On Mamma Mia!

The first CD I ever owned was ABBA: The Definitive Collection, a two-disc set of the 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA’s greatest hit singles. Technically, the CD actually belonged to my mom, who had bought it on sale at Target about a month after my family first moved to the U.S., but I loved and listened to it so much that, pretty quickly, it became almost exclusively mine.

I think I was first hooked when I heard the song “Thank You For The Music”. Though certainly not one of the more iconic ABBA hits, there was something about this one in particular that struck me as unique and alluring. Maybe it was how the melancholy beginning—marked by the opening lyric, “I’m nothing special/ In fact, I’m a bit of a bore”—transitioned to pure, exuberant energy by the climax: “What a joy, what a life, what a chance!” Or perhaps it was the song’s simplicity: barebones vocals, accompanied only by a piano in the background, with lyrics that are easy to understand and relate to. Well, whatever it was (to paraphrase another lyric of the song), the tune opened my ears to the wonder that was ABBA, and in no time, I was a fan.

ABBA became a staple in my house growing up. I listened to “Mamma Mia” and “Waterloo” in the car on the way to elementary school every morning. If “Dancing Queen” ever happened to come on the radio, the volume was immediately turned up and everyone else silenced. Time wasn’t measured in minutes or hours, but in units of ABBA music. I didn’t ask to stay up “just five more minutes” past my bedtime—I begged for “just two more ABBA songs!” At night and in the morning, you had to brush your teeth for the full length of “Money, Money, Money”, otherwise you weren’t doing it long enough. A family road trip to Niagara Falls wasn’t eight hours; it was three iterations of The Definitive Collection (and yes, my poor parents and brother had to endure my shrill singing-along the whole way).

You can only imagine my excitement, then, when my parents told me in fourth grade one weekend that we would be traveling to New York City to see none other than Mamma Mia—the musical adaptation of ABBA’s most beloved hits. I couldn’t believe something so perfect existed, putting a story and inspiring message to a soundtrack that I had loved for years. When we finally went to see the musical, I literally sat so far at the edge of my seat the entire show that my mom later confessed she was worried I was going to fall off. I sang along to every number, mesmerized by how my favorite music had been brought to life in such a charming interpretation.

Mamma Mia the musical follows the story of Sophie, a young woman living on a Greek island with her mom, as she prepares for her wedding. Wanting more than anything for her father to walk her down the aisle, but not actually knowing who her real father is, Sophie digs through her mom’s old diary and invites three men to her wedding whom she believes are likely candidates for her true father.

Later that same year, I was ecstatic to find out that Mamma Mia would be coming to the big screen in a movie adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried. I saw the movie the first weekend it came out and was struck by the great chemistry the cast had together. The movie brought ABBA to a whole new level, one that even the Broadway musical couldn’t match. Meryl Streep’s Donna was as wise as she was carefree and energetic; Sophie (played by Amanda Seyfried) literally had the voice of an angel when she sang.

What really sealed the deal for me, though, was Pierce Brosnan. Playing Sam, one of Sophie’s potential fathers and Donna’s old love interests, Brosnan was noticeably the worst singer in the entire movie. He went off key in multiple songs. At times, he was straight-up just yelling instead of singing. In all cases, his vocals didn’t really sound good. And, honestly, I couldn’t relate more! I loved singing as a kid and still do, but, just like Brosnan, I’ve always been terrible at it. His character reminded me—and continues to remind me each time I watch the movie—that the best part about ABBA’s music is that it’s meant to be fun and relatable: a set of tunes anyone can sing-along to, good singer or not. Brosnan and the rest of the cast reinvigorated my love for the 70s pop group that summer the movie came out.

My two favorite examples of Pierce Brosnan’s singing are “When All Is Said And Done” and “SOS“.

