Abba Fab

Recently I was asked where I stood on the straight/gay scale; I said, "With one being completely straight and ten being completely gay, I'm probably a three point five." There was a moment of surprised silence, and then I added, "I love Abba. What are you going to do?"

So yes, let's have a round for Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anna-Frid, second only to Volvo as Sweden's biggest export earner (yep, even more than the meatballs). There was nothing quite like those killer melodies and shrieking harmonies, and even though they weren't as revered in America as they were elsewhere, the fact remains: Abba crush.

Everyone should have a favorite Abba song, and this is mine:



Whoops - that's not them. Let's try that again:



There's something about "when the pretty birds have flown" that just can't be expressed. I also like that this falls in my vocal range, for cranking when I'm alone in the car or on a karaoke stage. And before I move on, let's just take a second to note how much Bjorn looks like Kato Kaelin.

Now have a gander at this:



It's from French and Saunders, a British export from the folks who created Absolutely Fabulous. I think the laugh track actually improves this, as they love every single affectionate bash, from "Benny's" fake smile near the beginning to "Bjorn's" nose near the end.