ABBA是个瑞典流行歌曲的组合，1972年在Stockholm 成立. 有这几位成员 Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, 和 Anni-Frid Lyngstad。从 1975 到 1982 ABBA常常登上排行榜. 这个组合是流行音乐史上商业运作最成功的组合之一。1974年组合赢了 the Eurovision Song Contest at the Dome in Brighton, UK, 这是瑞典流行音乐在世界音乐界的第一次胜利.到2010年，ABBA 卖出了 over 300 million albums and singles worldwide。组合是 one of the best-selling music artists, and the second best-selling music group of all time after the Beatles.

ABBA 是第一个母语非英语但在英语国家里取得辉煌的一个组合。UK, Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa都流行这个组合的歌曲. 在拉丁美洲国家里，这个组合的西班牙歌曲也深受欢迎。组合活跃的那些时日，成员Fältskog & Ulvaeus and Lyngstad & Andersson 结婚了. 但在他们最为辉煌的日子里，两对人的婚姻都出现了问题。1979年 Ulvaeus–Fältskog marriage 结束 1981年 Andersson–Lyngstad marriage 结束. 这些变化在他们的音乐里也表现了出来。音乐里有更多的 introspective, brooding, dark 歌词.1982年ABBA解散, Andersson and Ulvaeus achieved success writing music for the stage, while Lyngstad and Fältskog pursued solo careers with mixed success. 

之后的几部电影 Muriel's Wedding (1994) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), 让ABBA复活。ABBA's music was adapted into the successful musical Mamma Mia! that toured worldwide. A film of the same name, released in 2008, became the highest-grossing film in the United Kingdom that year.ABBA were honoured at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005, when their hit "Waterloo" was chosen as the best song in the competition's history.The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 15 March 2010.

这首ABBA的Happy New Year是在1980发行的，现在你应该看懂了歌词，明白为什么一首新年歌曲会有这麽多忧郁的歌词。