John McCain: ABBA fan??? June 10, 2008 2:20 PM
In all the commotion over Hillary Clinton's long goodbye to the Democratic nomination fight, an odd moment in the Republican race got surprisingly little attention.
Presumptive nominee John McCain called a Phoenix radio station last Friday and confessed to a secret passion for ABBA!
McCain dropped the ABBA bombshell on the popular Johnjay and Rich Show on Phoenix's KZZP-FM. McCain told the deejays that before big speeches he pumps himself up by listening to the Swedish quartet's 1977 hit "Take a Chance on Me."
It turns out this wasn't the first time McCain had revealed his inner Fernando. In South Carolina last October, McCain confided in reporters on his campaign bus and told them that if he's elected ABBA would be the background music in "elevators all over the White House."
"ABBA was the largest selling (recording act ever)," he protested, in comments quoted by the Austin American Statesman.
Granted, he was a little defensive: "Nobody likes them, but they sold more records than anybody in the history of the world, including The Beatles. But everybody hates them. You’re a no-class guy if you like ABBA. Why does everybody go see ‘Mamma Mia?’ Hypocrisy! Rank hypocrisy! I’m not embarassed to say I like ABBA, ‘Dancing Queen.’” McCain said.
The image of the former war hero rocking out to "Dancing Queen" might well queer the idea of the Straight Talk Express. But McCain isn't worried.
"He said that a lot of people won't admit that they love ABBA, but he would," disc jockey Rich Berra told the Arizona Republic newspaper. "Then he asked us if it was old-fashioned to like ABBA, and we said that it wasn't old-fashioned at all."
Have Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Ani-Frida EVER really gone out of style??? Mama Mia! the movie hits theaters later this summer. McCain appears to be in good company.
McCain’s campaign apparently hopes that his fondness for the Swedish super troopers might help woo women voters.
His campaign blog now features a vintage video of "Take a Chance on Me." "Attention disaffected Hillary supporters," the blogger trumpets, "John McCain is a huge ABBA fan. Seriously."
But apparently ABBA would not allow McCain to adopt the song for his campaign theme music -- at least not at an affordable price.
"Money, Money, Money" is, after all, one of ABBA's other big hits.
The Swedes may pay taxes like socialists, but like the Republicans they do believe in free enterprise.
McCain joked to reporters: "It gets expensive in a big hurry, and if you’re not careful you can alienate some Swedes. If word gets out to Stockholm that we’re using ABBA music, then there’ll be a worsening in US-Swedish relations.”
Mama mia indeed.