It was 22 Years Ago Today

The 5th November 1982 was the first day ever that I'd bunked off school. I was 17 and in the upper sixth form. Being a goody-goody, naive young thing, bunking off school was a big thing for me. I felt like the police would know instantly that I should have been in school that day!

ABBA were due at a luncheon to celebrate the launch of 'ABBA The Singles - The First Ten Years'. They weren't due to arrive until lunchtime (I think I knew that from a combination of reading it in the ABBA magazine and phoning up The Belfry Club). I was accompanied by a neighbour of mine as I was too nervous to travel alone. We left home with the rush hour commuters and arrived in Knightsbridge, at the back of Harrods by about 8.30am. There were already about half a dozen fans there. We stood opposite the entrance on the corner of a street and chatted. It was really cold. One of the girls there (Michelle - she's actually in the Swap Shop TV clip on 10 November 1979 waiting with fans) had to go and keep feeding the parking meter. It was costing her a fortune every hour. By about 11.30am the place was buzzing with loads of fans turning up every minute. Time went on and we sang songs, laughed and joked together swapping stories and discussing favourite songs, etc. It was very light-hearted and friendly. Some of the fans had tickets for The Late, Late Breakfast Show the following day. As 'lunchtime' came and went the excitement and tension grew. Surely something would happen soon?

When the police arrived, we knew this was the start of it all. There were about 3-4 policeman who put some plastic tape around the front of us to hold us back! As if! Celebrities started to arrive ... I remember DJ Dave Lee Travis (the Hairy Monster from up the M1) arriving and the ABBA fan Selwyn Powell who'd been in the ABBA magazine. He actually went IN to the club much to everyone else's annoyance. Then I noticed a small figure on the opposite side of the street walking towards the entrance in a big green parka/anorak with the fur around the hood. As I recognised him, I shouted out, "There's Kenny Everett!" Everyone cheered and he looked over, waved and pulled a silly face at us!

I was feeling sick with nerves when the first big black car (limousine) pulled up right outside the entrance. A door opened into the street and out stepped Björn. "Björn!" I called out (you can't be shy and hold back in moments like these you know!) and he looked up. Snap! I'd got my first photo of the day! . He waved and went straight inside the Belfry Club. I think Benny was in the car as well but he obviously got out on the kerb-side and went in. Another car pulled up and out stepped Agnetha and Frida. Forget the plastic tape, that was history as everyone just ran over the road to get to them! Agnetha managed to avoid the crowds and went inside but Frida got caught and ended up shuffling inch by inch towards the door while signing autographs. Flash bulbs were going off everywhere. She was held up by quite a few minutes but signed LPs and everything that was shoved in her face - and things WERE shoved in her face.

And then they were gone.

What now? We had no idea how long they were going to be inside but some people were hungry and went off to get lunch, some people were determined not to budge and me ....well I was starting to worry about my camera. It was a little Kodak Ektra that took 110 films (which makes it pretty difficult to get reprints from the negatives these days) and it didn't have a flash. I remembered that there was a Boots (chemist) opposite Harrods so I thought I'd take a chance and go and buy some flash cubes. After all, it was 5th November and the light starts to fade early. I got my flash cubes OK and I also bought some roses for Frida and Agnetha. I wanted to give the red roses to Frida and the yellow ones to Agnetha (hair colours...). I got back to the Belfry Club and thankfully hadn't missed anything. In fact, we all had to wait several hours for them to reappear.

Frida was the first one out I think. She got mobbed again and she took ages signing virtually everything that was thrown in front of her. I took a few photos but they're all of the top of her head or a bit of her face. I even did what the press do and hold my camera above my head, aim and shoot and hope for the best. It didn't work! I was near the open car door as she decided no more autographs and got into the car. As she pushed past the fans, I touched her arm and smelled the waft that she left behind. She was so soft and she smelled lovely! She was so utterly beautiful in the flesh - far, far more attractive than she looks in photographs. I remember thinking how unfair it was that she had the supposed reputation of being the 'ugly' one compared to Agnetha because she was so stunning. Very slim, very elegant, totally yummy!

Agnetha was the next one out and had a car to herself if I remember rightly. The pavement was a crazy place to be - lots of pushing and shoving and elbows and frantic fans trying to get close. She may have signed a few things but she certainly didn't take as long to get the four feet distance to get from the door to the car like Frida did. Being so short I was totally out of my depth and couldn't see a thing so I stepped back a bit from all the madness and went to the other side of the car and stood in the road where there was no-one, just the odd passing car trying to dodge my fat arse. Maybe.. if I played my cards right, she'd get into the car and if I held my own, no-one would have as good a view as me. It worked. She got into the car and sat on my side of the car. I got two wonderful photos of her, one slightly blurred as she sat down with a big beam RIGHT AT ME, the other one is clear as a button and she looks straight ahead. The car moved off and she was gone.

I employed the same tactic for Benny - while he was getting mobbed on the pavement getting from The Belfry Club entrance to the car door, I waited on the other side of the car passenger window watching from afar as he got closer and closer (fag hanging out of his mouth). I had my back to the traffic going past behind me but I wasn't going to budge! Sure enough, Benny got into the car first and sidled up to the window where he was quickly followed by Görel. Here was my hero inches away from my face (we're talking 12" away!). I was in a right state! I was SO excited and you know me, that means I was laughing hysterically whilst crying hysterically at the same time. I managed to take two photos - one was crap but one was FANTASTIC. I was making such an idiot of myself that Benny looked at me and laughed - not in a 'look-at-that-silly-cow' way, but a 'aw, look-at-her-she's-all-excited.-Bless!" way. He looked gorgeous (to me) in that brown checked jacket he was wearing that day. ! I can't remember for sure but I think Björn was in the car as well - but I wouldn't have been as excited about him. The car pulled away quickly and Benny turned around in his seat to wave out of the back window to the fans. As I waved so hard I nearly started to fly, Benny seemed to look straight at me as he got further into the distance and seemed to give me a special wave. I stood in the pavement in the dark as the car disappeared around the corner sobbing my heart out. I'd seen ABBA - all four of them and it had been fantastic.

After they were gone we were all left in the chilly November air very emotional and drained. Some fans disappeared quickly but others stayed chatting for ages. Someone came out from The Belfry Club armed with booklets, press releases etc and offered them out (it turned into a bundle!). I managed to get a few pieces of paper and a mock ticket for the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest - it turned out they were just offering out the paperwork contained inside the Box Set for The Singles.

Then, out came the big framed display of the 26 singles that you've all seen in photos and which now lives in the Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm. We all used up our films taking pictures of it as two men carried it out to awaiting car.

That day was the first contact I'd had with other (real) fans and I came away with 3 pen pals - Martin Pielow (Australian), Laura Quiggan, Ken Norman and Mark someone from Woodford Green, Essex. Only Ken remains in contact, the others fizzled out some time ago (but I'd love to know what they're doing now .... anyone?). Other names I remember from that day was Janet Reeks and her friend Sally from Kent.

Sara Russell, Sandhurst, UK