ABBA have teased the one way they might be able to appear at Glastonbury, as well as discussing their career highlights, heroes and songs they wish they’d written.
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To celebrate the second anniversary of their ABBA Voyage show last night (May 27), Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson took part in a special Q&A with writer Peter Paphides in front of an arena full of ticket-holders and celebrity fans.
At one point, Paphides shared a story told to him by Glasto organiser Emily Eavis.
“[She] told me that in the lead-up to last year’s festival, when things were going wrong and she wasn’t sure if it was going to be OK, she would play, [2021 single] ‘I Still Have Faith In You’, and it made it feel like it might just turn out OK.”
While the technology of the ‘ABBA-tars’ and the custom-made ABBA Arena is too complicated to take the show to a festival, Ulvaeus and Andersson were open to the idea of the Voyage live band making at appearance at Worthy Farm.
“Oh yes! It’s a brilliant idea,” said Ulvaeus.” They’re a great band, why shouldn’t they play?”
When Texas‘ Sharleen Spiteri then took the mic to ask the songwriting duo if they’d ever considered getting up on stage to play with the band during a Voyage show, Andersson replied: “Definitely. Maybe if they play Glastonbury and need an extra piano player…”
Speaking to NME last year about taking the full ABBA Voyage experience to Glasto, Ulvaeus said: “I don’t think that’s possible, yet. It might be in the future. As it is, it’s too complicated because the lighting, the sound, the visuals, everything is integrated and it’s so complicated.”
Elsewhere in the Q&A, which Ulvaeus said was like “sitting in front of your really, really big family”, the bandmates discussed what other bands they’d wished they could have been part of (The Village People for Ulvaeus – perhaps jokingly – and The Beatles for Andersson) as well as their career highlights.
Andersson highlighted being inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, and “Those few moments where you know you’ve written a good tune. It doesn’t happen often, maybe 10 times. It happens very rarely.”
Ulvaeus meanwhile, said: “One huge moment was [winning] Eurovision. It has to be said. The feeling afterwards when you realise that now the whole world knows about us, and the possibilities, the potential. It was absolutely fantastic.”
Asked if they’d ever met their own songwriting heroes, Andersson told a story of an encounter with Paul McCartney at Heathrow airport when they were both en route to Barbados.
“They said they were renting a house,” he recalled. “We were staying at the Sandy Lane Hotel. He said, ‘Come up and have lunch’. We did and we had a wonderful day with Paul, Linda and the kids.”
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Ulvaeus meanwhile, spoke of meeting The Who‘s Pete Townshend: “I met him in a bar. He said, ‘I think ‘SOS’ is the best pop song ever’. He’s into the folk music scene, like I am. We have been communicating a little.”
Screen icon Joanna Lumley asked the pair what song they wish they could have written, to which Andersson said the classic ‘Silent Night’,” and Ulvaeus gave a more in-depth response.
“There are hundreds of great, great songs out there and it would be wonderful if we were the writer of those,” he said. “There’s a wonderful song called ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’ – you probably haven’t heard it. That or maybe ‘Ein Kleine Nachtmusik’.”
Andersson then joked: “Or ‘Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep’.”
When it comes to unachieved ambitions, Ulvaeus said “climb Mount Everest or something”, but that he never had a bucketlist other than being there for his friends, family and nine grandchildren.
Andersson added: “I try to write music every day. I’ve been doing so for 60 years now. I’ll just keep on doing it. If something comes up, maybe I’ll send it to Bjorn to write some music.”
ABBA Voyage continues into 2026. Visit here for tickets and more information.
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