A
jukebox musical is a
stage or
film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its
musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular
popular musician or group — because they were either written by, or for, the artists in question, or at least covered by them. The songs are contextualized into a
dramatic plot: often the
biographical story of the performer(s) whose music is featured, although in some cases the plot does not revolve around the particular group at all. Although jukebox musicals had achieved success for years (for instance
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, the musical about the life of
Buddy Holly which ran in the
West End for 13 years from 1989 to 2003), their recent surge in popularity was led by the success of
Mamma Mia!, built around the music of
ABBA.