There are few bands and songs that can trigger childhood memories quite the same way that ABBA does. It’s not that they were playing on repeat or that I consider them to be the best band to walk this earth, but there are moments engrained in my memory of my parents dancing about the living room, of their concert video sitting on the shelves of my Dad’s video store, and of me learning some of the nuance of harmony and appreciating a well-crafted pop song.  The resurgence of the band at the onset of Mama Mia the Musical in the late 90’s and then again when Meryl Streep took it to the silver screen some ten or so years later, has kept the band in the zeitgeist for over 50 years.  Attend any wedding, dance, or otherwise jovial celebration and you’ll be challenged not to feel the beat from the tambourine.  However it is you feel about the Swedish disco-Euro-synth-rock-pop quartet, any musician (or group of musicians) whose sound and influence can lass for over 5-decades is surely worthy of something.

In our house, I’d say for a good solid 3-months now, it has been nothing but Black Pink – a South Korean dance-pop-electric dance group that admittedly has a few bangers that I’ve found myself singing and grooving to.  I’m not entirely sure where the inspiration to put them on repeat came from, but they clearly made a mark on my eldest, and who am I to shut down a passion for musical expression?  That said, the more my kids have been into music, the more I’ve tried to introduce them to a bit of history and influence throughout the years.  My attempts are not to sway them away from modern music; my feelings on the art form are that it’s important to keep evolving, pushing, and bending music in a way that reflects when and who we are.  I may not love all that comes through the top 40, but nobody my age ever has.  The point of music isn’t to stay locked in time, but to preserve it as we move through it.  There is history is song and style, and, no matter how you may feel about it, whatever is happening now will be reflected in the charts for our kids to share with theirs one day.

Whatever the flavour that pours through the speakers, I’ve tried my best since the day they were born to have my girls exposed to a variety of genres, eras, volumes and styles.  Aside from The Beatles and The Talking Heads, and the odd catchy tune form the early 2000’s (I’m looking at you Liam Lynch and Wheatus), they’ve cared not for my opinion…until just last week.

Driving through the city, ‘Waterloo’ got stuck in my head and so to remove the ear worm and with only Nora in the car, I took over the radio dial and played the song, not thinking she’d pay any attention.   To my surprise, she said she’d heard it before and wanted to hear more.  So, for the past two weeks the entire ABBA catalog is now pretty much committed to the memory bank of my 10 year old daughter, who has worked out her own dance routines to Super Trouper, Money, Money, Money and countless others that scratch the itch of classic pop joy.  She has been begging to watch Mama Mia (plans laid for this weekend), but the best part of all were the words she stated to me in the car this past Monday night: “Dad, I want to know more music and I’ll be more open to your suggestion.”  I neither kid nor exaggerate.  Those were her words; and upon drying the tears from my eyes, I began the exercise of where we should focus next.  The Tragically Hip seemed like a good place to land.

As if the feelings and excitement about music weren’t enough to fuel a blog post this week, my heart did not stop growing there.

Tuesday night – Movie Night, as it’s referred to in our household – is an evening where just the girls and I cuddle in for a couple of hours in front of a screen, chips and snacks in hand, rotating each week who will select the move of choice.   With this week’s being Nora’s, I wasn’t sure what to anticipate, as there have been no new releases that seemed to catch anyone’s interest.  She’s also of an age of in-between, too old for Disney, too young for Stephen King, and they just don’t make movies for kids like they did back in the 80’s.  We’re far too safe nowadays.  Don’t get me wrong – she still enjoys animation and feel good family entertainment, but she is moving into slightly more edgy territory…so what did she have in mind when she told me on Monday that she knew what it was but that she wanted to keep it a surprise?!

On Tuesday morning, when she revealed to me that Back to The Future was her choice, it didn’t matter to me what streaming platform I’d have to subscribe to, what rental or purchase price I’d have to pay, or what pawn shop I’d need to find to secure a VCR, I was going to make this thing happen.

This isn’t the first time she has expressed interest in the films from my childhood (she was obsessed for a while with wanting to watch What About Bob for whatever reason), and I am pleased to say it already hasn’t been the last.  After we finish this trilogy of time travelling shenanigans, she wants to move on to Indiana Jones.  I mean, this kid knows how to play my heart strings.

From musical inspirations, to cinematic entertainment, the past two weeks I’ve been riding on a high, feeling proud and eager for whatever comes next as I further the connection and bond with my children.  About all I can say right now is: AᗺBA, thank you for the music.