This ABBA & Avicii Collaboration Is So Bittersweet

Five years ago, Sweden's greatest pop exports ABBA and Avicii collaborated on a song that you've probably never heard before. But, in the days since Avicii's untimely death, it's resurfaced on YouTube with fans paying tribute to the EDM artist (real name, Tim Bergling) in the comments.

Along with ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, Avicii wrote the 2013 Eurovision theme song "We Write The Story." According to Eurovision, Avicii and ABBA were enlisted to write the theme for that year's competition, which was being held in Malmö, Sweden. The pairing might seem strange, but that was kind of the point. The international song competition, which has been around for over 60 years, wanted a "unique anthem" from the Swedish hitmakers, which spanned generations. It's safe to say, they delivered.

To listen to the song now, in the days since Avicii's untimely death, is rather bittersweet, but it's still definitely worth it. "We Write The Story" is a triumphant little pop gem that is worthy of soundtracking the Olympics of pop music. Sung by a full choir, the track is less EDM and more a choral "We Are The World." Unlike other themes of previous years, Avicii and the B's from ABBA didn't want to just focus on the wonders of Sweden, but wanted to highlight how music brings us all together. They wanted to celebrate the many different kinds of music made all over the world.

It might be why these two united so well to make the track, throwing in some of their own personal flair — that electronic percussion of Avicii, and those pop hooks from ABBA — to make something that sounds totally unlike what you'd imagine from either of them.

But, this probably doesn't surprise Avicii fans who were well-acquainted with the unique way he combined musical styles. His song "Wake Me Up" was pure country with an EDM twist that had The Washington Post asking hours after his passing whether he was trying to "bridge EDM and country" through his music. Unfortunately, we'll never know, but with "We Write The Story" it's clear even after his death that Avicii's still finding ways to surprise us.

It's possible ABBA are also gearing up to surprise fans being that they've announced they're releasing new music for the first time in 35 years. It won't be out until December as part of a TV special, but luckily you can get your ABBA fix this summer when Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again hits theaters.