Shnootz - Reaction Video (ABBA - Should I Laugh or Cry)
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2023
- What's up, people! I"m back with another ABBA reaction, and this time we listen to another bonus tune included in the expanded folder for their 1981 album The Visitors. Indeed, join me as we listen to "Should I Laugh or Cry," a song with some excellent synth-work and a tasty blend of sonics more generally. And shout-out to all the ABBA folks for being part of this journey. Cheers!
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#ShnootzReactions #ABBA #TheVisitors #VocalPop #SynthPop #ABBAReactions #SynthPopReactions #80s #Shnootz
Frida's vocals are incredible here. Hopefuly the next track should be the masterpiece The Day Before You Came, can't wait!
Agree 100%. One of the best songs ever. Brilliant.
Benny had always the most expensive synthesizers available. He experimented a lot but always managed to integrate it tastfully, highly musical in the production. It never is to much, always exactly balanced. 'The day before you came' is one of his finest in this regard. Except for the snare drum and the vocals completely electronic with a marvelous arrangement.. Remember this was long before the 'presets' and 'dance music formulas' that I am so tired of in nowadays productions
He stands towering over me beside my bed
Losing his head
Tells me I must take him seriously
Droning on the usual way
He's such a clever guy
And I wonder should I laugh or cry
He's dressed in the striped pyjamas that I bought
Trousers too short
Gives me all his small philosophy
Carries on the way he does
And me I get so tired
And I wonder should I laugh or cry
High and mighty his banner flies
A fool's pride in his eyes
Standing there on his toes to grow in size
All I see is a big balloon
Halfway up to the moon
He's wrapped up in a warm and save cocoon
Of an eternal lie
So should I laugh or cry
Strange how dangerously indifferent I have grown
Cold as a stone
No more pain where there was pain before
Far away he rambles on
I feel my throat go dry
And I wonder
Should I laugh or cry
High and mighty his banner flies
A fool's pride in his eyes
Standing there on his toes to grow in size
All I see is a big balloon
Halfway up to the moon
He's wrapped up in a warm and save cocoon
Of an eternal lie
So should I laugh or cry
Genius lyrics by Björn! I love this song ❤
6:07 Ma Gosh,i'm stunned from those angelic harmonies.What a bliss to ma ears and soul.
This is an Abba gem. Such clever arrangement and brilliant vocal by Frida. Synth heaven :)
The 'layers' of ABBA ....are pure magic in every song they have released.
One of - if not THE BEST - B-side track by ABBA! It should have been on The Visitors Album I think! Great vocals by Frida again, perfect instrumentation and production - and harsh and powerful lyrics! And again - it shows how every ABBA song has its own signature sound or riff! I love this and has ever since it was released as the B-side of One of Us in 1981! ❤
This song held a fascination for me. Its captivating in a strange way. I think it would have fitted on the visitors more than " two for the price of one" did.
The song is an ode to desperation and spite at the end of a relationship. Frida has lost respect and tolerance for her man and listening to him she wonders if she should laugh or cry.
One of my favourite ABBA songs ever.
Synth pop grove with those great vocal echoes and very well suited to Frida’s vocal range.
But using real drummers.
Frida and the base line are powerful on this 👌
Big hug, Matt
❤️🇨🇱👍
"ABBA - Uncensored on the Record says "Should I Laugh or Cry" is "a rather bitter song" about the end of a relationship. ABBA: Let the Music Speak explains it as "reflect[ing] a failing relationship's preemptive strikes of anger and contemplation". The narrator is the "emotionally afflicted party", both "volatile and pitiless" in the verses yet "tender and forgiving" in the choruses. There is a sense that this is the last time the narrator will put up with this situation." She really sounds kind of pissed and being "at the end of her rope". I always thought she did, but only now I googled the meaning of the song and there it was. I must say, the first time I heard this song I was a bit confused for the song sounding a bit mean in a way I had never heard before by Abba. But then I decided to take it with a sense of humor and I really like this song that way. "Tongue in cheek"- kind of way.
