ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus has re-recorded an old song by the band and posted a video of it, which can be understood as a dig at fellow Swedish musician Thomas Ledin.
The video was shown on February 25 at a concert by Ledin at Stockholm’s Avicci Arena to mark the musician’s 70th birthday. Ledin had been a backing vocalist with ABBA in the 1970s and accompanied the band on tour before finding fame as a solo artist himself.
In the video, Ulvaeus sings “Hey Grand Ol’ Man”, an English version of ABBA’s very first hit “Hej Gamle Man”. In the video, Ulvaeus wears a country outfit while driving a truck, line dancing and struggling with his cowboy boots. Addressing Ledin, he sings: “The time has come for you to learn that girls do not see old men / And once you have become invisible you will never be seen again”.
In any case, Thomas Ledin seems to take the dig with humor, as you can also see in the video. Here you can see the whole clip:
New music from ABBA?
ABBA will launch a virtual concert experience in a purpose-built venue in London in May. However, following the release of their new album Voyage last year, band member Benny Andersson said no more music would follow.
“That’s it,” he insisted. He went on to say the decision had nothing to do with the disputes that plagued members in the 1980s. “We’ve seen each other over the years and met for this and that. We are friends.”
However, another band member later indicated that it wasn’t over yet. Anni-Frid Lyngstad said: “I’ve learned never to say never. This year we probably said this has to be the last thing we do because… [wir] think of our age, you know. We’re not young anymore, but I say you never know. So don’t be too sure.”
ABBA had reunited in 2021 for the first time since the band split to produce new music. With the album “Voyage” last year ABBA released new music for the first time in 40 years.