# A billion to ABBA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2001, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688 "2001-02-01T06:29:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/1 "2001-02-01T06:29:49Z")
[http://www.dotmusic.com/news/February2000/news12850.asp](http://www.dotmusic.com/news/February2000/news12850.asp) What the hell is up with this? Why did the US/UK Government offer ABBA **one billion dollars** to reform? And how could these guys _possibly_ generate a billion dollars? I couldn’t name 2 ABBA songs if you had a gun to my head. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/2 "2001-02-01T06:41:19Z")
FTR: the US/UK governments have nothing to do with this… the article says “An American/British consortium…” However, I’m with you, **Cisco** _WHY?_ ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/3 "2001-02-01T06:48:18Z")
\*\*con_sor_tium (noun), plural -sor\*tia also -sortiums [Latin, fellowship, from consort-, consors] First appeared 1829 1 : an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member 2 : ASSOCIATION, SOCIETY \*\* Ok, maybe the government, but probably not. But if not, then what company can afford to lose a billion on these guys? There is NO WAY they can generate that much money, especially not so much more that the “consortium” profits. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/4 "2001-02-01T13:35:57Z")
There is NO WAY ABBA is going to re-group. Agnetha Faltskog (the blonde) has stated she wouldn’t do it if you held a gun to HER head. It’s a sucker deal. The amazing success of the musical Mamma Mia, based on ABBA songs, probably has something to do with this. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/5 "2001-02-01T16:01:38Z")
When ABBA Gold came out in the early 90s, it was on the British charts for 206 weeks, and even hit #1. When it was re-released in 1998-99, it was on the charts for 103 weeks and was at #1 for 5 of those. If it weren’t for the bitterness of the breakups (both personal and professional), I’d say they’d have a good chance of making a lot of cash from a revival. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/6 "2001-02-01T17:00:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > [B I couldn’t name 2 ABBA songs if you had a gun to my head. \*\* Dancing Queen, and Waterloo. Sorry, I’ll go now… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/7 "2001-02-01T17:07:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > **There is NO WAY ABBA is going to re-group. Agnetha Faltskog (the blonde) has stated she wouldn’t do it if you held a gun to HER head. It’s a sucker deal.** We’ll see. For my share of one BILLION dollars, I’d not only let you hold a gun to my head, I’d load the bullets. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/8 "2001-02-01T18:11:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Captain Amazing \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > > [B I couldn’t name 2 ABBA songs if you had a gun to my head. \*\* > > Dancing Queen, and Waterloo. Sorry, I’ll go now… \*\* Knowing Me, Knowing You Gimme, Gimme, Gimme Chiquitita Fernando Thank You For The Music Money, Money, Money Of course, I’m gay, so naturally… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/9 "2001-02-01T18:15:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kunilou \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > > **There is NO WAY ABBA is going to re-group. Agnetha Faltskog (the blonde) has stated she wouldn’t do it if you held a gun to HER head. It’s a sucker deal.** > > We’ll see. For my share of one BILLION dollars, I’d not only let you hold a gun to my head, I’d load the bullets. \*\* Well, you know all those Swedes are Commie Socialists, anyway, so money doesn’t really matter that much to them. Kidding! Kidding! Don’t send the Vikings! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/10 "2001-02-01T18:23:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > \*\* I’d say they’d have a good chance of making a lot of cash from a revival. \*\* A billion though? Or rather, so much _more_ than a billion that this mysterious “consortium” profits? This has been bugging me for 2 days now, someone must know some facts behind this charade. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/11 "2001-02-01T19:34:20Z")
I owe every CD ABBA ever made, but I resisted the urge to list all their songs. In case anyone is interested, Benny & Bjorn are currently working on an English translation of their Swedish musical “Kriten fran Dumagda” and a Swedish translation of their English song “Chess.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/12 "2001-02-01T20:44:26Z")
There’s a folk singer named John Wesley Harding. I saw him in concert a few years ago, and he gave a fascinating recap of the history of Abba. I wish I could remember it verbatim, it was hysterical, but to recap: Their first big hit was “Waterloo”. This pissed off the French, but the English loved them. So they had to sing “Voulez-Vous” to win over the French. “Mamma Mia”, Italy. “Fernanado”, Spain. Until eventually all of Europe fell before the super-storm-troopers. Sort of makes the prospect of a reunion a little more ominous, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/13 "2001-02-01T20:46:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > > \*\* I’d say they’d have a good chance of making a lot of cash from a revival. \*\* > > A billion though? Or rather, so much _more_ than a billion that this mysterious “consortium” profits? This has been bugging me for 2 days now, someone must know some facts behind this charade. \*\* The article mentioned 100 concerts. If each concert had 50 thousand people paying 100$ a ticket you are halfway there. If they played bigger stadiums they could make more. Add merchandise sales and corporate sponsors and you are almost there. Add sales from a live album and a pay per view concert I think you might be able to make enough money to turn a profit. If ABBA is capable of drawing that many fans. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/14 "2001-02-01T22:00:36Z")
The real deal is that they’ve patented the ABBA rhyme scheme. It was really a secret consortium of poets making the offer. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/15 "2001-02-02T04:15:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > \*\*Well, you know all those Swedes are Commie Socialists, anyway, so money doesn’t really matter that much to them. > > Kidding! Kidding! Don’t send the Vikings! \*\* Some of them are **sexy** Commie Socialist Vikings… _ahem_ ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/16 "2001-02-02T11:27:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > **… their Swedish musical “Kriten fran Dumagda”…** And you make fun of non-English speakers trying to express themselves in English!!! The title is “Kristina från Duvemåla” and the musical is based on the “The Emigrants” series of books (“The Emigrants”, “Unto a Good Land”, “The Settlers” and “The Last Letter Home”) by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg. If you are interested in the migration from Europe to America in the mid 19th century, you really should read them. They’re excellent. They have also been filmed by Swedish director Jan Troell with Max von Sydow and Liv Ullman playing the lead characters Karl-Oskar and Kristina. > [@](#): > > _Montfort_ > **Some of them are _sexy_ Commie Socialist Vikings…** You can say **that** again! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/17 "2001-02-02T13:40:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > > **… their Swedish musical “Kriten fran Dumagda”…** > > And you make fun of non-English speakers trying to express themselves in English!!! > > \*\* When have I done that? I think you have me confused with someone else. Actually, yesterday was a bad day and a very bad typing day. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/18 "2001-02-02T15:55:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > > > … their Swedish musical “Kriten fran Dumagda”… > > > > And you make fun of non-English speakers trying to express themselves in English!!! > > When have I done that? I think you have me confused with someone else. Sorry, I didn’t mean you personally of course. I was referring to all sorts of amusing lists (I like such things very much) of mistakes people have made when trying to translate menues and what-have-you into English (like **“Hot and cold water running up and down the stairs”** , alledgely sighted in a Stockholm hotel). And besides: my tounge was planted very firmly in my cheek. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/19 "2001-02-02T17:23:16Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by jayjay \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Don’t send the Vikings! \*\* Don’t worry. You could kick their ass. They have no defense. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688/20 "2001-02-02T17:43:29Z")
I don’t see why ABBA shouldn’t get a billion. I mean if they’re gonna give a Million to Juan[sup]\*[/sup] 😛 [sup]\*[/sup]Obscure 1993 movie starring Paul Rodriguez! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-billion-to-abba/52688.md?page=2)