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Considering the flak ABBA gets for its lyrics, they were often very witty. One of my all-time favorite lines is this gem: "The history book on the shelf/Keeps on repeating itself." I believe that some of their supposed clumsiness was tongue-in-cheek, like the pigeon-English of "Chiquitita you and I cry" and "I could sing before I could tawk."
They had a knack for writing about characters, often in character, such as the dominating go-getter of "Head Over Heels," the woman-with-a-past who settles for Harry ("Our Last Summer"), and the would-be gold digger in "Money Money Money." Is there any doubt that the dance-with-'em and leave-'em girl of "Dancing Queen" grew up to be the sexual adventuress of "Voulez-Vouz"?
Of course, it was ABBA's tuneful musicality which put these songs on radios and turntables. The songs were unusually structured ("The Name of the Game"), the production imaginative ("Take a Chance," "Fernando"), and the feel of the music matched the lyrics ("S.O.S.," "I Am the City").
As for musicianship, ABBA's bassist Ruttgar Gunnarson demonstrated time after time that he was a world-class talent; his work on "Dancing Queen" in particular gives the song its lift.
It was the uptight white male establishment that tried to beat down disco in the late 70's for its enthusiastic sexuality, which reached out to women, minorities, and homosexuals. Those same uptight guys recoil from the assertiveness ("Take it now or leave it") and vulnerability ("Would you laugh at me if I said I cared for you?") of ABBA. More than anything, they fear the strength of these women.
I know, I spend too much time thinking about these things. I recognize the group's clunkers, which are plenty and obvious. My ABBA-love is not absolute; I just love them about the same amount as Steely Dan, or Wilco.
As for supposed fashion crimes, their asses looked great in polyester.
