ABBA have altered lyrics to some of their classic hits for the new film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again to remove references to inappropriate relationships. The changes have sparked debate among fans.
The most significant change is in the 1976 song When I Kissed The Teacher, originally about a female student infatuated with a male teacher. The line 'Gonna tell him I dream of him every night' has been replaced with 'Now I see everything in a different light', and the teacher's gender is changed to female. The song is performed by Lily James and Celia Imrie.
In The Name Of The Game, the lyric 'bashful child' has been changed to 'curious' one. Some fans criticised the alterations as unnecessary political correctness, while others supported them, noting the original lyrics would not be acceptable today.
ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus explained the teacher was made female so she could sing a response without a 'horrible' key change. Biographer Carl Magnus Palm said tweaks are fine if they help the film, while ex-Radio 1 DJ Mike Read noted that while you cannot rewrite history, it is understandable why people question certain lyrics.
