The music of ABBA is not that happy. It might sound happy, in some strange way, but deep within, it's not happy music. It has that Nordic melancholic feeling to it. What fools you is the girls' voices. You know, I do think that is one of the secrets about ABBA. Even when we were really quite sad, we always sounded jubilant.
Interpretation
ABBA's music may sound cheerful on the surface, but it often carries deeper feelings of sadness and melancholy.
Bjorn Ulvaeus reflects on the paradox of ABBA's music, where the upbeat melodies and vibrant vocal delivery may mask a more profound emotional depth characterized by sadness. This duality reveals a secret of their artistic expression, illustrating how the joy conveyed through music can sometimes contrast sharply with the underlying emotions of the artists.
In practice
Discussing ABBA's artistic approach in a music documentary.
With pop music and pop musicians, you know everything about everyone all the time, particularly their physical appearance. With female musicians, that's made a big thing of, and I think people, certainly with me, have appreciated a bit of mystery.
I consider myself to be an inept pianist, a bad singer, and a merely competent songwriter. ... I'm probably writing music now for the same reason as I started writing songs when I was 14-to meet women. ... If you make music for the human needs you have within yourself, then you do it for all humans who need the same things. You enrich humanity with the profound expression of these feelings. ... My songs are like my kids.
When you pay your money to see me, I want you to have the best concert you can have from me.
There just needs to be a gay rapper. He doesn't have to be flamboyant, just a rapper who identifies as gay - who's better than everybody. Unfortunately hip-hop is so competitive that in order for fringe groups to get in, you gotta be better than whoever's the best.
I must tell you I take terrible risks. Because my playing is very clear, when I make a mistake you hear it. If you want me to play only the notes without any specific dynamics, I will never make one mistake. Never be afraid to dare.
I'd love to do a duet, always wanted to work with Madonna, but she never asked.
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