It's a mystery to me why I haven't been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yet. It's only 2 hours up the road in Cleveland, but I've become too Pennsylvanian in outlook and now consider Ohio a foreign country, apparently one requiring an invitation or a visa to visit.
Pittsburghers, for the record, love to hate Cleveland (and Philadelphia and Baltimore and practically any other city with a rival team, whether a worthy adversary or not), so whenever I suggest to someone that we should make the quick trek to the city on the lake, it never gets much of a reaction. Other than a silence meaning "no."
But hey, Pittsburgh! Cleveland has an airport that offers more non-stop flights, for less than you do. Cleveland still has a Saks Fifth Avenue and had a Nordstrom long before you did. Cleveland has a waterfront, one with some parkland, so that you can actually see the water, rather than one being hidden from view by a train running alongside of it, blocking all access.
Just saying.
And, again, Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while we have, what is it? Oh yeah. The Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. It staggers the mind, really.
Say what you will, whiny white boys: "They let Madonna in, and Donna Summer in, and ABBA in, so it's not really rock-and-roll." Good lord. I feel like I've been hearing that argument for 50 years. Yeah, it's popular music, maybe not "classic" (barf) rock-and-roll. Gotcha. However, I still find your definition of rock-and-roll unnecessarily limiting.
Free your mind, the rest will follow: Listen in particular to Benny Andersson's explanation about ABBA's musical heritage, a very European musical heritage, one that is decidedly different than that of American and British rock-and-roll. It's an intriguing musical lineage, involving rock, classical music, pop, German schmaltz, French chanson, and a host of other influences. You don't have to call it rock-and-roll, but it is something quite powerful, well-crafted, clever, and catchy. As Frida notes in her portion of the acceptance speech, the members haven't performed together as a group since 1982--and yet, 28 years later, they are still recognized for their artistry and popularity, enough to warrant acknowledgement by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Nope, it doesn't mean they're rock-and-roll. It doesn't even mean they're good, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is no guarantor of quality, the Good Pop Music Seal of Approval.
However, I do think it means that ABBA "arrived," ABBA made it, despite the odds and the odd derision. I'm glad to hear Benny explain their music and their sound so well. I'm pleased to see the Swedish Third Way applied to music. I'm happy that ABBA is still with us (and with me) all these years later.
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