpsuit, causing one Australian newspaper to use the headline "Agnetha's bottom tops dull show". When asked about this at a news conference, she replied: "Don't they have bottoms in Australia?" In December 1977, ABBA followed up Arrival with the more ambitious fifth album, ABBA: The Album , released to coincide with
15470-556: The band's manager since the outset. Rod Stephen manages the UK/Europe lineup and John Tyrrell manages the Australasian lineup. The band has recorded and performed live a total of 133 songs, including 55 ABBA songs, seven originals, and 62 covers by other artists. They released an EP of covers of Erasure songs performed in the style of ABBA, called Erasure-ish, which included the songs "Stop!" and "A Little Respect" that reached Number 25 on
15652-626: The best-selling Swedish band of all time and the best-selling band originating in continental Europe . ABBA had eight consecutive number-one albums in the UK. The group also enjoyed significant success in Latin America and recorded a collection of their hit songs in Spanish. ABBA were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010,
15834-431: The broadcast, is used as a recorded back-up in case of technological failure, and performances during this show are used by each country's professional jury to determine their votes. The delegations from the qualifying countries in each semi-final attend a qualifiers' press conference after their respective semi-final, and the winning delegation attends a winners' press conference following the final. A welcome reception
16016-470: The canners for the rights to the name. Fred Bronson reported for Billboard that Fältskog told him in a 1988 interview that "[ABBA] had to ask permission and the factory said, 'O.K., as long as you don't make us feel ashamed for what you're doing ' ". "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each group member's first name: A gnetha, B jörn, B enny, A nni-Frid, although there has never been any official confirmation of who each letter in
16198-465: The case of the automatic finalists the semi-final in which they are required to vote, and the final, in its entirety; this includes all competing songs, the voting recap containing short clips of the performances, the voting procedure or semi-final qualification reveal, and the reprise of the winning song in the final. Since 1999, broadcasters who wished to do so were given the opportunity to provide advertising during short, non-essential hiatuses in
16380-429: The chance to tour Europe and perform on major television shows, as a result of which the "Waterloo" single charted in many European countries. After winning the contest, ABBA spent an evening of glory partying in the appropriately named first-floor Napoleon suite of The Grand Brighton Hotel . "Waterloo" was ABBA's first major hit and their first number-one single in nine western and northern European countries, including
16562-407: The competing songs' musical qualities, stage performance, prop and lighting set-up, and other production considerations taken into account. Since 2023, the voting system used to determine the results of the contest has worked on the basis of positional voting . Each country awards 1–8, 10 and 12 points to the ten favourite songs as voted for by that country's general public or assembled jury, with
16744-431: The contest can be seen as a unique opportunity for promoting the host country as a tourist destination and can provide benefits to the local economy and tourism sectors of the host city. However, there is a perception reflected in popular culture that some countries wish to avoid the costly burden of hosting – sometimes resulting in them sending deliberately subpar entries with no chance of winning. This belief
16926-449: The contest in 1997 on a trial basis, with broadcasters in five countries allowing the viewing public to determine their votes for the first time. From 1998 , televoting was extended to almost all competing countries, and subsequently became mandatory from 2004 . A jury was reintroduced for the final in 2009 , with each country's points comprising both the votes of the jury and public in an equal split; this mix of jury and public voting
17108-502: The contest in Millstreet , Ireland, whilst Estonia , Hungary , Romania and Slovakia were forced to wait another year before being allowed to compete. A new relegation system was introduced for entry into the 1994 contest, with the lowest-placed countries being forced to sit out the following year's event to be replaced by countries which had not competed in the previous contest. The bottom seven countries in 1993 were required to miss
17290-472: The contest is commonly referred to in English by the abbreviation "Eurovision", and in internal documents by the acronym "ESC". On only four occasions has the name used for the official logo of the contest not been in English or French: the Italian names Gran Premio Eurovisione della Canzone and Concorso Eurovisione della Canzone were used when Italy hosted the 1965 and 1991 contests respectively; and
17472-448: The contest presenter(s). The scoreboard was historically placed at the side of the stage and updated manually as each country gave their votes; in 1988 a computer graphics scoreboard was introduced. The jury points from 1–8 and 10 are displayed on screen and added automatically to the scoreboard, then the country's spokesperson announces which country will receive the 12 points. Once jury points from all countries have been announced,