As much as I loved Mamma Mia growing up, though, I have to admit that there was also a time when I was embarrassed by it. Everyone goes through those awkward middle school (and, honestly, even high school) phases of trying to appear cooler than they actually are. Mine involved down-playing the role ABBA and Mamma Mia had in my life. Seven years ago, if anyone asked me what my favorite movie was, I would say The Lion King or You Don’t Mess With the Zohan—almost never Mamma Mia, my actual favorite. In sixth grade, I deleted all the ABBA songs off my iPod Nano because I was scared the kids at summer camp would make fun of my music taste when we shared headphones on the bus. I didn’t add those songs back to my iTunes until mid-high school, and even then I made separate playlists that didn’t include any ABBA songs in them, in case I ever needed to share my music with someone “cool”.

I think when you really get down to it, I was embarrassed by ABBA for two main reasons. The first is that the music was so different from anything that was usually played on the radio in middle school that I feared my friends would think it was outdated. Sure, most people’s parents liked ABBA, but how many teens my age actually did? ABBA certainly didn’t have the flashiness of Katy Perry or Lady Gaga, nor the suaveness of Usher or Jason Derulo. The group was a relic of the 70s, one that, in my mind, only older adults could openly admit to listening to. The second reason I was embarrassed to like Mamma Mia is that I feared it wasn’t masculine enough—that my friends would think I was effeminate and girly if I told them my favorite movie was a “chick flick”. I already wasn’t very athletic or macho growing up. The least I could do, I would tell myself, is have a more manly favorite movie. I recognize today just how silly these insecurities were. But as a middle schooler and high schooler, they were difficult to overcome. After all, when you like something so much—even if that something is a slightly cheesy movie based on a pop music group from the 70s—the last thing you want is for other people to look down on you for it.

Despite all the times that I pretended to be too cool, or too macho, or too whatever for Mamma Mia, the movie was always there for me. In seventh grade, when my dad died, I looked to Sophie as inspiration for getting through the tough time because she was able to find a role model in her mom for all the things she once thought only a father figure could provide. In eighth grade, I did an entire research project on ABBA for my English class, which allowed me to reflect on the significance of their music in my life. The project is actually still one of my proudest works, even now as a college student, because it was on a topic that I cared so much about. Throughout high school and college, I have continued to come back to Mamma Mia on Netflix. Whenever I’m having a bad day or need to clear my mind, the movie’s infectious energy and catchy music brightens my mood.

The sequel to Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again, came out in theaters this summer. I sadly missed opening weekend while I was away in Mexico, but made up for it by seeing the movie twice in theaters after coming back. Sequels are never perfect, but this one was really, really good. Featuring much of the same cast as the first movie (minus Meryl Streep) and a new addition (Cher!), the movie explored Donna’s life before Sophie was born, adding new layers of complexity to Meryl Streep’s loveably imperfect character. There were new ABBA songs featured, some of which I had actually never even heard before seeing the movie, as well as many of the same beloved anthems from the first movie. The movie had a lot of highlights, but perhaps my favorite scene was when the entire cast sang “Dancing Queen”. It started off with just Sophie, Sam, and her aunts, but in no time, everyone on the island—young and old, man and woman—joined in, including Sophie’s two other fathers, who entered on giant yachts, bringing with them boat-fulls of singing and dancing mainlanders coming to see the grand opening of the hotel Sophie had remodeled in her mom’s honor. More than anything, this scene highlighted how timeless and universal ABBA’s music really is.

My favorite scene in Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again!

Mamma Mia 2 came out on iTunes and Amazon HD video earlier this week and I could not be more excited. Now, all those friends I’ve been begging to watch it can no longer use being too lazy to go to the movie theater as an excuse for not seeing it with me! But even more importantly, it signifies the longevity of ABBA and the Mamma Mia franchise. The tunes may be old, but they are here to stay in our hearts, our playlists, and now our homes too, where we can watch Mamma Mia and its sequel whenever we want online.

From the moment I first listened to The Definitive Collection, to the countless times I watched and re-watched the Broadway musical, the movie, and the sequel, ABBA has always been there for me as a source of joy and inspiration, making good days even better and tough ones more bearable. And for that, I can’t help but say, thank you, ABBA, for the music.