Carl Magnus Palm

Revealed for the first time – the people who were ABBA, their individual backgrounds, their musical influences and their personal demons.

By the time ABBA spilt up, no one was in any doubt that behind the glitter there was a dark side, and behind the smiling group were four troubled individuals. But even as a whole new generation of fans discovers ABBA’s great music, Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Benny and Björn have continued to remain rather shadowy, secretive figures. Their marriages, personal break-ups and superficial biographical details are well known …  but who exactly were ABBA? How did Norwegian Anni-Frid, the illegitimate daughter of a German soldier, become a real-life princess? How did folksy Benny and Björn reinvent themselves as an international pop force to rival Lennon & McCartney? And what actually happened to blonde Agnetha who smiled a lot but never really looked happy?

The author answers these and many more questions about the hit group that no one took seriously … until everyone did. Each page is a revelation and Palm’s acute understanding of the culture of his native Sweden makes these sometimes dark personal stories understandable in a unique way.Bright Lights, Dark Shadows is an instant classic – a truly great account of the rise and fall of a legendary group and a multiple biography of rare insight.

At the time of ABBA’s breakthrough single ‘Waterloo’, the group seemed like a life-affirming challenge to the popular notion of Sweden as a musically-barren land famous mostly for Volvo cars and Ingmar Bergman movies.

A decade later, at the time of their hauntingly bleak final single ‘The Day Before You Came’, it was clear that Nordic angst had been there all the time, just below the surface. Probably no one but a Swede could have written the definitive story of ABBA’s four members: certainly to most outsiders it sounds like an unlikely history. Despite their beautiful voices, Anni-Frid and Agnetha were surely fated to be strictly domestic singing successes. And despite their musical enthusiasm, surely unhip Benny and Björn were destined to remain semi-pros, essentially pub players with a second-hand fold/country/pop repertoire? Carl Magnus Palm unravels the complex story of how ABBA built themselves into a supremely talented musical force in pop; in the process he fully exposes the Svengali-like influence of Stig Anderson, carefully analyses all the musical influences and reveals what happened to the fortune they made.

But this book also contains the first real three-dimensional portraits of the group members. They were real people, after all, despite an infamous dress sense that sometime suggested they might be aliens from the planet where bad clothes go to die. Their personal histories are sometimes shown as being as dark and tragic as anything from a Bergman movie. But Bergman movies never had a soundtrack by ABBA, and the sheer ebullience of their enduringly popular music is also celebrated in a book that his surely destined to become one of the all-time classic pop biographies.

Published:

First published UK September 2001

Paperback edition published June 2002

Updated edition with new Afterword published July 2008

Kindle edition published October 2009

Light and Shadow: ABBA – The True Story

Carl Magnus Palm

Als die Gruppe ABBA auseinanderbach, wurde es fur jedermann offensichtlich, dass sich hinter der glitzernden Fassade und hinter dem stahlenden Lachen vier angespannte und verzweifelte Individuen verbargen. Und Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Benny und Bjorn blieben weiterhin undurchschaubar und geheimnisvoll, auch dann noch, als ABBAs groBartige Musik von einer ganz neuen Generation wiederentdeckt wurde. Ihre Ehen und Scheidungen , ihre personlichen Zusammenbruche sowie einige oberflachliche biografische Details sind allgemein bekannt, …doch wer waren ABBA wirklich?

Published:

First published Germany February 2003

Updated edition published Germany 3 October 2011

ABBA – Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story

Carl Magnus Palm, translated by G. Sachazkij

Russian edition

Published:

First published Russia October 2003

Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of the group ABBA

Carl Magnus Palm, translated by G. Sachazkij

ABBA – одна из самых знаменитых поп-групп XX века, по исполнителей и объемy лродаж дисков сравнимая толъко свеликими The Beatles. О том, как шли ко всемирной славе ее участники, об их судьбах и творчестве рассказывает книга шведского писателя, биографа этой во всех отношениях неординарной четверки Карла Магнуса Пальма.

Published:

Published Russia January 2009

Audiobook narrated by Adrian Mulraney

Thank you for the music – now for the real story. Revealed for the first time – the people who were ABBA, their individual backgrounds, their musical influences and their personal demons.

By the time ABBA spilt up, no one was in any doubt that behind the glitter there was a dark side, and behind the smiling group were four troubled individuals. But even as a whole new generation of fans discovers ABBA’s great music, Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Benny and Björn have continued to remain rather shadowy, secretive figures. Their marriages, personal break-ups and superficial biographical details are well known …  but who exactly were ABBA?

The author answers these and many more questions about the hit group that no one took seriously… until everyone did.

Bright Lights Dark Shadows is an instant classic – a truly great account of the rise and fall of a legendary group and a multiple biography of rare insight.

Published:

Audiobook on 22 CDs or 2 disc MP3 published 1 July 2011. 

Pre-recorded MP3 player released 1 February 2012

Carl Magnus Palm

Bright Lights Dark Shadows is the definitive biography of Abba , the world’s greatest pop ba nd whose hit musical Mamma Mia! has become the most successful stage show and UK film musical of all time.

This new edition of the best-selling Abba book has been updated to include details of Mamma Mia!’s extraordinary success and the ongoing lives of Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog, their music and their personal lives. It has also been substantially revised throughout.

As generations of new fans discover Abba’s timeless music, Frida, Agnetha, Benny and Björn remain rather shadowy, secretive figures. Their marriages, personal break-ups and superficial biographical details are well known… but who exactly are Abba?

