ABBA In Helvmark: 1983 and beyond...

ABBA have disbanded by the time Polydor Helvmark release Under Attack b/w You Owe Me One in January. It manages to reach #7 on HelvTop and #4 on the HitList.


In December 1983 Polydor Helvmark releases a compilation called A Is For ABBA with a lead up double-A single of Thank You For The Music / Happy New Year. The single reaches #13 on the HelvTop with Happy New Year hitting #2 and Thank You For The Music hitting #6 on the HitList. The album reaches #10 during just before Christmas 1983.


In December 1984 Polydor Helvmark release their last full price ABBA compilation – With Love From Abba which also has a solo track from Agentha Fältskog and Frida. It reaches a peak of #18 in January 1985. (Note - if you look very closely at the cover you will see that Agnethe was misspelt - perhaps a sign that Polydor thought ABBA's days were over and in fact this was the last ABBA release by Polydor Helvmark).


ABBA Live is released by Helvmark Records (a budget imprint of Polydor Helvmark) in 1986 but does not chart. In 1988, the compilation Absolute Abba is released which manages to get to #56 on the HelvTop LP Chart and then, of course, the revival kicks off in 1992 when Gold hits #1 and stays there on and off for over 12 weeks between September and December 1992.

The solo output from all members of ABBA do exceptionally well in Helvmark from the late 1960s onwards. But this is another story...

ABBA In Helvmark: 1982

The end is near…

ABBA fail to win any awards at the 1982 Helvmark Music Awards, despite the huge success they had in 1981. This is the first sign that the music industry in Helvmark is perhaps moving on…

Slipping Through My Fingers hits #1 on the HitList at the end of January but Polydor Helvmark releases the international release Head Over Heels b/w The Visitors in February. The single is their worst performing for some time (for a mainstream single) and only manages to hit #6 on the HelvTop though the a-side does hit #2 on the HitList (the b-side hits #4).


In March, When All Is Said And Done starts to be played on HR-3 and this results in a #1 on the HitList where it stays for 5 weeks. Obviously sensing the popularity, Polydor Helvmark release When All Is Said And Done b/w Soldiers which hits #1 on the HelvTop for 3 weeks.


In July, Polydor Helvmark use ABBA to try and push the new Cassette Single format by releasing Greatest Hits EP on cassette only. The single consisting of Super Trouper, The Winner Takes It All, Our Last Summer and One Of Us reaches #16 on the HelvTop.


ABBA return to Helvmark in November to promote the new hits package The Singles – The First Ten Years plus the new single The Day Before You Came b/w Cassandra.


They perform The Day Before You Came and Cassandra on HT-1’s Live From Studio One, The Day Before You Came on HT-1’s TopHits and have an interview with video clips on HT-2’s Erik! They also appear on Not another comedy show on HT-3 with HT-3 also showing a special documentary called Ten Years of ABBA. They also appear on independent television for the first time by being interviewed on Spotlight on T4H.

The single hits #2 on the HelvTop and #1 for 2 weeks on the HelvList with the album hitting #1 for 3 weeks.


ABBA round off 1982 in Helvmark with a satellite performance of Under Attack on HT-1’s TopHits at the beginning of December. At the 1981 TopHitAwards they win Best International Group.

ABBA In Helvmark: 1981

How many number ones can a group have?

The 1981 Helvmark Music Awards see ABBA win Best International Group – again! During early 1981 various tracks from the Super Trouper album appear on the HitList and have a stranglehold on the #1 slot with the most notable being Me And I (#1 in February), Our Last Summer (#1 for 4 weeks in March) and On and On and On (#1 for 3 weeks in April). Polydor Helvmark release a Helvmark only single Our Last Summer b/w Me And I to capitalise on their success on the HitList. The result is a #2 placing on the HelvTop in April.


July sees the release, as in other territories, of a 12” only release of Lay All Your Love On Me / On And On And On. Despite the nature of the release it still manages to hit #1 for 4 weeks with Lay All Your Love On Me hitting #1 on the HitList for 6 weeks throughout the summer.


To consolidate on the success in the charts Polydor Helvmark relase a compilation package called Superhits which hits #1 for 5 weeks in August.


