{"id":18469,"date":"2026-04-03T03:58:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T02:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roglacup.com\/klaus62\/?p=18469"},"modified":"2026-04-03T03:58:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T02:58:33","slug":"morning-songabba-waterloo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roglacup.com\/klaus62\/2026\/04\/03\/morning-songabba-waterloo\/","title":{"rendered":"Morning song#Abba #Waterloo\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Andersson, Ulvaeus, F\u00e4ltskog, and Lyngstad first started performing together in 1969 under the moniker Festfolk, a name that referenced the Swedish words for \u201cengaged couples\u201d (f\u00e4stfolk<\/em>) and \u201cparty people\u201d (festfolk<\/em>). In one way, the name was apt: Ulvaeus and F\u00e4ltskog would marry in 1971, and Andersson and Lyngstad followed suit in \u201978. But Festfolk struggled to bring the party, with only one modest hit (1972\u2019s \u201cPeople Need Love\u201d) getting attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything changed when the band entered Melodifestivalen (which, as a festival for melodic sound, is exactly what it sounds like) in an attempt to represent Sweden<\/a> at Eurovision<\/a> 1973. After winning third place, they swiftly renamed themselves ABBA\u2014after the first letter of each performer\u2019s first name\u2014and started working on a song for next year\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their second attempt proved more successful. ABBA won Melodifestivalen 1974 with a hit that had a historical twist: \u201cWaterloo,\u201d which likened the end of a romantic relationship to the epic defeat of Emperor Napoleon<\/a>. (Ouch.) That sent them to the \u201cOlympics of song\u201d\u2014Eurovision, held that year in Brighton, England. Despite tough competition from British entrant Olivia Newton-John<\/a>, ABBA\u2019s spangly outfits and wild theatricality (including their conductor appearing in full Napoleonic regalia) stole the show. It was Sweden\u2019s first Eurovision win and is one of the most famous performances in the contest\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What comes after winning Eurovision? For ABBA, the answer was total world domination. \u201cWaterloo\u201d topped charts across Europe, setting the stage for a record-breaking career that included number-one hits in dozens of countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just don\u2019t learn your history lessons from ABBA. \u201cAt Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender\u201d is a catchy lyric, but not quite accurate. Napoleon didn\u2019t officially surrender until almost a month after his devastating loss\u2014and the surrender took place in\u00a0Rochefort<\/a>, France, more than 400 miles from\u00a0Waterloo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Posted from:https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/today-in-history\/April-6-ABBA-Melodifestivalen-Eurovision<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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