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Benny doesn't like Eurovision, but Abba website does
On Monday night, the official Swedish Delegation party at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow held a special Abba anniversary celebration that saw the head of delegation, former Swedish Eurovision Song Contest representative and competition producer of the Swedish National Selection show, Melodifestivalen back on stage. Christer Bjorkman was joined by this year's Swedish Eurovision Song Contest finalist, Malena Ernman, four time Melodifestivalen competitor and this year's Swedish co-commentator, Shirley Clamp, Iceland's 2009 Eurovision Song Contest finalist, Yohanna and many other stars. www.esctoday.com provided video footage which can be seen below.
Benny Andersson of Abba launched an attack on the music quality of the Eurovision Song Contest this week, saying that the show is a good spectacle "if you can bear sitting for such a long time". He commented to the BBC News website that: "What it is now is possibly a great television event, but for music it means nothing".
Talking about the show in bygone eras, he said ""It was a smaller scale then, than it is now. It might have been a little bit more meaningful in the '50s and '60s and when we entered but after that, I'm not sure if anything ever happened".
The brand new official Abba site, www.abbasite.com, is packed with exclusive, never seen before ABBA pictures and videos. During the anniversary week (11th - 18th of May) everything in the web shop - cds, dvds, merchandise and more - will be available at a 35% discount. The anniversary will also include the launch of a new line of merchandise a that is made available on the site on a first come, first served basis.
Fans can The vote for their favourite Abba song under a poll sanctioned by the official international ABBA Fan Club and hosted by Universal Music – is open until the 18th of May.
esctoday.com videos from the Abba Anniversary Swedish Delegation Party in Moscow:
Related polls
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Melodi Grand Prix
- Azerbaijan: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Milli Seçim Turu
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the final of A Dal
- Iceland: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Songvakeppni Sjonvarpsins
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the second semifinal of A Dal
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the third semifinal of Melodi Grand Prix
- Sweden: Vote for your favourite act in the first semifinal of Melodifestivalen
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the semifinal of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Bulgaria: Vote for your favourite act in the Bulgarian national final 2012
- Latvia: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Eirodziesma 2012
- Belarus: Vote for your favourite act in the final of EuroFest 2012
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Well, it's only true. If ESC exist or not - it doesn't make much difference for music in itself. It just provides another arena for artists to "promote themselves" in front of millions of viewers in several countries all at once. It's a great opportunity, but it's not like music won't exist or be as great without it. It's more for entertainment value than quality music I suppose, but I'd still like to see a lot more diversity in ESC. I would love to see all sorts of music, any genre and not just pop. That it's a competition makes it fun to watch, but competition brings out the worst in people.
Ha! So for Benny music means nothing in Eurovision but business through his website is OK!
It's not the Eurovision's fault. It's the whole music industry which changed in the same direction. Still though I think the Eurovision is more interesting today than say the late 90s early 00s.
really? eurovision means nothing for music?
so songs like "voulez vous" "does your mother know?" and "gimme gimme gimme a man tonight" were full of quality?
LOL
ABBA You Always Great
ILove You
Thank You For The Music
Benny is right about the ESC in that way that the compositions nowadays are not the most important thing. It's VERY important to shake your ass, to show your welltrained body, to have a "shownumber", to be young a.s.o.
Let's face it, that the compositions often are quite cheap nowadays, with some good songs now and then.
The thing that in a way destroyed the compositionspirit is the computers. It's easy to write songs with a beat, but to get harmonies and a special sound haven't been heard in the ESC for ages.
However, I think it's a nice event. It's exciting, and it's an orgie in bad taste, it's kitsch, and I like it.
I hope that we will have a good winner this year, since there are a few good songs there.
Benny should write a decent song for Sweden. That would be good for a change. I am tired of dramatic, bombastic schlagers year after year.
Abba is the best Eurovision present to the world 
BTW Who is liar here? malena or benny?
cause in the video on official ABBA site Malena said that she recived a note from Benny after her performace on Melodifestivalen and he told her that she should win cause she was the best. Or Benny prefer MF over ESC just like me?
He actually said that ESC means nothing for music NOW! He also added that it ESC is bigger then ever, great TV show...
"What it is now is possibly a great television event, but for music it means nothing," he told BBC News.
"I don't watch Eurovision, it's become so huge."
Andersson added: "It was smaller scale then [in 1974] than it is now. It might have been a little bit more meaningful in the 50s and 60s and when we entered but after that, I'm not sure if anything ever happened."
and now tell isn't that true?
what he do if was not for eurovision would abba real be big now
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