As seen through the usage of ABBA’s discography in Mamma Mia! (1999) and Mamma Mia! (2008), the utilization of stage and film as a way to disseminate music allows for a reimagination of the story behind the music and expands its audience. The expansion of the audience is especially seen through the increases in record sales in correlation with the release of the film. We explore how reimaginations of the music in stage and film productions allow for an expansion beyond the original meaning of a discography. We focus on ABBA and Mamma Mia! (2008) as a case study for how a movie can change the context of discography and increase the popularity of its utilized songs.
The success and context of the music in the movie will be contrasted with the musical, Mamma Mia! (1999). The comparison will highlight the ability of movies to appeal to a broader audience by presenting less of an economic burden on its patrons. Through focusing on ABBA and the renditions of their music in Mamma Mia! (1999) and Mamma Mia! (2008), we compare the meaning of the songs as originally released and within the context of the musical and movie to show how the added visual and storytelling components change the meaning behind the music for the reached audiences. By reworking “Our Last Summer” and “Winner Takes it All,” the film focuses on the parental relationships between Sophie and her dads instead of focusing on romantic relationships like in the musical. The shift in focus is facilitated by the camera changing the shots of who is singing and who is the focus of the song. Additionally, we will be evaluating how the film is able to appeal to new audiences, that are not reached by the original records or the musical, by comparing the record sales between the original releases of the songs and the release of the movie.
*Cover photo: The Greek island of Skopelos, where the movie was filmed. The specific location seen is where Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan filmed “The Winner Takes It All.”