Member of iconic pop group says band name is ‘stupid’ and reveals what they should have been called instead
A member of a beloved pop group absolutely hates the name they perform under, and you'll only understand the reason why if you're from their native country.
Many notable artists have been known to perform under a different name before landing on their iconic monikers.
Nirvana were once known as Skid Row; before they were Coldplay, the group was Starfish; and Nickelback hilariously started out as the Village Idiot.
But what happens when your band gets saddled with a name that’s not of your choosing? One you physically detest but realize it’s too late to change?
Advert
Well, ask Björn Ulvaeus, who has experienced such a devastating turn of events.
He believes ABBA - a band he was initially a part of from 1972-1982 - is ‘such a stupid name’ for the legendary Swedish quartet to record under.
Former Eurovision Song Contest winners ABBA consists of Agnetha Fältskog, 74, Ulvaeus, 79, Benny Andersson, 77, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 78.
The foursome, who were each famous in their own right, began collaborating as a pop supergroup in 1972 and initially released music as Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid.
However, Ulvaeus claims local radio DJs were ‘tired’ of announcing all four names so decided to abbreviate the group’s name down to their initials.
Thus, ABBA was allegedly born and the group went on to wrack up four top-ten hits in the US and nine number-one songs in the UK.
52 years on from their formation, Ulvaeus has opened up about his hatred for the ‘stupid’ acronym.
Speaking to Gyles Brandreth on the Rosebud podcast, the Swedish musician began: “As we were kind of famous, all famous in Sweden, we made our first records under Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid.
“And the DJs on radio and everywhere else, in our office, they got tired of saying that … as you can imagine.
“So they just abbreviated it to the initials ABBA.
“We didn’t have a choice in the matter. I thought it was such a stupid name. And it is.
“It’s also the name of a very famous herring factory in Sweden – marinated herring, big thing in Sweden.”
The pop icon continued to explain that after the band name was coined, the entertainers were forced to reach out to the herring factory to gain permission to use it.
“And then they said ‘As long as you don’t dabble in marinating.”
“I thought we should have a cool name like The Rolling Stones or something like that, The Northern Lights. And here we are with ABBA,” he added.
Despite Ulvaeus not being a big fan of their name, it seems the rest of the world is, as the group ranks among the best-selling music artists in history.
Following their breakup in December 1982, Andersson and Ulvaeus continued to work together while Fältskog and Lyngstad pursued solo careers.
In 2016, the quartet reformed and began working on a digital avatar concert tour, later named ABBA Voyage.
The digital concert residency eventually opened in London on May 27 2022 and was erected in support of the band’s 2021 album Voyage.
Topics: Music, Celebrity, Entertainment, Europe
Ella Scott