Editing ABBA (section)

=== 1976–1981: superstardom ===
==== ''Greatest Hits'' and ''Arrival'' ====
In March 1976, the band released the compilation album ''[[Greatest Hits (ABBA album)|Greatest Hits]]''. It became their first UK number-one album, and also took ABBA into 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 (ABBA album)|Greatest Hits]]'' was a new single, "[[Fernando (song)|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; the single went on to sell over 10&nbsp;million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |author=Collins, Karen |url=http://www.tagg.org/mmmsp/fernando.html |title=Fernando the Flute&nbsp;– Details |website=Tagg.org |date=25 August 2009 |access-date=31 January 2010 |archive-date=25 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225163854/http://tagg.org/mmmsp/fernando.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/ed-sheeran-breaks-australian-music-chart-record-with-shape-of-you/news-story/d2d55f5a04b09dab9db04b795b2e9512 |title=Ed Sheeran breaks Australian music chart record with Shape of You |date=2 May 2017 |publisher=News Corp |location=Australia |first=Cameron |last=Adams |access-date=13 December 2019 |archive-date=14 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214003226/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/ed-sheeran-breaks-australian-music-chart-record-with-shape-of-you/news-story/d2d55f5a04b09dab9db04b795b2e9512 |url-status=live}}</ref> It still remains as one of the best-selling singles of all time in Australia. Also in 1976, 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 [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|''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'' 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.

[[File:Frida Lyngstad and Benny Andersson 1976b.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|[[Benny Andersson]] and [[Anni-Frid Lyngstad]] in [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol]], 1976|left]]

The group's fourth studio album, ''[[Arrival (ABBA 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 ''[[NME|New Musical Express]]'', and mostly appreciative notices from US critics.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

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 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 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 Awards|BRIT Award]] in the category "Best International Album of 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, a major gay anthem<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
 | last =DeAngelis
 | first =Michael
 | editor-last=Gerstner
 | editor-first=David A.
 | title =ABBA
 | encyclopedia = Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture
 | edition= 1
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 | publisher =[[Routledge]]
 | language =English
 | date =2006
 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=XS_SnVPixE8C
 | isbn = 9780415306515
 | access-date = 8 June 2022}}</ref>) 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 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 [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]].

==== European and Australian tour ====
In January 1977, ABBA embarked on their first major tour. They opened their tour in [[Oslo]], Norway, on 28 January, and mounted a spectacle that included a few scenes from their self-written mini-operetta ''The Girl with the Golden Hair''. The concert attracted 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]].

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]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=ABBA hometown, lineup, biography |url=https://www.last.fm/music/ABBA/+wiki |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Last.fm |language=en}}</ref> One of the Royal Albert Hall concerts 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.

[[File:Abba 28011977 15 200.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Agnetha Fältskog]] at the opening concert of ABBA's European and Australian Tour in Oslo, 28 January 1977]]
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 (Moore Park)|Sydney Showground]] on 3 March to an audience of 20,000 was marred by torrential rain with Lyngstad slipping on the wet stage during the concert. However, all four members would later recall this concert as the most memorable of their careers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Charlesworth |first=Chris |date=March 3, 2015 |title=Just Backdated: ABBA - Their Biggest Ever Show |url=https://justbackdated.blogspot.com/2015/03/abba-their-biggest-ever-show_3.html |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=Just Backdated}}</ref>

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 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 the [[Perth Entertainment Centre|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 (magazine)|Variety]]''),{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} 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 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?"<ref>DVD documentaries: ''The Winner Takes It All'' (2002) and ''Super Troupers'' (2004)</ref>

==== ''ABBA: The Album'' ====
In December 1977, ABBA followed up ''Arrival'' with the more ambitious fifth album, ''[[ABBA: The Album]]'', released to coincide with 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 (ABBA song)|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 Australia, while "Take a Chance on Me" was more successful in North America and 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, making 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 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".<ref>{{harvnb|Palm|2001|p=382}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CMEAAAAMBAJ&q=take+a+chance+on+me+australia+chart+peak&pg=PT30|title=Billboard|date=8 September 1979|via=Google Books}}</ref>

A third single, "[[Eagle (ABBA song)|Eagle]]", was released in continental Europe and Australia becoming a number one hit in Belgium and a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and South Africa, but barely charting in Australia. 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 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.<ref>Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 201. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995</ref> The album peaked at number 14 in the US.

==== Polar Music Studio formation ====
[[File:Sportpalatset Stockholm 2010.jpg|thumb|Polar Music Studios was situated in this building at 58 Sankt Eriksgatan in Stockholm until 2004.]]