17654-518: The contest's Reference Group. The European Broadcasting Area is defined by the International Telecommunication Union as encompassing the geographical area between the boundary of ITU Region 1 in the west, the meridian 40° East of Greenwich in the east, and parallel 30° North in the south. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the parts of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Ukraine lying outside these limits, are also included in
17836-517: The contest's artists and screenings of the live shows on big screens. The contest is organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), together with the participating broadcaster of the host country. The event is monitored by an Executive Supervisor appointed by the EBU, and by the Reference Group which represents all participating broadcasters, who are each represented by a nominated Head of Delegation. The current Executive Supervisor
18018-446: The contest's rules. The host venue must be able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators, a press centre for 1,500 journalists, should be within easy reach of an international airport and with hotel accommodation available for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators. A variety of different venues have been used for past editions, from small theatres and television studios to large arenas and stadiums. The largest host venue
18200-482: The contest, including the stage design, the opening and interval acts, and the "postcards". The short video postcards are interspersed between the entries and were first introduced in 1970, initially as an attempt to "bulk up" the contest after a number of countries decided not to compete, but has since become a regular part of the show and usually highlight the host country and introduce the competing acts. A unique slogan for each edition, first introduced in 2002 ,
18382-415: The contest, with those viewers able to cast votes via an online platform, which are then aggregated and awarded as one set of points from an "extra country" for the overall public vote. This system is a modification of that used since 1975, when the "12 points" system was first introduced but with one set of points per country, and a similar system used since 2016 where two sets of points were awarded in both
18564-404: The contest. A month later, the two had become a couple. As their respective bands began to break up during 1969, Andersson and Ulvaeus teamed up and recorded their first album together in 1970, called Lycka ("Happiness"), which included original songs sung by both men. Their partners were often present in the recording studio, and sometimes added backing vocals; Fältskog even co-wrote a song with
18746-427: The country it represented. This rule was first abolished in 1973 , and subsequently reinstated for most countries in 1977 , with only Belgium and Germany permitted freedom of language as their selection processes for that year's contest had already commenced. The language rule was once again abolished ahead of the 1999 contest . There is no restriction on the national origin, country of residence or age of
18928-484: The country's viewing public, with the song receiving the most points declared the winner. Other performances feature alongside the competition, including a specially-commissioned opening and interval act and guest performances by musicians and other personalities, with past acts including Cirque du Soleil , Madonna , Justin Timberlake , Mika , Rita Ora and the first performance of Riverdance . Originally consisting of
19110-476: The course of the breakup of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union. As a consequence, more countries were now applying than could feasibly participate in a one-night-event of reasonable length. Numerous solutions to this problem were tried out over the years. The 1993 contest included a contest called Kvalifikacija za Millstreet which was a pre-qualifying round for seven of these new countries, and from 1994 , relegation systems were introduced to manage
19292-403: The deadline specified in the rules for the year in which they wish to participate; this fee is different for each country based on its size and viewership. Fifty-two countries have participated at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their debut: The winning country traditionally hosts the following year's event, with some exceptions since 1958 . Hosting
19474-540: The debut of ABBA: The Movie . Although the album was less well received by UK reviewers, it did spawn more worldwide hits: " The Name of the Game " and " Take a Chance on Me ", which both topped the UK charts and racked up impressive sales in most countries, although "The Name of the Game" was generally the more successful in the Nordic countries and Down Under, while "Take a Chance on Me" was more successful in North America and
19656-478: The distribution resources to meet the demand for the single from retailers and radio programmers. In 1973, the band and their manager Stig Anderson decided to have another try at Melodifestivalen, this time with the song " Ring Ring ". The studio sessions were handled by Michael B. Tretow , who experimented with a " wall of sound " production technique that became a distinctive new sound thereafter associated with ABBA. Stig Anderson arranged an English translation of
