ABBA – "Fernando"

This gives me the opportunity to unburden myself with regard to my particular Abba-related prejudice, namely the fact that I have never really liked the campfire singing for a Greater Good Abba. Although clearly different to anything they’d previously tried as Abba, the mood and approach hark back to their days in the Hep Stars and similar when they were all trying to be the Swedish Seekers; indeed I have no problem visualising Judith Durham dutifully singing this song, or Julie Andrews for that matter, and maybe that’s the nub of the problem (see also “Chiquitita” and extremely suspect things like “Soldiers” although I still have a moderately soft spot for the Nana Mouskouri-for-Unicef-complete-with-children’s-choir “I Have A Dream” because of its underlying and very subtle paranoia). In the end this touches and moves me about as much or as little as “Save Your Kisses” I’m afraid.

As far as pan pipes are concerned I much preferred “Doina De Jale” by Gheorghe Zamfir which made the top ten later on in ’76 after being used as the theme for the BBC religious programme Light Of Experience. Despite the subsequent decades of easy listening debasement of the instrument, The Fast Show etc., it still sounds like nothing else on earth.

One of the things about “Fernando” which has stuck with me is the ominous, low harmony under the line “though we never thought that we could lose.” I suspect that possibly only Abba could have got away with singing a campfire anthem on behalf of the vanquished.

“Doina De Jale” [“Song of Sadness”] reached number 4 and was a fantastic record, one that I used to totally chill out to. The B-side of the single was called “Briul Oltenesc” and was a lightning-fast dance tune (i.e. folk dance, not… well, you know). It was a good year for Europop, as two forthcoming Number 1s will illustrate, and this was the representative from Romania.

“Sounds” had a feature on him under the headline “Este homul acesta vittorio rock’n’roll-ului?” (of course, “Is this man the future of rock’n’roll?”)

Never cared for this one, which just edges behind “Chiquitita” and “I Have A Dream” as my least favourite Abba single.

This was another rare 7″ purchase for my dear departed Dad, nestling between Andy Fairweather-Low’s “Wide Eyed And Legless” and Dr. Hook’s “If Not You” in his collection. My future step-family were all keen on it (the four of them entering our lives and our home at around this time), and so I heard it far more often than I would have wished. (Hmm, hence perhaps it is more Tainted By Association than I had realised…)

Very occasionally, self-invented songs appear to me in dreams, fully formed. Four or five years ago, I woke up with a strong memory of hearing – oh joy! – Abba’s reunion single. The accompanying video showed all four of them in thick fur coats, sitting in a wooden rowing boat in the middle of a misty lake, surrounded by forests. The song was called “Now My Race Is Run” (I could sing its chorus to you now), but to my immense dismay it was one of their cod-Hispanic camp-fire singalong numbers (like DJ Punctum in #1 above, this is also my least favourite Abba genre), pitched somewhere between “Fernando” and “Chiquitita”. What a waste of a Vision!

Mike: #13 and dreamed up songs. I get these too. It’s always bands reforming as well. A few weeks ago I had a reformed Field Mice song, a month before that it was ELO.

Not my favourite Abba song, this. Like others, I can’t stand the campfire singalong side of the band. How they managed to record this at the same time as the wonderful “Arrival” album is beyond me.

Out of curiosity, I wonder why so many have such a downer on I Have A Dream? I’d rate it as one of my favourite Abba singles.

Unless they involve sex

How to annoy your colleagues through deep understanding of song # 1:

In 1998, a year or so after I’d graduated, I started my grand career as a library assistant for the council. Soon, I was working all week in a small district library with just one colleague most of the time, my manager Sylvia, who was about 50, divorced, voluable and opinionated, easily riled and East End. We made for a kind of chalk and cheese pairing. She listened to Capital Gold a lot. Generally, I was quite taciturn in her company, because I knew that I’d have to explain whatever I said, as it would generally be misunderstood.

One day, Fernando is playing.

Sylvia: This always makes me think of my dad, ’cause he was in the Spanish Civil War.

Billy: I think that its about the Mexican War of Independence though, beacause they’re singing about crossing the Rio Grande.

Sylvia was cross, and I reflected that my pop knoweledge was not always welcome.

How to annoy your colleagues through deep understanding of song # 2.

The incident that most stays in my memory, though, is when ‘Wonderful Tonight’ was on.

Billy: Oh, this is the most insufferably *sexist* song ever written! The woman in this song really does just exist as an object to be displayed and for other men to envy the singer’s possession of!

Sylvia: (furious at her happy memories of the seventies – and of probably boyfriends like Eric Clapton – being traduced) WELL, THAT’S ‘OW IT WAS IN THOSE DAYS! YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND!

Pretty average schlock from the Swedes which, as Tom points out exposes their folky roots. I don’t actually mind the verses but the sing-a-long chorus kills it for me. As is often the case with Abba songs their catchiness, for me, is often a source of irritation. Never mind cos’ I was too busy catching the Thin White Duke at Wembley – now that was something else.

Re: #29. I, like the immortal Sylvia, always thought this was about the Spanish Civil War.

Re: #9. “I suspect that possibly only Abba could have got away with singing a campfire anthem on behalf of the vanquished.” That’s an interesting observation. It gives the song an emotional depth a casual listener – like, say, someone who thought this was about the Spanish Civil War – might easily overlook.

Billy (#29), the problem with being a pedant is there is always someone waiting to trip you up in turn. If the song were about the Mexican War of Independence, then the lyrics would contain a bit of a howler as the Rio Grande* was hundreds of miles inside Mexican territory in the early 19th century. As Wikipedia reasonably suggests, the Mexican Revolution would make more sense, but apparently according to Abba it’s a non-specific all-purpose war happening in a Spanish-speaking country (lots of options there…)
*Or, in fact, el Rio Bravo to your actual Mexicans.

I wondered when you were going to bring that up, Marcello! I don’t much care for the expressed views of Richard Wagner either but that doesn’t diminish my delight in Tristan und Isolde. Though Parsifal was a bit of a comedown.

I thought Fernando was about the Spanish Civil War too. But then I never paid too much attention to Abba lyrics, because Abba songs were never really about profound messages. I wonder if it really matters?

The odd thing is that I have very little problem listening to and enjoying Clapton’s work prior to this time but I find his subsequent work virtually unlistenable so obviously there were other issues at work here, not least with him and the booze.

GLASGOW!!

I think you may be on to something there, Marcello! Cheerfully chaotic indeed. Ah, the Scotia Bar!

How about Harare, Rosie?

I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought it was about the Spanish Civil War. It always seemed an oddity to me anyway, why were a bunch of Swede popsters singing about Spanish wars in the middle of all their Dancing Queens and Money Money Moneys?

Boston is nice (where I am), the closest you’ll get to Europe in the USA.

The drivers are terrible here. Though the Sox have won the World Series twice in past few years so things have changed in that respect.