Interviews
<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-47423994-1', 'fortunecity.ws'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <center> <br> <div> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.broadcaststation.net/ads/show_ad.php?width=728&height=90"></script> </div> </center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <bR> <div> A few comments bt Benny about some of the songs from the past.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>HEY HEY HELEN (ABBA 1975)</B></div> <div> <B>" This would fit on "ABBA WOOD" .. the worst of ABBA, thus, unlike "ABBA GOLD".</B></div> <div> <B>" We didn't really know what we wanted to be... Somewhere we believed that it was a bit more trendy with rock'n'roll, and then we did these rock songs that aren't good at all. On the "Waterloo" record we had horrible songs named "Watch Out", and "King Kong Song". Björn sang some of them, but he thinks similar about this</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>. </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>SUNNY GIRL (Hep Stars 1966): </B></div> <div> <B>" It's too successful", I thought back then.</B></div> <div> <B> I wrote it at a hotel in Kongsvinger, Norway while the Hep Stars were touring."</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>It sounds very much like Benny Andersson, a lively melody in major. </B></div> <div> <B>" No. I didn't know much English, so I had to write it with a dictionary in my hand. There was a line that was a misunderstanding."</B></div> <div> <B>"To write lyrics was hard. I started making the rhymes in the end of the text lines, and afterwards filled in, so to speak, backwards". </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus Then and Now</B></FONT> | <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus Then and N"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Benny and Björn"><U>About Benny and Björn</U></A> | <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About, pg 2"><U>About, pg 2</U></A> | <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny"><U>Benny</U></A> | <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny 2"><U>Benny 2</U></A> | <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny 3"><U>Benny 3</U></A> | <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny 4"><U>Benny 4</U></A> | <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny 5"><U>Benny 5</U></A> | <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny 6"><U>Benny 6</U></A> | <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny 7"><U>Benny 7</U></A> | <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Benny 8"><U>Benny 8</U></A> | <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bennys Family"><U>Benny's Family</U></A> | <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bennys facts"><U>Benny's facts</U></A> | <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björn"><U>Björn</U></A> | <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björn 2"><U>Björn 2</U></A> | <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björn 3"><U>Björn 3</U></A> | <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björn 4"><U>Björn 4</U></A> | <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björn 5"><U>Björn 5</U></A> | <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björn 6"><U>Björn 6</U></A> | <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björn 7"><U>Björn 7</U></A> | <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björns Family"><U>Björn's Family</U></A> | <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Björns facts"><U>Björn's facts</U></A> | <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="B and B"><U>B and B</U></A> | <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="B and B 2"><U>B and B 2</U></A> | <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="B and B 3"><U>B and B 3</U></A> | <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="B and B 4"><U>B and B 4</U></A> | <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA"><U>ABBA</U></A> | <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 2"><U>ABBA 2</U></A> | <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 3"><U>ABBA 3</U></A> | <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 4"><U>ABBA 4</U></A> | <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 5"><U>ABBA 5</U></A> | <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 6"><U>ABBA 6</U></A> | <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 7"><U>ABBA 7</U></A> | <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 8"><U>ABBA 8</U></A> | <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 9"><U>ABBA 9</U></A> | <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBA 10"><U>ABBA 10</U></A> | <B>Interviews</B> | <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mamma MiaStockholm Feb.12, 2005"><U>Mamma Mia-Stockholm Feb.12, 2005</U></A> | <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Interesting Places"><U>Interesting Places</U></A> | <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links"><U>Related Links</U></A></div> <div> Interviews</div> <div> <B>Björn Interview</B></div> <div> <B>From </B><B>www.timesonline.co.uk</B></div> <div> <B>July 29, 2003 </B></div> <div> <B>Björn speaks about the relationship of the group then and now.</B></div> <div> <B>"Well, Frida'is a very explosive redhead. She's more mellow these days, but she used to be explosive.</B></div> <div> <B> Agnetha'is much calmer, much shyer and keeping herself to herself alot more.</B></div> <div> <B> And Benny is extremely, incredibly talented, a musical genius, and there is no end to his belief in himself. He knows that he can do anything." </B></div> <div> <B>"We wore stuff that I couldn't even sit in. I had to stand. We designed them ourselves. Remember</B></div> <div> <B> it was the era of glam rock. Sweet, Gary Glitter. We thought that, to make an impact, we had to </B></div> <div> <B>look as outrageous as possible."</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>"A lot of people think that the divorces came about because of the stress of having to tour together and working together, but I don't think so. I think, rather, the other way round. The fact that we were together on tour perhaps made the marriage last longer. </B></div> <div> <B>He met Lena Källersjö, an advertising copywriter, at the Andersson's New Year's Eve party.</B></div> <div> <B> He had, he jokes, been looking forward to playing the field for a little longer, since he was now so rich and famous and desirable. Fältskog did not remarry:</B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>"She could not find anyone as attractive as me!"</B></div> <div> <B> </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>Does it sadden him that, unlike the two Bs, the As did not have much of a career after ABBA dissolved?</B></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>"I know for certain, in Agnetha's case, it's her own choice. She wants to live a quiet life. </B><B>And she doesn't want to trave l(abroad) either." </B></div> <div> <B>She is shy and very private, yes, but she's not a recluse." </B></div> <div> <B>We have a grandchild now, so I see her quite often. Linda had Tilda.