By 1978, ABBA were one of the biggest bands in the world. They converted a vacant cinema into the [[Polar Music]] Studio, a state-of-the-art studio in [[Stockholm]]. The studio was used by several other bands; notably [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]]' ''[[Duke (album)|Duke]]'', [[Led Zeppelin]]'s ''[[In Through the Out Door]]'' and [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]]'s ''[[Lovedrive]]'' were recorded there. During May 1978, the group went to the United States for a promotional campaign, performing alongside [[Andy Gibb]] on [[Olivia Newton-John]]'s TV show. Recording sessions for the single "[[Summer Night City]]" were an uphill struggle,{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} but upon release the song became another hit for the group. The track would set the stage for ABBA's foray into [[disco]] with their next album.<ref>{{harvnb|Palm|2001|pp=383–386}}</ref>

On 9 January 1979, the group performed "[[Chiquitita]]" at the [[Music for UNICEF Concert]] held at the [[United Nations General Assembly]] to celebrate UNICEF's Year of the Child. ABBA donated the [[copyright]] of this worldwide hit to the [[United Nations Children's Fund|UNICEF]]; see [[Music for UNICEF Concert]].<ref>"Bee Gees, Olivia were a hit with the VIPs" (11 January 1979). ''Courier Mail'' (Brisbane); p. 30.</ref> The single was released the following week, and reached number-one in ten countries.

==== North American and European tours ====
[[File:ABBA Edmonton 1979 001.jpg|thumb|left|ABBA performing in Edmonton, Canada, 1979]]
In mid-January 1979, Ulvaeus and Fältskog announced they were getting divorced. The news caused interest from the media and led to speculation about the band's future. ABBA assured the press and their fan base they were continuing their work as a group and that the divorce would not affect them.<ref>"ABBA divorce&nbsp;– Agnetha moves out" (17 January 1979). ''The Sun'' (Sydney); p.&nbsp;1.</ref> Nonetheless, the media continued to confront them with this in interviews. To escape the media swirl and concentrate on their writing, Andersson and Ulvaeus secretly travelled to [[Compass Point Studios]] in [[Nassau, Bahamas]], where for two weeks they prepared their next album's songs.

The group's sixth studio album, ''[[Voulez-Vous]]'', was released in April 1979, with its title track recorded at the famous [[Criteria Studios]] in Miami, Florida, with the assistance of recording engineer [[Tom Dowd]] among others. The album topped the charts across Europe and in Japan and Mexico, hit the Top 10 in Canada and Australia and the Top 20 in the US. While none of the singles from the album reached number one on the UK chart, the lead single, "[[Chiquitita]]", and the fourth single, "[[I Have a Dream (song)|I Have a Dream]]", both ascended to number two, and the other two, "[[Does Your Mother Know]]" and "[[Angeleyes]]" (with "[[Voulez-Vous (song)|Voulez-Vous]]", released as a double A-side) both made the top 5. All four singles reached number one in Belgium, although the last three did not chart in Sweden or Norway. "Chiquitita", which was featured in the ''[[Music for UNICEF Concert]]'' after which ABBA decided to donate half of the royalties from the song to [[UNICEF]], topped the singles charts in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, Rhodesia and New Zealand, rose to number two in Sweden, and made the Top 5 in Germany, Austria, Norway and Australia, although it only reached number 29 in the US.

"I Have a Dream" was a sizeable hit reaching number one in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria, number three in South Africa, and number four in Germany, although it only reached number 64 in Australia. In Canada, "I Have a Dream" became ABBA's second number one on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart (after "Fernando" hit the top previously) although it did not chart in the US. "Does Your Mother Know", a rare song in which Ulvaeus sings lead vocals, was a Top 5 hit in the Netherlands and Finland, and a Top 10 hit in Germany, Switzerland and Australia, although it only reached number 27 in New Zealand. It did better in North America than "Chiquitita", reaching number 12 in Canada and number 19 in the US, and made the Top 20 in Japan. "Voulez-Vous" was a Top 10 hit in the Netherlands and Switzerland, a Top 20 hit in Germany and Finland, but only peaked in the 80s in Australia, Canada and the US.