All the successes listed above are even more surprising given that there is no promotion (in fact ABBA don’t visit Helvmark again until late 1982). However, their videos and other special programmes are on frequent rotation on the main HT-1 and HT-2 channels plus the new T4H Independent Television channel which launched in January 1981.

In September, HT-1 shows the Dick Cavett Meets ABBA special created by the group and recorded in Stockholm in the spring of 1981. The viewing figures are huge with 53% of the audience share.

December sees the release of the new single One Of Us b/w Should I Laugh Or Cry plus the album The Visitors. The single does very well and hits #1 on the HelvTop for 4 weeks with One Of Us hitting #1 on the HitList for 4 weeks.


The album also hits #1 and stays there for 7 weeks. The album spawns other HitList hits with Like An Angel Passing Through My Room and Soldiers both hitting #1 in December/January.


Happy New Year is playlisted again and gets to #2 on the HitList. ABBA consolidate 1981 by winning Best International Group, Best International Single (Our Last Summer) and Best Disco Single (Lay All Your Love On Me) at the HT-1 TopHits TopAwards ’81.

ABBA In Helvmark: 1980

The juggernaut carries on…

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).

ABBA In Helvmark: 1979

The Superstars of 1979…

The single Chiquitita b/w Lovelight was released in January. It hits #1 on the HelvTop and stays there for 3 weeks. The A-side hits #1 on the HitList for 6 weeks and the b-side gets to #11. Also in January, HT-1 shows the UNICEF Year of The Child gala from New York.


In April, HT-1 shows the BBC programme ABBA Snowtime Special which gets an audience share of 75%.

Promotion for the new album Voulez-Vous gets underway with the release of the single Does Your Mother Know b/w Kisses of Fire in May. The single gets to #1 on the HelvTop staying for 3 weeks and it also gets to #1 on the HitList for 1 week only – the reason being that the B-side took over the #1 slot and stayed there for 7 weeks! As the single starts to slide down the charts, Polydor takes the decision to flip the single due to the success on the HitList. Consequently, the single is now Kisses Of Fire b/w Does Your Mother Know and goes back up to #1 for a stay of 4 weeks in June.


May also sees the release of the new album Voulez-Vous which hits #1 and stays there for 19 weeks in total during 1979. ABBA announce details of the European Tour to take place in October and perform tracks from the album on HT-1’s TopHits – Voulez-Vous Special, Wonderama and HT-2’s Erik!


In June As Good As New hits #2 on the HitList (beaten by Kisses Of Fire) and the Spanish version of Chiquitita does well reaching #11. In July, Polydor Helvmark release a special limited edition blue vinyl 12” single of Chiquitia En Español b/w Lovelight. It reaches #29 on the HelvTop.


The popularity of ABBA shows no sign of slowing down when they hit #1 again on the HelvTop for 4 weeks with the double A-side Voulez-Vous/Angeleyes in August. Both sides do extraordinarily well on the HitList with Voulez-Vous hitting #2 and Angeleyes hitting #1 for a huge 8 weeks.



ABBA have yet another HitList #1 in Sepetember with If It Wasn’t For The Nights. Polydor Helvmark had plans to release a double A-side As Good As New/If It Wasn’t For The Nights but decided against it to avoid flooding the market. This turns into a good decision as in October a new track heralding the new greatest hits package was released. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) b/w The King Has Lost His Crown reaches #1 on the HelvTop for 5 weeks and #1 on the HitList for 4 weeks (the b-side reaches #2).


Also during October, ABBA’s European Tour touches down in Helvmark with 4 nights on the Helvmark Ice Stadium. They also do some limited promotional work with interviews on HT-1’s TheStarShow and HT-2’s Erik! The concert is a huge success with an audio recording being broadcast on Christmas Day on HR-3.
The new greatest hits package Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is released in November and reaches #1 where it stays for 7 weeks.

The final single from Voulez-Vous is released in December. I Have A Dream b/w Take A Chance On Me (live from Wembley) becomes the HelvTop 1979 Christmas #1 with a 2 week stay at the top spot (it also hits #1 on the HitList for 1 week).


The HT-1 TopHits TopAwards on New Year’s Eve sees ABBA reclaim their crown for Best International Group. They also win Best International Single (Kisses Of Fire), Best International Album (Voulez-Vous), Best Disco Single (Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) ) and Best Act of the 1970s.