• How did Norwegian orphan Anni-Frid become a real-life princess?
• How did folksy Benny and Björn become an international pop force to rival Lennon & McCartney?
• What happened to blonde Agnetha who smiled a lot but never really looked happy?
• And how many billions have Abba been offered to reform?

World renowned Abba expert Carl Magnus Palm’s acute understanding of the culture of his native Sweden offers a unique insight into the group, and their sometimes dark personal stories.

Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba is the ultimate account of the rise and fall of a legendary group and a biography of rare perception.

Published:

Published 30 January 2014

See also:

Author’s website

Carl Magnus Palm

Exploding on to the international music scene after winning Eurovision with ‘Waterloo’ in 1974, Abba have since become one of the most famous pop groups in the world. Bright Lights Dark Shadows is the definitive account of the rise, fall and rise of the Swedish pop music titans.

This new edition of the best-selling book has been extensively updated to include details of ABBA Voyage, the phenomenal ninth and final album, the amazing concert experience in London and the ongoing personal lives of Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog.

Published:

Published 17 October 2024; USA 18 March 2025

ebook published 18 March 2025

See also:

Author’s website

found.ee/brightlights

The Glitter and shadows of Abba – A complete biography

Carl Magnus Palm, translated by Marija Marčetić

Ove godine obilježava se pola stoljeća otkada je Abba odnijela pobjedu na 19. izdanju Eurosonga. Tim povodom dolazi njihova potpuna biografija “Blještavilo i sjene grupe Abba”, prvu knjigu na hrvatskom o ovoj legendarnoj švedskoj grupi.

Originalno izdanje knjige autora Carla Magnusa Palma pojavilo se 2001. i nadopunjeno je 2014. prije nego što će u listopadu ove godine dobiti konačni oblik. Na gotovo 600 stranica detaljno pratimo put Björna Ulvaeusa, Bennyja Anderssona, Anni-Frid Lyngstad i Agnethe Fältskog – od djetinjstva, Abbe i razdoblja nakon nje – s naglaskom na Eurosong 1974. i pjesme “Waterloo” nakon čega im životi i karijere više nikada neće biti isti.

Nisu preskočene ni trzavice unutar benda i među supružnicima, solo karijere, brojni poslovi i aktivnosti, a nudi se i odgovor na pitanje zašto interes za Abbom ne jenjava ni danas: uz mjuzikl Mamma Mia! i njegove filmske inačice završni dio knjige posvećen je devetom albumu Voyage i koncertu njihovih hologramskih avatara.

“Blještavilo i sjene grupe Abba” prepuna je priča, anegdota i detalja koje vjerojatno niste znali, a cijela je biografija popraćena i s pregršt fotografija iz privatnih arhiva.

Published:

First published Croatia 13 December 2024

Halo Of Darkness – The Real Story Of ABBA

Carl Magnus Palm; translated by Hoài Hương

Cuốn sách này là câu chuyện về bốn nghệ sĩ đến từ một đất nước Bắc Âu xa xôi cùng người quản lý đầy nghị lực, cứng đầu của mình đã chinh phục thành công cả thế giới. Đó là câu chuyện cá nhân và cũng là câu chuyện của công chúng, hòa cùng vào dòng chảy dữ dội của thiên anh hùng ca Bắc Âu vĩ đại.

Nhóm nhạc kinh điển mọi thời đại này đứng thứ 3 trong Top các nghệ sĩ/ nhóm nhạc bán được nhiều đĩa nhạc nhất trên toàn thế giới sau The Beatles và Elvis Presley – với số lượng album bán ra đến nay vượt quá 380 triệu bản.

ABBA nổi tiếng ở hầu hết mọi nơi trên thế giới, đặc biệt là ở những quốc gia mà hầu hết các loại nhạc rock và pop phương Tây khác không thể xâm nhập. Tại Hoa Kỳ – nơi từng được coi là “lãnh địa mong manh nhất” của ABBA trong những ngày còn hoạt động – ngày nay họ lại được yêu mến hơn bao giờ hết, với album ABBA Gold đã bán được hơn sáu triệu bản, nhiều hơn bất kỳ album nào của nhóm trước đó. Tại Úc, sự nổi tiếng của họ thậm chí còn sánh ngang với The Beatles.

Kể từ khi ra mắt tại London vào năm 1999, vở nhạc kịch Mamma Mia! dựa trên các bài hát của ABBA đã thu hút hơn 54 triệu người trên toàn thế giới, đây thực sự là một hiện tượng toàn cầu. Bản điện ảnh năm 2008 đã lặp lại thành công vang dội của phiên bản sân khấu, trở thành phim ca nhạc có doanh thu cao nhất mọi thời đại.

Thời gian đã chứng minh rằng sự nổi tiếng của ABBA không phụ thuộc vào những lần “hồi sinh” may rủi, mà là sự hiện diện bền vững ở mọi thời điểm. Họ có một vị thế mạnh mẽ và ổn định trong lòng cộng đồng người đồng tính trên toàn cầu. Trong bối cảnh ban nhạc gốc gần như vắng mặt vĩnh viễn, các ban nhạc “tri ân” ABBA đang mọc lên khắp thế giới, và nhiều “nhà máy tạo hit” châu Âu ngày nay coi ABBA là một trong những nguồn cảm hứng chính.

Published:

Published Vietnam 10 January 2026