Also in 1979, the group released their second compilation album, ''[[Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (ABBA album)|Greatest Hits Vol. 2]]'', which featured a brand-new track: "[[Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)]]", which was a Top 3 hit in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Norway, and returned ABBA to the Top 10 in Australia. ''Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' went to number one in the UK, Belgium, Canada and Japan while making the Top 5 in several other countries, but only reaching number 20 in Australia and number 46 in the US. In the Soviet Union during the late 1970s, the group were paid in oil commodities because of an [[embargo]] on the [[Soviet rouble|rouble]].<ref>Rodgers, Peter (16 March 1980). "Pop Goes ABBA's $2m Oil Gamble: ABBA May Lose Enormous Amount of Money Following Venture into Oil Market. " ''The Sunday Times''; Business News, p&nbsp;53</ref>
[[File:ABBA at Rotterdam colourised 1979.png| The band members (from left to right: Björn, Anni-Frid, Agnetha, and Benny) in Rotterdam, October 1979|thumb|220x220px|right]]
On 13 September 1979, ABBA began [[ABBA: The Tour]] at [[Northlands Coliseum]] in Edmonton, Canada, with a full house of 14,000. "The voices of the band, Agnetha's high sauciness combined with round, rich lower tones of Anni-Frid, were excellent...Technically perfect, melodically correct and always in perfect pitch...The soft lower voice of Anni-Frid and the high, edgy vocals of Agnetha were stunning", raved ''[[Edmonton Journal]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Edmonton Journal 14 Sep 1979, page 41 |url=https://edmontonjournal.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal/170982472/ |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=Newspapers.com |date=14 September 1979 |page=41 |language=en}}</ref>

During the next four weeks they played a total of 17 sold-out dates, 13 in the United States and four in Canada. The last scheduled ABBA concert in the United States in Washington, D.C. was cancelled due to emotional distress Fältskog experienced during the flight from New York to Boston. The group's private plane was subjected to [[Windsor Locks, Connecticut Tornado|extreme weather conditions]] and was unable to land for an extended period. They appeared at the [[Citi Performing Arts Center|Boston Music Hall]] for the performance 90 minutes late. The tour ended with a show in Toronto, Canada at [[Maple Leaf Gardens]] before a capacity crowd of 18,000. "ABBA plays with surprising power and volume; but although they are loud, they're also clear, which does justice to the signature vocal sound... Anyone who's been waiting five years to see Abba will be well satisfied", wrote ''[[Record World]]''. On 19 October 1979, the tour resumed in Western Europe where the band played 23 sold-out gigs, including six sold-out nights at London's [[Wembley Arena]].

==== Progression ====
In March 1980, ABBA travelled to Japan where upon their arrival at [[Narita International Airport]], they were besieged by thousands of fans. The group performed eleven concerts to full houses, including six shows at Tokyo's [[Nippon Budokan|Budokan]]. This tour was the last "on the road" adventure of their career.
In July 1980, ABBA released the single "[[The Winner Takes It All]]", the group's eighth UK chart topper (and their first since 1978). The song is widely misunderstood as being written about Ulvaeus and Fältskog's marital tribulations; Ulvaeus wrote the lyrics, but has stated they were not about his own divorce; Fältskog has repeatedly stated she was not the loser in their divorce. In the United States, the single peaked at number-eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and became ABBA's second ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary number-one. It was also re-recorded by Andersson and Ulvaeus with a slightly different backing track, by French chanteuse [[Mireille Mathieu]] at the end of 1980&nbsp;– as "Bravo tu as gagné", with French lyrics by Alain Boublil.

In November 1980, ABBA's seventh album ''[[Super Trouper (album)|Super Trouper]]'' was released, which reflected a certain change in ABBA's style with more prominent use of synthesizers and increasingly personal lyrics. It set a record for the most pre-orders ever received for a UK album after one million copies were ordered before release.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pop |first=Classic |date=6 September 2021 |title=Making ABBA: Super Trouper |url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2021/09/abba-super-trouper/ |access-date=6 March 2024 |website=Classic Pop Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The second single from the album, "[[Super Trouper (song)|Super Trouper]]", also hit number-one in the UK, becoming the group's ninth and final UK chart-topper. Another track from the album, "[[Lay All Your Love on Me]]", released in 1981 as a [[Twelve-inch single]] only in selected territories, managed to top the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart and peaked at number-seven on the UK singles chart becoming, at the time, the highest ever charting 12-inch release in UK chart history.

Also in 1980, ABBA recorded a compilation of Spanish-language versions of their hits called ''[[Gracias Por La Música (album)|Gracias Por La Música]]''. This was released in Spanish-speaking countries as well as in Japan and Australia. The album became a major success, and along with the Spanish version of "Chiquitita", this signalled the group's breakthrough in Latin America. ''ABBA Oro: Grandes Éxitos'', the Spanish equivalent of ''ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits'', was released in 1999.