At 79, Björn Ulvaeus Says He Still Dreams in Music — “It’s the Only Place I Feel Young Again”
A timeless voice of ABBA speaks quietly about age, memory, and the songs that never grow old.
At 79 years old, Björn Ulvaeus — one of the creative minds behind ABBA’s most enduring melodies — lives a quieter life now. The crowds are smaller, the stages less frequent, and yet, something within him remains as alive as it was in 1974, when Waterloo first shook the world.
In a recent interview, Björn opened up with unusual vulnerability about the passing of time, and the one constant that has never faded:
“Even now, I still dream in music,” he said, eyes soft. “It’s where I go when I sleep. When I close my eyes… that’s where I feel young again.”
For a man known for crafting shimmering pop perfection, it’s a striking admission. The world often saw him as the structured, lyrical brain of ABBA — but beneath the logic was always emotion, always memory, always melody.
“Music is like a room I can still walk into, no matter how old I get,” he continued. “I may not move as quickly now, but in my dreams, I still hear the chords come together. The harmonies. The feeling.”
He describes nights where long-forgotten riffs return, where the voice of Agnetha or Frida echoes in a dream, not as bandmates, but as timeless companions in a shared language.
Sometimes he wakes with a melody in his head. Other times, just a sense of warmth — like being visited by a younger version of himself.
“The world changes. Your body changes. But the sound of something true — that doesn’t leave you,” Björn said.
Since ABBA’s quiet return with Voyage in 2021, fans have watched with both joy and melancholy as their beloved icons navigate aging — not with denial, but with grace.
Björn’s words remind us that music is not just something we hear — it’s something we return to. A home we never outgrow.
“When I was young, music gave me purpose. Now, in older age, it gives me peace.”
He pauses, then adds with a quiet smile:
“Some people dream in color. I dream in melody.”
At 79, Björn Ulvaeus may be older — but his songs are still young.
And somewhere, in the silence of night, a piano plays in his dreams…
and the boy he once was stands up to sing.