Words and Music

Filmed: Friday 3 - Sunday 5 and Wednesday 8 October 1980

Location: Polar Music Studio and Europa Film Studios, Tappvägen 24, Stockholm, Sweden

Broadcast: See below for detailed info

Release status: Released on Super Trouper Deluxe Edition

Duration: 33 minutes

Shown in: Worldwide

Additional information

Documentary to promote the Super Trouper album.

According to ABBA Magazine No.35 (May 1981), "When CBS wanted to advertise Super Trouper on TV they took a film crew over to Stockholm to do some interviews. When they got back to London the production company (called "The Shooting Lodge") found they had over an hour's worth of extra video 'footage'. CBS thought it would be crazy to waste it all and so they added a few promotional cuts and, hey presto, a 'TV Special'."

The interviews for this programme were filmed in the Polar Music Studios while the party/circus footage, filmed for the Super Trouper, Happy New Year and Felicidad PROMOs, was filmed at Europa Film Studios in Stockholm.

The programme included a complete live clip of The Way Old Friends Do and also featured the PROMOs The Winner Takes it All, I Have a Dream, On and On and On, Super Trouper, Chiquitita and Happy New Year.

The interviews from this programme were used on the Dutch programme ABBA '82 broadcast by TROS which also featured parts of the PROMOS for On and On and OnOne Man, One Woman, One of Us, When All Is Said And Done, The Way Old Friends Do (from Words and Music), Head Over Heels and (again) On and On and On,

Footage of the interviews was used in an TV advert to promote the Super Trouper album.  Frida's comment about The Winner Takes It All was in the advert only and not in the Words and Music programme.

Frida wore the same jumper that she wore for the Super Trouper PROMO.

This has been released on the CD/DVD Super Trouper Deluxe Edition on 9 May 2011.

Broadcast information:
Friday 17 April 1981, 17:15, all ITV regions except Southern and Westward, UK
Friday 12 June 1981, TROS, The Netherlands (ABBA in Woord en Muziek)
Thursday 31 December 1981, 12:50, ITV (TV South West (TSW)), UK
Thursday 7 January 1982, 17:15, ITV (Anglia), UK
Monday 8 November 1982, 17:15-17.45, ITV (London), UK

Different footage of the Super Trouper sessions from the PROMOS for Super Trouper  and Felicidad and Happy New Year (perhaps it wasn't used in those PROMOS as it's quite bright).

Thanks to Carl Magnus Palm, Jos Heselmans, Alexei Zviaguintsev, Michel Evers and Henk for information. Extra thanks to Jozsef. Information also from ABBA Magazines No.34 & 35.
YouTube links c/o mozpiann2.  Thanks to Paul Francis Quinn c/o ABBAtalk.

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