I have never been ashamed of my love for many of ABBA’s songs. “The Winner Takes it All” is classic, and you just can’t find a better pop song than “Dancing Queen.” A few years ago I was in New York and my wife and I had to decide on what Broadway show to go see. We chose “The Producers” because of all the hype, but “Mamma Mia!” was secretly the one I preferred. I should have gone with that. “The Producers” was awful, unless you like non-stop gay jokes. How the usually sensitive gay lobby let Mel Brooks get away with that is anyone’s guess.
Anyway, I’ve always regretted not going with my first instinct to see “Mama Mia!” But, hey, now there’s a movie. Unfortunately, it stars one of my least favorite people, Meryl Streep. I don’t know why I find her so annoying. The only one of her movies I can sit through is “Sophie’s Choice,” and that’s only because I loved the book so much. But I’m impressed by her enthusiasm for this movie, and the willingness to sing her own songs, which, apparently, she did very well.
I do plan to see the movie version of “Mamma Mia!” when it comes out on July 18. Here’s a great story about the three women who worked to create the musical, which became a worldwide hit, making them all rich. It also made ABBA’s Benny and Bjorn even more millions, though they dragged their feet when asked for the OK to use their songs because they feared the musical would flop. Last laugh to the ladies.
Here are a couple of ABBA tunes for your holiday enjoyment. First, “The Winner Takes it All”:
And “Dancing Queen”:
And, of course, “Mamma Mia!”:
