ABBA star weighs in on altering art, books and music for modern audiences: 'Leave them as they are'

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Iconic children’s books’ language changed by publisher

Author Kat Rosenfield says publishers do a ‘sensitivity read’ to make sure their books don’t offend, but they changed Roald Dahl’s books after he died.

ABBA's Benny Andersson told BBC News during in interview in May that art, music and books, such as Roald Dahl's, should be left the way they are and seen for what they are at the time of their release. 

BBC's Victoria Derbyshire asked ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson about the altering of song lyrics, books, arts and music.

"We live in a world now where arts, music, lyrics, books are kind of being reappraised through the filter of the modern world," Derbyshire said, noting that ABBA's "Does Your Mother Know" was sang by a woman in the movie "Mamma Mia." 

Ulvaeus said it was "great," and added, "that woman at that time is singing that song." 

Members of Swedish music band ABBA arrive for the opening performance of the "ABBA Voyage" concert in London, Britain May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo (REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo)

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 "You mean the changing of Roald Dahl books and stuff? No, I don’t think so; leave them as they are, see them as they are, see them for what they are, and for what time they were released," Andersson said.

Ulvaeus added, "yeah, we can take that, I think," according to the Telegraph. 

A publisher altered children's books by Roald Dahl in February to remove language now deemed offensive.

The publisher's rewrite, first reported by The Telegraph, altered numerous descriptions of certain characters' physical appearances, removed references to some characters being fat, and changed some language to be gender-neutral.

Roald Dahl, the author of several popular works, including Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (Tony Evans, E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)

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The pair also discussed artificial intelligence during the interview, which marked the one-year anniversary of ABBA Voyage, a virtual ABBA concert experience in London that opened in May 2022. 

"That emotional connection was the important thing for us," Ulvaeus told BBC. "We never knew until we started whether that would work.

"Their intellect is telling them that we're not there - but emotionally they are connected, which is a fantastic thing," he continued. 

A general view of the venue for the opening performance of the "ABBA Voyage" concert in London, Britain May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls (REUTERS/Henry Nicholls)

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With the help of motion-capture technology, fans enjoyed their beloved hits, such as "Mamma Mia," "SOS," "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "Dancing Queen."

The "ABBA-tars" depicted the band performing just as they looked in 1979, which was three years before the group split. The concert series supports ABBA’s studio album "Voyage," the band's first release in 40 years.

Fox News' Kyle Morris and Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.