19838-468: The event in Lugano in the spring of 1956. The Italian Sanremo Music Festival , held since 1951, was used as a basis for the initial planning of the contest, with several amendments and additions given its international nature. Seven countries participated in the first contest , with each country represented by two songs; the only time in which multiple entries per country were permitted. The winning song
20020-420: The final and failing to make it past the national selection, including the winning entry in 1982. The rules for the first contest specified that only solo performers were permitted to enter; this criterion was changed the following year to permit duos to compete, and groups were subsequently permitted for the first time in 1971 . Currently the number of people permitted on stage during competing performances
20202-474: The first contest in 1956 to the few Europeans who had television sets, its audience was primarily over the radio. The only footage available is a Kinescope recording of Lys Assia's reprise of her winning song. No full recording of the 1964 contest exists, with conflicting reports of the fate of any copies that may have survived. Audio recordings of both contests do, however, exist, and some short pieces of footage from both events have survived. Until 2004,
20384-424: The first country to participate from outside the European Broadcasting Area in 2015, following an invitation by the contest's Reference Group. EBU members who wish to participate must fulfil conditions as laid down in the rules of the contest, a separate copy of which is drafted annually. A maximum of 44 countries can take part in any one contest. Broadcasters must have paid the EBU a participation fee in advance to
20566-400: The first non-EBU member country to compete following an invitation by the EBU ahead of the contest's 60th edition in 2015; initially announced as a "one-off" for the anniversary edition, the country was invited back the following year and has subsequently participated every year since. Eurovision had been held every year until 2020, when that year's contest was cancelled in response to
20748-406: The first or second half of their respective semi-final, and once all competing songs have been selected the producers then determine the running order for the semi-finals. The automatic qualifiers are assigned at random to a semi-final for the purposes of voting rights. Semi-final qualifiers make a draw at random during the qualifiers' press conference to determine whether they will perform during
20930-634: The first recording artists to receive this honour from outside an Anglophonic country. In 2015, their song " Dancing Queen " was inducted into the Recording Academy 's Grammy Hall of Fame . In 2024, the United States Library of Congress included the album Arrival (1976) in the National Recording Registry , which recognises works "worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in
21112-430: The first, second half, or a producer-determined position of the final, while the automatic finalists randomly draw their competing half or producer-determined position in the run-up to the final, except for the host country, whose exact performance position is determined in a separate draw. The running order for the final is then decided following the second semi-final by the producers. The running orders are decided with
21294-508: The folkpark circuit and made appearances on radio and TV. She had a second number-one single with "Man Vill Ju Leva Lite Dessemellan" in late 1972. She had met Ulvaeus briefly in 1963 during a talent contest, and Fältskog during a TV show in early 1968. Lyngstad linked up with her future bandmates in 1969. On 1 March 1969, she participated in the Melodifestival, where she met Andersson for the first time. A few weeks later they met again during
21476-477: The following year's contest, and were replaced by the four unsuccessful countries in Kvalifikacija za Millstreet and new entries from Lithuania , Poland and Russia . This system was used again in 1994 for qualification for the 1995 contest , but a new system was introduced for the 1996 contest , when an audio-only qualification round was held in the months before the contest in Oslo , Norway; this system
21658-445: The foursome closer together during the summer. After the 1970 release of Lycka , two more singles credited to "Björn & Benny" were released in Sweden, "Det kan ingen doktor hjälpa" ("No Doctor Can Help with That") and "Tänk om jorden vore ung" ("Imagine If Earth Was Young"), with more prominent vocals by Fältskog and Lyngstad–and moderate chart success. Fältskog and Ulvaeus, now married, started performing together with Andersson on
21840-470: The group broke up, a compilation, ABBA Gold , was released, becoming a worldwide best-seller. In 1999, ABBA's music was adapted into Mamma Mia! , a stage musical that toured worldwide and, as of October 2024, is still in the top-ten longest running productions on both Broadway (closed in 2015) and the West End (still running). A film of the same name , released in 2008, became the highest-grossing film in
22022-541: The group received its first international prize, with "Fernando" being chosen as the "Best Studio Recording of 1975". In the United States, "Fernando" reached the Top 10 of the Cashbox Top 100 singles chart and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, ABBA's first American number-one single on any chart. At the same time, a compilation named The Very Best of ABBA
