ABBA...in the very beginning!

The Eurovision Song Contest has been held every year since 1956 (except for 2020).  Countries across Europe send an artist or band to represent them with an original song, then each participating nation votes on which of the other performers they liked best.

Typically in the early days, the competition was full of dramatic ballads.  But in 1974 a young group from Sweden shook things up when they bounded onstage in colorful outfits to sign an upbeat pop tune.

In the video you can view the group’s performance in Swedish that qualified them in their home country to become finalists.  But for the main Eurovision competition they relearned the song in English.

It was a taste of things to come, because that bright and shiny foursome that called themselves ABBA soon took the world by storm to sell millions and millions of records.

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Come enjoy the music of ABBA with us when we play 20 Memorable Moments You Can Dance To.  Two weeks from tonight on Friday, August 26th at the Joliet Area Historical Museum.