The Nation's Favourite Abba Song

“I always dreamed to be a pop idol. It was at the same time as the Beatles made their entrance and I thought, ‘I want to be like that.’” Björn Ulvaeus

“The way Bjorn treats his lyrics, he does it with a passion like the way he treats women. He has wonderful respect for the female. Bjorn is one of the most respectful men I’ve ever met.” Anni-Frid ‘Frida’Lyngstad

From their debut ‘Waterloo’ to swansong ‘Thank You For the Music’, Abba wrote and performed enough classic hits to fill their own pop chart. The band had 25 UK hits including nine number ones singles. Now a brand new, one-off special programme decides the pecking order among some of the most iconic and best-loved singles in pop history, after asking the British public to vote for their favourite ever Abba song.

Throughout the show we’ll count down through Abba’s 25 hits and discover the stories behind them all, as we find out which one has been voted the top all time Abba song.

‘The Nation’s Favourite Abba Song’ is a landmark celebration of Abba’s incredible pantheon of hits and features a brand new, exclusive and in depth interview with band members Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid ‘Frida’Lyngstad.

Björn and Frida recall the heady days at the height of their fame and how they carried on performing and writing through the breakdown of marriages within the band.

The programme also features fantastic archive footage from thoughout Abba’s career and we hear from a star-packed cast of Abba fans about why their music means so much to them. They include Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Robin Gibb (Bee Gees), Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls), Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child), Pixie Lott, Joe McElderry, Kate Nash, Amanda Holden, Dermot O’Leary, Chris Tarrant, Sir Terry Wogan and Louis Walsh.

The programme reveals little known stories behind some of pop’s greatest hits. Neil Sedaka recalls how he wrote the lyrics for their first record sung in English - Ring Ring. And Björn remembers the little cottage on an island near Stockholm, where he and Benny would meet up each Summer to write some of the groups biggest hits.

Finally, some of our best loved music and TV stars reveal the effect Abba’s music has had on them.

“When I was younger, going out to auditions I would always sing ‘Thank You For The Music’. It’s one of my favourite songs. Sometimes I was lucky with it. Sometimes I wasn’t so lucky.”
Pixie Lott

“Whenever I hear the song Dancing Queen I imagine myself spinning around in a field. I’ve got flowers around me and I’m just a dancing queen.” Nicole Scherzinger

Last edited: Tuesday, 16 November 2010