22204-458: The history of the contest only two individuals have won more than once as a performer – Johnny Logan in 1980 and 1987 for Ireland, and Loreen in 2012 and 2023 for Sweden. The orchestra was a prominent aspect of the contest from 1956 to 1998. Pre-recorded backing tracks were first allowed for competing acts in 1973, but any pre-recorded instruments were required to be seen being "performed" on stage. In 1997, all instrumental music
22386-443: The host broadcaster owned the copyright of the contest that they produced, with the EBU owning the copyright of all subsequent editions. From the original seven countries which entered the first contest in 1956, the number of competing countries has steadily grown over time. 18 countries participated in the contest's tenth edition in 1965, and by 1990, 22 countries were regularly competing each year. Besides slight modifications to
22568-534: The host broadcaster, with the flag of the host country placed prominently in the centre of the Eurovision heart. The original logo was designed by the London-based agency JM International, and received a revamp in 2014 by the Amsterdam-based Cityzen Agency for the contest's 60th edition . An individual theme is utilised by contest producers when constructing the visual identity of each edition of
22750-429: The host city. Alongside the generic Eurovision logo, a unique theme is typically developed for each event. The contest has aired in countries across all continents; it has been available online via the official Eurovision website since 2001. Eurovision ranks among the world's most watched non-sporting events every year, with hundreds of millions of viewers globally. Performing at the contest has often provided artists with
22932-534: The increase of their popularity, their personal lives suffered, which eventually resulted in the collapse of both marriages. The relationship changes were reflected in the group's music, with later songs featuring darker and more introspective lyrics. After ABBA disbanded in December 1982, Andersson and Ulvaeus continued their success writing music for multiple audiences including stage, musicals and movies, while Fältskog and Lyngstad pursued solo careers. Ten years after
23114-550: The island . Andersson and Ulvaeus were at this time recording their first album together, Lycka , which was to be released in September 1970. Fältskog and Lyngstad added backing vocals on several tracks during June, and the idea of their working together saw them launch a stage act, "Festfolket" (which translates from Swedish to "Party People" and in pronunciation also "engaged couples"), on 1 November 1970 in Gothenburg . The cabaret show attracted generally negative reviews, except for
23296-415: The language in which their entry may be performed. Rules specifying in which language a song may be performed have changed over time. No restrictions were originally enacted when the contest was first founded; however, following criticism over the 1965 Swedish entry being performed in English, a new rule was introduced for the 1966 contest restricting songs to be performed only in an official language of
23478-480: The latest Eurovision network logo was introduced in 2012, and when the ident is transmitted at the start and end of programmes it is this Eurovision network logo that appears. The EBU now holds the recordings of all but two editions of the contest in its archives, following a project initiated in 2011 to collate footage and related materials of all editions ahead of the event's 60th edition in 2015. Although cameras were present to practice pan-European broadcasting for
23660-470: The longest-running annual international televised music competition as determined by Guinness World Records . The contest has been listed as one of the longest-running television programmes in the world and among the world's most watched non-sporting events. A total of 52 countries have taken part in at least one edition, with a record 43 countries participating in a single contest, first in 2008 and subsequently in 2011 and 2018 . Australia became
23842-437: The lyrics by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody and they thought this would be a success. However, on 10 February 1973, the song came third in Melodifestivalen; thus it never reached the Eurovision Song Contest itself. Nevertheless, the group released their debut studio album, also called Ring Ring . The album did well and the "Ring Ring" single was a hit in many parts of Europe and also in South Africa. However, Stig Anderson felt that
24024-659: The major markets of the UK and West Germany, and in South Africa. It made the top ten in other countries, rising to number three in Spain, number four in Australia and France, and number seven in Canada. In the United States, the song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, paving the way for their first album and their first trip to the US as a group. Although only a short promotional visit, this included their first performance on American television, on The Mike Douglas Show . The Waterloo album peaked at only number 145 on
24206-509: The most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the best-selling music acts in the history of popular music. In 1974 , ABBA were Sweden 's first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Waterloo ", which in 2005 was chosen as the best song in the competition's history as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the contest. During the band's main active years, it consisted of two married couples: Fältskog and Ulvaeus, and Lyngstad and Andersson. With
