Going through my ABBA archive I found this rather ineresting Agnetha article. It was written in January 1979 by a woman called Lilian Meiland.
Agnetha Fältskog - who is she? A strong
and selfdependent girl who wants to write her own songs.
Agnetha has moved into a new house. She is starting a “new life”. With the
kids and with her own music.
Agnetha
Fältskog’s new life will of course be all ABBA-members “new life”. Sooner or later.
Meaning that they will start living indiviual lives. Björn and Benny privatly
and Benny and Frida professionally.
-
We
are beginning to see the end of the ABBA-era. Two more albums, and then....
Bnny said abot a year ago. Before the sabatical year Benny also said: Björn and
I will do what we have planned. And Frida and I will do it. About Agnetha I
can’t say anything yet.
Was that a
signal already back then? That there’s someting goin on. But it could easily
have been that Benny didn’t know Agnetha’s plans or didn’nt want to talk about
them in public. Because if he does he knows what happens. You get smacked. Just
like Stikkan Anderson did when he started thinking for Agnetha without asking
her first.
Because
there is a side of Agnetha’s vast audicence no many know. And she simply hasn’t
marketed this girl, just beause she hasn’t had to.
The strong
Agnetha. The independent Agnetha. Probably the strongest of the four. Even
though she is the most unspoken.
As a girl:
She understands how Frida is depending on Benny. But you have never heard
Agnetha say things like that Björn. As Björn the superstar.
-
Even
though she is part of one of the greatest groups in the world she is just as a
little a diva as when she came from
Jönköping to Stockolm ten years ago. She is very warm, and soft even though she
has a temper. There’s no “girlishness” or “catish” about her. No girl nonsense.
She won’t die if some other girl gets her yeshadow better applied than her, She
thinks to have more important things to think about than that. Says one of the
few who even dare to speak about ABBA. Like the members of the group. Björn and
Stikkan Anderson has been connected for 15 years now. Even though he is a fine
musician he is, just like like Stig, interested in the business side of ABBA.
Frida has together with Benny been seen around town and has never minded her
ABBA-role and has enjoyed being in focus. Even though it of course has become “
a little too much” even for her. Benny, a stable, very sympathic is the
Musician with the big “M” and the “motor” behind the group. But he is
adjustable and just like Björn rather cool about being an “idol”. They have
both been there before. And they both are just as happy if they can spend time
in the studio, away from the world for weeks.
BAD CONCSIENCE FOR THE CHILDREN
Where does Agnetha land? Who naturally been there from the very beginning. But. Things
can become more than you wish for. And you can get new enjoyments during the
years. The members are now also tied to each other by thoughsands of loyalties
and they will be for a long a time. Maybe for the rest of their lives. And
noone knows how the contract is written- 183 points in 8 years maybe.
No, it would be stupid to speculate about the eternatl “happniess” within
in the company “ABBA”.
Agnetha never liked the attention very much. And since she is a very
direct girl she has has taken the “bad things” to heart. Things they other four
couldn’t care less about.
What it is important to Agnetha today?
Two things:
To be with her children, Linda, 6, and Christian almost 1 year old. To be
a good mother to them, To be able to give them love and security. She has often
felt guilty over leaving Linda.
To work creatively “on her own”. What a lot of people seem to have
forgotten is that Agnetha (are there any more?) who published albums with her
own material before the ago of 20. She has up to date releaed six albums. The
latest “Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus” came a couple of years ago.
First you adapt to the ABBA-thing. Then you start thinking. Sure, she
could have been composing all she wants at home by the kitchentable, and she
has done that. But that’s not the same
thing that something happens to the
material. That someone believes in it, publish and releases it. And no matter
how strong you are in the long run it can’t be good for your self confidence to
have “giants” like Björn and Benny watching you.
Has Stikkan, Björn and Benny opressed her? Well. They are the ones in
charge. Make most of the decisions. But as private guys they are no women
opressors. There’s one woman on this earth Stikkan Anderson trusts to 100% - a
woman. His wife Gudrun. A very sweet woman. Björn was already 15 years ago a
guy with the sympathetic trade of talking
to the girls. And the fact that he got hooked on Agnetha was the fact that she
was a girl with a will of her own and a strong woman. Björn has been there all
the way. Cooked for hours. Better than Agnetha. And has given all his energy to
his children.
But “ABBA” itelf has opressed quite a bit. What has been done or actually hasn’t been
done for Lena Andersson is half a
scandal.
With Stikkan you get the impression that all he does is calculates, if
you want to win you want to “win”. And he certainly has “won”.
Becasue treated a talented creative person like Agnetha Fältskog like
this nothing could be worse, intended or not.
BJÖRN CHANGED
For Agnetha with her need for integrity it’s not very surprising that she
is the shyest of the members. It can take a lot of time.
When she got enegaged to Björn she was 20 years old, on the day. She
already had an engagment and a smaller singing career behind her in Germany.
She was an established artist and she had already written her first contract
with Cupol. Björn always had the attitude towards woman that if they didn’t
want to do what he wanted he just left. With Agnetha he even had to say “I’m
sorry” from time to time.
Agnetha wasn’t going on tours if it meant her sitting in the wings
admiring the idol. And Björn accepted this, the fact that she needed a task..
She demanded, and rececived, full equality. She and Björn were madly and love
but they could sure put up a good fight the first years. Besides, Agnetha was
romantic and oldfashioned. She wanted to get married, so there was a wedding. Completely directed by her. Of
course. She was also very determined about having children. As soon as
possible. Björn, five years older, had the same opinion.
There were a lot of opinions and compromising going on escpeically in the
beginning when ABBA started out. Björn and Benny took over. Agnetha became
“silent”.
ORDINARY GIRL
Benny and Björn wanted to write musicals together or apart and they are
at a working trip at thte Bahamas right now. Frida would love to stay on the
stage in some form or other. And ABBA as a group we will will see and hear for
a while more.
Agnetha’s new life will not change that much on the outside. She wil stay
home, for a while. Who wanted most to be free, to leave? Well. It could be a
coincidence – but it was Agnetha who left him. Not the other way around.
She will do her ABBA work perfectly, and in her spare time she will stay
in contact with her parents and her sister. Important things in her life. And
hang out with her friends. Old and new ones.
She will cut paper dolls with Linda and teach Christian to ride his tricycle and in between she will
compose, compose, compose. And more or less stay out of the public. The house
she has moved to is huge and Agnetha will more than most say that “my home is
my castle”. She is a pretty “ordinary” girl, Agnetha and she has never claimed
anything else either. It’s just when it comes to talent, muscially she is a big
bit above average..
But now she has a huge security in in area. She has travelled and
represented a lot and done it with softness as a “brand”. She is 28 years old
and single again and a very pretty woman. Here at home she is the “girl next
door” Agnetha. (And she doesn’t mind being that). But abroad, in New York for
example there’s a completely different picture of her. Here’s a “rumour” which is
a little fun:
Agnetha is a big “femme fatale”. A vulcano under the cool blonde looks
that seduces men endlessly. Björn must have had a problem keeping her home in
the evenings. “It’s NOT like that?”
But you can tell, the way she moves, the look she gives you a guy in Australia
said. Agnetha! Little Agnetha who used to work at the switchboard on a carfirm
at home in Jönköping. And now a “femme fatale” The Vulcano from Vättern. Well,
well, definitely a new image.
In the name of equality all I can say is go for it Agnetha! A telegram
from the sisters. To the girl who probably singlehandled could destroy the
ABBA-empire, if nobody cares what she
wants. But. I’m pretty sure they know that already.