Abba stars Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have told their lawyers to contact the far right Danish People’s Party after it changed one of their songs to honour its leader. Andersson, who donated money to aid the EU election campaign of Sweden’s Feminist Initiative last year, has reacted angrily to the news that the anti-immigration party has adopted their copyrighted song Mamma Mia.
The Danish People’s Party youth league, whose leader is called Pia Kjaergaard, gave a rousing rendition of the classic song at their party congress, but amended to lyrics to “Mamma Pia”. The young nationalists, however, failed to seek permission from the Swedish stars.
“They can b**ger off,” Andersson said in an interview with news agency TT Spectra. “Firstly, you cannot just re-write songs as you like and secondly we want them to understand that we have absolutely no interest in supporting their party,” he added.
The multi-millionaires, who are behind the box office smash hit musical film Mamma Mia, have asked their record label, Universal, to pursue legal action against the party. “Abba never allows its music to be used in a political context. This is something that we have pointed out to the Danish People’s Party,” said Andersson.
Ms. Kjaersgaard recently visited Sweden to attend a rally in Skane and show support for the far-right Sweden Democrats. The Abba stars have however expressed a wish not to be associated with either party.