24388-500: The most preferred song receiving 12 points. In the semi-finals, each country awards one set of points, based primarily on the votes cast by that country's viewing public via telephone , SMS or the official Eurovision app , while in the final, each country awards two sets of points, with one set awarded by the viewers and another awarded by a jury panel comprising five music professionals from that country. Since 2023, viewers in non-participating countries have also been able to vote during
24570-458: The nation’s recorded sound heritage". In 2016, the group reunited and started working on a digital avatar concert tour. Newly recorded songs were announced in 2018. Voyage , their first new album in 40 years, was released on 5 November 2021 to positive critical reviews and strong sales in numerous countries. ABBA Voyage , a concert residency featuring ABBA as virtual avatars, opened in May 2022 in London. Despite ABBA disbanding in 2022,
24752-406: The number of competing entries, with the poorest performing countries barred from entering the following year's contest. From 2004, the contest expanded to become a multi-programme event, with a semi-final at the 49th contest allowing all interested countries to compete each year; a second semi-final was added to each edition from 2008. There have been 68 contests as of 2024, making Eurovision
24934-466: The order in which the competing countries perform has been determined by the contest's producers, and submitted to the EBU Executive Supervisor and Reference Group for approval before public announcement. This was changed from a random draw used in previous years in order to provide a better experience for television viewers and ensure all countries stand out by avoiding instances where songs of
25116-539: The original Swedish production of Jesus Christ Superstar and attracted favourable reviews. Between 1967 and 1975, Fältskog released five studio albums. An attempt at combining their talents occurred in April 1970 when the two couples went on holiday together to the island of Cyprus . What started as singing for fun on the beach ended up as an improvised live performance in front of the United Nations soldiers stationed on
25298-496: The original Swedish rendition of " Fernando ", a hit on the Swedish radio charts before the English version was released by ABBA. During filming of a Swedish TV special in May 1969, Fältskog met Ulvaeus and they married on 6 July 1971. Fältskog and Ulvaeus eventually were involved in each other's recording sessions, and soon even Andersson and Lyngstad added backing vocals to Fältskog's third studio album, Som jag är ("As I Am") (1970). In 1972, Fältskog starred as Mary Magdalene in
25480-491: The other countries' songs to determine a winner. The contest was inspired by and based on Italy's national Sanremo Music Festival , held in the Italian Riviera since 1951. Eurovision has been held annually since 1956 (except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 restrictions ), making it the longest-running international music competition on television and one of the world's longest-running television programmes. Active members of
25662-436: The performance of the Andersson and Ulvaeus hit "Hej, gamle man" ("Hello, Old Man")—the first Björn and Benny recording to feature all four. They also performed solo numbers from respective albums, but the lukewarm reception convinced the foursome to shelve plans for working together for the time being, and each soon concentrated on individual projects again. "Hej, gamle man", a song about an old Salvation Army soldier, became
25844-414: The pictures were made, Heilemann found out that Benny Andersson reversed his letter "B;" this prompted discussions about the mirrored "B", and the members of ABBA agreed on the mirrored letter. From 1976 onward, the first "B" in the logo version of the name was "mirror-image" reversed on the band's promotional material. Following their acquisition of the group's catalogue, PolyGram began using variations of
26026-417: The presenter(s) announce the total public points received for each finalist, with the votes for each country being consolidated and announced as a single value. Since 2019 , the public points have been revealed in ascending order based on the jury vote, with the country that received the fewest points from the jury being the first to receive their public points. A full breakdown of the results across all shows
26208-412: The press, and—in the years where a live orchestra was present—a conductor. Present if desired is a commentator, who provides commentary of the event for their country's radio and/or television feed in their country's own language in dedicated booths situated around the back of the arena behind the audience. Each country conducts two individual rehearsals behind closed doors, the first for 30 minutes and
26390-481: The quartet's first hit. The record was credited to Björn & Benny and reached number five on the sales charts and number one on Svensktoppen , staying on the latter chart (which was not a chart linked to sales or airplay) for 15 weeks. It was during 1971 that the four artists began working together more, adding vocals to the others' recordings. Fältskog, Andersson and Ulvaeus toured together in May, while Lyngstad toured on her own. Frequent recording sessions brought
26572-470: The record for the most victories, with seven wins each in total. Traditionally held in the country that won the preceding year's event, the contest provides an opportunity to promote the host country and city as a tourist destination. Thousands of spectators attend each year, along with journalists who cover all aspects of the contest, including rehearsals in venue, press conferences with the competing acts, in addition to other related events and performances in
