ABBA blog

Back in 1993, ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus told me an anecdote about how 'One Of Us' came to be chosen as the first single from The Visitors. He said that Benny Andersson and manager Stig Anderson hadn't been so certain about its hit qualities, but when they asked a number of record companies about their opinion, 'One Of Us' came back as the favourite. The reason Björn remembered this was, of course, that he had a certain amount of pride in having his preference confirmed. And 'One Of Us' did indeed become a hit.

Ever since I first heard this anecdote, I've been curious about this method ABBA had, of sending out tapes of songs and asking a certain number of people for their opinion as to their suitability as singles. Which individuals did they ask? To what extent were Björn, Benny and Stig guided by the feedback they got? Are there any recollections of specific songs that were chosen for single release this way? As you may imagine, I was very keen to write about this in my forthcoming book ABBA On Record: after all, this kind of story, what happened to ABBA's music after it had left the recording studio, is pretty much what the book is about.

However, information has been very hard to come by. Over the decades, I've put the question to virtually everyone I thought could have some insight, but memories are very vague. Nevertheless, I've collected all the information I've come by, in vintage articles and from my own interviews - some of the interviewees did have interesting recollections - and, after piecing it together, I feel this section of the book will give us all some insight into the process. Can't wait to share it with you all.

As yet, there is no set publication date for ABBA On Record, but I'm starting to see the end of the project, and shooting for late 2023. To learn more and pre-order your copy, please visit abbaonrecord.com.