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Björn interview</B></div> <div> <B>UK Sunday Times, 6 June 2004 </B></div> <div> <B>"When we split up, I thought that's it. Our records might get played now and then on the radio,</B></div> <div> <B> but nothing much else would happen," </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>he says</B></FONT><B>. "After all, pop music is a here-today-and-gone-tomorrow thing. So nobody is more astonished by what has happened than us." </B></div> <div> <B>"We've said what we wanted to say. There's no musical motivation for us any more and we</B></div> <div> <B> don't need the money," </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>says Bjorn. </B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Björn interview</B></div> <div> <B>June 28, 2004</B></div> <div> <B>By John Soeder- Pop Music Critic </B></div> <div> <B>ABBA is never going to reunite," </B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>"Mamma Mia!" is "basically a happy musical with lots of hits,"</B></FONT><B> </B><B>the 59-year-old Ulvaeus says by phone from his home in Stockholm. </B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>"It really has gone global on a scale I never believed it would,"</B></FONT><B> </B><B>he says. </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>"My guess is the timing was right. The big hits of the '80s - 'Les Miserables,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'Miss Saigon' - were quite a lot darker than 'Mamma Mia!' Everyone was ready for something uplifting, light and happy." </B></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>"We've just translated it into English,"</B></FONT><B> </B><B>Ulvaeus says. </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>"The ultimate goal is to take it to America, because it's really an American epic." </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>"I love Fleetwood Mac - one of my all-time favorites, along with the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Eagles,"</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Ulvaeus says the former members of ABBA are on </B><B>"</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>very good terms indeed"</B></FONT><B> these days. Nevertheless, the group has no plans to work together again. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Benny interview</B></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="627" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 15 ><NOBR><div> <B> Dagens Nyheter </B><B>http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=111&a=252604</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 523 WIDTH="447"><div> <B>"It was given to me when I was six years old."</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> he says.</B></FONT><B> </B></div> <div> <B>" My dad and my grandfather gave it to me. We lived in Eskilstuna back then, in a point block on Hästskobacken in Fröslunda. They said "you pull with that hand and then you play there, "basarna" are difficult, we'll wait a while before trying that". </B></div> <div> <B>And then they taught me "Där näckrosen blommar"</B></div> <div> <B>" It wasn't a good song to start with, but I think I managed to learn to play it, and they said "Well, I'll be damned". At least I got that feeling, and that was luck". </B></div> <div> <B> </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>I had a wonderful grandfather</B></FONT><B>. he says. </B></div> <div> <B>"There was nothing wrong with my dad , but he would say "Hey, that's the wrong chord" or "no,</B></div> <div> <B>it's not supposed to be that way". But my grandfathe never complained. I would sit with him on</B></div> <div> <B> the porch of the summer cottage on Mjölkö outside Vaxholm and I probably played it wrong many times but he never corrected me."</B></div> <div> <B>" I've always felt I was actually born in the wrong period of time. I would have loved being a part of the time period during Thore Ehrling's and Jules Sylvain's days, and maybe even earlier."</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> says the man who helped give the 1970's a musical face. </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>He speaks of his fondness for Vivaldi and Bach. </B></div> <div> <B>"Johan Sebastian is first and foremost. Mozart is also good, but Bach is more from inside himself. But of course, when your listening to Mozart's clarinet concerts... it is also something from inside..." </B></div> <div> <B>" It's just like Jules Sylvain and Brian Wilson, or Lennon-McCartney, or Stevie Wonder, or Evert Taube. There's no difference... they meant as much, but in different ways."</B></div> <div> <B>I am not religious. But it's as thought it isn't coming from myself. </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B>(music)</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Benny is doing well because he can create music. He is famous and appreciated around the world and has beautiful homes in Stockholm, along the Sörmland coast and in Skåne.</B></div> <div> <B> This is a man that has around 15 race horses in his stables and he's able to buy beautiful Swedish art for his home to be an inspiration for him.</B></div> <div> <B>He runs several companies and he has a hotel project that's on Söder,(Rival).</B></div> <div> <B>And he can run his own orchestra when he's not writing music for some of the country's best singers. </B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="173"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="523" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="173" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 365 WIDTH="447"><bR> <div> <B>Benny Interview</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> in Östgöta Correspondenten</B></I></FONT></div> <div> <B><U>http://www.corren.se/archive/2004/6/23/hpskptzdmbr18jz.xml?category=1mr860iuqvk75al</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Abba will never reunite. Benny Andersson guarantees it.</B></div> <div> <B>He wouldrather play his accordion in front of a schottische dancing audience than playiAbba songs. Now he's releasing a new album from his orchestra named after himself. </B></div> <div> <B>"There's no reason for us to perform on stage again. I think you should </B></div> <div> <B>leave what was good alone. I think we're actually doing the audience a favour. Everyone has their own image of what Abba was and that's nice, but I don't think we should give it another try."</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Don't you miss standing on stage with Abba? </B></div> <div> <B>"No, and that's the biggest reason why there won't be a reunion. None of us wants it. I don't miss it at all. It's alot more fun playing the accordion in this orchestra, and I'm not the only one saying that. </B></div> <div> <B>There's a different kind of spontaneity in it than when trying to reproduce a recording you've made. When it comes to BAO, we record everything at once andhe recordings are mostly live. "</B></div> <div> <B>Benny Andersson may write the opening music for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. </B></div> <div> <B>"I've been asked by the Chinese singer Wei Wei and I said yes, so it's now up to the organizers to decide. It would be fun to write an Olympic Games song. I've notr done that before! "</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="173"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="365" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="173" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>