ABBA: the Beauty and the Cutie

I like ABBA. There I said it. Actually, I've said it twice now (the first time in a previous post). And I especially like the beauty and the cutie of the group. :-P

Now I understand that some groups and bands get overplayed to the point of putting people off. Fortunately, that didn't happen to me with ABBA, particularly here in the U.S. Not back in the 1970's when they first became popular. And their 'poppiness' didn't bother me either. Although I never went around telling people that I liked them - that would have been like admitting to liking the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, or John Denver for example. All of whom I like, by the way. But heck, I'm old enough now not to worry about what other people think (there are certain advantages to getting older!).

I suppose I didn't have really strong feelings about them either way when I ordered 'ABBA Gold' back in the 1990's. I just remember liking their music whenever I happened to hear it on the radio. And after I got the CD, I only listened to the songs that I already knew: Knowing Me, Knowing You; Take a Chance On Me; S.O.S.; Chiquitita; and Waterloo among them. And because I wasn't familiar with their other hits, I didn't bother listening to them: Mamma Mia; Super Trouper; Thank You For The Music; etc.

It wasn't until after the film version of Mamma Mia! was released last year that I even became a BIG fan of ABBA. Not that I've ever seen or plan to see the film; after it was released, I decided instead to go to YouTube and see what was available. There's a whole lot. I became familiar again with them and the several videos that brought back so many memories. I made sure to learn their names: Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid. Anni-Frid (the brunette) is also known as Frida - in fact, I knew their names already except for the iconic blonde, Agnetha. It didn't ring a bell at all for me!

Now they're one of my favorite groups - I've since picked up a boxed set and several books. I've come to like all of their music. And I like both girls. I've been pretty surprised to find that many fans go the route of partisanship when liking Agnetha and Frida. Or should I say Agnetha or Frida. What's the point? I happen to adore them both. Which leads to who's the beauty and who's the cutie? Well, in my opinion, Frida is the beauty and Agnetha is the cutie...


Some of their best songs aren't even on 'ABBA Gold' or 'More ABBA Gold':

I've Been Waiting For You

Tiger