Below is the complete article
Benny Andersson Turned Against Modern Eurovision—But Why?
Imagine the strange feeling of watching the very stage that once changed your life become something you barely recognize anymore. For Benny Andersson, that stage is Eurovision—the contest that helped transform four ambitious Swedish musicians into one of the most famous pop groups in history.
On April 6, 1974, ABBA walked onto the Eurovision stage in Brighton, England, performing “Waterloo.” With colorful costumes, an irresistible melody, and a sound that felt different from the traditional Eurovision entries of the era, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad won the competition for Sweden. (Eurovision Song Contest)
That victory became ABBA’s international breakthrough.
“Waterloo” raced up charts across Europe and beyond, opening the door to an extraordinary career filled with songs such as “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Take a Chance on Me,” and “The Winner Takes It All.”
So it seems almost unbelievable that Benny would later become so critical of Eurovision.
Yet in 2009, Andersson made his feelings remarkably clear. Speaking ahead of that year’s contest in Moscow, he said he no longer watched Eurovision and argued that it had grown into something very different from the competition ABBA entered in 1974.
His most striking assessment was that Eurovision had become “a great television event,” while adding that “for music it means nothing.” (NME)
Those were powerful words coming from someone whose own musical history is forever connected to Eurovision.
But Benny’s criticism appears less like bitterness toward the contest and more like disappointment with its evolution.
He remembered Eurovision as a smaller event. In his view, during the 1950s, 1960s and even around the time ABBA competed, the contest carried greater musical significance. By 2009, however, Benny believed its enormous scale had shifted attention away from what mattered most to him: the songs themselves. (NME)
That distinction is important.
Benny was not claiming Eurovision was bad television. In fact, he acknowledged that it remained a good show. His problem was specifically with its musical importance.
And perhaps that tells us something about Benny Andersson as an artist.
Throughout ABBA’s career, Benny and Björn Ulvaeus became obsessive craftsmen in the studio, constantly refining melodies, arrangements, harmonies and production. Eurovision may have provided ABBA with a spectacular doorway into international fame, but the group’s longevity ultimately came from what they created after walking through that door.
Eurovision gave them a moment.
The songs gave them immortality.
There is another fascinating detail: Benny revealed that he had been approached on several occasions about becoming involved with Sweden’s Eurovision entries, but he had no interest in doing so. (Mediaset)
That makes his position difficult to dismiss as a casual complaint. He had genuinely distanced himself from the modern competition.
Yet there is a beautiful irony in the story.
No matter how much Eurovision has changed—or how critical Benny may be of what it became—his name can never truly be separated from it.
Whenever the opening piano and explosive chorus of “Waterloo” begin, audiences are transported back to that unforgettable night in Brighton.
Benny Andersson may have fallen out of love with modern Eurovision.
But Eurovision will probably never fall out of love with ABBA.
