Outside of the US we tend to worry less about having stupidly straight and white teeth.
Living in Sweden, I can tell you that a lot of people have teeth that are all over the shop.
I was totally agreeing with you until I heard that record scratching noise when you got to here. 
Man, that shop must have some rough customers. Better stop serving aquavit if so many fights keep breaking out.
Sorry, could not resist…
On the subject of Abba. . . I don’t know if this link is still active, since I can’t access youtube, but if it is, in this link, Frida nudges Agnetha, possibly for acting a little too friendly toward her (Frida’s) guy:
It’s at about 2:48. Nothing major, but I got a chuckle out of it.
Were the original ABBA songs, or at least the famous ones originally in Swedish? I have never for instance heard “Dancing Queen” in Swedish, was it ever sung that way and if not why?
ABBA did record some of their earlier songs in Swedish, including Ring, Ring; Waterloo, Honey Honey, Fernando (Frida solo) and SOS (Agnetha solo). When their second album Waterloo sold well, they decided to stick to English, as it’s the language of the world market.
They later recorded two albums in Spanish which were orginially only released in South America. Then a Japanese company released them in Japan,where they sold well, leading to them being released worldwide. Go figure.
There is a Swedish cast recording of Mamma Mia! (Movies have soundtracks. Musicals have cast recordings).
Back in the Seventies, I was too busy laughing at Abba’s songs and clothes to notice their teeth.
Of course, given that they’re worth a few billion kroner apiece, they have the last laugh.
Madonna made her debut 25 years ago anyhow. Not saying that she wouldn’t have been put through by today’s standards, but I’m thinking the climate is much more superficial than it used to be.
Madonna got famous by showing off the goods. I’m not sure that indicates there was any less superficiality 25 yars ago.
I mean, come on, 25 years ago was 1984; that wasn’t exactly a time when deep, introspective concept albums were blowing pop off the charts. Miami Vice was the hot new TV show. Superficiality was in.
How about her complete lack of talent?
You do have a point although it should be noted that Mama Cass became famous by being an intregal part of the Mamas & the Papas–a group that also had Michelle Phillips as eye candy. As for Freddie Mercury, he could get by on his icon status mainly because it’s different for males. Having small but noticeable physical flaws or even being outright homely isn’t such a big deal. In fact, being male and too physically perfect can almost work against you in rock because people will automatically tag you as a talentless pretty boy.
Madonna is the goddess of superficiality and her lasting influence on popular music can be seen in the fact that in order for most female singers to make it, you have to look good posing half-naked on the cover a lad mag (or, for that matter, Rolling Stone).
Frida has lived a life that would be turned down as “totally implausible” for a work of fiction.
Is she the one that dated her stalker for a couple of years after he started stalking her, or is that the other one?
The other one, Agnetha the blond, who is now a recluse.
Frida’s last husband was very wealthy and she inherited his estate. At one time she was the wealthiest ex-member of the group, but Mamma Mia! might have changed that. Benny & Bjorn are getting the grand rights to the show, which simply means that every time the show is performed, they get the song writing credit and cash. I hear the show pays them $200 a performance, meaning they were getting $1600 a week from every production for songs they wrote decades ago.
I once had a friend who married a short blonde with big tits who worked at Hooter’s. I met her and she was entirely forgettable. Evidenced later by a comment I made “The best thing that could happen to her would be to get an interesting scar.”
I can never remember who Carmen Electra is. I can’t picture her at all. I just know that she is hispanic and well, voluptuous. Other than that? I got nothin’.
Look at any musical artist in the 70’s. Most of them are homely at best. Certainly by today’s standards where any imperfection must be chiseled out. Same for actors too.
And as far as the “other body parts” go, rumor has it that James Taylor was famously well endowed.
Teeth? There were teeth in that video?
I was too busy being mesmerized by those thighs in the over-the-knee boots. Dayum, that lady’s got got a hell of a pair of legs.
I have to ask something–I don’t know that I’ve ever actually seen what the people in ABBA looked like until now, nor do I know anything about how people perceived them looks-wise. But the comments on those videos said that the brown-haired one was considered “the second-best looking.” What am I not seeing here? The blond one is pretty, of course, but the brown-haired one is in a whole 'nother league. At least to my eyes. Is that because I’m viewing them with 2009 standards rather than 1979 standards, or was this a polarizing question in 1979?
(And “the one with the beard” may not have been too good-looking, but I’d take him over monkey-boy any day. I’d make him cut off that mullet though. Yeesh!)
In 1977, american boys in Junior high would rather listen to Led Zeppelin, but we’d rather look at the girls in Abba. Which I did, every chance I got.
I had no idea that Frida had anything wrong with her teeth until now.
I have no idea what your not seeing,by any standards the blond blows the brown away.IMO
I’m not old enough to have seen ABBA in the 70ties, but I sure wouldn’t have noticed here teeth had I seen the video now, except for your pointing them out.
-
America’s concern with beauty and perfection and such isn’t shared by the rest of the world, yet, and certainly wasn’t as much of an issue in the '70s.
-
Blondes at the time were considered “hot” while brunettes not so much. Personally, I prefered Frida’s looks and voice.
I loved the group’s music at the time (evidenced by my collection of ABBA vinyl); today some of it sounds quite superficial (Mamma Mia! being a very good example), but they had some interesting things they sang about. Fernando, for example, is set during the Mexican Revolution. Then again, in one song, they sang about “a dice”, which drove me up a wall.
While we are at it, an excellent little parody of ABBA. 