Agnetha. Björn. Benny. Anni-Frid. All four are superstars in their own right, but when they came together in 1972 to form Swedish supergroup ABBA, they changed the world of music forever.
The group — consisting of then married couples Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad, and Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus — only existed for a single decade, from 1972 to 1982, before its reunion for the 2021 album Voyage. But even in that limited timeframe, ABBA created an enduring legacy that most artists only dream of.
ABBA sprung to international fame in 1974 after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Waterloo,” which in 2005 was named the greatest song in the history of the competition. From there, it was only up for ABBA, with the group releasing eight studio albums before its breakup in 1982 (due in no small part to the breakups of its two married couples).
Along the way, they penned some of the most iconic hits of the 20th-century, including “Dancing Queen,” “Take A Chance On Me,” and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” and that’s barely scratching the surface.
Now, ABBA is renowned as one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, with more than an estimated 150 million records sold worldwide and a huge LGBTQ+ following. They remain the best-selling Swedish band of all time, and they’ve made their mark on other spheres of pop culture, too: In 1999, ABBA’s greatest hits were adapted into the wildly popular musical Mamma Mia!, which remains in Broadway’s top-ten longest running productions and spawned two hit film adaptations. No matter how you spin it, there’s no denying ABBA’s legendary status.
Now, lay all your love on me your eyes on these moments (and iconic outfits) from ABBA’s illustrious history, both on and off the stage.
