This Saturday we celebrate 50 years since ABBA’s iconic performance of ‘Waterloo’ which won them the contest and propelled them to become one of the best selling artists in history.
April the 6th 1974, Brighton had one of its most special evening’s hosting Eurovision, drawing hundreds of people to the city. The event took place at The Dome, a venue still used and appreciated today right on the seafront.
Photo:Taken from @brightondome on X
Due to rehearsals, the band came to Brighton 4 days prior, staying in The Grand Hotel. They spent time visiting local Brighton hotspots – the pier, the pavilion- and met lots of attendees on their way around.
Back in 2017, a plaque was added to The Dome in commemoration of the victory, in which Benny said,” These were days that I will never forget, and the Dome was a perfect venue for it.”
The Swiss group took to the stage with their single ‘Waterloo’ – a fun, upbeat track that would soon propel the group into undeniable success.
Interestingly, when they wrote the song, they began having second thoughts about if it really made sense for Eurovision. “The band became a little concerned that it was perhaps a little too risky for the Eurovision Song Contest, what with its comparatively raucous tempo, its schlager sounds, and its influences that had been taken from the glam rock of the early ’70s.”
“The history book on the shelf tells us that this perceived risk ended up driving the foursome in the end, and so Waterloo was submitted by an excited ABBA to Sweden’s national final for the 1974 Contest.”
Once they had won, the single took over the charts throughout Europe, along with many of the songs made after.
However there are also other reasons for it being remembered as such a great show. The Uk was represented by Olivia-Newton-John who came joint fourth with 2 other countries with her song ‘Long Live Love’. It was also the first Eurovision in which Greece took part – a big moment for the country and its music scene.
To celebrate this anniversary the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition called ‘ABBA: One week in Brighton’ which hosts all of the great tunes you’d expect, along with behind the scenes photos and stories from the event. To find out more: https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/event/abba-one-week-in-brighton/
Written by Eve Whitcombe