> Yet no constituency hated Abba more than their own countryfolk, whose cultural elites were repelled by their success – anathema to the Swedish model, which pr

> Yet no constituency hated Abba more than their own countryfolk, whose cultural elites were repelled by their success – anathema to the Swedish model, which prized fairness and hated commercialism. Abba were the thin end of the wedge: empty-headed stooges for capitalism, imperialist collaborators writing ditties in dumbed-down English. Naturally, they got their big break by winning a competition. I wasn’t born in 1974, the year Abba won Eurovision, but I can instantly call to mind the royal blue sequins, the tightly tucked velvet, an orchestral conductor in a Napoleon hat. Britain’s judges awarded nul points on the night, but the country took Abba to heart at once. ‘Waterloo’, a shrink-wrapped glam-pop symphony made for colour TV, shot to number one. I'm watching Rock'N'Roll Jeopardy some 20 years ago with my sister. "When we come back from these commercial breaks, we have Final Jeopardy, with a question about international rock stars." I say: "Who is ABBA?" They come back some minutes later, and the announcer starts in with "In 1974, they won Eurovision..." I'm cheering; my sister rolls her eyes. I have been doing victory laps since.