Listen to ABBA’s Benny reworking ‘Thank You For The Music’ as a stunning solo piano piece
Apart from last year’s all-too-brief (and seemingly unfilmed) one-song reunion, hopes for a proper ABBA comeback seem a long way from being fulfilled.
But worry not.
One quarter of ABBA, Benny Andersson, has revisited his entire career for a solo piano album, which is being released on prestigious classical label Deutsche Grammophon.
As well as taking in some of his post-ABBA career, the album also features a number of massive ABBA hits, performed by Benny alone at the piano.
That includes ‘I Let The Music Speak’, ‘You and I’, ‘The Day Before You Came’, ‘Someone Else’s Story’, ‘I Wonder (Departure)’, ‘My Love, My Life’, ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Thank You For The Music’.
Benny Andersson said: “In the process of recording this album, I have come to realise that the pieces I have chosen to play are an integral part of me.
“In endeavouring to reach for some core within them, I have found that the more I strip away the clothing, the closer I feel to the music, regardless of whether it was created last year or 40 years ago.
“In a strange way, I feel like I am playing my memoirs.”
He added: “It was very different to how I’ve made records in the past, and that was part of the joyfulness of it all.
“Even without the bass, drums, guitars, strings and vocals on these songs, I think there is still substance in all of them. That was very pleasing to realise.”
The album is released in full on September 29, but you can either download hear ‘Thank You For The Music’ in full on various streaming services right now.
The full tracklisting for Benny Andersson’s Piano is as follows:
1. I Let The Music Speak
2. You And I
3. Aldrig
4. Thank You For The Music
5. Stockholm By Night
6. Chess
7. The Day Before You Came
8. Someone Else’s Story
9. Midnattsdans
10. Målarskolan
11. I Wonder (Departure)
12. Embassy Lament
13. Anthem
14. My Love, My Life
15. Mountain Duet
16. Flickornas Rum
17. Efter Regnet
18. Tröstevisa
19. En Skrift I Snöen
20. Happy New Year
21. I Gott Bevar
Frank Briegmann, President & CEO, Universal Music Group Central Europe and Deutsche Grammophon said: “Benny‘s songs have revolutionised pop music. He is an innovator and one of the greatest and most creative minds of his field.
“With this album, he presents as clear and unobstructed a view of his musical universe as never seen before in his long career.
“Apart from that, Benny also reveals himself to be an amazing pianist and these new interpretations offer a whole new perspective on his work.”
Watch a teaser clip of Benny Andersson’s reworking of ‘Thank You For The Music’ below.
Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad formed as ABBA in 1972 and split up a decade later.
There have been rare and often incomplete reunions since then, though it was recently announced the band will collaborate on an “entertainment experience” spearheaded by Simon Fuller.
