At this point in time, children are being born and raised having no idea who or what ABBA is. This is a travesty. If you personally aren’t familiar with the work of ABBA, first you need to reevaluate your life, and then you need to listen to ABBA Gold as a means of dipping your toes in that absolutely fabulous water. 

I know how annoying it can be to hear people claim that their taste in music is THE correct one, or that music of “this generation” is terrible. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and, while I still jam music from the 70s and 80s, I also really like that new Harry Styles song. There is no correct way to listen to music, you just have to listen to what moves you. 

That’s why I’m writing about ABBA. Because it moves me like nothing else. I’m not trying to be trendy or ironic — I truly love these songs. To me, they are timeless. 

Let’s see, we have songs about love, both mutual and unrequited. We have songs about loss, songs about money, songs about partying, and so many others. There is something for everyone to relate to, even if you can’t exactly relate to underage dancing, honey if you think it’s funny (still, that one’s an excellent one to jam to on a summer night with the windows down). 

Consider the fact that not every band gets a movie made around its greatest hits. ABBA did! And Meryl Streep was amazing in it, as usual. 

When I worked in retail, I was allowed to control the music that played in the store. My go-to routine was to open Pandora and set it to ABBA radio. I can’t even count all the times I had customers walk up to me and compliment me on the music choice. 

If you’re like me, you like to match your music with your mood. Well, even though it was the 70s and 80s, ABBA wasn’t all funky dance music. If you need to cry, there are plenty of beautiful songs to wail through. And if you’re going out on the town and you want an anthem to capture the essence all the things you probably won’t remember in the morning, they’ve got you covered.

You also can’t really argue with how cool the band members are. You might not be aware that they first formed a group in Stockholm, Sweden all those years ago. Their style and finesse were unparalleled. Their outfits alone are deserving of accolades and tributes.

If you fancy yourself a music enthusiast, there are probably more refined, proper genres to listen to. But I don’t think anyone will question an impromptu ABBA-themed listening (and grooving) party if you’re like me and you just can’t help yourself.