They also win the Helvmark Telegraph’s Best Music Award for 1979 and Best Music Award of the Decade. They also triumph in other national newspaper awards after missing out to Boney M and ELO in 1978.

ABBA In Helvmark: 1978

ABBA Month turns into ABBA Year…

February is declared ‘ABBA Month’ in Helvmark with the release of a new single, new album and new film! The single Take A Chance On Me b/w I’m A Marionette and the album The Album are released on the same week both reaching #1 – the single stays at #1 for 6 weeks and the album stays at #1 for 10 weeks. On the HitList Take A Chance On Me also hits #1 for 6 weeks. The film ABBA - The Movie launches with a big premiere (attended by ABBA) and becomes the 3rd most successful film of 1978 behind Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

During ‘ABBA Month’ ABBA do a lot of promotion in Helvmark including the attendance at the premiere of ABBA – The Movie. The promotion is kicked off with the Helvmark Music Awards ’78 (broadcast on HT-1) where they win Best International Group and Best Single (Knowing Me, Knowing You) and a special award for the number of records they have sold since 1973. They also perform Take A Chance On Me and Eagle. Other appearances on radio and television include HT-1’s TopHits (performing Take A Chance On Me), The Star Show: ABBA (a special show with an interview and performances of Take A Chance On Me, Thank You For The Music and Eagle), Roxy (performing Take A Chance On Me); HT-2’s Erik! (performing Take A Chance On Me and Eagle) and Det Karens Montre which has an interview. Independent Radio network a special It’s ABBA! programme.

The HitList chart sees many tracks taken from The Album doing very well especially Thank You For Music (#1 in March), Eagle (#1 in April) and One Man One Woman (#3 in April). The double A-side Eagle/Thank You For The Music is released in April and reaches #2 on the HelvTop.


September sees the release of Summer Night City b/w Medley which again hits #1 on both charts staying there for 5 weeks on the HelvTop and 4 weeks on the HitList.


ABBA end 1978 with a brief promotional tour to Helvmark including appearances on HT-1’s TopHits Christmas ’78 (performing Summer Night City and Take A Chance On Me), The Charles Highton Christmas Show (spoof gameshow plus performances of Thank You For The Music and If It Wasn’t For The Nights) and HT-2’s Jultid med Erik.

At the HT-1 TopHits Top Awards 1978 they win Best Album for the The Album. They don’t win Best International Group as that goes to Boney M.

ABBA In Helvmark: 1977

Helvs see them in the flesh…

HT-1 shows the SVT programme Abba-Dabba-Do! in January and achieves a record 80% audience share.

Knowing Me, Knowing You b/w Happy Hawaii is released in February it hits #1 on the HelvTop for 7 weeks and #1 on the HitList for 8 weeks.


February marks a busy time for ABBA in Helvmark as the tour gets underway with shows in Helvdovi and Cúvenbor. They also make time for various TV and Radio appearances including HT-1’s TopHits (performing Knowing Me, Knowing You), The Saturday Show (performing Knowing Me, Knowing You), Wonderama (interview with children) and a special HRTV News Report. On HT-2 they appear on Erik! and on radio they appear on HR-3’s Junior Choice and ABBA Special. For the first time they appear on the newly formed independent radio network appearing on Cúvenbor’s Radio 287. The concerts have a mixed reception in the press with the Helvish language press being more favourable than their English-language counterparts.

The ABBA Phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down with Arrival tracks still charting well in the HitList. The stand-out track from the activity is Tiger which hits #1 in April. Polydor Helvmark decide to release a special double A-side Tiger/When I Kissed The Teacher which is released in May reaching #3 on the HelvTop.


In October radio and television stations start playing the new single The Name Of The Game b/w I Wonder (Departure). The single goes straight into the HelvTop at #1 where it stays for 5 weeks. On the HitList the a-side reaches #1 for 5 weeks and the b-side reaches #4. ABBA do no promotion for this record in Helvmark but the video is played extensively on all the major television shows including HT-1’s TopHits and HT-2’s Erik!


ABBA again win Best International Group at the TopHits TopAwards 1977 show on Christmas Eve.