26754-406: The rehearsal and raise any special requirements or changes. "Meet and greet" sessions with accredited fans and press are held during these rehearsal weeks. Each live show is preceded by three dress rehearsals, where the whole show is run in the same way as it will be presented on TV. The second dress rehearsal, alternatively called the "jury show" or "evening preview show" and held the night before
26936-480: The release of their self-titled third studio album ABBA and single " SOS " brought back their chart presence in the UK, where the single hit number six and the album peaked at number 13. "SOS" also became ABBA's second number-one single in Germany, their third in Australia and reached number two in several other European countries, including Italy. Success was further solidified with " Mamma Mia " reaching number-one in
27118-413: The second for 20 minutes. Individual rehearsals for the semi-finalists commence the week before the live shows, with countries typically rehearsing in the order in which they will perform during the contest; rehearsals for the host country and the "Big Five" automatic finalists are held towards the end of the week. Following rehearsals, delegations meet with the show's production team to review footage of
27300-442: The semi-final round in 2004, Luxembourg and Ukraine are the only countries outside of the "Big Five" to have qualified for the final of every contest they have competed in. Each participating broadcaster has sole discretion over the process it may employ to select its entry for the contest. Typical methods in which participants are selected include a televised national final using a jury and/or public vote; an internal selection by
27482-405: The semi-finals and final. National juries and the public in each country are not allowed to vote for their own country, a rule first introduced in 1957. Historically, each country's points were determined by a jury, consisting at various times of members of the public, music professionals, or both in combination. With advances in telecommunication technology, televoting was first introduced to
27664-412: The semi-finals, and the winning delegation in the final are invited back on stage; in the final, a trophy is awarded to the winning performers and songwriters by the previous year's winner, followed by a reprise of the winning song. The full results of the competition, including detailed results of the jury and public vote, are released online shortly after the final, and the participating broadcaster of
27846-543: The sequence refers to. The earliest known example of "ABBA" written on paper is on a recording session sheet from the Metronome Studio in Stockholm dated 16 October 1973. This was first written as "Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida", but was subsequently crossed out with "ABBA" written in large letters on top. Their official logo, with its distinctive backward "B", was designed by Rune Söderqvist, who designed most of ABBA's record sleeves. The ambigram first appeared on
28028-467: The seven countries to be absent from the Oslo contest. As of 2024 this is the only ESC Germany has not participated in. For the 1997 contest , a similar relegation system to that used between 1993 and 1995 was introduced, with each country's average scores in the preceding five contests being used as a measure to determine which countries would be relegated. This was subsequently changed again in 2001, back to
28210-453: The show's schedule. In exceptional circumstances, such as due to developing emergency situations, participating broadcasters may delay or postpone broadcast of the event. Should a broadcaster fail to air a show as expected in any other scenario they may be subject to sanctions by the EBU. Several broadcasters in countries that are unable to compete have previously aired the contest in their markets. As national broadcasters join and leave
28392-424: The single went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. In Australia, "Fernando" occupied the top position for a then record breaking 14 weeks (and stayed in the chart for 40 weeks), and was the longest-running chart-topper there for over 40 years until it was overtaken by Ed Sheeran 's " Shape of You " in May 2017. It still remains as one of the best-selling singles of all time in Australia. Also in 1976,
28574-423: The songwriter(s). Furthermore, unlike performers who may only represent one country in any given year, songwriters are free to enter multiple songs in a single year sung by different acts. For example, in the 1980 edition, both Germany's and Luxembourg's entry were (co-)written by Ralph Siegel , who – in a career spanning over 40 years – was involved in some form in the writing of dozens of entries — both advancing to
28756-511: The stage names Agnetha Falstart, Benny Anderwear, Frida Longstoki and Björn Volvo-us in homage to the original ABBA members, plus bassist Rutger Sonofagunn and drummer Ola Drumkitt, based on Rutger Gunnarsson and Ola Brunkert. The show features choreographed acts with unique costumes and song arrangements that differ from ABBA's original performances. Björn Again was founded in 1988 in Melbourne , Australia, by Rod Stephen and John Tyrrell. The style