Matt, welcome to the ABBA family. Better late than never. Your membership card is in the mail!
Haha, cheers, looking forward to hearing more solo Frida and Agnetha now that I've gone through the main catalog of ABBA. :)
My favourite ABBA song! Frida's vocals are amazing
You better LOVE The Day Before You Came. It’s ABBA’s best song and the last song they recorded before their breakup in ‘82.
Breakup? Or 40 year 'pause'. LOL
@@terrykemp1876 definitely a break up considering both marriages were over. The guys never wanted to do ABBA again after their last recordings in 1982.
One of my favorite Abba songs. Big mistake that they haven’t included this on The Visitors for it fits the mood of that album so well. Even better than some of the songs that actually are on the record.
very strange and magic sounds in this track. especially the girls backing in the chorus. awesome loop around that chair. closed the door and played it over and over. something abba claimed they did for some of the later songs. 👍💅:)
I love The Visitors.. And so excited for your Voyage voyage!! ABBA been with me since before birth (i was conceived close to the time of their last TV appearance in 1982). Lifelong eternal love and gratitude for this amazing group
a big hello to you, dear Matt, and thank you for your commitment to ABBA and reacting to all their songs
"Should I Laugh or Cry" (1981)
was the B-side of the single "One of us"
and it was not included in the album "The Visitors" (only as a bonus track in next editions)
My personal taste differs from most general comments
For me it is a nice and acceptable song, but no more than 6 or 7 pts
I even think the chorus is weaker than the verses sung by Frida (also I like her power vocals and the 'not power' chorus)
Even so, I consider that it should have been included in the album "The Visitors"
And I also differ on whether or not it is one of the best B-side of ABBA
Making the clarification beforehand that ABBA's singles (and their B-sides) have varied a lot depending on the different countries where they were released,
and taking as a general parameter the singles released in the UK (the main objective of ABBA),
and excluding live versions (such as "Take a chance on me")
without a doubt the best is
"I've been waiting for you",
the B-side of "So long" (1974)
followed by
"That's me",
the B-side of "Dancing Queen" (1976)
and "The Visitors"
the B-side of "Head over heels" (1982)
But that's the beauty of ABBA, their songs are from good to excellent (except for a few weak songs), and what some of us like less, others like more, and you learn by reading because everyone likes a song more particular
Love this, sounds modern. ❤
Matt, I had a weird dream last night. Probably because I dozed off listening to your reaction to "I Wonder" after having a large glass or 3 of wine. In my dream you decided to wait 6 months to react to Voyage, to simulate the 40 year gap between The Visitors and Voyage releases. In the meantime you were going to deep-dive the ladies solo careers, but realised you'd have to learn Swedish first. So yourself, and everyone following your ABBA playlist, started using Duolingo in a live feed 😂😂
Haha, omg, that's amazing. And I'm impressed by the logic of the dream-version of me, lol. But I would feel awful making folks wait that long to start Voyage. But cheers for passing that along, David---it really gave me a chuckle. :)
I love the hardness of the verses with Frida's usual amazingness that then leads into a softer, multi-layered, harmonies-from-heaven chorus, especially the first chorus ❤
Time ? for the last truly amazing Abba masterpiece "The Day Before You Came".
After Your Listen and first time reaction Matt I really hope you find time to sit down and watch the video for that one.
It adds another layer to the song, and since it is THE SONG that has the most widespread interpretations of what
Björn Ulveaus lyrics is about, I´m sure there are lots of us besides me that would love to hear Your take on it Matt 🙏
Frida's vocals here are so good, actually better than the song, which is great.
Frida SLAYS!
I'm in agreement that this should've been included on the album. How it captures the mood of the song so perfectly- brooding and intense then hopeful and dream-like in the chorus. Favorite line following the abrupt sparsness in background instruments: "strange... how...dangerously indifferent I have grown. " Omg. Usually watch you on my TV, so can't comment. You've been very enjoyable to watch. Keep it up.
