Abba singer's joke on Boston blast stuns UK

[The Straight Story]

Abba singer's joke on Boston blast stuns UK

Abba star Björn Ulvaeus made headlines in the UK on Tuesday over an offhand comment about the Boston marathon blasts on a breakfast news programme.

The gaffe came after the two hosts of the BBC One Breakfast show asked the 67-year-old singer how he kept in such good shape.

"Well, I don't know, running is good - unless you're in the Boston Marathon," the seventies superstar said.

Startled, the presenters scrambled to fill the silence.

"Which is terrible, terrible, it's so difficult for everyone to deal with," host Charlie Stayt added, before promptly changing the subject and asking about the Abba legend's new Eurovision song.

http://www.thelocal.se/47378/20130416/#.UW11YUr4KSo

[cthulu2016]

1. Not much of an outrage (I doubt the UK is stunned)

[geek tragedy]

2. Awkward, and one of those speaking without thinking moments.

He probably recognizes it.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Meh. Unfortunate thing to say, but my expectations for aging musicians who write

disco drivel are pretty low.

[graham4anything]

4. Mama Mia.

BTW, do the two women in ABBA share in the massive residuals/rights that the two males do?

[cthulu2016]

5. Share in? Of course. Equally? No, nor should they.

Since the males were the songwriters they would get performance money + songwriter money.

I believe one of the two women was married to one of the men at some point. No idea what their divorce was like. But if she gets an equal share it was for marrying, not singing.

[graham4anything]

7. both were married to each other

the two males decided never to reunite which was great by them
(Dave Clark got the better of the deal over the other 4 too, and Dave never actually did much in the DC5 did he? He was just the drummer.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. I'd be more upset except I already can't stand ABBA's "music" with the heat of a thousand suns...

It's just dreadful, dreadful auditory dreck disguised as actual music, enjoyed only by drunken wedding guests in the third hour of a reception.

[cthulu2016]

8. Among the more sophisticated pop music of the era

Listen to CHESS to disabuse yourself of the notion that those guys didn't have something going on, musically.

You might not like what they were doing with their genius in the ABBA days, but it was genius nonetheless.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. I'm sorry, but every ABBA song I've ever listened to has been horrible. Just awful.

And sure, that's based off of their most well-known radio hits, but if you can't draw me in with a hit, how can you expect me to feel any differently about a lesser known song of theirs.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. Chess is a musical, not a song and it is not ABBA but the ABBA guys composed it

It is pretty good music. The hit from it was 'One Night In Bangkok' which you may or may not remember. It has a few songs I am very fond of. It's theater music, or intended to be.
Edited to add a video, because technology is great fun...

[LanternWaste]

11. Chess is one of the most listened to compositions in my music library.

Chess is one of the most listened to compositions in my music library. Somewhat light on the story, yet allowed so many additional layers of emotional depth from the music.

A random purchase in 1986 turned out to be one of my favorite works of popular music. Go figure.

[cthulu2016]

13. The story is hopeless and dated, but the implied emotional story is great

I wish it had been left as confusing as the original record. None of the attempts to make a story of it have helped any.

A flawed masterpiece. The MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS of musical theater.

[Trajan]

12. Not an Abba fan,

But their pop greatness is firmly established in the annals of pop music history ...

Don't prefer them, but I respect their mastery of the genre ....