Do you have a question about ABBA? Here you can ask any ABBA question and I will do my best to answer it for you.

Send your questions to abbaomnibus@gmail.com. New questions & answers will be added monthly.

There are also FAQ (Frequently asked questions) and a separate page What is that song about?, which has details about selected songs.

All questions in English please.
Please limit one question per email. Multiple emails are welcome.
Please check the FAQ or previous questions & answers – your question may have already been asked and answered.
Please sign your questions with your first name and country – it’s nice to know who you are and where you’re from.
Questions may be edited for space or clarity.
Personal replies are not possible.

I heard that Madonna has sampled ABBA again on her new album Confessions II. I have the album but I don’t hear ABBA. Is it true?

Johannes, Germany

Indeed she has, indirectly. ‘Hot Sauce’ includes a sample from Madonna’s 2005 hit ‘Hung Up’, which itself features a sample of ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’. ‘Hot Sauce’ is a bonus track 17 on the Confessions II: Icon Edition, exclusive to iTunes. The song was created for an Absolut vodka campaign, tying in with the album’s release. It does not feature on any of the physical releases or other digital versions of Confessions II.

I read on Facebook that a new version of ABBA – The Movie is coming next year. That’s an exciting news! Is there anything you can tell me about that?

John, UK 

In an interview with Aftonbladet in early June, director Lasse Hallström said:

I fantasize about making an anniversary release. There was really a lot of the fun of performing in that film. I think you remove the story, which is a bit thin and was cooked up on the plane down to Australia. With today’s sound technology, you can make a very good concert film. I would also like to add unused material from that time.

As soon as this hit the fan groups, it was interpreted as an announcement that a new version of the movie will definitely be released. However, he did not say that it is happening, and as far as is known there are no plans to do this. In various interviews over the decades Hallström has said that the unused footage was scrapped as superfluous (or to avoid being bootlegged), or is in storage somewhere gathering dust.

Ironically, the storyline Hallström criticises was created by him because at that time he thought concert films were “boring”. 

Is it true that an ABBA live 1977 album is being released?

Drew, UK and many others

This is a common question lately. It was answered in the previous Q&A.

I was recently given this box set from a family friend. I would like to know if this is a legit box set?  Are the songs by ABBA or other artists preforming their songs 

Fiona, Australia 

It certainly is legitimate. Yes, The Best of ABBA box set features ABBA’s original recordings on five discs. It was available by mail order from Reader’s Digest from 1982 to around 1990.

See the tracklist here.