Abba - Fernando

What this video is

Released in March 1976, 'Fernando' arrived at the apex of ABBA's global commercial ascent, following 'Mamma Mia' and preceding 'Dancing Queen' as the second of three consecutive UK number-one singles. The song topped charts in at least 13 countries and sold over 10 million physical copies worldwide, becoming one of fewer than 40 singles ever to achieve that milestone. In Australia it held the record for…

Why it matters

A landmark in 1970s European soft pop, 'Fernando' demonstrated that a non-album standalone single with an unconventional narrative subject (aging veterans recalling conflict) could dominate global charts. Its promo clip exemplifies the ABBA/Hallström collaborative model that pre-figured the music…

The director

Lars Sven 'Lasse' Hallström (born 2 June 1946, Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish film director who first became known for directing almost all of ABBA's music videos from 1974 to 1982, including the 1977 feature film ABBA: The Movie. He later achieved…