I grew up listening to ABBA thank you to my father. When the movie Mama Mia came out and my sisters and I rented it from Blockbuster, he sat and watched it with us and then asked if we could start it over again from the beginning. So when I was sent a copy of The Story of ABBA I was SO excited.

This book goes into great detail from the beginning of the band and all the ups and downs of their relationships and making music together. An absolute must buy for any fan of the their music.

Resident Music Nerd reporting for duty!

This is less "the story of ABBA" and more the story of ABBA's immense impact, not just in Sweden but around the world. This book handily demonstrates how ubiquitous and important ABBA's success was and the waves they made that are still being felt today. I went into this reading expecting an overview of ABBA's career -- that arguably changed the course of pop music as the world knew it in the 1970's -- but instead was gifted this reminder of far their reach really was, long beyond their too-short recording career (brief "reunion" notwithstanding). I also learned quite a bit about Sweden and its culture, and as an American, that was also fascinating.

My only real complaint would be the writer often jumped around within each chapter, requiring a bit more focus to keep to the topic at hand. Overall, this was a fun read and inspired me to re-listen to ABBA's entire recording catalogue. If you're curious, 'Voulez-Vous' is my favorite ABBA album and I'll hear no pushback! Recorded long before I was born and still holds up in 2025 if you ask me.

My many thanks to St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

A gripping story of the history of ABBA. From the early days and Eurovision to the very end, you feel immersed in the story of their history and the love the band shared for music and each other.

If you want a definitive history of ABBA, this is it. The author goes in depth on their beginnings and the political and historical climate in Sweden when ABBA started. I would have loved to have more background history on Frida and Agnetha; it seems he dived deep in Benny and Björg's origin stories but the ladies seemed like an afterthought and we learn more from them on the 2nd half of the book.

"You can dance, you can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene
Diggin' the dancing queen" - Dancing Queen by ABBA

Calling all dancing queens!!!! The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover tells the story of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad who made up Sweeden's best-selling band of all time!!! Who hasn't found themselves singing along or dancing to one or more of their songs? In 2013, journalist Jan Gradvall was given access to the band members. This book is full of facts about them, where they recorded, the significance of places and relationships for them. Speaking of relationships, I had no idea that there were two marriage couples in this group who did get divorced, but sill made magical music together. This book also provides some facts on Sweden and other musical groups who recorded at studios where ABBA recorded.

"There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando" - Fernando by ABBA

ABBA's popularity ebbs and flows around the world and most have seen Mamma Mia the play and movie by the same name. I know I have! This book gives quite a bit of information, some that I enjoyed and some that I wasn't sure was necessary. The most intriguing part for me was that the two couples and how they worked and sang together through marriage and divorce. I was hoping for more juicy bits here as I can only imagine how difficult that must have been. But one thing that was brilliant was learning the history behind the songs and the inspiration behind them.

"I don't wanna talk
About the things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play" - The Winner Takes It All - ABBA

Overall, an enjoyable book about ABBA and its members. I must admit this book had me thinking of their songs in a new way and wanting to hear them again. ABBA did have a big impact on music worldwide and through the disco era. They had presence and presentation on their side! I enjoyed learning some new information about them. I do wish that some information was given in a more cohesive manner but overall, this was an informative read. I believe ABBA fans will enjoy this book.

"Mamma mia, here I go again
My, my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My, my, just how much I've missed you?" - Mamma Mia - ABBA

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for allowing me this arc.

As an Abba fan I had to read this and I did it in one day. LOVED IT!! My only issue was I thought it would be more focused on the band. I didn't need to read about Swedish culture/movements and the bios of the engineer and band player. All in all a good well researched book.

ABBA. Four incredibly and individually talented people combined their talents to form the first true worldwide Super Group. As a longtime fan of ABBA, I thought I knew a lot about the band. This extremely detailed look at ABBA, one that could rival any college class, presents much more.

As I was reading, I repeatedly found myself amazed at the connections between the band members and each other, and with others involved in the music and entertainment industries, fashion, politics, German history, and so much more.

The way the book was written, in a somewhat scattered manner appealed to me. It felt like sitting down and chatting with friends, one subject or topic at a time leading to another and maybe wrapping back around again.

This deep dive into the magic of ABBA is one that should delight most ABBA fans. It is well worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

5/5 stars.