Cheers, thank you! And you're right, it does seem like Benny and Bjorn were too harsh on their own material sometimes. Such a good song.
After a few days I pass some statistics updates on the ABBA playlist
(I don't include this video, it just started))
And the most notable and outstanding novelty is that,
after 6 months from the start of your reactions with ABBA,
now the Top5 of all your musical reactions is occupied by ABBA songs:
Ring Ring
The winner takes it all
As good as new
S.O.S.
Knowing me knowing you
doing an analysis of the songs, there is only one with less than 500 views
56 exceed 1000 views
31 of them exceed 1500 views
8 of them exceed 2000 views
2 of them exceed 2500 views
And Ring Ring far exceeds 3000 views
the updated order of your ABBA Top20
with its location in the Top25 of all your musical reactions indicated at the beginning with a '#'
and with its position in the Top50 of all your reactions on the channel, marked at the end with a '()':
#1 Ring Ring (8)
#2 The winner takes it all (10)
#3 As good as new (15)
#4 S.O.S. (16)
#5 Knowing me knowing you (17)
#7 Lay all your love on me (21)
#8 Eagle (22)
#10 Chiquitita (25)
#11 Thank you for the music (26)
#12 Angeleyes (27)
#13 Gimme gimme gimme (a man after midnight) (28)
#14 Andante andante (29)
#15 When I kissed the teacher (30)
#16 Move on (31)
#17 The name of the game (32)
#18 The Visitors (crackin'up) (33)
#20 Super trouper (35)
#22 I've been waiting for you (37)
#24 I'm a marionette (39)
#25 Kisses of tire (41)
In other words, 20 ABBA songs in your Top25 of musical reactions,
and 8 more songs follow to complete 33 ABBA songs within all your 50 most popular videos
Regarding the albums, their accumulated and averages, the order by accumulated is the following
Super Trouper
Voulez Vous
The Album
Arrival
The Visitors
ABBA
Ring Ring
singles and bonus tracks
Waterloo
(The three albums with the most accumulated views have already exceeded 15,000 each)
while for average views per song the order is different:
The Album
Super Trouper
Voulez Vous
The Visitors
Arrival
singles and bonus tracks
ABBA
Ring Ring
Waterloo
(The first three places with +1500 average views and the last two places with less than 1000 average views)
And a complementary piece of information,
is that there are now four albums in which all the songs exceed 1000 views,
Voulez Vous and The Visitors were added;
but The Album and Super Trouper even exceed 1200 each
And The Album stands out even more with only one song below 1500 views
(that's why its average is the highest)
This is the great influence that your immersion in the musical waters of ABBA has left on your channel,
and the growing accompaniment that the fans are giving you on this fantastic journey.
and I am one of those who look forward to your arrival on the "Voyage" album
One of their best B-sides. I think you mean the line 'Standing there on his toes to grow in size'? Next song must be 'The Day Before You Came'. That will bring you to synth heaven I guess. 😀 And I love Frida's backing vocals in it. 😍
This one should have been included instead of Two For the Price Of One. It more fits the album's style.
For whatever reason, Benny had issues with the chorus not matching the verses in his opinion. I don't particularly hear that. Some of the vocal is hard to understand, but that is likely the reverb effect distorting the diction somewhat.
this song is so amazing, I love the rich emotional chords. The arrangement is very Erasure, no?
When I think of this song I always think it's going nowhere, so in that way I understand Benny's reserve about this song. It does not feel like a solid well worked out composition. But when I actually hear it again, all that is forgotten and I just love the groove and the vocals, and the musical intro is fantastic.
awesome break up song too💅🙏
Standing on his toes to grow in size
‘Standing there on his toes to grow in size’
Is I Am The City on the deluxe album? I adore that song, especially the ending
The ending of that song is hypnotizing and euphoric.
Yeah, Matt, you have to do I am the city too!!! Major synth pop.