28938-474: The three songs rose to number 12, nine and 18, respectively. The success of the group in the United States had until that time been limited to single releases. By early 1976, the group already had four Top 30 singles on the US charts, but the album market proved to be tough to crack. The eponymous ABBA album generated three American hits, but it only peaked at number 165 on the Cashbox album chart and number 174 on
29120-483: The traditional boundaries of Europe began entering the contest, and countries in Western Asia and North Africa started competing in the 1970s and 1980s. Apart from Yugoslavia (a member of the non-aligned movement and not seen as part of the Eastern Bloc at the time) no socialist or communist country ever participated. However, the Intervision Song Contest which held four editions in the 1970s and 1980s (and
29302-402: The true breakthrough could only come with a UK or US hit. When Agnetha Fältskog gave birth to her daughter Linda in 1973, she was replaced for a short period by Inger Brundin on a trip to West Germany. In 1973, Stig Anderson, tired of unwieldy names, started to refer to the group privately and publicly as ABBA (a palindrome ). At first, this was a play on words, as Abba is also the name of
29484-399: The two semi-finals, except for the host country of that year's contest and the contest's biggest financial contributors known as the "Big Five"— France , Germany , Italy , Spain and the United Kingdom . The remaining countries are split between the two semi-finals, and the 10 highest-scoring entries in each qualify to produce 26 countries competing in the final. Since the introduction of
29666-516: The two. Ulvaeus still occasionally recorded and performed with the Hootenanny Singers until the middle of 1974, and Andersson took part in producing their records. Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad (born 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen in Ballangen Municipality , Norway) sang from the age of 13 with various dance bands, and worked mainly in a jazz-oriented cabaret style. She also formed her own band,
29848-413: The viewing public in both participating and non-participating countries, the contest has also been the subject of criticism for its artistic quality as well as a perceived political aspect to the event. Concerns have been raised regarding political friendships and rivalries between countries potentially having an impact on the results. Controversial moments have included participating countries withdrawing at
30030-409: The voting system and other contest rules, no fundamental changes to the contest's format were introduced until the early 1990s, when events in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to the breakup of Yugoslavia , with the subsequent admission into the EBU of the broadcasters of the countries that emerged from the breakup, and to the merger in 1993 of the EBU with its Eastern European counterpart,
30212-529: The wet stage during the concert. However, all four members would later recall this concert as the most memorable of their career. Upon their arrival in Melbourne , a civic reception was held at the Melbourne Town Hall and ABBA appeared on the balcony to greet an enthusiastic crowd of 6,000. In Melbourne, the group gave three concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with 14,500 at each including
30394-750: The winning entry is traditionally given the honour of organising the following year's event. Active members (as opposed to associate members) of the European Broadcasting Union are eligible to participate; active members are those who are located in states that fall within the European Broadcasting Area , or are member states of the Council of Europe . Active members include media organisations whose broadcasts are often made available to at least 98% of households in their own country which are equipped to receive such transmissions. Associate member broadcasters may be eligible to compete, dependent on approval by
30576-405: The year prior to the contest which are justified with the needs of Eurovision. Until 2004, each edition of the contest used its own logo and visual identity as determined by the respective host broadcaster. To create a consistent visual identity, a generic logo was introduced ahead of the 2004 contest . This is typically accompanied by a unique theme artwork designed for each individual contest by
30758-493: Was " Refrain ", representing the host country Switzerland and performed by Lys Assia . Voting during the first contest was held behind closed doors, with only the winner being announced on stage; the use of a scoreboard and public announcement of the voting, inspired by the BBC's Festival of British Popular Songs , has been used since 1957. The tradition of the winning country hosting the following year's contest, which has since become
30940-559: Was "Isn't It Easy to Say", a song that was later recorded by the Hep Stars. Stig Anderson was the manager of the Hootenanny Singers and founder of the Polar Music label. He saw potential in the collaboration, and encouraged them to write more. The two also began playing occasionally with the other's bands on stage and on record, although it was not until 1969 that the pair wrote and produced some of their first real hits together: " Ljuva sextital " ("Sweet Sixties"), recorded by Brita Borg, and
31122-478: Was allowed to be pre-recorded, although the host country was still required to provide an orchestra. In 1999, the rules were changed again, making the orchestra an optional requirement; the host broadcaster of that year's contest , Israel's IBA , subsequently decided not to provide an orchestra, resulting in all entries using backing tracks for the first time. Currently all instrumental music for competing entries must now be pre-recorded, and no live instrumentation