I grew up on the music of ABBA. My parents have been huge fans since the moment they first heard ‘Waterloo’ on the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, so in between listening to my Winnie the Pooh and The Wombles records as a kid, I’d often put on an ABBA album to get my parents singing and dancing. This band never seemed “uncool” to me simply because they were from my parents’ generation. On the contrary, I was proud of my parents for having good taste. Every single ABBA song was really good and drew out an emotional response from me. And because they’d always get my parents singing and dancing, I’ve always associated ABBA with joy and family togetherness.

And yet, I knew very little about the band members themselves. So when I saw this book available for anyone to read on NetGalley, I snapped it up.

If you would only pick this up to get the deets on celebrity scandals, don’t bother. ABBA was pretty wholesome, at least by the standards of the music industry. Sure, the two couples that made up the group ended up divorced, but they kept it civil and private, and Gradvall respects that. There were no drugs or wild parties on their tours to talk about either. Nobody got arrested. Nobody hated anybody else. The two guys (Benny and Björn) were best friends who loved to write songs together, and their wives (Anni-Frid and Agnetha) supported and complemented each other both on and off the stage. They really were just 4 incredibly talented musicians who got together for a while to make groundbreaking music. This book doesn’t offer up any drama.

What this book offers is context. Gradvall provides a brief biography of each ABBA member in turn, and their lives really are quite interesting to read about, but the main focus of this book is on the world around them. In any other place and time, would a group like ABBA have been taken seriously? Would they have had the opportunity to make such a lasting impact on the music industry? Would they have changed as many lives and meant as much to as many people? Once you take a closer look at what was happening in the world in the 1970s and 80s, and the social movements that kept ABBA’s music alive throughout the 90s and into the 2000s, you might begin to wonder. It’s clear that ABBA came along at the exact moment that the world needed them.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I kept giving my parents a summary of everything I’d learned about ABBA each day, and I’ll probably buy them a copy once it’s on sale. I’m so happy that this didn’t turn out to be about scandals and fast living. I wouldn’t have enjoyed that at all. Instead, Gradvall somehow captured the comforting, feel-good magic of ABBA within these pages, and I’ve walked away an even bigger fan of them and their music.

I've always liked ABBA unconsciously without ever knowing who they were as a group. Embarrassingly, my true fondness for the group came after seeing Mamma Mia 2 in the theaters. It was a life-changing experience. ABBA now lies in my top ten favorite bands. I love learning more about this talented group. Only in the past few years did I discover that the acronym is based on their names and they used to be married to each other. The Story of ABBA did exactly what the title promised, even to excess. I did enjoy reading about these Swedish superstars, but it was told in a very dry manner. It was incredibly serious and felt like an academic dissertation on pop music. I understand this was heavily researched, but it felt inaccessible as a reader. I can appreciate Gradvall's dedication to this foursome and say Thank You for the Music, but I would have preferred a much lighter vibe. I Do, I Do, I Do. I really do.

This was a quick read but way longer than it needed to be. It was a book about ABBA, but there wasn’t much ABBA in it.

It isn’t chronological or anything. It’s really not a well written or good book.

I don’t recommend this one.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars

I'm not a huge ABBA fan, but do love one song of theirs- "Dancing Queen". Another lesser favorite is "Fernando". I was intrigued enough to find out the nuts and bolts of their existence, especially with the tantalizing fact that it was comprised of two couples who later divorced. It kind of reminded me of the Fleetwood Mac saga, and as a high schooler I lived through the rise and fame of both these groups.

The book began in such an alluring fashion as if you were there in the recording studio, as they recorded their final song in 1982 entitled "The Day Before You Came". I was instantly riveted and paused to cue up the song on YouTube, described as being "chilling and portentous"- a melancholy synthesizer ballad sung by Bjorn's ex-wife Agnetha, with Benny's ex-wife Frida contributing wordless backing vocals. Unfortunately, the rest of the book wasn't quite as engaging. It reminded me of Craig Brown's books such as "One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time" and "Q: A Voyage Around the Queen". In fact, the author cited this author and his books during this one. All of a sudden I'd be reading about some unknown person and wondering what this had to do with ABBA...but then it would turn out to have something to do with ABBA. In one instance there was a brain surgeon who always listened to ABBA while he operated.

