ABBA – Gold
ABBA are kind of my Beatles, the watermark for transcendent songwriting. With the exception of Steely Dan, my parents didn't listen to a lot of 'white' music. I first heard ABBA when my parents were out playing gigs for their bread and I would stay over at family friends' houses – sometimes for a whole weekend. I have a vivid memory of running errands with my mum's friend, I would have been 8 or 9, and she was pumping ABBA Gold on the stereo of her station wagon. ABBA reminds me of the smell and look of Australia, despite the music being severely Swedish. It took me till young adulthood to recognise the heartache and honesty in their lyrics. 'One Of Us' is the perfect break-up song, basically what we all fear when we separate from a lover. I'm sure books have been written about the lyrical content of 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', a painful feeling synthesised so masterfully. I could gush about ABBA for a million years.