NBN Book of the Day Kay Dickinson, "Fernando: A Song by ABBA" (Duke UP, 2025)
Jan 26, 2026
Kay Dickinson, Programme Convenor for Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Glasgow and author of Fernando: A Song by ABBA, unpacks how a sing-along pop hit became entangled with 1970s Latin American struggles and global markets. Short takes cover the song’s revolutionary lyrics, multilingual versions, queer and female revivals, questions of appropriation, and why English helped ABBA conquer the charts.
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What Prog Missed About ABBA
- The Swedish progressive (prog/Prag) critique rejected ABBA as commercial pop lacking political seriousness.
- Dickinson says that dismissal ignores ABBA's queer and working-woman political resonances tied to studio-based careers.
The Flute's Communal Geography
- The multitracked Andean-style flute anchors "Fernando" in Latin American sonic markers and communal musical textures.
- Dickinson argues the flute's layering evokes group identity and geographic resonance despite being recorded in Europe.
Pastiche And Material Histories
- European audiences historically received Latin American music as a composite mishmash rather than distinct national styles.
- Dickinson situates ABBA's pastiche within broader patterns of cultural exchange and material expropriation from Latin America.
