Welcome back for part II in this series on Agnetha Fältkskog who’s best known as one of the females in the 70s band, ABBA. Last week, I share three of Agnetha’s albums from 1983-1987. In today’s conclusion we’ll look at some personal aspects of Fältkskog’s life along with more music.
As I mentioned in part 1, Agnetha stepped away from music after the release of 1987 album, I STAND ALONE. For 17 years she made few public appearances and resigned from the music industry. During which time she concentrated on things that nurtured her needs at her country home in Ekero.
I can only speculate from reading Wiki that her mental health suffered. She had a couple of failed marriage during this period and a relationship she ended where the ex-lover stalked her but I think the hardest blow might have been her mother’s suicide followed by her dad’s death a year later. In 1996, she released her autobiography in Sweden and then a year later in English “As I Am”. Perhaps it’s in the story of her life she gives details of on all these things and what inspired her to return to music. These are things I’d like to know. Have you read her autobiography?
In 2004, she covered “If I Thought You’d Ever Change Your Mind” by Cilia Black. It peaked at #2 in Sweden and became her first highest ranking single in the UK at #11. A week later, she released her album, MY COLOURING BOOK featuring all 1960s cover songs. The album topped the chart in Sweden, hit the Top Five in Finland and Denmark, hit #6 in Germany, and #12 in the UK. Despite the popularity of her first release in more than a decade, Agnetha refused to do extensive promotion. Allow me to share with you now the playlist of My Colouring Book song tracks.
At the Nordic Music Awards in 2004, Agnetha was nominated for Best Nordic Artist and around Christmas time of the same year, she gave an interview on Swedish TV. About that time, Sony Music released a six CD compilation of music from her five solo albums (1968-1975) prior to her ABBA fame.
Over the following several years, Agnetha made appearances at various ABBA related dedications such as the Stockholm opening of the Mamma Mia! musical (2005), the Swedish premier of the Mamma Mia! film (2008), accepted the lifetime honorary award for ABBA at the Swedish Rockbjörnen Awards the following year, early in 2010 at the debut of ABBA World exhibition in London’s Earls Court which featured an filmed interview with Agnetha and later that year in October, she attended the Denmark musical opening of Mamma Mia! with her former bandmate and husband, Björn Ulvaeus.
It had been more than a decade since her re-entry to the music world when Agnetha released her second new album in May 2013 titled “A”. A few months prior to the albums release, two singles released as downloads “When You Really Loved Someone” in the UK and “The One Who Loves You Now” in Germany. Universal Records officials in the Netherlands reported in June of that year that more then 600,000 copies of the album sold in its first two months. Placing the album at Top 5 in these countries Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, New Zealand, and Australia. The album charted #6 in the UK twice, once after its release then a second time after the BBC did a TV special. The first single to release in the US was “Dance Your Pain Away” as well releaased internationally. I don’t remember the song but does make you want to dance.
In 2016 UK author, Daniel Ward, published, Agnetha Fältskog – The Girl With The Golden Hair and in 2018 took her place once again along side other ABBA members with their reunion. Last year, I shared with you on Saturday Songsuasion the release of ABBA latest album, Voyage.
How will the next chapter in Agnetha’s life unfold is yet to be seen but I hope to hear more of her angelic voice in the future.
This concludes my peek into Agnetha Faltskog’s world. I need to post pone all Saturday Songsuasion posts until May as I prepare for the April A to Z Challenge. Watch for my next segment from the post-ABBA years next time part 3 right here!
Stay tune for Monday’s Music Moves Me on Sunday with your whatever music moves you for a no-theme week. I’m saving a dance with you, so come join me on the dance floor. 
Have a songsational Saturday!
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What a wonderful post. Thanks!
Thanks for visiting, Myke! I’m glad to know you enjoyed the post.
I truly enjoyed listening to her beautiful voice which is unique because you know, right away, that she is from ABBA. These songs she has sung here and the albums she made shows how well she is on her own. She has suffered many losses but am glad she got help and seems to be getting stronger.
Birgit,
Of the two females of ABBA, I think I would make the connection that Aggi was the blonde hair vocalist but I’m not sure about the other, though. I love Aggi’s voice! It’s so beautiful. She’s dealt some difficult moments for sure but she seems to be shining through despite the rocky years.
She does have a really sweet voice.
Brian,
I think so, too. And, I love it!
It can be so difficult, i think, to do the work you love and stay anonymous and private when the work you love is in the public eye. She’s very talented and i wish her the best.
I agree, Mimi. If one is really good in the entertainment industry then these individuals are immediately stripped of privacy. Every well meaning to evil person is transfixed on them. I hate gossip. I don’t believe tabloid headlines. I don’t care who’s with who or who’s doing what. A person’s private life should be just that regardless if you have a one dollar in your pocket or a hundred million in the bank. I love to make the rediscovery of older artists still doing what they love and they haven’t lost their edge.
Aggie’s voice is still beautiful as ever!
Hi, Cathy!
I’m here for some Saturday Songsuasion, dear friend, and delighted to find another batch of songs by one of my favorite artists, Agnetha “Aggie” Faltskog, formerly of ABBA. The first set of songs is very familiar to me because I have owned Aggie’s album My Colouring Book for many years and play it often. The song “When You Walk In The Room” was written and first recorded by Jackie DeShannon. Unfortunately, Jackie’s single was released the day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Like many other great records released around that time when the nation was in mourning and record sales were poor, Jackie’s single took a hard hit and only made it to #99 on the chart. Her song was successfully covered the following year by the English band The Searchers, and Aggie’s cover is another great version. Released as a single in the summer of 2004, Aggie’s version brushed the top 10 in Sweden and made a run at the top 30 in the UK. Here is the cool mewsic video released with her single:
The song from My Colouring book that always stuck in my mind most and played on repeat is “If I Thought You’d Ever Change Your Mind.” It’s a wonderful song, the lyrics and the melody. Another standout track is “Past, Present And Future,” the drama-laden spoken word song originally (I think) waxed by the American girl group The Shangri-las and released in May, 1966. Here is the version by The Shangs:
Thanks for sharing tidbits about Aggie’s life after ABBA, including her tragic losses. I read that she needed to re-learn English to record these later career albums. The 2013 album A is new to my ears this morning and I enjoyed it. Aggie is still in fine voice. I especially like her song and video “When You Really Loved Someone.” I appreciate Aggie more when she picks up the beat, and “I Should’ve Followed You Home,” a duet with British singer/songwriter Gary Barlow, the frontman of the pop group Take That, fills the bill. It’s my favorite song on the album. The energetic “Dance Your Pain Away” is another fun song.
I thoroughly enjoyed this second batch of songs by Agnetha Faltzkog. Thank you, dear friend Cathy. I’ll be back tamale for 4M Monday on Sunday!
Tom,
I’m happy you made it back for the second part on Aggie. I really enjoyed listening to her post-ABBA years. She’s a remarkable solo artist. I liked both of these albums but I may like “My Colouring Book” the best. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed “Past, Present And Future”. I believe I like Aggie’s cover of the song better than the Shangri-Las. Her spoken voice in the song is so breathy and soft, making the song feel warm and intimate to my ears and the orchestra backing. Oh my! Keep warm on this frigid Saturday and have a relaxing weekend, my friend!