I went two weeks ago to a beer festival in Malta that had an Abba tribute act. They were the whole shebang: the big hits, the outfits, the hairstyles, and everything else. This came only a month or so after I had been to a Mamma Mia themed dinner. Now, I like a little bit of the Swedish quartet, and I rather enjoyed both evenings, but I would by no means label myself an Abba geek. At the time, I remember thinking the number of Abba events and the franchise of the band – musicals, films, museums, shows, &c. – seemed incredible. It got me thinking about how the band had risen to such global prominence.
The conclusion to which I eventually came is that Abba are Shakespeare in song. That may seem a huge claim – especially from a fellow West Midlander and someone who has a master’s degree in literature – but it is not for the reason you may think. To explain my point, I think I need to provide a little context about how The Bard’s works were seen throughout history, and that requires going back to 1737.
Licensing Act (1737)
Surprise, surprise, the British people were not happy with what was going on with their Government in the 1730s – sound familiar? In reaction to the Robinocracy of the UK’s first de facto Prime Minister, a lot of theatres put on scathing political satires about the leadership of Robert Walpole. The PM was not a happy bunny about the criticism; thus came to pass in the UK the Licensing Act of 1737 which censored theatrical works by creating a distinction in law between ‘legitimate theatre’ and ‘illegitimate theatre’. This effectively meant that if the office of the Examiner of Plays read a submitted manuscript which they did not like, they could advise the Lord Chamberlain not to grant a licence for a piece of work; then you could say bye-bye to that play ever being publicly performed.
What has any of this got to do with Shakespeare? The Bard’s plays had a long performance history in the UK at that point and any noted satire was seen as towards long-dead figures not connected to the establishment of the time. That meant theatres found it easy to put on the likes of Romeo and Juliet or King Lear, knowing that they would be popular and, more importantly, inoffensive to Walpole’s draconian ideals. As such, Shakespeare’s legacy found resurgence, and this is one of the reasons his works are still so widely popular today.
Abba and Shakespeare
Bla, bla, bla. Thanks for the history lesson, but what has this got to do with Abba? I think the same fundamental principle for why the Swedes’ music is still relevant today applies: Abba are entirely inoffensive and catch-all. You are never going to see an explicit-content advisory warning on Abba Gold. You can listen to their music at a bar with your friends or at a barbeque with your family, and the only ruckus likely to break out is an enthusiastic sing-along.
Furthermore, Abba songs, even when dealing with more melancholic themes of heartbreak, are largely positive. Take Chiquitita as an example:
Chiquitita, you and I know How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they’re leavin’. You’ll be dancing once again and the pain will end, You would have no time for grievin’.
It is quite difficult to be offended by the idea of an unrequited lover being comforted by a friend.
I think the closest song to causing offence is Does Your Mother Know? wherein the protagonist is propositioned by a girl that seems too young for him. Even still, these advances are rebuffed and there is a level of good old fashioned morality to the song.
Well, I can dance with you, honey, if you think it’s funny Does your mother know that you’re out? And I can chat with you, baby, flirt a little maybe Does your mother know that you’re out?
Take it easy (take it easy) Better slow down, girl That’s no way to go Does your mother know?
Final Thoughts
There may be no modern Licensing Act in play like there was in 1737 – and thankfully, this was repealed by the Theatres Act (1968) – but I think self-censorship, especially around cancel culture, will mean that whilst other artists may fall by the wayside, Abba will endure. Perhaps you could argue that this level of innocence will mean that Abba will never be seen to have pushed boundaries in the same way as other artists of their time, but given the popular sentiment that remains to this day (and likely for the future), I do not think Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid will mind too much.
Earworm 
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