The start of 1980 is quiet on the ABBA front due to their various commitments, though they do win Best International Group at the 1980 Helvmark Music Awards. However, as a special release purely for Helvmark, Polydor Helvmark release the Double A-side Gracias Por La Musica / Estoy Soñando as a limited release in March to trail the forthcoming Spanish language album Gracias Por La Musica. The single only manages to chart for 1 week at #39 on the HelvTop though Gracias Por La Musica reaches #10 on the HitList with Estoy Soñando reaching #17.
The album Gracias Por La Musica is released in April and reaches a very respectable #21.
After another long pause where music pundits were expecting the ABBA phenomenon to ease away they go straight back to #1 on the HelvTop for 5 weeks (#1 on the HitList for 6 weeks) in August with the new single The Winner Takes It All b/w Elaine. The video is extensively shown on television.
In October, just prior to the release of the new album and single both called Super Trouper, ABBA make a brief promotional tour of Helvmark where they record TopHits ABBA Special for HT-1 performing Super Trouper, On And On And On, The Winner Takes It All and Happy New Year (which is broadcast on the TopHits Christmas’80 show) and do an interview on HT-2’s Erik! They also appear to do small interviews on radio stations and in newspapers. It is very much a smaller scale affair compared to their promotional trips in the 1970s.
November sees the release of the single Super Trouper b/w The Piper which again claims the HelvTop #1 where it stays for 7 weeks, earning them the HelvTop 1980 Christmas #1. On the HitList, Super Trouper goes to #1 for 5 weeks, with The Piper getting to #4.
The album Super Trouper is also released in November and it stays at #1 for 11 weeks over two periods between November 1980 and February 1981.
During November, HT-1 broadcasts the TopHits ABBA Special which gets very good ratings, plus a programme made for British Independent Television which ABBA did to promote the album. Christmas Time sees HR-3 playing Happy New Year which peaks at #1 over the New Year period on the HitList. The earlier recorded performance is shown twice on HT-1, on the TopHits Christmas ’80 programme and during the HT-1 TopHits TopAwards show where ABBA win Best International Group, Best International Single (The Winner Takes It All) and Best International Album (Super Trouper).
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