Fans of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, collectively known as the Swedish pop group ABBA, wishing the band would reunite got their wish granted when in August, ABBA announced the forthcoming release of their ninth studio album, Voyage, along with a bonus gift in the form of the first two singles, “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down.” While it had been 40 years since The Visitors, the band’s eighth and at the time, the final album came out, many who had seen the announcement of new music from ABBA on the band’s newly opened Tik Tok account expressed their excitement.
@abba Thank you for waiting, the journey is about to begin. Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid. #ABBAVoyage #ABBA
It goes without saying many of us in the LGBTQ community were elated to hear about the return of ABBA. While the gay bars did not play the winners of the 1974 Eurovison Song Contest when they first gained popularity, ABBA’s popularity in gay bars has been attributed to Raul Rodriguez, DJ at the New York New York nightclub in the early ‘80s, and his extended mix of ABBA’s single “Lay All Your Love on Me.” For years, Rodriguez’s remix could only be heard in clubs thanks to Disconet, a gay-owned subscription remix service.
Then in 1982, an extended remix of another ABBA song, “The Visitors,” became popular in gay clubs and was only available through a different gay-owned remix service, Hot Tracks.
The love for ABBA was further cemented in the LGBTQ community through a few different sources. One was the British duo Erasure when they released their EP, ABBA-esque in 1992.
Two years later, thanks to the Australian films, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel’s Wedding and their use of ABBA songs, both became cult classics in the LGBTQ community.
In 1999, Andersson and Ulvaeus brought ABBA’s songs to the stage in the form of the musical Mamma Mia! which was adapted as a film starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and many others in 2008.
The film, Mamma Mia! would be followed by a sequel ten years later with many of the cast reprising their roles and the addition of singer/ actor Cher, who is a gay icon in her own right.
As if seeing Cher perform both “Fernando” and a verse of “Super Trouper” wasn’t already a dream come true for gay fans of both the legendary diva and ABBA, Cher released an album of ABBA covers titled Dancing Queen two months later.
Fast forward to 2021, ABBA’s return with Voyage was well worth the wait (at least, by this writer and hopefully many more ABBA fans). The band will also perform a concert via 3D avatars accompanied by a 10-piece live band in London sometime in the spring of 2022.
Let us know what you think in the comments or on our social media accounts.
Sources: ABBA Official Tik Tok Account, Los Angeles Times, ABBA Official YouTube Channel, ABBA Voyage Official Instagram Account, ABBA Voyage Official Website,
