Agnetha Fältskog (album)
Encyclopedia
Agnetha Fältskog is the self-titled debut studio album by Swedish pop
singer and ABBA
member Agnetha Fältskog
. It was released in Sweden in early 1968 through Cupol Records.
" Bengt Engharts in Jönköping
for quite a while when the group decided to send a tape of demos to Cupol Records in Autumn of 1967. Singer, producer and A & R man Little Gerhard (né Karl-Gerhard Lundqvist) listened to the tape and happened to notice that besides the band's demos there was also a young girl singing on the flipside of the tape, backwards. He played it the other way round and heard "Jag var så kär" for the first time. Lundqvist was so impressed with the song and Fältskog's voice that he called her at the car firm where she was working at the time and offered her a recording contract, only as a solo singer, without the band.
Eventually, Fältskog's first recording session took place on October 16, 1967, at Philips Studio in Stockholm. This recording session produced four songs, which would all end up on her first album: "Jag var så kär" and "Utan dej mitt liv går vidare" (both composed by Agnetha herself) as well as "Följ med mig" and "Slutet gott, allting gott". "Jag var så kär" and "Följ med mig" were eventually be released as Fältskog's debut single (CUPOL CS 45-211) in November 1967, the latter up-tempo track being its A-side.
But it was Fältskog's self-penned tear-jerker "Jag var så kär" which became her first entry and also number three on the all-important radio chart Svensktoppen
in January 1968. After this success and with selling more than 80,000 copies, the single topped Sweden's official sales chart at that time, Kvällstoppen.
After the following success of the tracks "Utan dej mitt liv går vidare", "Allting har förändrat sig", "Den jag väntat på" and "Snövit och de sju dvärgarna", most of them composed by Fältskog herself, Cupol released her debut album in the Spring of 1968, containing all tracks previously issued on these singles as well as a few new recordings.
She wrote "Försonade" and submitted it to Melodifestivalen
(Swedish Eurovision heat) for singer Gunnar Wiklund, but it was rejected. The song could also recently be heard in the film Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In
) in the scene where Eli plays it on a tape recorder
for Oskar.
The album has since been re-issued both on CD and iTunes.
Also included in the following list is Agnetha's duet single with Jörgen Edman, which was released in 1968 but did not appear on the original album.
solo career, Fältskog's success was mostly visible by looking at her entries in the famous Swedish Svensktoppen
chart. This chart is not based on sales figures but compiled by a jury instead. A total of five songs of hers made that hitlist in 1968. It is interesting to mention that mostly her B-sides eventually made the Svensktoppen top 10.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
member Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
. It was released in Sweden in early 1968 through Cupol Records.
Album information
Fältskog had been singing with the local Swedish "dansbandDansband
Dansband is a Swedish term for a band that plays dansbandsmusik . Dansbandsmusik is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by swing, schlager, country, jazz, and rock...
" Bengt Engharts in Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
for quite a while when the group decided to send a tape of demos to Cupol Records in Autumn of 1967. Singer, producer and A & R man Little Gerhard (né Karl-Gerhard Lundqvist) listened to the tape and happened to notice that besides the band's demos there was also a young girl singing on the flipside of the tape, backwards. He played it the other way round and heard "Jag var så kär" for the first time. Lundqvist was so impressed with the song and Fältskog's voice that he called her at the car firm where she was working at the time and offered her a recording contract, only as a solo singer, without the band.
Eventually, Fältskog's first recording session took place on October 16, 1967, at Philips Studio in Stockholm. This recording session produced four songs, which would all end up on her first album: "Jag var så kär" and "Utan dej mitt liv går vidare" (both composed by Agnetha herself) as well as "Följ med mig" and "Slutet gott, allting gott". "Jag var så kär" and "Följ med mig" were eventually be released as Fältskog's debut single (CUPOL CS 45-211) in November 1967, the latter up-tempo track being its A-side.
But it was Fältskog's self-penned tear-jerker "Jag var så kär" which became her first entry and also number three on the all-important radio chart Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
in January 1968. After this success and with selling more than 80,000 copies, the single topped Sweden's official sales chart at that time, Kvällstoppen.
After the following success of the tracks "Utan dej mitt liv går vidare", "Allting har förändrat sig", "Den jag väntat på" and "Snövit och de sju dvärgarna", most of them composed by Fältskog herself, Cupol released her debut album in the Spring of 1968, containing all tracks previously issued on these singles as well as a few new recordings.
She wrote "Försonade" and submitted it to Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959...
(Swedish Eurovision heat) for singer Gunnar Wiklund, but it was rejected. The song could also recently be heard in the film Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In , or Let Me In, is a 2004 vampire fiction novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist. The story centers on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and a centuries-old vampire child, Eli. It takes place in Blackeberg, a working class suburb of Stockholm, in the...
) in the scene where Eli plays it on a tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
for Oskar.
The album has since been re-issued both on CD and iTunes.
Track listing
Singles
Out of the 12 tracks recorded for Agnetha Fältskog's debut studio album, a total of ten songs were released as either single a-side or b-side in 1967 and 1968. Only two of them chartet on the official Swedish sales chart at that time, Kvällstoppen.Also included in the following list is Agnetha's duet single with Jörgen Edman, which was released in 1968 but did not appear on the original album.
| Release date | A-side | B-side | Label number | Swedish charts peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1967 | Följ med mig | Jag var så kär | CS 211 | |
| March 1968 | Slutet gott, allting gott | Utan dej mitt liv går vidare | CS 217 | |
| 1968 | En sommar med dig | Försonade | CS 233 | |
| August 1968 | Den jag väntat på | Allting har förändrat sig | CS 236 | |
| 1968 | Sjung denna sång (with Jörgen Edman) | Nånting händer med mig (with Jörgen Edman) | CS 239 | |
| 1968 | Snövit och de sju dvärgarna | Min farbror Jonathan | CS 244 | |
Svensktoppen
Throughout her pre-ABBAABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
solo career, Fältskog's success was mostly visible by looking at her entries in the famous Swedish Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
chart. This chart is not based on sales figures but compiled by a jury instead. A total of five songs of hers made that hitlist in 1968. It is interesting to mention that mostly her B-sides eventually made the Svensktoppen top 10.
| Chart entry | Title | Peak position | Time in (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 January 1968 | Jag var så kär | |
|
| 31 March 1968 | Utan dej mitt liv går vidare | |
|
| 15 September 1968 | Den jag väntat på | |
|
| 22 September 1968 | Allting har förändrat sig | |
|
| 1 December 1968 | Nånting händer med mig (with Jörgen Edman) | |
|
Sources
- bookelet, Agnetha Fältskog: Agnetha Fältskog De Första ÅrenAgnetha Fältskog De Första ÅrenAgnetha Fältskog De Första Åren 1967–1979 is a box set by Swedish pop singer and ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog, released in 2004 .It included all her official recordings, except the TV specials recordings....
- Bright Lights Dark Shadows – The Real Story of ABBA by Carl Magnus Palm