40 years on, ABBA warms hearts again
World famous Swedish pop band ABBA recently announced the release of their first new album, "Voyage" after four decades of hiatus, which is one of the longest running hiatuses any major musical band has taken in the history of music.
It is safe to say that the news of a new album by this beloved pop band took the world by storm and every ABBA lover in every corner of the world is gleaming with joy, breaking open emotional floodgates.
Like the rest of the world, popular singers Fahmida Nabi and Samina Samina Chowdhury are also excited and eagerly waiting for the release of the new ABBA album. The sister duo grew up listening to ABBA and later in life, they covered ABBA songs and also have a Bangla version of a popular ABBA song, "Chiquitita".
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Talking about ABBA's comeback after 40 years, Fahmida Nabi shared her excitement with The Business Standard. She said, "It is amazing news; ABBA has a universal appeal and you can never say enough about such a legendary band."
"Their music, lyrics, popularity and stage persona, everything have memerised us over the years. The rhythm section of each song is like therapy for listeners worldwide."
"Their new album proves that musicians never get old. Whenever they come back from hiatus, they return with a surprise, which earns them more popularity."
"Voyage" is scheduled to be released on 5 November but two of the 10 songs from the album have been making the rounds in ABBA's official YouTube channel for the last one week. One of them has even topped the charts in Sweden. The two new tracks suddenly have the world standing on its tippy-toes, trembling with anticipation.
The first song, "I Still Have Faith In You," is an affectionate, stately and epic piano ballad portraying the bond shared between the four band members. This song was recorded in 2018.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad's pitch-perfect vocals on the song sounded as soothing as it has ever had, even after 40 years.
The lyrics "There was a reunion/Of heart and mind/The likes of which are rare and oh so hard to find" stands as an ode to the friendship between the four Abba members, and the bonds that have matured and survived despite heartbreaks.
"We do have it in us/New spirit has arrived/The joy and the sorrow/We have a story/And it survived" - these lyrics perhaps pen down the emotion of a long-awaited reunion perfectly without going overboard. After all, it's the music we have been waiting for - the music that speaks of the friendship that has stood the test of time.
Although this was a piano ballad, the synthesizers and orchestra harmonized with the chords of electric guitars and drum beats make it sound like softened butter on warm toast. And if music could feel like a cup of freshly brewed cup of coffee with a side of buttered toast, this song is it.
The music video for "I Still Have Faith in You" features footage of the band during their former performing years. This video earned over a million views in its first three hours of release.
The second track, "Don't Shut Me Down," is a mini-melodrama in the vein of the Abba classic 'The Day Before You Came', where a woman returns to her partner years after walking out.
The composition of "Don't Shut Me Down" is like a molecule of happiness and as melodious as Abba sounded 40 years ago.
With guitars, keyboard, synthesizer and drums giving birth to a groovy, nostalgic tune, and the song's addictive bassline crafted to perfection, you will not be able to stop swaying your head to every stroke of the lead and rhythm guitars as the tempo bounces up and down.
"You asked me not to leave/Well here I am again/And I love you still" - these lyrics imply ABBA's comeback - a feat unimaged by everyone. Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad sang in their trademark stacked harmonies, making sure to send shivers down your spine.
Rightfully so, "Don't Shut Me Down" became the first ABBA single since October 1978 to top a chart in Sweden.
Along with these two songs, "Voyage" will include "a little Christmas tune", according to Benny Andersson.
ABBA, one of the most successful pop bands of all time, did not only make a comeback, they made a dramatic comeback. Given the fact that it has been 40 years since the world saw the quartet perform, the dramatics are well justified.
On 26 August, a new website was launched titled, 'ABBA Voyage' where visitors were prompted to subscribe "to be the first in line to hear more about ABBA Voyage."
New ABBA Voyage social media accounts were launched as well, and billboards started to appear around London - all showing the date '02.09.21'.
Three days later, ABBA officially joined TikTok with a video of Benny playing 'Dancing Queen' on the piano. On this day, the release of "Voyage" on 5 November was announced, along with ABBA Voyage, a residence show in London featuring the motion capture digital avatars of the four band members alongside a 10-piece live band, starting in May 2022.
