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I gather from the "Songs" section of your website that Benny and Björn wrote the song 'Please Change Your Mind' already in 1969/70. I only knew that the song was released in 1976 by Nashville Train on their album ABBA In Our Way, added to 11 covered ABBA songs. What happened to the song during those 6 years - did Benny and Björn compose it primarily for themselves or any other singer/group but it was never performed? And: The instrumental version of that song, also written by Benny and Björn, is only 1.30 min. Do you know wether there exists a full version of this instrumental song and could/can be heard somewhere? I know that the short opener never has been released and can only be heard in ABBA The Movie. 

Thanks a lot and best regards
Christiane, Germany

In the early 70s Benny and Björn were writing songs for a variety of reasons: to perform themselves as a duo, for other Polar Music artists, or for possible recording by other singers. It's likely the memory of this tune stuck in their heads, or perhaps they had committed the tune to cassette tape for future reference. There are many examples of older working tunes eventually finding release; for example, part of the song 'Crush On You' by Benny Anderssons Orkester, released on the album BAO3 in 2007, date back to the Voulez-Vous sessions of 1978/79. The instrumental version of 'Please Change Your Mind' was recorded specifically for the opening scene of ABBA - The Movie, so it's likely the 1.30 version is all there is.

How many copies of the Voyage Australian Edition would have been needed to get back into the top ten?

Craig, Australia 

Universal Music Australia informs that 1,500 copies were pressed. The pre-orders despatched in the first week of September were enough to get Voyage to number one on the ARIA Vinyl Albums chart and 10 on the Albums chart on 12 September. All pre-orders have been satisfied, and the few remaining copies are available right now until stock is exhausted. 

I heard on American radio that ABBA Voyage will be coming to America next year, at Madison Square Garden Dome in Las Vegas. Can anyone confirm this?

Jim, USA

There has been no announcement or confirmation about the future of ABBA Voyage beyond 28 May 2023 (the date tickets are on sale to in London). In November last year it was reported that three hotel/entertainment chains – MGM Resorts, Caesar’s Palace, and Resorts World – were “locked in a bidding war” to take the show to Las Vegas. It’s also been reported but not confirmed that Voyage has been “extended” in London until spring 2026, though that statement is not entirely accurate – the arena has permission on the site for four years and no doubt is intended to be there for the whole time. However, there’s no reason why the show couldn’t be in two or more locations at once.

Thanks for answering my question about the coda of 'Just A Notion' in the "Ask" section of your website. Could you please add an explanation how they managed to make Agnetha’s and Frida’s voices (meanwhile deeper) in the two new coda-lines sound like in 1978?

Best regards
Christiane, Germany

Though the top of the range of the two women's voices has dropped with age, they still sound remarkebly similar to 40 years ago, particularly when they sing together with multiple overdubbed harmonies. It's only in solo sections when their voices can sound comparatively aged. In that part of 'Just A Notion', they go into falsetto, which always sounds younger. Also there are all sorts of applications and filters in the recording studio that can sweeten the voices, such as Autotune. I don't know whether Benny employed any of those tools.

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