This should have been on the album instead of Two For The Price Of One.
I’m guessing the next reaction will be The Day Before You Came. Are you ready? The ABBA song that many non ABBA fans say is their favourite. Fans love it, some of Björn’s best lyrics and apart from one overdub, there’s no other musicians. Just synths and even more unusually a Linn drum machine. You’ll love it.
Yes. Just Benny with the synths and that gorgeous sound of Agnetha singing the lead vocals, Frida with those haunting operatic vocals towards the end.
It's not my favourite ABBA song (Top 10 for sure), but it is a genuine masterpiece of pop. Agnetha was asked to sing it like she was bored, which does work, but I really wish there was a recording of her giving it full beans. Apparently she wanted to try a couple of other vocal options. But the boys were very keen for her to sound like a bored actress
@@davidwilding7405 They asked her to sing it as if she was a regular woman, living her regular life. As if it was even possible with a voice like hers.
Matt, now you just killing me..as I was posting on Laura, you added another ABBA & BEE GEES reaction😛😛👍👍
My happy place is overflowing😮😂
Brimming with hatmony. Beautiful.
Another with Frida on lead vocals, it's quite clear where the fracture was in the group. And another song that's quite theatrical, but it succumbs to the pop sensibility and stumbles over its moon-June-loon-spoon lyrics. Great performance and production as per, but a B side.
I was waiting for this reaction!!!! Great job, Matt.
If your friend has access to the 1994 2 CD version of ABBA's Opus 10 there are several tracks which were not released including a Country and Western Number - "Burning My Bridges"!
Yes, just imagine Matt reacting to the ABBA Undeleted (Medley) track 🥰🙌
The order of release doesn't really matter, they were all written in the same sessions, no? They are all bonus tracks from this album so I just put them in there without regard to which single they were the B-side of.
We owe you Adam.
@@christianoazzuro6711 I have a few months left on my car payment if interested. ;)
@@adamlewis3729 🤣wait until i win the lotery.I'll buy you a new super fast one that can also fly!
This exchange really made me laugh. Cheers, you two.
@Matt - when you react to the next song, which must be The Day Before You Came!? - do not only prepare for a real masterpiece of a song! Also it has a connection to another group you have reacted to. Blancmange made a cover of the song, which actually peaked higher than the ABBA original on the UK charts Why? - I do not understand, because the original should have been a monsterhit! ❤️
Oh nice! Cheers for that tip, and yeah, it's weird the cover got more attention than the ABBA original.
It's a good song, but I just wish the lyrics were easier to hear!
I have always found most of these "extra tracks" sounded unfinished or like studio demos that could have been developed further. Many of Benny and Björn's works have started out as one thing, and then were developed into something totally different. Most of these extra songs have the feel of being just the starting point, but given where Benny and Bjorn were at, creatively at this time, it's probably safe to say they either were bored with this material, or just didn't have the time or energy to develop them like they had done in the past. This song, feels much like that. It's just Frida for the most part. She sounds great on the verses, but the chorus is hard to understand, and lyrically seems to be the weak point of the song. "All I see is a big balloon, halfway up to the moon." never worked for me. The rest is good, but again, is hard to make out. The feel of it is all melancholy, none of the ABBA joy they're famous for sneaking into the songs. Perhaps that was a sign of the time internally. Benny said he wasn't happy with it, and says it seems like two different songs wedged together. Not sure I agree with him on that, but hey...it's his song, right? He would know.
The last group of songs with the odd exception came across as a bit lazy. Benny just defaulted to his electronic keyboard for all the sounds and there is not much varied instrumentation or orchestral variation. Of the last 6 or so post Visitors tracks, I really couldn't see any of them being worthy of inclusion on a possible 9th studio album. Even Day Before You Came seems another 2 or 3 drafts from being a really good track.
Benny and Bjorn are far too critical of their work. This should have been included on the original album. The chorus not matching the verse is the same reason Just Like That remains unreleaed.