ABBA: 50 years since Eurovision Song Contest win with 'Waterloo'
50 years on from ABBA's 1974 Eurovision win with Waterloo, ITV News Reporter Aisha Zahid looks back at the defining moment in pop history
Today marks the 50th anniversary of ABBA's famous win at the Eurovision Song Contest, which elevated the Swedish pop group to international fame.
Abba won the European music competition with their smash hit Waterloo on April 6 1974 at Brighton Dome’s Concert Hall.Special plans are being made to mark the milestone in the seaside city and at this year's contest in Sweden.
Five Eurovision winners are set to perform Waterloo at the Brighton Dome later today, backed by the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus.
ABBA are not expected to perform in person at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest on 11 May in Malmö, Sweden, but organisers are thought to be planning other ways to celebrate the historic anniversary.
After missing out on a ticket to the Eurovision Song Contest 1973 in Luxembourg, ABBA decided to sit down and write a song specifically for the following year's contest.
The group initially had working song title of Honey Pie before the more battle-worthy Waterloo was bestowed upon them.
ABBA had second thoughts about the song after it was finished, concerned that its comparatively raucous tempo, its schlager sounds and 70s glam rock influences would be too risky for Eurovision.
They were even recording another song, Hasta Mañana, as a backup, as they felt it was more in line with the slower songs that had done well at the contest in the past.
However, as history shows, ABBA's risk paid off, scoring 302 points to runner-up Lasse Berghagen’s Min Kärlekssång Till Dig and its tally of 211 points.
“Waterloo’s lyrics were oblique,” said Dr Jadey O'Regan, lecturer in Contemporary Music Practice at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
“They are referencing a historical battle as a metaphor for a relationship. I can’t think of another song that does this. And the way the lyrics were delivered were also unique.
"ABBA had a particular way of pronouncing English words that catches the ear and is a part of their identifiable sound.”
In honour of this moment in pop history, a plaque was unveiled on Thursday at the Brighton Dome.
The commemoration came as the venue's Grade I and Grade II-listed Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre reopened after a six-year refurbishment.
“Fifty years since their Eurovision win, Abba’s music continues to bring people together across the world and we’re thrilled that Brighton Dome has played a part in their story," said Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival chief executive Andrew Comben. “The city of Brighton & Hove is eclectic and inclusive in its creativity – much like Eurovision – and Brighton Dome has been at its cultural heart for more than 200 years. “It is fitting that, as we celebrate the reopening of the restored and upgraded Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre, we commemorate the moment that cemented Brighton Dome’s place in pop history and made the venue an iconic space throughout the UK and beyond.”This evening the venue will host an evening of Abba’s greatest hits on April 6 with performers including the UK’s 1997 Eurovision winner Katrina of Katrina and the Waves.
Family craft workshops will run throughout the weekend with each session ending with an Abba-themed dance-a-thon.
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