*I just noticed the person below me made an ABBA post—my sincere apology.
Sure, in the mid 1970s ABBA was doing all right in the United States with four Top 30 singles, as well as achieving some success with their first European tour—but no one seemed to cherish this Swedish pop foursome quite like our dear old Aussie “ABBAholics.” Australians loved ABBA so much that the group held onto the #1 spot on both single and album charts for months after the release of their third album, which included such heart-thumping tracks as “S.O.S., “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” and, of course, “Mamma Mia."
Perhaps the reason the album topped the charts Down Under had to do with the inclusion of the 6th track- “Bang-A-Boomerang” in which the musical quartet explains just how the throwing of a Boomerang symbolizes love’s turbulent nature. Coincidence? You decide. Catchy? I’ll decide for you- Yes.
Anyway, Australia’s tender feelings for ABBA are also evident in the country’s cinema. I am sure all of you remember our friend Muriel “Mariel” Heslop in P.J. Hogan’s 1994 film, Muriel’s Wedding, recalling her days sitting alone in her room listening to ABBA songs for hours. Of course, there was also Muriel and Rhonda’s memorable choreographed on-stage performance of "Waterloo"
Similarly, in Stephan Elliott’s film released the same year, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Guy Pearce’s character, Adam AKA “Felicia Jollygoodfellow,” and Huge Weaving’s character, Anthony AKA “Mitzi Del Bra,” perform a lovely, also beautifully choreographed rendition of "Mamma Mia" during their drag-tastic voyage through the Australian desert.
(If you have not seen Priscilla, here is another fabulous, elaborate drag performance from the film, Work it, Pearce).
After all of this exhausting research, I still cannot seem to conclude just why Australians love ABBA so much. In my opinion, it was the group’s fabulously formfitting, sparkly, spandex-abundant Thunderdome-esque wardrobe. Let’s just say that I’m sure Mad Max had a few posters of the Swedish sensations hanging somewhere in that bungalow of his. Those men in ABBA certainly were not afraid of emphasizing a bit of the ol’ hanging rock- am I right, or am I right?
Okay enough of that. Why do you think Aussie’s love ABBA so much? I guess we can always just blame it on the 70s, may God bless ‘em.
*Additionally, in the spirit of Election Day ’08, Senator John McCain has listed ABBA as one of his favorite musical groups of all time- his favorite of the fabulous foursome's gems include “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance on Me.” Isn’t that simply adorable? Sadly, when McCain expressed interest in using an ABBA tune for his campaign, the price was too high. Too high? How can I trust a presidential candidate who does not see the value in throwing down the dough for usage of a quality 70s pop hit? I can’t.
McCain may not stand for gay rights, but I guess it’s hard to stand for anything when you’re wearin’ white leather platform boots.
All right, enough.
1 comment:
No worries about the double ABBA post! Really now, you can never have too much ABBA (at least not in my ipod).
I actually checked out that "Bang-a-Boomerang" song since I had not heard of it. It's no "Fernando" melody-wise, but I'm loving the music video! There are Batman-esque interjections popping up all over the place like BANG!, BOOM!, and BIFF! (Not sure where that last one comes from--more Death of a Salesmen than boomerang.)
It's interesting how this video isn't set on a stage with sparkling lights and costumes. It's interesting that the song most connected with Australia would be more outdoorsy.
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