ABBA Founder Dies

Swedish music veteran Stig Anderson, the man who discovered Abba, died suddenly of a heart attack Friday (September 12) in Stockholm. He was 66. Anderson published his first song in 1953 and formed Sweden Music in 1960. He built a Scandinavian publishing stronghold, acquiring domestic and foreign rights and establishing himself as a writer of Swedish lyrics. In 1964, he set up Polar Records, and in 1970, signed Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who were to become the creative core of Abba, one of the world's most successful recording acts. He also founded the Polar Music Prize, Sweden's annual award to recognize musical achievement on an international basis.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter