Exactly .. the arrange studio orchestra ... Not really many pop bands or even rock bands went so crazy about the full scale orchestra in the background...
Abba has a place in the music hall of fame. Not because they are Swedish, not because they were two married couples who split, but because they knew good music and delivered on that. Yes they can be kitchy. But they can sing, they can supply the song, and they are good performers.
Its mostly called soccer in America and 1970's uk lol... The clue is in the action.... foot- ball... lol.... Funny how Rugby in America was converted to... American football... when the ball is mostly carried.. lol... Football is the sport of the world.... except America.. as you say.
@@xoxxobob61 wow but had ABBA toured the USA more often they wouldve been so big i dont think eagles the beatles or queen wouldve been that big. They wouldve started a frenzy not even the beatles started
Agnetha, the singer, was actually telling the truth. Her huband (guitarist) left her. It must have been so heart-breaking for her singing this song. Brave.
Prolly my fav ABBA-song. Agnethas voice is in my opinion one of the best ever used by one of the best singers ever! The range! The power! The control! OMG! Well, nowadays there are all kinds of effects to improve/change how a singer/voice sounds. Agnetha is amazing! Like an angel.
The thing about ABBA is that they didn't cover songs by other artists. They wrote their own songs. Benny and Bjorn wrote most of them (Agnetha, the blond, wrote one of their songs in Swedish, which Bjorn then rewrote in English. She wrote several songs for her Swedish solo albums). The Winner Takes It All was primarily written by Bjorn about his divorce from Agentha. ABBA also recorded Spanish language versions of some of their songs. Anni-Frid (Frida) and Agentha could speak English by this time, as they were interviewed on TV speaking it, although it's true that Agnetha wasn't as comfortable with it as the other three were, and are.
Exactly, even back when they grew up English was a must to learn in Swedish schools, they knew English. Besides if they didn't speak any English, how could they have written so many songs in English? Dictionaries existed, sure, but they'd have been better off writing only Swedish if they had to use dictionaries to translate every word. And the lyrics would take ages to write and make actually sound good while still telling the same story.
And besides, we don't dub television shows or movies. We subtitle everything - even back then. Hearing English all the time has been the norm for ages. 😉
Yes but most Swedish people don’t use it on a daily basis and pronunciation would be far from perfect. Remember they grew up in a time when maybe English wasn’t taught at importantly, even if they knew English before it was a struggle for them to pronounce things and their time in fame was extremely difficult.
Released in 1980 and went straight to No1 in The UK, also No8 in The USA. One of their finest songs. Nobody can sing this like Agnetha , she own's it. A Classic PS, The song isn't about her "Apologising" It's about a woman who fell in love, played by the rules but sadly got cheated on which destroyed her self confidence, she has somehow met up with him again and all the sad memories come back, she's reflecting on it all. Very real to many people.
As far as I know, Benny did the melody, Björn did the lyrics and Agneta performed it. Bottom line: This is a song about love lost, as genuine as you will ever see or hear. The only discrepancy is the fact that in a divorce there rarely are "winners" and the children born in that relationship are ALWAYS the losers.
They did some pretty bad stuff-I have the entire albums collection & they did a lot of substandard filler. But singles wise you cannot really go wrong-them & the record company were very smart about what was released.
@Modern Renaissance Man thank you for reacting to ABBA Would Like you to react to Waterloo next. Then the list next is The Name Of The Game Fernando Knowing Me Knowing You SOS Does Your Mother Know and last One Of Us
This is the Song of her Devorce, He wrote it and if she read the lyrics in the studio , she began to cry, tears fallin from her eyes and then she sung it so perfect.
This song was written way before they divorced. She speaks different languages. She’s from Sweden. She was famous before ABBA. She’s got a great voice. She’s still alive. Mamma Mia the Movies is about all these songs. She can read and write music notes. She’s been through terrible tragedies. Her mother committed suicide I think. So heartbreaking. But they are doing a album right now I THINK. JUST STUDIO. Great Reaction.
This Band sold worldwide something between 400 and 500.000.000 ( place 6 in the all time record list) Records! Thats all you can say about them. They had a lot of great hits. formed in 1972 and parted in 82....so it was only 10 years....but i heard they still sell up to 3 million CDs every year. Thanks for this reaction.I still love this Band.
Both had amazing voices. I don`t think Agnetha could have done the Abba -sound alone: the magic happened when the two fantastic voices sung in harmony. The sound of Abba.
This was their last popular album - their lyric content was too mature for the new teen crowd displacing the Baby Boomers and Saturday Night Fever. The Visitors is a great album - very adult - but the kids were now into Punk and New Wave and the Second British Invasion.
SHE'S the WINNER! I've been listening to this song for DECADES and never noticed that very last verse of the song. SHE won, NOT him, like I always thought.... Thanks for the Reaction, MRM.
Woah, Bjorn and Benny spoke fluent English when they formed the group. They were the ones that wrote the lyrics. Frida could speak some English at the time. It was Agnetha who had little English speaking abilities at the start, and had to learn it.
This is a great song. For me though, their final album was their greatest. Have a listen to, 'The Day Before You Came' The title track, 'The Visitors' is also great. As is often the case with ABBA, the latter song combines upbeat music with hearbreaking lyrics. In this case the subject is about the descent into madness. Possibly the onset of a nervous breakdown...
Codex7777 I always thought The Visitors was about madness too. Waiting for the arrival of the men in white coats to take them away. Björn, a few years back admitted it’s about Soviet dissidents!
When punkrock came around in the mid to late seventies, the music journalists were going "GREAT, this will finally rid us of ABBA!" but much to their surprise, the opposite happened. The Punkrock community, instead of rejecting ABBA, embraced them, The Sex Pistols' "Pretty vacant" aped ABBA's "Mamma Mia", The Clash' "Spanish Bombs" went for an ABBA song structure and Elvis Costello's "Oliver's Army" had Bennie Anderson type of Piano riffs. So what was the connection? Well Punkrock was all about singing it like you lived it, singing about being angry about the government, being unemployed, being angry with your girlfriend. And what were ABBA doing? THE SAME, songs about boring every day life (The day before you came), songs about missing out seeing your children grow up (Slipping through my fingers), songs about divorce (The winner takes it all, Knowing me knowing you, one of us) and it all was sung as they lived it, look at Agnetha's face in this music video, that's a look that's impossible to fake. And the punkrockers respected that, lyric-wise ABBA was just as angry and frustrated as any punk rock song was.
Fun Fact: When ABBA started neither Anni-frid or Agnetha spoke English and they performed their early English songs phonetically. I remember their first American TV appearance (on the Mike Douglas Show) and it was clear the ladies could not speak English. Both of them learned to speak English fairly quickly and became functionally fluent, Anni-frid still is. Apparently Agnetha doesn’t feel comfortable with her level of English anymore and she doesn’t speak it in public.
At one stage, Abba were making more for Swedish exports than Volvo. Global superstars. How they wrote this song when the band was falling apart (much like Fleetwood Mac and 'Go Your Own Way') is pretty amazing..
Im Danish and this song was great in my youth, so it means a lot to me. Strangely enough, the same emotions come back as I felt when ABBA was a very large part of my life then. I do best if these memories are treated with respect !! they are definitive!
ABBA was huge in Australia, which only goes to show Aussies have great taste in music Those who didn’t admit to liking them, listened in private, got caught knowing the lyrics. Their songs were very cleverly crafted, always got ones fingers and toes tapping. So many good songs “Thank you for the music “ is still my guilty pleasure.
Enjoying some of your videos after just finding your channel. Love ABBA and everything other posters have said is mostly true. Bjorn (her husband guitarist, the one without the beard) wrote this song about their recent divorce. All that pain you see and hear was very real. Agnetha (the singer) was probably the least proficient in English but they all spoke English very well. Anyway, thanks for your videos!
Bjorn did grow a beard a year after The Winner Takes It All was released & it was in the video for One Of Us was where he was first shown with a beard.
You are so funny, but yeah, some people just don’t have a sense of humour any more. BTW they all spoke English very well. Best divorce song of all time, love your reactions and your message from Australia.
I have watched several of your videos. I have not invested any time into what you like or what your politics are. I just watch your reaction videos at random. Me? I’m an avid Trump supporter. I could give two flying fucks about your politics or views. You put out amazing reaction videos. I hope you make it big. I hope you make millions. You are what the entertainment industry needs. They don’t know it though. Keep up the great work. :)
I can think of many that were more talented, even though I love Abba. Benny and Bjorn were great at writing and producing pop songs and produced some real pop classics. However, when it comes to musical talent, musicianship, innovateness and influence, there are numerous bands that outclass them. The same is even true, albeit to a lesser extent, when it comes to songwriting. If you believe that Abba were more talented than groups such as, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen etc etc, then you are deluding yourself.
Codex7777 That’s why I said “pop”, or at least pop as I understand it. Although I understand that line is not clearly stablished. Let me explain how I figured it out: 1. If a group uses electric guitars, bass and drums, and their music is based of riffs, and has some influence from blues, that group is a a rock band: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, etc. 2. To me “pop” as we currently know is more based on keyboards, piano, synth, typical the guitar used is acoustic guitar, and a large part of the actual sound comes from production and mixing, at the studio room. Examples: ABBA, Michael Jackson, Eurythmics, Bjork, Billie Joel.
@Carlos Arias - I take your point re' pop, I was replying to the OP, thus I didn't address it to anyone, as is the convention. Though there are 2 definitions of pop music. One is general and refers to all popular music. The other refers to a genre, whose only definition appears to be that it's not certain other genres... but even that doesn't always stand up. It's probably the vaguest musical genre of the lot, tbh. For instance al the bands I listed used piano and keybords extensively. Two of them also used synths, as have many non 'pop' bands. Abba themselves used electric guitar, drums and bass guitar extensively. The Beatles covered many genres, including both rock and, what is now referred to as, 'pop'. Back then anything in the charts was 'pop music' and many still use that general term. All the acts I listed also had more success in the pop charts than Abba too. Re' the genre definition, I've always wondered why rock and classical are not allowed to be called 'pop' when virtually every other genre is, to some extent at least. Mind you, both the Beatles and Queen were both pop as much as rock. The Beatles in particular. I've even heard/seen people refusing to acknowledge the Beatles as rock at all. Though, until you, I hadn't heard/seen anyone claim that they weren't a pop band. Probably because they, very obviously, were. You also mention production as a defining characteristic of pop bands. Again, all the bands I listed were renowned for their production and even invented many of the techniques used today. All were production innovators. More so than any 'pop' act, tbh. As for genres, as well as pop, re' The Beatles and Queen, all incorporated styles from many genres, including blues, folk, classical, jazz, music hall/vaudeville etc. I could go on but you get the point... For me, I think the only really defining characteristic of pop, that stands up, is that pop artists tend to be single orientated, whilst non pop bands tend to be album orientated. Another could be that pop artists, in general, are less likely to write their own music, or play musical instruments. Putting all that aside, by ANY definition the Beatles are the greatest and most succesful pop band of all-time, even if they did create some rock songs too. In terms of sales Abba re the 10th biggest group of all-time. However, as all the others, bar The Beatles, are predominantly rock bands, it COULD be argued that they're the SECOND greatest pop group in history... but definitely not the first. If we're using the general definition, or talking about anything other than sales, then , much as I love them, Abba don't even come close to the top spot.
what does the modern liberals think of this song? do they hate it for saying the winner takes it all? dont the liberals want to give everyone prizes, even the losers?
They are Swedish, yes, but I dont know who told you they didnt speak any English: their English is and was close to perfect, like is not unusual from Scandinavians.
Early in ABBA's career, only the guys in the group knew English; the two ladies had to sing it phonetically. But they did learn it quickly when they became international stars.
@@vwestlife We study english in school. Also we have subtitles so we listen to english everyday. Many jobs and at university you get text in english. Many as i the music business, collaborate with other countries.
There is a difference between learning English in school and being able to speak it fluently. They all certainly knew at least some English from the beginning, but if you watch ABBA's early interviews, the guys do most of the talking and especially Agnetha (the blonde one) doesn't say that much and doesn't seem that comfortable talking in English. Also the early ABBA songs had very simple, repetitive lyrics (like "Ring Ring", "Honey, Honey") because it was easier for them to write and sing until their English got better.
@@vwestlife You're right about it being different being a native speaker and learning later. But you totally skipped what I wrote about all the other areas where we learn english. You also state to be an expert on Abba even if you're not swedish. Did you even live during they hay day. You state the women didn't know english and that Agneta was especially bad it- You totally ignore that the man were writing the music and the women only sang it. You totally ignore that someone can be apprehensive when talking in public or to strangers. Agneta became an reclusive after her carrier, she's very shy and sensitive. You totally ignore that light pop songs have simpe lyrics. Claiming that light english pop songs are profoundly deeply poetic is just arrogant. When they made it big Björn and Benny they make the music they really wanted to do. They made for example an musical "Kristina från Duvemåla" based on "The Emigrants" by Wilhelm Moberg. ua-cam.com/video/a2idVI73ais/v-deo.html
This is probably my favourite ABBA song. Yet a sad song. Her voice is beautiful. She has recently released an album after years in ‘retirement’ and I saw her interviewed about how much emotion she drew upon to sing this sad song about her own divorce.
They're actually ranked the 10th biggest selling group. Well behind the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen and The Rolling Stones. The actual official figure, for Abba, is around 150m, with only about 60m of that figue being certified sales. Their record company is the only one claiming figures above that. No one in the music industry believes their figures. 500m would put them on a par with The Beatles and Elvis Presley! They only released 8 studio albums. The biggest selling of these was Arrival, which sold about 9m copies worldwide. Abba Gold, their greatest hits album, was their only album to sell more, with worldwide sales of about 28 million. It's plain to see that even 150m is probably stretching it.
I found this nice reaction by accident. I must admit, I was an ABBA fan when I was young. If you want to hear an ABBA song which completely unconventional you should "The Visitors" give a chance. It's on their last Album and for me, at an age of 12, alone in the room, it gave me creeps.
BACKSTORY: The 2 guys and the 2 girls in ABBA were married to each other, but both couples eventually got divorced. However the band kept on working together. The guy without the beard, Bjorn ....was married to the blonde singer. After they split, he wrote this song for her to sing. Apparently when she first went through the lyrics in the studio... she broke down in tears. Great singer.... great vocals....especially considering the circumstances.
ABBA speaks English, but not at the start of their career. They learned how to speak English very fast. The men in ABBA wrote or co-wrote the songs, so they had to learn to write the lyrics in English. Also, it's very hard to put the kind of emotion that they put in their songs and where to place the dramatic effect without understanding the language.
Incredible nobody to this day can sing like those two women. It takes a cast of people for example Mama Mia even to come close to their level. Don't think we will ever hear this type voice purity ever again.
You are right, The Winner Takes It All is from 1980 and was about her divorce with Bjorn, you should react to The Day Before You Came it's really theatrical.
Well, I remember the 1st time I've heard this song (what nowadays is called as REACT TO or REACTION, isn't it?). The first piano lines were enough to make me cry.
You didnt ruin it. This was a sad one for ABBA! Their divorce wasnt good, plus she had stage fright & hated performing a lot. The eyebrows dude, cracks me up every time & i loved it when u lost ur s*+* with their “looks” at the camera! Was writing in live feed of tons for u to try , lots of 80’s / 90’s stuff (grunge!)...early 80’s , my parents played on their 8 track when i was about 5/6/7 yrs old. Love when u do something off the grid! Request: Til Tuesday (voices carry) and/or ANY grunge.. my only son Layne is named after Layne Staley. 🖤! Maybe Smashing Pumpkins (bullet w/ butterfly wings or Zero), Again or Them Bones (Alice in Chains), STP or Soundgarden. Ooohhh or Hall & Oates (80’s)..
oldtreasures you have an old soul. My love for Layne, as a musician & artist is immense! And me & you or you & him! If ur a Taurean i get ur music thing dude... its how i express myself!
@Modern Renaissance Man react to Waterloo by ABBA plzzzzzz thanks and do listen to dancing queen the winner takes it all and take a chance on me to rejuvenate the ABBA vibe
Good comparison to Dolly Parton's song. Would love to see you do a reaction to Blondie. Heart of Glass; Rapture; Hangin' on the Telephone; The Tide is High; Long Time; Doom or Destiny.
It's interesting how sometimes today term 'pop music' has this almost negative connotation. The fact is that you really had to have talent back then to make some music not just a bunch of money, same with pop. Every ABBA song has substance, a story to tell.
Very cool Video. This is is a very good song and also a good clip. You must make more ABBA reaction video. E.g. "Super Trouper" (1980), "That's Me", "Summer Night City" (1979), "Tiger" (1976), "Head Over Heels" (1981) and "Money Money Money" (1976)
The Swedish Supergroup - ABBA The Supertrouper`s and Composer`s´s of The Music for The Musical " MAMMA MIA ! The secrets behind the £3 billion / 3.6 billion Usd - - - succsess of ABBA’s HIT MUSICAL - MAMMA MIA ! - - The Show first opened in the West End in London back in 1999 - And 20 Years later It’s banked over £3bn pounds at the box office, churned out Two Smasch Hit Hollywood film´s and earned it’s place as the highest grossing musical film of all time ! - Two hit films produced by creator Judy Craymer; of MAMMA MIA ! - The MOVIE became the highest grossing live action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008 and10 years later " MAMMA MIA ! Here We Go Again " - was the most successful live musical moviesequel of all time and the 2 nd highest grossing film of 2018 ! - MAMMA MIA ! Here We Go Again ! "is a 2018 Musical Directed by Ol Parker, with script by Parker, Catherine Johnson and Richard Curtis. The film is a sequel to Mamma Mia! from 2008, which in turn was based on the musical of the same name and which is based on the Swedish supergroup ABBA ´s music. The film includes, among others, Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, Meryl Streep and Cher.And many more ! MAMMA MIA ! on BROADWAY ! - GIMME GIMME GIMME ! one last chance to see Mamma Mia! The sunny funny tale inspired by the music of The Swedish SUPERGROUP "ABBA " played its final Broadway performance on September 12, 2015. ... During the hit musical's historic fourteen year run the BROADWAY BLOCKBUSTER MAMMA MIA became an INTERNATIONALPHENOMENON. MAMMA MIA!' In LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas production of "Mamma Mia!," which led a wave of Broadway hits to migrate to the city's glitzy strip of hotel-casinos, closed in 2008, producers said Thursday. The musical,MAMMA MIA featuring hits from 1970s composed and recorded By THE SWEDISH SUPERGROUP " ABBA " opened in February 2003 at the Mandalay Bay. It will close in late summer 2008 after 2,300 performances, making it the longest-running full-length Broadway musical on the Strip, according to its producers.Celebrates 5 Years in Las Vegas - MAMMA MIA ! sat another benchmark for Broadway musicals in Las Vegas as the show celebrates its fifth anniversary at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on February 13, 2008. Due to popular demand Mamma Mia!, which was previously scheduled to end in August after more than 2,300 performances, recently announced it will now play through January 4, 2009.` - MAMMA MIA will probably be played in 2030 .
The commenters that thought ABBA could not speak English could be confused with Shocking Blue/ I'm You're Venus ... Long ago i heard Shocking Blue had no idea what they were singing in I'm Your Venus until much later ... ABBA definitely could speak English ... Could be another rumor ...
Bjorn, her (recently ex) husband wrote the lyrics. Abba are fluent in English, Spanish, French, German and of course Swedish. Check out Chiquitita in Spanish.
ABBA ...Eurovision Winners ,still got the album with them in the helicopter.Reminds me of my brothers wife singing ABBA in the garden in the last weeks before passing away with breast cancer.
Of course they knew english maybe each to a different Level. Björn himself wrote 99.9% of the lyrics as for this one. Recommended for reaction are: Knowing Me Knowing You, The Name Of The Game (bassline was sampled by the Fugees) , The Day Before You Came, Eagle and Gimme Gimme Gimme on which Madonna's Hung Up Was built up.
Sorry. I didn’t wait. I just liked and subscribed lol. I knew you were gonna be kewl when you first started speaking lol so you have a new Aussie subscriber 🙏🏼👍🏼🇦🇺
One of the most perfectly crafted pop songs ever.
Exactly .. the arrange studio orchestra ... Not really many pop bands or even rock bands went so crazy about the full scale orchestra in the background...
This was written by Bjorn, Agneta's husband when they were splitting up. She was genuinely broken singing this song. Poignant and strong.
Abba has a place in the music hall of fame. Not because they are Swedish, not because they were two married couples who split, but because they knew good music and delivered on that. Yes they can be kitchy. But they can sing, they can supply the song, and they are good performers.
And very clever lyrically despite English being their second language
@@personalcheeses8073 And they grew up in a time when they weren't as exposed to the English language as young people are now.
Most hits of all time. They have enough hits to make 3 separate albums.
ABBA is like soccer. Did okay in the US. Colossal success everywhere else in the world.
They werent soo big in usa
Actually they were a lot bigger in the U.S. than soccer ever was
Its mostly called soccer in America and 1970's uk lol...
The clue is in the action.... foot- ball... lol....
Funny how Rugby in America was converted to... American football... when the ball is mostly carried.. lol...
Football is the sport of the world.... except America.. as you say.
@@samthehikingman9484 Btw, the full name for rugby is "rugby football".
@@xoxxobob61 wow but had ABBA toured the USA more often they wouldve been so big i dont think eagles the beatles or queen wouldve been that big. They wouldve started a frenzy not even the beatles started
I love that ABBA still resonates with the younger generation. They're classic.
So do I!
With a grown up song...
Agnetha really gives it all in this song... So much emotion transferred into her performance.
The blue eye shadow is iconic.
Lisa Clough Yes the band were two couples that split while still having to perform together
Amazing voice, very underrated.
She was a Hitler baby, one of the ones Hitler took her mother and a German officer, and she was the result.
@@hadassah356 She was born in 1950 dude. I think you mean Anni-Frid.
Agnetha, the singer, was actually telling the truth. Her huband (guitarist) left her. It must have been so heart-breaking for her singing this song. Brave.
Now you just have to listen to every other ABBA song because all of their songs are wonderful 🙂
刘凯琳 agreed
Prolly my fav ABBA-song. Agnethas voice is in my opinion one of the best ever used by one of the best singers ever! The range! The power! The control! OMG! Well, nowadays there are all kinds of effects to improve/change how a singer/voice sounds. Agnetha is amazing! Like an angel.
@Freelaxx - Agreed, no AutoTune back then!
I love this song and ABBA
The thing about ABBA is that they didn't cover songs by other artists. They wrote their own songs. Benny and Bjorn wrote most of them (Agnetha, the blond, wrote one of their songs in Swedish, which Bjorn then rewrote in English. She wrote several songs for her Swedish solo albums). The Winner Takes It All was primarily written by Bjorn about his divorce from Agentha. ABBA also recorded Spanish language versions of some of their songs. Anni-Frid (Frida) and Agentha could speak English by this time, as they were interviewed on TV speaking it, although it's true that Agnetha wasn't as comfortable with it as the other three were, and are.
"They´re from Sweden so they don´t talk English" HAHAHAHAHA. Everyone in Sweden speaks English....EVERYONE!!!
It's not mew-zik, it's mew-sick...
Exactly, even back when they grew up English was a must to learn in Swedish schools, they knew English. Besides if they didn't speak any English, how could they have written so many songs in English? Dictionaries existed, sure, but they'd have been better off writing only Swedish if they had to use dictionaries to translate every word. And the lyrics would take ages to write and make actually sound good while still telling the same story.
And besides, we don't dub television shows or movies. We subtitle everything - even back then. Hearing English all the time has been the norm for ages. 😉
Most Europeans speak very good English.
Yes but most Swedish people don’t use it on a daily basis and pronunciation would be far from perfect. Remember they grew up in a time when maybe English wasn’t taught at importantly, even if they knew English before it was a struggle for them to pronounce things and their time in fame was extremely difficult.
Released in 1980 and went straight to No1 in The UK, also No8 in The USA. One of their finest songs. Nobody can sing this like Agnetha , she own's it. A Classic
PS, The song isn't about her "Apologising" It's about a woman who fell in love, played by the rules but sadly got cheated on which destroyed her self confidence, she has somehow met up with him again and all the sad memories come back, she's reflecting on it all. Very real to many people.
I saw the UA-cam of ABBA’s induction into the Rock Hall of Fame. Faith Hill sang this song in tribute. You are correct. She didn’t do it justice.
@@davewhitehead5116 .. I love the line "Spectators of the show, Always staying low" it say's so much.
As far as I know, Benny did the melody, Björn did the lyrics and Agneta performed it. Bottom line: This is a song about love lost, as genuine as you will ever see or hear. The only discrepancy is the fact that in a divorce there rarely are "winners" and the children born in that relationship are ALWAYS the losers.
It's about their break up.
I belive her husband wrote this and they are all divorced
After the divorce of the 2 couples ABBA wrote the song One Of Us telling the tale of the end of a love story in a group
Her ex-husband wrote the song, and she sang it.
@@lorrilewis2178 i always found that incredible. how could he be able to write the song that way,for her? what an understanding of each other.
Aik Richter i hate my exs😐
I wouldn’t be able to sing with them she is a talented individual to do that🤗🤗
Benny told in an intervju that the song is fictional ,U can see Agnetha still got a ring on her finger in the liveversion.
I am still sad about Agnetha and Björn's divorce, this song was the most beautiful masterpiece in history
Hard to believe this classic is nearly 40 years old. Magnificent from start to finish. A heartbreaking masterpiece
She gets you right in the Heart and that's all we can ask of artists.
You an't go wrong with 'Abba!
They did some pretty bad stuff-I have the entire albums collection & they did a lot of substandard filler. But singles wise you cannot really go wrong-them & the record company were very smart about what was released.
@Ziggy Stardust Thanks Ziggy! That is awesome news, I will check this out!
@Ziggy Stardust Oh wow, they are going to do a world tour, as avatars, wicked!!
All the more poignant when they are singing about their own divorce.
"Knowing me, knowing you" is my favourite.
@Modern Renaissance Man thank you for reacting to ABBA Would Like you to react to Waterloo next. Then the list next is
The Name Of The Game
Fernando
Knowing Me Knowing You
SOS
Does Your Mother Know and last
One Of Us
Waterloo and Fernando are my faves! But I love all their other songs too. Dang that brought back memories, lol.
Lay All Your Love On Me !
William Kyle Yep. This is the best one of them all. 🙂
ABBA connects with all generations . Feel the emotion in the lyrics and Agnetha's voice.
This is the Song of her Devorce, He wrote it and if she read the lyrics in the studio , she began to cry, tears fallin from her eyes and then she sung it so perfect.
This is one of my favorite ABBA tunes. Another great one is, "The Day Before you Came."
This song was written way before they divorced. She speaks different languages. She’s from Sweden. She was famous before ABBA. She’s got a great voice. She’s still alive. Mamma Mia the Movies is about all these songs. She can read and write music notes. She’s been through terrible tragedies. Her mother committed suicide I think. So heartbreaking. But they are doing a album right now I THINK. JUST STUDIO. Great Reaction.
This Band sold worldwide something between 400 and 500.000.000 ( place 6 in the all time record list) Records! Thats all you can say about them. They had a lot of great hits. formed in 1972 and parted in 82....so it was only 10 years....but i heard they still sell up to 3 million CDs every year. Thanks for this reaction.I still love this Band.
1 in 16 people has one of their albums.
Abba's success was about 80% due to Agnetha's extraordinary vocals. The rest was window dressing.
Both had amazing voices. I don`t think Agnetha could have done the Abba -sound alone: the magic happened when the two fantastic voices sung in harmony. The sound of Abba.
Try Chiquitita by ABBA - it's my favorite.
This was their farewell song as both of the marriages were or had already collapsed.
This was their last popular album - their lyric content was too mature for the new teen crowd displacing the Baby Boomers and Saturday Night Fever. The Visitors is a great album - very adult - but the kids were now into Punk and New Wave and the Second British Invasion.
A good job looking sad? This was recorded after hers and the guitarists marriage had dissolved. She should have been sad.
Nordics are world class at melancholy...
It's such an amazing song.
You should try my ABBA favourite:
Does your mother know
Killer bassline. Disco era ABBA was phenomenal-Summer Night City, Voulez-Vous, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Lay Your Love On Me etc.
SHE'S the WINNER! I've been listening to this song for DECADES and never noticed that very last verse of the song. SHE won, NOT him, like I always thought.... Thanks for the Reaction, MRM.
When all is said and done is about the divorce of Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson.
Their marriage came under attack.
I always liked frida
Woah, Bjorn and Benny spoke fluent English when they formed the group. They were the ones that wrote the lyrics. Frida could speak some English at the time. It was Agnetha who had little English speaking abilities at the start, and had to learn it.
This is a great song. For me though, their final album was their greatest. Have a listen to, 'The Day Before You Came' The title track, 'The Visitors' is also great. As is often the case with ABBA, the latter song combines upbeat music with hearbreaking lyrics. In this case the subject is about the descent into madness. Possibly the onset of a nervous breakdown...
Codex7777 I always thought The Visitors was about madness too. Waiting for the arrival of the men in white coats to take them away. Björn, a few years back admitted it’s about Soviet dissidents!
At one point in the 70s they were the biggest, most successful group ever.
One of my favourite ABBA songs and fun reaction!
If you would like to listen to any more ABBA, please check out SOS or Fernando.
When punkrock came around in the mid to late seventies, the music journalists were going "GREAT, this will finally rid us of ABBA!" but much to their surprise, the opposite happened. The Punkrock community, instead of rejecting ABBA, embraced them, The Sex Pistols' "Pretty vacant" aped ABBA's "Mamma Mia", The Clash' "Spanish Bombs" went for an ABBA song structure and Elvis Costello's "Oliver's Army" had Bennie Anderson type of Piano riffs.
So what was the connection?
Well Punkrock was all about singing it like you lived it, singing about being angry about the government, being unemployed, being angry with your girlfriend.
And what were ABBA doing? THE SAME, songs about boring every day life (The day before you came), songs about missing out seeing your children grow up (Slipping through my fingers), songs about divorce (The winner takes it all, Knowing me knowing you, one of us) and it all was sung as they lived it, look at Agnetha's face in this music video, that's a look that's impossible to fake.
And the punkrockers respected that, lyric-wise ABBA was just as angry and frustrated as any punk rock song was.
I enjoy all of ABBA's music. That being said, some, such as this song, has a melancholy feel to it.
Fun Fact: When ABBA started neither Anni-frid or Agnetha spoke English and they performed their early English songs phonetically. I remember their first American TV appearance (on the Mike Douglas Show) and it was clear the ladies could not speak English. Both of them learned to speak English fairly quickly and became functionally fluent, Anni-frid still is. Apparently Agnetha doesn’t feel comfortable with her level of English anymore and she doesn’t speak it in public.
At one stage, Abba were making more for Swedish exports than Volvo. Global superstars. How they wrote this song when the band was falling apart (much like Fleetwood Mac and 'Go Your Own Way') is pretty amazing..
Im Danish and this song was great in my youth, so it means a lot to me.
Strangely enough, the same emotions come back as I felt when ABBA was a very large part of my life then.
I do best if these memories are treated with respect !! they are definitive!
ABBA was huge in Australia, which only goes to show Aussies have great taste in music Those who didn’t admit to liking them, listened in private, got caught knowing the lyrics. Their songs were very cleverly crafted, always got ones fingers and toes tapping. So many good songs “Thank you for the music “ is still my guilty pleasure.
Enjoying some of your videos after just finding your channel. Love ABBA and everything other posters have said is mostly true. Bjorn (her husband guitarist, the one without the beard) wrote this song about their recent divorce. All that pain you see and hear was very real. Agnetha (the singer) was probably the least proficient in English but they all spoke English very well. Anyway, thanks for your videos!
Bjorn did grow a beard a year after The Winner Takes It All was released & it was in the video for One Of Us was where he was first shown with a beard.
You are so funny, but yeah, some people just don’t have a sense of humour any more. BTW they all spoke English very well. Best divorce song of all time, love your reactions and your message from Australia.
I have watched several of your videos. I have not invested any time into what you like or what your politics are. I just watch your reaction videos at random. Me? I’m an avid Trump supporter. I could give two flying fucks about your politics or views. You put out amazing reaction videos. I hope you make it big. I hope you make millions. You are what the entertainment industry needs. They don’t know it though. Keep up the great work. :)
Modern Renaissance Man you truly are talented i stay on you tube ..I will say Buddy your more interesting then tv .......Love your channel
I love their prom song Dancing Queen. But this song is good too but very sad. Agree she has a beautiful voice.
ABBA was the most talented musical group I can imagine.
Beatles Tim.
The Beatles is the greatest rock band ever.
ABBA is the greatest pop band ever.
I can think of many that were more talented, even though I love Abba. Benny and Bjorn were great at writing and producing pop songs and produced some real pop classics. However, when it comes to musical talent, musicianship, innovateness and influence, there are numerous bands that outclass them. The same is even true, albeit to a lesser extent, when it comes to songwriting. If you believe that Abba were more talented than groups such as, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen etc etc, then you are deluding yourself.
Codex7777 That’s why I said “pop”, or at least pop as I understand it. Although I understand that line is not clearly stablished. Let me explain how I figured it out:
1. If a group uses electric guitars, bass and drums, and their music is based of riffs, and has some influence from blues, that group is a a rock band: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, etc.
2. To me “pop” as we currently know is more based on keyboards, piano, synth, typical the guitar used is acoustic guitar, and a large part of the actual sound comes from production and mixing, at the studio room. Examples: ABBA, Michael Jackson, Eurythmics, Bjork, Billie Joel.
@Carlos Arias - I take your point re' pop, I was replying to the OP, thus I didn't address it to anyone, as is the convention. Though there are 2 definitions of pop music. One is general and refers to all popular music. The other refers to a genre, whose only definition appears to be that it's not certain other genres... but even that doesn't always stand up. It's probably the vaguest musical genre of the lot, tbh.
For instance al the bands I listed used piano and keybords extensively. Two of them also used synths, as have many non 'pop' bands. Abba themselves used electric guitar, drums and bass guitar extensively. The Beatles covered many genres, including both rock and, what is now referred to as, 'pop'. Back then anything in the charts was 'pop music' and many still use that general term. All the acts I listed also had more success in the pop charts than Abba too. Re' the genre definition, I've always wondered why rock and classical are not allowed to be called 'pop' when virtually every other genre is, to some extent at least. Mind you, both the Beatles and Queen were both pop as much as rock. The Beatles in particular. I've even heard/seen people refusing to acknowledge the Beatles as rock at all. Though, until you, I hadn't heard/seen anyone claim that they weren't a pop band. Probably because they, very obviously, were. You also mention production as a defining characteristic of pop bands. Again, all the bands I listed were renowned for their production and even invented many of the techniques used today. All were production innovators. More so than any 'pop' act, tbh. As for genres, as well as pop, re' The Beatles and Queen, all incorporated styles from many genres, including blues, folk, classical, jazz, music hall/vaudeville etc. I could go on but you get the point... For me, I think the only really defining characteristic of pop, that stands up, is that pop artists tend to be single orientated, whilst non pop bands tend to be album orientated. Another could be that pop artists, in general, are less likely to write their own music, or play musical instruments.
Putting all that aside, by ANY definition the Beatles are the greatest and most succesful pop band of all-time, even if they did create some rock songs too. In terms of sales Abba re the 10th biggest group of all-time. However, as all the others, bar The Beatles, are predominantly rock bands, it COULD be argued that they're the SECOND greatest pop group in history... but definitely not the first. If we're using the general definition, or talking about anything other than sales, then , much as I love them, Abba don't even come close to the top spot.
Pls. Rhiannon 1976 midnight special fleetwood Mac. Thx mrm
Such a beautifully sad song, especially since both couples ended up breaking up. But she really has a very strong fine voice. The lyrics kill me.
what does the modern liberals think of this song? do they hate it for saying the winner takes it all? dont the liberals want to give everyone prizes, even the losers?
They are Swedish, yes, but I dont know who told you they didnt speak any English: their English is and was close to perfect, like is not unusual from Scandinavians.
Early in ABBA's career, only the guys in the group knew English; the two ladies had to sing it phonetically. But they did learn it quickly when they became international stars.
@@vwestlife Again, that is simply not true
@@vwestlife We study english in school. Also we have subtitles so we listen to english everyday. Many jobs and at university you get text in english. Many as i the music business, collaborate with other countries.
There is a difference between learning English in school and being able to speak it fluently. They all certainly knew at least some English from the beginning, but if you watch ABBA's early interviews, the guys do most of the talking and especially Agnetha (the blonde one) doesn't say that much and doesn't seem that comfortable talking in English. Also the early ABBA songs had very simple, repetitive lyrics (like "Ring Ring", "Honey, Honey") because it was easier for them to write and sing until their English got better.
@@vwestlife You're right about it being different being a native speaker and learning later. But you totally skipped what I wrote about all the other areas where we learn english. You also state to be an expert on Abba even if you're not swedish. Did you even live during they hay day. You state the women didn't know english and that Agneta was especially bad it- You totally ignore that the man were writing the music and the women only sang it. You totally ignore that someone can be apprehensive when talking in public or to strangers. Agneta became an reclusive after her carrier, she's very shy and sensitive. You totally ignore that light pop songs have simpe lyrics. Claiming that light english pop songs are profoundly deeply poetic is just arrogant. When they made it big Björn and Benny they make the music they really wanted to do. They made for example an musical "Kristina från Duvemåla" based on "The Emigrants" by Wilhelm Moberg. ua-cam.com/video/a2idVI73ais/v-deo.html
ABBA's "Our Last Summer" is a calm, tranquil song looking back on a summer fling. It's beautiful like this song.
But the couple in the song are still together - he's now a family man and a football fan...
The song " El perdón " by .DIANA NAVARRO
I grew up listening to ALL kinds of music! I actually love this song!!!
Ty picked the decade. This song was released in July 1980.
Bjorn wrote this song for Anna while they were going through divorce.
This is probably my favourite ABBA song. Yet a sad song. Her voice is beautiful. She has recently released an album after years in ‘retirement’ and I saw her interviewed about how much emotion she drew upon to sing this sad song about her own divorce.
ABBA the greatest Band after the Beatles in the World. having sold over 375 million singles and albums
Probably well over 400 million by now , that 375 figure has been around for years.
They're actually ranked the 10th biggest selling group. Well behind the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen and The Rolling Stones. The actual official figure, for Abba, is around 150m, with only about 60m of that figue being certified sales. Their record company is the only one claiming figures above that. No one in the music industry believes their figures. 500m would put them on a par with The Beatles and Elvis Presley! They only released 8 studio albums. The biggest selling of these was Arrival, which sold about 9m copies worldwide. Abba Gold, their greatest hits album, was their only album to sell more, with worldwide sales of about 28 million. It's plain to see that even 150m is probably stretching it.
I found this nice reaction by accident. I must admit, I was an ABBA fan when I was young. If you want to hear an ABBA song which completely unconventional you should "The Visitors" give a chance. It's on their last Album and for me, at an age of 12, alone in the room, it gave me creeps.
You don't understand , this happened to me . Hey , Do Fleetwood Mac "Silver Springs" 97 dance tour.
Simply the best song of the best band
BACKSTORY: The 2 guys and the 2 girls in ABBA were married to each other, but both couples eventually got divorced. However the band kept on working together. The guy without the beard, Bjorn ....was married to the blonde singer. After they split, he wrote this song for her to sing. Apparently when she first went through the lyrics in the studio... she broke down in tears. Great singer.... great vocals....especially considering the circumstances.
ABBA speaks English, but not at the start of their career. They learned how to speak English very fast. The men in ABBA wrote or co-wrote the songs, so they had to learn to write the lyrics in English. Also, it's very hard to put the kind of emotion that they put in their songs and where to place the dramatic effect without understanding the language.
Loved the joke brother! You got your fam laughing over here!
Not only is she a great singer but she is a real Beauty
How about some Bee Gees next?
Incredible nobody to this day can sing like those two women. It takes a cast of people for example Mama Mia even to come close to their level. Don't think we will ever hear this type voice purity ever again.
You are good man, you are real. Love it!
You are right, The Winner Takes It All is from 1980 and was about her divorce with Bjorn, you should react to The Day Before You Came it's really theatrical.
Great song , terrible reaction.
Both couples were going through divorces at the time this was released. It's quite poignant
Wa not ready for your comments in the middle of the song. My chocolate milk went down the wrong pipe from laughing 😁😂🤣
Well, I remember the 1st time I've heard this song (what nowadays is called as REACT TO or REACTION, isn't it?). The first piano lines were enough to make me cry.
Abba were going through a divorce when that was written, they split up for good soon after that.
THEY DID SPEAK F---------------- ENGLISH.
ok I'm cool now..
Happy 70th birthday Agnetha, love u.
She still looks great!
Fernando
Left eye did sent the house on fire. ABBA is amazing
This is their 'divorce' song - as the band i s breaking up (off their second-last album)
You didnt ruin it. This was a sad one for ABBA! Their divorce wasnt good, plus she had stage fright & hated performing a lot. The eyebrows dude, cracks me up every time & i loved it when u lost ur s*+* with their “looks” at the camera! Was writing in live feed of tons for u to try , lots of 80’s / 90’s stuff (grunge!)...early 80’s , my parents played on their 8 track when i was about 5/6/7 yrs old. Love when u do something off the grid! Request: Til Tuesday (voices carry) and/or ANY grunge.. my only son Layne is named after Layne Staley. 🖤! Maybe Smashing Pumpkins (bullet w/ butterfly wings or Zero), Again or Them Bones (Alice in Chains), STP or Soundgarden. Ooohhh or Hall & Oates (80’s)..
Aw I love Layne!! We have the same birthday. Your son is named after an amazing soul.
oldtreasures you have an old soul. My love for Layne, as a musician & artist is immense! And me & you or you & him! If ur a Taurean i get ur music thing dude... its how i express myself!
@Modern Renaissance Man react to Waterloo by ABBA plzzzzzz thanks and do listen to dancing queen the winner takes it all and take a chance on me to rejuvenate the ABBA vibe
Good comparison to Dolly Parton's song. Would love to see you do a reaction to Blondie. Heart of Glass; Rapture; Hangin' on the Telephone; The Tide is High; Long Time; Doom or Destiny.
great group :) .....
Actually they did speak English. I saw them in several interviews.
It's interesting how sometimes today term 'pop music' has this almost negative connotation. The fact is that you really had to have talent back then to make some music not just a bunch of money, same with pop. Every ABBA song has substance, a story to tell.
I love up tempo tunes about heart break. My favorites are "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne and "I Wish it Would Rain" by The Temptations.
Very cool Video. This is is a very good song and also a good clip. You must make more ABBA reaction video. E.g. "Super Trouper" (1980), "That's Me", "Summer Night City" (1979), "Tiger" (1976), "Head Over Heels" (1981) and "Money Money Money" (1976)
She’s not apologizing, she’s acquiescing. She’s saying sorry if I look uncomfortable, but I get it you’re the victor because the winner takes it all.
The Swedish Supergroup - ABBA The Supertrouper`s and Composer`s´s of The Music for The Musical " MAMMA MIA ! The secrets behind the £3 billion / 3.6 billion Usd - - - succsess of ABBA’s HIT MUSICAL - MAMMA MIA ! -
- The Show first opened in the West End in London back in 1999 - And 20 Years later It’s banked over £3bn pounds at the box office, churned out Two Smasch Hit Hollywood film´s and earned it’s place as the highest grossing musical film of all time ! - Two hit films produced by creator Judy Craymer; of MAMMA MIA ! - The MOVIE became the highest grossing live action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008 and10 years later " MAMMA MIA ! Here We Go Again " - was the most successful live musical moviesequel of all time and the 2 nd highest grossing film of 2018 !
- MAMMA MIA ! Here We Go Again ! "is a 2018 Musical Directed by Ol Parker, with script by Parker, Catherine Johnson and Richard Curtis. The film is a sequel to Mamma Mia! from 2008, which in turn was based on the musical of the same name and which is based on the Swedish supergroup ABBA ´s music. The film includes, among others, Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, Meryl Streep and Cher.And many more !
MAMMA MIA ! on BROADWAY ! - GIMME GIMME GIMME ! one last chance to see Mamma Mia! The sunny funny tale inspired by the music of The Swedish SUPERGROUP "ABBA " played its final Broadway performance on September 12, 2015. ... During the hit musical's historic fourteen year run the BROADWAY BLOCKBUSTER MAMMA MIA became an INTERNATIONALPHENOMENON.
MAMMA MIA!' In LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas production of "Mamma Mia!," which led a wave of Broadway hits to migrate to the city's glitzy strip of hotel-casinos, closed in 2008, producers said Thursday. The musical,MAMMA MIA featuring hits from 1970s composed and recorded By THE SWEDISH SUPERGROUP " ABBA " opened in February 2003 at the Mandalay Bay. It will close in late summer 2008 after 2,300 performances, making it the longest-running full-length Broadway musical on the Strip, according to its producers.Celebrates 5 Years in Las Vegas -
MAMMA MIA ! sat another benchmark for Broadway musicals in Las Vegas as the show celebrates its fifth anniversary at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on February 13, 2008. Due to popular demand Mamma Mia!, which was previously scheduled to end in August after more than 2,300 performances, recently announced it will now play through January 4, 2009.` - MAMMA MIA will probably be played in 2030 .
I love up tempo songs about heartbreak!
The commenters that thought ABBA could not speak English could be confused with Shocking Blue/ I'm You're Venus ... Long ago i heard Shocking Blue had no idea what they were singing in I'm Your Venus until much later ... ABBA definitely could speak English ... Could be another rumor ...
Bjorn, her (recently ex) husband wrote the lyrics.
Abba are fluent in English, Spanish, French, German and of course Swedish. Check out Chiquitita in Spanish.
ABBA is one of the greatest bands of all time.
The greatest!!!
Not sure where this came from that they don't speak English. Yes, they are from Sweden, but they speak English quite well!
ABBA ...Eurovision Winners ,still got the album with them in the helicopter.Reminds me of my brothers wife singing ABBA in the garden in the last weeks before passing away with breast cancer.
Of course they knew english maybe each to a different Level. Björn himself wrote 99.9% of the lyrics as for this one. Recommended for reaction are: Knowing Me Knowing You, The Name Of The Game (bassline was sampled by the Fugees) , The Day Before You Came, Eagle and Gimme Gimme Gimme on which Madonna's Hung Up Was built up.
Sorry. I didn’t wait. I just liked and subscribed lol. I knew you were gonna be kewl when you first started speaking lol so you have a new Aussie subscriber 🙏🏼👍🏼🇦🇺