ABBA (stylized

) was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972, comprising Agne

tha Fltskog, Bjrn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. ABBA is an acr
onym of the first letters of the band members' first names and is sometimes styl
ized as the registered trademark
. The band became one of the most commercially succ
essful acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1
975 to 1982. They also won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 at the Dome in Brigh
ton, UK, giving Sweden its first triumph in the history of the contest and being
the most successful group ever to take part in the competition.
ABBA has sold over 380 million albums and singles worldwide,[1][2] which makes i
t one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and the second best-selling
music group of all time. ABBA was the first group to come from a non-English-sp
eaking country that enjoyed consistent success in the charts of English-speaking
countries, including the UK, Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
and South Africa. The group also enjoyed significant success in Latin American
markets, and recorded a collection of their hit songs in Spanish.
During the band's active years, Fltskog and Ulvaeus were married, as were Lyngsta
d and Andersson, although both couples later divorced. At the height of their po
pularity, both relationships were suffering strain which ultimately resulted in
the collapse of the UlvaeusFltskog marriage in 1979 and the AnderssonLyngstad marri
age in 1981. These relationship changes were reflected in the group's music, wit
h later compositions including more introspective, brooding, dark lyrics.[3]
After ABBA broke up in late 1982, Andersson and Ulvaeus achieved success writing
music for the stage while Lyngstad and Fltskog pursued solo careers with mixed s
uccess. ABBA's music declined in popularity until several films, notably Muriel'
s Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, revived interest
in the group and the spawning of several tribute bands. In 1999, ABBA's music w
as adapted into the successful musical Mamma Mia! that toured worldwide. A film
of the same name, released in 2008, became the highest-grossing film in the Unit
ed Kingdom that year. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
on 15 March 2010.[4]
ABBA were honored at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Eurovision Song Con
test in 2005, when their hit "Waterloo" was chosen as the best song in the compe
tition's history.[5]