Why are ABBA so popular?

[pinball1970]

Based on a post on another string this deserves one on its own. I have my own ideas, some are obvious, some less so.

So I will kick things off with.....they wrote great tunes. The hardest thing in the music world to do, anyone can write a tune, ok tune even the odd good one. To consistently write tunes that are great and translate down the decades is something different.

Just to give some balance, if you do not like the band or think they are overrated then I would be interested to tell you why you are wrong
hear your points on that.

 

[phinds]

they wrote great tunes

Yes, but that's hardly ALL they did. If they had written great tunes but been crappy singers do you think that would have become so popular. Some of us just LOVE harmony groups. The Ames Brothers, The Kingston Trio (yes, I'm dating myself with those and a few more ), The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, the Chad Mitchel Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, The Mamas and the Papas, and on and on.

 

[DennisN]

So I will kick things off with.....they wrote great tunes. The hardest thing in the music world to do, anyone can write a tune, ok tune even the odd good one. To consistently write tunes that are great and translate down the decades is something different.

Well, @pinball1970 , you have already answered your own question of the thread.
What you say is the most important thing.

If I were to add something basic to what makes music not only popular, but also classics or even masterpieces, is that two things are needed, but in different priority:

1. Priority #1: Musical composition
   Why?
   
   Because no matter how hard you try, you won't make a timeless classic top notch song without a great composition. You can take a very talented performer, give him/her a mediocre song and he/she will not be able to make a classic masterpiece out of it.
   
   
2. Priority #2: You need a good delivery. But it's not as important as the composition.
   However, if you have a great composition and just an ok delivery, the song will still be good, but not great.
   
   But if you combine a great composition with a great delivery/performance you will propel the composition into a higher dimension. The dimension of the masterpieces.

Sidenote:

One thing I came to think about is that there was still a difference between the Beatles and ABBA, which partly explains why The Beatles was/is more successful and popular.

The similarity of the two groups was that they had two great composers in each band.
But ABBA did not reach the level of the Beatles, in my opinion.

None of the two male composers of ABBA had any successful solo career, and they weren't particularly good singers in my opinion, if I am being honest.

The Beatles were different:

Both Paul McCartney and John Lennon were so incredibly talented that they had no problem doing successful solo careers . And they were both very good singers.

I mean... I just say John Lennon (Happy Xmas, Working Class Hero, Cold Turkey etc) and Paul McCartney (Live and Let Die), simply amazing songs from their solo careers.

 

[pinball1970]

Yes, but that's hardly ALL they did. If they had written great tunes but been crappy singers do you think that would have become so popular?

Exactly. I'm only starting things off.

 

[Hornbein]

Based on a post on another string this deserves one on its own. I have my own ideas, some are obvious, some less so.

So I will kick things off with.....they wrote great tunes. The hardest thing in the music world to do, anyone can write a tune, ok tune even the odd good one. To consistently write tunes that are great and translate down the decades is something different.

Just to give some balance, if you do not like the band or think they are overrated then I would be interested to tell you why you are wrong
hear your points on that.

My experience with bands is that either the magic happens or it doesn't. It's 100% random (unpredictable). Jimmy Page said Led Zeppelin "wouldn't happen again in a thousand years." It was luck. David Gilmore said the same thing about Dark Side of the Moon. He figured it was about as good as their other albums and would sell about the same. Random.

Their harmony is magical and their songwriting is good, strong in melodies and chords. They were the first white band with two sexy women up front with (primitive) choreography and costumes. That's what the female side of Kpop is all about. So this caught on bigtime.

Mass popularity often ties in with mass movements (many examples). Many Europeans say it was the start of a European consciousness.

 

[Hornbein]

Anyone in popular music is going to fall short in comparision with The Beatles.

As to why one melody or set of chords is better than another is an as-yet-unsolved mystery.

 

[DennisN]

Paul McCartney (Live and Let Die), simply amazing songs from their solo careers.

A sidenote, if I may, regarding Live and Let Die...

I am so fascinated by this song not just because it's great (and it is a quite complicated composition, Paul McCartney mixes multiple elements in the same song: the verse (and bridge) is a beautiful ballad, the chorus is crazy rock (almost like hard rock) and then comes a dramatic film score type piece, and later a reggae piece.
In the same song!

And... he did it for a movie. Just like that, like it's nothing special.
It's almost unbelievable. And he composed it quite quickly .
And it's the best James Bond theme song, period (well, in my opinion at least ).

Here is the fun story of the song:

Critics BERATED This Solo Beatle's FIERCE 70s Rock Song...Became His Biggest Hit | Professor Of Rock

 

[DennisN]

The Mamas and the Papas

One of my alltime favorite songs is California Dreamin'. It is so good it is ridiculous .

The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin'

 

[pinball1970]

Waterloo 1973

The tune is pretty simple, not many notes but the way the bass changes straight away to that E on a D just hits you.

D E/D A/C# G/B A

My, my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender

Bach used similar tricks all the time.

You might think so what? Any fool can stay on the bass while the chord changes and then before you know it you are on the third with a bit of manipulation

Yes you can but they seem to do it so it never seemed contrived, totally natural and it always catches your ear.