It’s fifty years since ABBA gave us a winning Waterloo…
This spring, ABBA and the world celebrate 50 years since the band won Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo, the hit that would catapult them to international stardom. However, it nearly didn’t happen…
A year earlier, Abba’s attempt to enter Eurovision via Sweden’s top talent show Melodifestivalen spectacularly flopped when their entry Ring Ring and its performance came third in the judges’ vote. The winner, The Summer That Never Says No, by handsome male duo Malta would prove to be a massive hit in Sweden, while Abba looked set for obscurity.
This programme unpacks the story of how ABBA lost – but then a year later, won. This is the story of how an undeterred ABBA dusted themselves down, put on their best platform shoes, glittered capes and blue skull caps and went on to win not only the Swedish heat but then the international competition itself with what would become the global hit Waterloo.
We reveal hour by hour, then minute by minute, the true story of their Eurovision win in Brighton in 1974 – from how the technical rehearsal was a sham, leaving Agnetha and Frida a bundle of nerves, to their reception from the British press, public and indeed judges, who gave the song “nul” points!
With contributions from a combination of musicians who played with the band, the designer behind their glam rock costumes and witnesses to the event itself, we tell the inside story of how ABBA won Eurovision.
How ABBA won Eurovision, tomorrow (Saturday, April 13th) at 9 pm