I had hoped for more of an intimate account of these couples, seeing as how the author had opportunities over the years to interview them, but save the first chapter that had lured me in on a deep emotional level, the rest of the book was a little more cluttered and clinical for me with other facts and tangents. However, I was touched towards the end by Frida's full speech when ABBA was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am only a casual fan of ABBA. Grew up listening to the group in the 1980s, when telling other people you listened to ABBA would get you beaten up. I did see and interview with the members not too long ago on CBS Sunday Morning, so I knew the basics of the group. I hoped this book would reveal more.

While this was an interesting listen, revealing layers to the group members who traditionally have been very private, I feel a better subtitle would have been “And the Times They Lived In.” There’s an incredible amount of cultural and societal analyzing of life in Sweden. There’s also the fact that ABBA influenced and continues to influence other singers, songwriters, and bands.

This book is very non-linear and hard to follow at times, jumping around from one thing to another. It’s also written in a way that assumes you already know a lot about the group already..

Narrated by Ian Hallard, he’s a bit underwhelming to listen to. Sort of dry, and his attempts at accents fail. Not sure I’d listen to something else he narrated. I’d say this book is for fans only, even though I appreciated the very private members granting the author interviews. Glad I got to listen/read this book, but I can’t imagine revisiting it ever again.

I had high expectations of this book. Unfortunately it did not live up to those expectations. It had its good bit, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.

Yeah I immediately lost interest when I read the words "divorcecore" and "the four Abbas" on page one. ONE. and it got even worse when I found out the author is a middle aged man. Like, mid 50s at best. Who uses the word divorcecore?? That's not even a word!!

What a great in depth narrative. I loved all the history that was included. Who knew Sid Vicious was an ABBA fan?

Written by Swedish award-winning music journalist Jan Gradvall who was instrumental in the founding of the Swedish Music Hall of Fame.

I learned a lot through the book's series of essays which explore personal stories about the members of ABBA as well as where and how their music developed, what it was influenced by and how it influenced, and continues to influence, culture.

St. Martin's Press
June 17, 2025

Biography
Music
Pop-culture

You can tell this author cares a lot about ABBA but this was a tough read to get through (I say as a well versed ABBA fan). Each chapter was disjointed and although this was a biography it had no clear motive or arc, instead acting as a collection of random facts. It felt like only 40% of this book was actually about the band, and more anecdotes about the pop scene, Swedish media / political background and random stories about fans who just happen to like ABBA.

I loveABBA and was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it was boring, and I just could not finish it.

6/10

Like almost everybody who grew up in the 80s, I was an ABBA fan. I don’t know much about them so was pretty excited to read this book.

I definitely learned a lot about the band and the four people in it. I have so much more respect for them than I did before. I actually didn’t realize how influential they were with their music. I mean, I knew they were popular, but I thought the BeeGees far surpassed them in terms of influence. This book changed my mind.

It’s too bad the book wasn’t better written. At least it isn’t written well for an American audience, maybe it’s better for a Swedish reader.

The book goes down these tangents that seem to have little to do with the band members or the band. There’s a whole long chapter about the woman who wrote the Mamma Mia! play, including her background, family life and all sorts of things that have no real relevance to the story.

Also, the book isn’t necessarily written in a linear fashion. In general it goes from the beginning to end of their career, but there are a whole bunch of time shifts that happen in the process.

Here’s the bottom line, if you want to learn more about ABBA or you’re a big fan, you’ll get enough interesting stuff in this book to keep you going. If you’re just looking for an interesting band biography, maybe start somewhere else.

#netgalley #thestoryofabba

I LOVE ABBA. I've listened to their records countless times and always feel so uplifted by the music. And I know I always will. So, when I saw this on NetGalley with the apt subtitle of 'Melancholy Undercover," I knew immediately I wanted to check out this book.

I loved learning more about about each individual members' backstories before they met and the historical and cultural context around their upbringings and the formation of their musicality and them as a group.

But unfortunately, I did DNF this. I found the writing style uninteresting and repetitive despite the interesting information. This might be something I could return to and read slowly overtime out of simple interest in the subject matter, but it's not a book I can read in a few weeks or even a few months. So I'm putting it down for now.

That being said, I would definitely still recommend this to ABBA fans and history fans for the learning you'll get out of it.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for access to this book! Even though I did have to turn away, I appreciated what I learned during the time I did spend with it.