Pop group Abba stops far-right Danish People's Party from using their hit song "Mamma Mia"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

No Mamma Mia! Abba stops Danish far-right from using hit

By Agence France-Presse
Friday, September 24th, 2010 -- 11:47 am



http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/abba-stops-danish-farright-mamma-mia/

Legendary Swedish pop group Abba has stopped the far-right Danish People's Party (DPP) from using their "Mamma Mia" hit at meetings, the studio which holds the rights to the song said Friday.

"It came to our knowledge that the Danish People's Party had used in some way the song 'Mamma Mia', and Abba does not allow their music to be used in any political context at all," Olle Roennbaeck, the head of film and television at Universal Music publishing, told AFP.

"We told them to quit doing this immediately and the party came back and said they would not use the song" anymore, Roennbaeck said.

The party had replaced the lyrics of "Mamma Mia" with "Mamma Pia" in honour of party leader Pia Kjaersgaard.

Although the DPP had played the song at meetings inside the party's headquarters, and not publicly, the pop group protested because it was being used in a political context.

Roennbaeck said the party, which it contacted by email, immediately admitted wrongdoing and had apologized.

He added the studio would not be taking the matter any further.