When the Cheshire emerges...

I visited the iTunes store to try and redeem a gift card and noticed an ABBA special for their 40th anniversary.

Among the albums I was really surprised to see ABBA Gold but with the word Oro. I am way behind the eight ball - I had NO idea they recorded the album in Spanish. AMAZING.

Sampling the songs as you do, I couldn't believe how happy it made me feel when I heard the music. Fernando was beautiful - it sounded so natural. This came as a surprise to me because of my history with Spanish speakers - but ahead of my trip to South America, where I plan to have some Portuguese and a small bit of Spanish up my sleeve (it will happen, learning tools are ready to go), hearing familiar songs in a language I don't understand was both weird and wonderful.

I would actually buy this.

I guess it's proof of ABBA's massive firepower, that the group's songs bode well in more than one language. Their creativity pays off to anyone with a common understanding of love and life. On trying to find out if they all speak Spanish (I don't think so), this comment on a forum from 'Gniblett' really got what I'm trying to convey:

It is bad enough trying to remember the lyrics of a song in your native language but to do that in a foreign language, with all the feeling and so clearly that the words have deep meaning with no hint of it not being their native tongue. This has always amazed me .... as one who grappled with French at school and failed dismally. 

In fact ABBA's English lyrics are more easily understood than many today who were brought up speaking English as a first language.

Amen to that.

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On another note, I found out the Australasian version of ABBA Gold is different to the rest of the world because Ring Ring, Rock Me and I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do were bigger singles here. I've always wondered why people loved Super Trouper... guess I never knew it as a kid because it wasn't on my album. Go figure.