Claes Davidsson from Florida, USA

Claes Davidsson is ABBAMAIL's 2004 Fan of the Year.

Claes has been a member of ABBAMAIL since the beginning and has been a consistent contributor of news, translations, transcriptions and historical recollections of growing up as an ABBA fan in Sweden.

Claes was born in Sweden and grew up loving ABBA and especially Agnetha. His brilliant bilingual abilities have been put to the test many times whenever there's a new story about ABBA in Aftonbladet, DN, Expressen or one of the Swedish magazines. Claes finds the stories, translates them and then shares them. And he does it quickly so his fellow ABBAMAILers are kept up to date in a timely manner.

Claes was nominated by quite a few members of ABBAMAIL's internet list and the theme that came through most consistently in these nominations was (1) the sheer consistency and length of time that Claes has been contributing to ABBAMAIL and (2) the fact that he is such a nice guy!

We have relied on Claes for his bilingual abilities and willingness to contribute to ABBA fandom since 1997. It takes an incredible amount of time to consistently search news stories, find articles, translate and transcribe them and then share them with other ABBA fans. If you use the new search facility on www.abbamail.com to search this site for the word "Claes", you'll find some 14 pages of results! And there's also a comment from Google that notes "in order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 137 already displayed." Amazing!

One of Claes' most recent efforts was the translation of Agnetha's long interview on Swedish television channel TV4. This was both a classic and prime example of Claes' dedication and generosity in bringing the important news to his fellow ABBAMAILers.

And Claes' contribution to ABBA fandom reaches far beyond ABBAMAIL's internet mailing list. His posts have been published on ABBAMAIL's website since the beginning. Each month thousands of fans visit www.abbamail.com and enjoy and appreciate the effort that Claes has gone to. Fans visiting our site often pass on the information they've read to other fans and so Claes' transcriptions and translations have certainly made a terrific and positive impact on the wider ABBA fan world.

During 2004, Claes also finally realised a long-held ambition to create his own website dedicated to Agnetha - his favourite member of ABBA. The Agnetha Fältksog Archives immediately became an essential page for ABBA fans - particularly Agnetha fans who wanted to be able to read some of the amazing historical articles and interviews between Agnetha and the Swedish press.

Claes' expert status when it comes to Agnetha was also acknowledged by Agnetha's Swedish record company through his contributions to the recently released deluxe CD box set of Agnetha's early solo albums.

For an ABBA fan that's been part of the crazy world of ABBAMAIL and ABBA fandom on the internet for a decade, Claes has remained remarkably ego-free. His humility and genuineness has been a shining beacon for other fans. He's always given where other fans have taken and he's always shared where other fans have been selfish.

He has had his fair share of personal trials throughout these years but this has never stopped him helping other ABBA fans, sharing information and keeping people up to date with what's happening in Sweden in the  ABBA world. He's managed to stay a kind, loving person. And that is the other wonderful thing about Claes - he has his own fan club of people in ABBA fandom because he has connected with so many fans over the years. He truly is a nice guy as well as being a great ABBA fan.

Here are just a few comments from people who nominated Claes for 2004 Fan of the Year:

"...he has contributed and continues to do so, so many translations when others have faltered and despite huge challenges with hurricanes etc. He is a huge asset to the list."

"...Claes Davidsson comes to my mind first. Whenever something ABBA related needs to be posted or translated, Claes is always there, always reliable. It's a great feeling to have him aboard!!!"

"...I would like to nominate Claes for all the effort he puts into translating stuff for us. Especially the Agnetha special, which would have taken him ages. He puts in so much effort and takes the time to make sure we get the translations in real time. He also contributed to the Agnetha box set, and his Agnetha website is great...."

"...the way he does translations, many of them very lengthy, shows a wonderfully giving nature. And he never gets into bullshit, either!"

The team at ABBAMAIL HQ heartily endorse the comments and are very, very pleased to congratulate Claes Davidsson - ABBAMAIL's Fan of the Year for 2004.

Each year, ABBAMAIL seeks to recognise the efforts of one special fan who has made an extra special contribution to ABBA fandom throughout the previous twelve months.

ABBAMAIL's list members are asked to nominate someone who they think has really made a difference to ABBA fandom throughout the year. These nominations are examined by ABBAMAIL HQ and considered along our own examination of fan contributions.

We are also looking for someone who embodies our objectives which are to:

• Empower ABBA fans to communicate information, ideas and views;

• Educate and inform ABBA fans with a strong focus on the rich history of ABBA;

• Encourage ABBA fans to instigate contact and develop friendships with fans across the world;

• Enhance the self-esteem and confidence of ABBA fans.

Too often we see the negative side of ABBA fandom displayed on the internet - selfishness, greed, abuse and power-tripping by fans - ABBAMAIL believes it is important to recognise the efforts of fans who break that mould and really go out of their way to help their fellow fans.

Check out the Fan of the Year winners in previous years here...

2003
2002
2001