I spent the last week with my mom while my dad was in the hospital. To answer the immediate questions, yes, everyone is doing well and on the road to recovery.

My mom and I have similar taste in music…except for the whole Metallica thing. And we love musicals. So, what to do when you’re tired and just want to sit back, relax, and tap your foot? Play ABBA!

Ok, before I scare off the five readers who usually come here, I will NOT be posting an ABBA song…exactly. We watched Mamma Mia with Meryl Streep several times in the week I was home. Ok, we actually watched it every day, and I watched it a couple of times late at night after mom had gone to bed. And yes, I am currently seeking treatment for this problem. If you haven’t seen the movie, it really is wonderful. Sometimes you just need something uplifting and funny, and this movie fits the bill. The actors do an outstanding job with their own singing, though Pierce Brosnan shouldn’t quit his day job.

Mamma Mia isn’t the first musical Bjorn and Benny wrote. Back in the early 80s, they collaborated with Tim Rice to create Chess, probably best known for the song “One Night in Bangkok.” I first discovered this musical when I heard Elaine Paige sing “I Know Him So Well” on her CD Encore. Elaine has a wonderful voice, though she may not be as widely known here in the U.S. for her musical roles. And the song itself is beautiful, capturing perfectly the emotions that go with any sort of romantic relationship, made even more complicated by the fact that there is a love triangle. Her duet with Barbara Dickson leaves me with chills.

Recently, I discovered that a concert CD had been released, featuring Josh Groban and Idina Menzel, whose voices I love. Menzel’s duet with Kerry Ellis is just as chill-inducing as the original. Today, I will leave you with both versions of the song.

And you can all exhale knowing you won’t be hearing any disco from me today…