abba there was something in the air that night

And because of that, this band has put up with a lot of rockist snobbery over the years. WELDON: If I typify anything, if I think of anything when I think of ABBA, I think of so much tension in the verse that when the chorus comes, it's this joyous kind of release. They were shining there for you and me, for liberty, Fernando. And then the chorus kicked in, just that huge release.ĪBBA: (Singing) There was something in the air that night. And the imagery with the drums and the war and the stars. And for the first time, I listened to the lyrics. I was hovering in between waking and sleep. And they were on such heavy rotation that I considered them, like everything my parents liked, kind of square and kitschy and nice. THOMPSON: Literally, the call letters are a calming sound. They were every long car trip not because my parents owned any of their albums - they didn't - but they listened to the easy listening station, Philadelphia's WWSH, Stereo 106, all day, all night, all nice. WELDON: I mean, my personal experience is that they were kind of the background noise to my childhood. THOMPSON: How did you come to know and appreciate the band and its music. But first, let's talk ABBA Glen, you are an ABBA enthusiast. We're going to get to the new album in a little bit. And the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2010. The jukebox musical 'Mamma Mia!' was a hit on Broadway that spawned two feature films. The greatest hits collection 'ABBA Gold' has sold 30 million copies since it came out in 1992. Of course, the old ABBA songs have never gone away. But in 2016, ABBA's members - Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid 'Frida' Lyngstad - got together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their creative origins, which led to the band making their long awaited ninth and final album. And its members long since moved on to other projects and solo careers. The group had famously turned down massively lucrative offers for a reunion. And that 40-year hiatus between albums had long seemed like it was going to be permanent. THOMPSON: It is great to have you so on November 5, the world got its first new ABBA studio album since 'The Visitors' in 1981. SOFIE HERNANDEZ-SIMEONIDIS, BYLINE: Hi, y'all. She's a production assistant for NPR Music. THOMPSON: Joining Glen and me today is Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis.

Today, we are talking about ABBA on POP CULTURE HAPPY HOUR from NPR. 'Voyage' gives us a perfect excuse to talk about all things ABBA - the massive sales, the jukebox musical, the endless hiatus, the new album and, of course, those classic songs.

Earlier this month, ABBA released a new album called 'Voyage.' It's the Swedish pop sensation's first set of new material in 40 years.

Abba there was something in the air that night