Stig “Stikkan” Anderson

Stig Anderson was born 1931 in Hova, a small Swedish town. At the age of 16 he wrote his first song.

By the 1960s he had become a successful songwriter, lyricist and publisher. Stig would acquire the rights to a foreign hit song and write the Swedish lyrics himself. Thus, a music business empire was founded, and Stig became one of the most prolific Swedish lyricists.

Together with his friend Bengt Bernhag he founded the record company Polar Music in 1963. Their first signing was the Hootenanny Singers, featuring Björn Ulvaeus.

Stig saw the potential in the songwriting partnership of Björn and Benny Andersson early on. The duo released records on Polar Music, after a while bringing in their fiancées, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid ”Frida” Lyngstad. Soon enough ABBA had been born.

Stig contributed lyrics for several ABBA songs, and was especially adept at coming up with catchy titles. However, Stig’s main responsibility was to act as ABBA’s manager. After ABBA – The Album in 1977 he stopped writing lyrics for the group, instead concentrating on business.

A full-time workaholic, Stig’s lifestyle took its toll. During the 1990s his physical health worsened considerably. On September 12, 1997, Stig Anderson died of a heart attack at the age of 66.

However, his legacy lives on, not least through the Polar Music Prize, which he founded and which was first awarded in 1992. In 2007, a double-CD entitled Text: Stikkan Anderson (“Lyrics: Stig Anderson”), featuring songs for which he wrote the lyrics, was released in Sweden.