Date

6-17-2026

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Master of Arts in History - Thesis (MA)

Chair

Michael Davis

Keywords

ABBA, Abba, Cold War, music history, music in the Soviet Union, music in the USSR, Cold War music, music in Poland, 1970s music, disco, Poland, Sweden, Swedish neutrality, musicals, Chess the musical

Disciplines

History

Abstract

ABBA was a 1970s Swedish pop group. Spending approximately ten years together as a group, their output included hits such as "Dancing Queen," "Waterloo," and "The Winner Takes it All," among others. During ABBA's time together, though, the Cold War was a known fact in everyday life for people worldwide. The Cold War impacted ABBA in a number of ways, thus making the group an example of the Cold War struggle over popular culture. The band was acceptable to the Soviet Union because they hailed from neutral Sweden and their music was unlike Western rock music of the 1960s and 1970s. They also visited Poland in 1976 and filmed a televised concert to promote their album, Arrival, which proved to be successful in the USSR and Poland. They also wrote two Cold War-related songs--"The Visitors" and "Soldiers"--which were both included on their 1981 album, The Visitors. The following year, however, ABBA was denounced by the Soviet Union and were banned there by 1984. There are a number of possible reasons for this denunciation. After the group broke up in 1982, the men of ABBA--Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson--composed the music for the Cold War-themed musical, Chess. The Cold War, therefore, impacted ABBA in a number of ways unique to them.

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