In September 1975, Sveriges Radio (or was it SVT Örebro?) produced a 30-minute documentary about Stig Anderson and his forthcoming trips around Europe. Entitled Mr Trendsetter, referring to the Trendsetter of the Year award that Stig had received from Billboard earlier in the year.

The 35-minute programme was clearly biased against Stig whose success and wealth was frowned upon in Sweden at the time. It was sheer luck that the production team accompanied Stig to the Metronome Studio at the same time as the vocals were recorded for what was to become ABBA's most famous song Dancing Queen.

Although the studio scenes mainly functioned to illustrate the perceived ''cynical factory-process'' in Stig and ABBA's approach to music-making, today we must be thankful for the production team's diligence, for these scenes remain the only film ever shot of ABBA working in the studio. The scenes from the recording studio were spread out over the entire documentary, but have been edited together here to provide the viewer with as much footage as possible from this glimpse into ABBA's studio work. Also, it offers a unique opportunity to hear a verse that was subsequently edited out of the final version of Dancing Queen.

This clip of Dancing Queen in the studio is regularly used in ABBA compilation programmes - but the footage actually orginates from this programme, Mr Trendsetter.

There is a three second clip of Björn strolling past the telex machine at Polar's offices looking surprised there was a camera there and footage of ABBA with Lotta at some function.

Extract from Bright Lights, Dark Shadows by Carl Magnus Palm: 
"The programme was produced with full co-operation from Stig, and set out to depict an ordinary week in his life: at the office, at home, out at Viggsö and on travels across Europe.  “Our aim hasn't been to do a programme of cheap nastiness, but just to describe Stig Anderson's reality as it appears to him,,” said producer Rolf Nordin, presumably with a straight face.

Watching the documentary it would appear the producer's agenda was substantially less honourable. The programme opened with a voice-over by a sombre-sounding woman. “Music used to belong to the people,” the viewer learned, "but then someone discovered that it could make you rich."  All the while, “genuine” folk-style music was playing in the background. Later on Stig was filmed performing his own  ‘Tivedshambo’, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Reaching the end he plays the wrong chords, and immediately asks for a retake. But no retake was included in the programme - instead, the fluffed performance, including Stig's request , was screened.

Another long sequence featured Stig out jogging in slow motion, while a kitschy synthesizer version of  ‘Honey Honey’ played in the background. At the end of the documentary, a tipsy Stig is filmed talking about the current left-wing tendencies in the Swedish cultural climate. His speech is intercut with the camera sweeping across drink glasses. That so much time and energy could be devoted to discrediting Stig speaks volumes about his perceived malign influence on the entertainment industry and demonstrates how controversial figure he was to many people.


Broadcast Information: 
The brief footage of Stig, Benny and Björn around a table was broadcast in The Winner Takes It All - The ABBA Story which has been released on DVD.

The footage of the recording of Dancing Queen has been released officially on the Arrival Deluxe Edition

Very brief footage of ABBA sitting around a table with Lotta (from Svenne and Lotta) listening to Stig was broadcast in the 2012 programme ABBA: Vägen till Waterloo

Information from ABBA - The Book by Jean-Marie Potiez
Thanks to Jozsef, Troy Lockhart and Carl Magnus Palm
YouTube link c/o inomadi100