The residents of Damant Lodge were treated to a musical jam session when retired manager Margaret Barnard brought much delight with ABBA-inspired entertainment at the retirement village on Thursday, August 24.
The lively audience enjoyed watching video clips of the star group, ABBA, and singing along to hit singles such as Money Money, Thank you for the music and SOS, waving their hands and using lego 6 bricks brought by Happy Hours Pre Primary principal, Tracy Lloyd.
In between the singing, Barnard shared the history of the group.
“It all began over 50 years ago in Sweden when the group met and started singing together. [Fast forward to] 1972, the group recorded People need love.
“They also entered a competition with Ring, Ring and finished third,” she said.
The song Ring, Ring became an instant hit in Sweden. Barnard explained that it was only in 1974 that the group adopted the name ABBA. They’d needed to get permission first from a fish-canning company with that name.
Barnard explained the background of lyrics such as Gimme A Man Before Midnight, saying that the dynamic group wrote lyrics that were relevant to their lives and their writing skills saw them produce hit after hit. ABBA’s Mama Mia musical movie was seen by 60 million people in more than 440 cities worldwide. The song Mama Mia took the group to number 1 in the UK and in Australia, Mama Mia stayed at the top of the charts for 10 weeks. ABBA’s Gold CD is the longest top 100 album of all time.
Barnard provides entertainment at the lodge once a month to see the residents active and lively. “I just like to see the smiles, and the feet tapping, and to broaden their world,” she said.
