Giles Smith

Audiobook narrated by Kris Dyer

The sort of ABBA told through a selection of their greatest hits.

In 1974, a new chapter opened in pop history, as ABBA burst onto the international stage with their triumphant performance of ‘Waterloo’ at the Eurovision Song Contest. Half a century later, this Swedish sensation is bigger than ever – reaching listeners of all generations and spinning off into musicals, museums and virtual avatars.

Armed with a copy of ABBA Gold, writer Giles Smith sets out to discover why. His journey takes him from a fan club convention in Stockholm, where true devotion is the name of the game, to the mesmerising ABBA Voyage show in London, where audiences are moved to dance and cry by a concert in which the band doesn’t actually appear.

My My! is a celebration of ABBA through the ages. It’s one fan’s way of saying: thank you for the music.

Published:

Published 9 May 2024

My my! Abba í áranna rás

My my! Abba over the years

Giles Smith

Árið 1974 hófst nýr kafli í poppsögunni þegar hljómsveitin ABBA skaust upp á stjörnuhimininn með „Waterloo“, sigurlagi sínu í Júróvison-söngvakeppninni. Hálfri öld síðar er þessi sænska undrahljómsveit vinælli en nokkru sinni – og heldur áfram að heilla fólk með sínum sígildu lögum, söngleikjum, bíómyndum, minjasöfnum og sýndarveruleika.Í þessari bók er rakinn ferill þessarar einstöku hljómsveitar með því að segja söguna á bak við bestu og þekktustu lög hennar. Bókin er sannkölluð veisla fyrir alla ABBA-aðdáendur – og lesendur munu örugglega taka undir orð höfundar að lestri loknum: Thank You For The Music!

Giles Smith er breskur rithöfundur og tónlistaraðdáandi.

Published:

First published Iceland October (?) 2024

My My! ABBA. Muzyczny fenomen wszech czasów

My My! ABBA. An all-time musical phenomenon

Giles Smith

Translated by Nina Wum

Thank you for the music

W pięćdziesiątą rocznicę piosenki Waterloo jeden z najwięk- szych fanów zespołu przesłuchał album ABBA Gold od początku do końca, spoglądając na ostatnie pół wieku, które upłynęło mu wśród tych brzmień. Postanowił też odkryć tajemnicę przemoż- nego wpływu, jaki muzyka legendarnego zespołu wywarła na nas wszystkich.

Utwory znajdujące się na wspomnianej płycie, od Dancing Queen do Knowing Me, Knowing You, poprzez Take a Chance on Me, są punktem wyjścia do rozważań na temat muzyki pop i kulturowych powiązań, jakie ją z nami spajają (a nas z nią), refleksji o minionej epoce, a także przemyśleń dotyczących samej grupy Abba – jej historii, niezaprzeczalnemu fenomenowi oraz ciągłej obecności w naszym życiu.