London
(ANI):
Millions
of
Abba
fans
around
the
world
have
a
reason
to
smile
-
the
legendary
Swedish
pop
group
has
hinted
at
a
reunion
for
a
one-off
performance.
But
in
an
interview
with
The
Times
today,
Benny
Andersson
and
Björn
Ulvaeus,
the
male
half
of
the
Swedish
group,
offer
a
beguiling
change
of
tone.
When
asked
by
The
Times
if
they
were
willing
to
give
a
performance
-
perhaps
with
an
orchestra
-
that
could
be
aired
across
the
globe,
Benny
Andersson
replied:
"Yeah,
why
not?
I
don't
know
if
the
girls
sing
anything
any
more.
I
know
Frida
[Anni-Frid
Lyngstad]
was
in
the
studio." Then
a
little
later:
"It's
not
a
bad
idea,
actually,"
he
added.
Björn
Ulvaeus
suggested
the
band
could
croon
their
record
Super
Trouper's
last
track.
He
said:
"We
could
sing
The
Way
Old
Folks
Do."
The
pair's
comments
may
offer
little
more
than
a
glimmer
of
hope,
but
they
are
in
contrast
to
previous
statements
by
the
band
members,
who
split
in
1982.
Only
two
years
ago
Ulvaeus
said:
"We
will
never
appear
on
stage
again.
There
is
simply
no
motivation
to
regroup.
Money
is
not
a
factor
and
we
would
like
people
to
remember
us
as
we
were
-
young,
exuberant,
full
of
energy
and
ambition.
I
remember
Robert
Plant
saying
Led
Zeppelin
were
a
cover
band
now
because
they
cover
all
their
own
stuff.
I
think
that
hit
the
nail
on
the
head."
Andersson
has
also
previously
derided
talk
of
a
reunion.
"We'd
need
a
good
reason
to
re-form
and
I
just
don't
see
one.
We
could
never
recreate
the
old
days.
I'd
rather
be
remembered
for
the
way
we
were
30
years
ago,"
he
said.
Abba
have
enjoyed
a
renaissance.
One
in
four
British
households
owns
the
DVD
of
a
film
version
of
the
Mamma
Mia!,
the
musical
inspired
by
their
works.
They
have
sold
370
million
records,
and
sell
about
three
million
each
year.
Abba
had
consistently
topped
the
music
charts
between
1972
and
1982
and
even
inspired
the
musical
Mamma
Mia!
In
2000,
quite
famously,
they
turned
down
a
1
billion
dollar
deal
to
reunite
for
a
100-date
tour.
At
the
time
Ulvaeus
had
said:
"This
is
the
budget
of
a
small
country
so
we
had
to
give
it
some
thought.
In
the
end
we
decided
that,
whatever
offer
was
on
the
table,
it
would
be
stupid
to
re-form
and
utterly
ludicrous
to
change
the
images
people
all
over
the
world
have
of
us."