31304-470: Was also an integral part of each contest's visual identity, which was replaced by a permanent slogan from 2024 onwards. The permanent slogan, "United by Music", had previously served as the slogan for the 2023 contest before being retained for all future editions as part of the contest's global brand strategy. Preparations in the host venue typically begin approximately six weeks before the final, to accommodate building works and technical rehearsals before
31486-454: Was chosen. The group were now inspired by the growing glam rock scene in England. With this third attempt, ABBA were more experienced and better prepared for the Eurovision Song Contest, and they won the nation's hearts on Swedish television on 9 February 1974. Winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest on 6 April 1974, and singing "Waterloo" in English instead of their native language, gave them
31668-426: Was expanded into the semi-finals from 2010, and was used until 2023, when full public voting was reintroduced to determine the results of the semi-finals. The mix of jury and public voting continues to be used in the final. Should two or more countries finish with the same number of points, a tie-break procedure is employed to determine the final placings. As of 2016, a combined national televoting and jury result
31850-597: Was filmed as a reference for the filming of the Australian tour for what became ABBA: The Movie , though it is not exactly known how much of the concert was filmed. After the European leg of the tour, in March 1977, ABBA played 11 dates in Australia before a total of 160,000 people. The opening concert in Sydney at the Sydney Showground on 3 March to an audience of 20,000 was marred by torrential rain with Lyngstad slipping on
32032-585: Was formed in January 1955 to investigate new initiatives for cooperation between broadcasters, which approved for further study a European song competition from an idea initially proposed by RAI manager Sergio Pugliese . The EBU's general assembly agreed to the organising of the song contest in October 1955, under the initial title of the European Grand Prix , and accepted a proposal by the Swiss delegation to host
32214-485: Was later revealed that the box-office received 3.5 million requests for tickets, enough to fill the venue 580 times. Along with praise ("ABBA turn out to be amazingly successful at reproducing their records", wrote Creem ), there were complaints that "ABBA performed slickly...but with a zero personality coming across from a total of 16 people on stage" ( Melody Maker ). One of the Royal Albert Hall concerts
32396-438: Was primarily introduced in an attempt to appease Germany, one of Eurovision's biggest markets and financial contributors, which would have otherwise been relegated under the previous system. 29 countries competed for 22 places in the main contest alongside the automatically qualified Norwegian hosts. However, Germany would ultimately still miss out, and joined Hungary, Romania, Russia, Denmark , Israel , and Macedonia as one of
32578-868: Was released in Germany, becoming a number-one album there whereas the Greatest Hits compilation which followed a few months later ascended to number two in Germany, despite all similarities with The Very Best album. The group's fourth studio album, Arrival , a number-one best-seller in parts of Europe, the UK and Australia, and a number-three hit in Canada and Japan, represented a new level of accomplishment in both songwriting and studio work, prompting rave reviews from more rock-oriented UK music weeklies such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express , and mostly appreciative notices from US critics. Hit after hit flowed from Arrival : " Money, Money, Money ", another number-one in Germany, France, Australia and other countries of western and northern Europe, plus number three in
32760-459: Was released in June 1972, featuring guest vocals by the women, who were now given much greater prominence. Stig Anderson released it as a single, credited to Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid . The song peaked at number 17 in the Swedish combined single and album charts, enough to convince them they were on to something. "People Need Love" also became the first record to chart for the quartet in
32942-558: Was released in continental Europe and Down Under becoming a number one hit in Belgium and a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and South Africa, but barely charting Down Under. The B-side of "Eagle" was " Thank You for the Music ", and it was belatedly released as an A-side single in both the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1983. " Thank You for the Music " has become one of the best loved and best known ABBA songs without being released as
33124-468: Was singers such as Connie Francis . Along with her own compositions, she recorded covers of foreign hits and performed them on tours in Swedish folkparks . Most of her biggest hits were self-composed, which was quite unusual for a female singer in the 1960s. Agnetha released four solo LPs between 1968 and 1971. She had many successful singles in the Swedish charts. Björn Ulvaeus (born 25 April 1945 in Gothenburg , Sweden) also began his musical career at
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