@@brendanh8193 I've always assumed it was a deliberate decision to let her voice tither on cracking when she delivers that line, but regardless it's amazingly expressive and heartbreaking.
Exactly! They always 'forget' ABBA on most selling album or artist lists where they should be number one with their around 380 million units sold. With The Beatles next on the list with half of that sold ;)
Yea, shes definitely up there. Id say thereaare some more skilled singers out there, technically speaking, Floor Jansen, Simone Simons and Sharon den Adel comes to mind. But the raw and geniune emotion Agnetah conveys so effortlessly EASILY puts her up among the. Thats not saying Floor, Someand Sharon lacks emotion in their singong, they absolutely does not, there the 0.1% of the 0.1%. All Im aying is that not even they can take take on Agnetha in as emotional perfomance.
Abba sold around 400 million records. No auto tune back then. These ladies can sing!!!! And Abba songs are some of the most difficult to sing. Have a listen to One of us. Awesome 👌🔥❤️
I love ABBA as much as anyone. And there may to have been any AutoTune back then, there was massive Muti-Trackig go the two gils voices. That's why it took the girls and seven other background singers to reproduce the sound of their voices in concert.
Can you imagine hearing this song on the radio for the very first time more than 40 years ago! I was driving in West Cork and was no ABBA fan . And then the DJ introduced this song as the first radio play of the new ABBA song. Listening for the very first time , before it became such a classic, was like an emotional punch in the gut. The vocal is so pure, so intense , so emotionally raw, so emotionally honest, it just takes your breath away . On my very first hearing of the song all those years ago I had to pull the car over and cry, it was that emotionally deep. 40 years and millions of plays worldwide probably have reduced that emotional gut punch of the song. But those who remember listening for the very first time will never forget. In a hundred years from now , when 99% of pop songs will be forgotten, this will always remain a classic
No female singer has ever sung with more raw emotion than that. Others have told you the background story to it. As they say usually you have to have lived it to sing with that level of feeling like that. Which is generally true. It also helps that she is a brilliant singer of course.
@@scottski51 I know her. I've seen her duet with Tom Jones and other performances. Her "feeling and emotion" is a different type though. It's more your passionate. Euphoria kind than your emotional, hurting kind.
ONJ comes to mind that can compare. Both have such raw talent and vocal range for the time frame. Why they were both the best selling females of the 70s.
im 59 i grew up with abba music all of us single guys had the hots for her.we had her on 8 track players that we played in our musclecars and weekends at the track her voice is amazing and always will be
Sweden, Sweden, Sweden, what talents you create! What is it with this little country in the North? Answer: one of their treasures is / has been that they have a natural aptitude for singing and for music in general. It is in their genes. See for example "allsång på Skansen", Stockholm, where they meet and sing together once a week in the summertime. And their people's soul goes very, very deep. ABBA was one of the very first artists to be known outside of Scandinavia. A big hug from Norway, neighbour of Sweden.
Song writing at is very best. I hosted a 2 hour Abba Story for a local radio station and the tape is still being replayed over 40 years later. Say's it all.
The layered vocal sound you mentioned is actually the work of their very talented audio engineer. There's a good documentary about ABBA's history that talks about how the effect was achieved.
I was in the "Disco Sucks" movement, and since ABBA was huge in the discos, I rejected it along with the rest. It wasn't until years later that I realized their unique musicality - they were true musical innovators - It's embarrassing how little my pretentious teen self understood about music back in the 70's.
Same here. Yet now I'll put the ABBA Gold selection on and zip through 40 of their songs with no problem. My wife doesn't have great English, but one of the things she said the first time they were on radio was about the group with two men and two ladies. I knew who she meant straight away, even though she didn't know what they were called.
Thank you for your insightful reaction, Dani...as many of the earlier comments have stated, this song was actually written by her ex-husband, Bjorn (on the acoustic guitar), specifically for Agnetha to sing lead. He has said he tried to draw from the emotion of what both of them were going through. Several times over the years, Agnetha has said this was her favorite of all of their many hits. You might want to also check out "Knowing Me, Knowing You", which I believe to have been a foreshadowing of their impending breakup.
The Biggest Pop Group of all times in the World for me . Extraordinary , outstanding . Excellent music , songs and very beautiful angelic voices . ABBA's a perfect pop group in all aspect .
It was after they divorced. Her husband (Björn on guitar) wrote this he later said, in one drunken hour. When he showed the song to Agnetha she cried. The song is nothing but real emotion.
@@jeffharry9675 Professional musician - and a mature mind. No teenager this. They had been married before ABBA, had a child, and got on with life - and wrote and sang about it. Their music is relevant and meaningful to people all over the world today for that very reason. Not a "bubble-gum" pop band.
Her (ex) husband is on guitar and wrote this song about their breakup.......very emotional.......but she knew how good the song was and had no objections to singing it......incredible performance.....listen to “Fernando”....
@@mrjdgibbs It’s his sincere feelings . Just maybe men feel these things deeper than women do. Men wrote most of the greatest love songs, have you never noticed ?
Hello again, so nice to I see your reaction to ABBA I love so much the Sweden pop group ABBA remember They was two couples: Anni Frid (brunette) & Benny (pianist) Björn (guitarist) & Agnetha (blonde) Boys was songwriters and Girls was lead singers ABBA have more than 20 worldwide hits (between 1972/1982) in several countries of all continents, included: Waterloo S.O.S. Mamma Mia Fernando Dancing Queen Take a chance on me Chiquitita Gimme gimme gimme The winner takes it all Super trouper "The winner takes it all" is one of their greatest hits, #1 in UK and several countries, #8 in Billboard U.S. and #1 in Adult Contemporary U.S. "The winner takes it all" have a deep lyric writen by the guitarist Björn and singing at lead vocal by his ex-wife Agnetha, that gives an emotional and powerful interpretation with her lovely voice note: Agnetha & Björn was separated at the end of 1978 (with two young children) but the legal divorce was in the middle of 1980 after this, Björn wrote this incredible lyrics (obviously included part of your own history), and give Agnetha to sing it at first She cry, but then put all your feelings and emotions and talents to this amazing performing I hope to see you in another reaction to ABBA songs I suggest you one of their most worldwide hit: "Mamma Mia" (the song that inspire a great musical and two movies with all ABBA songs) Stay safe and be care And have a great week!
ABBAs songs are full of catchy and happy melodies; you get in such a good mood when you listen to ABBA. Their music pick you up when you are down or in a depression. Make you want to dance and celebrate being alive. The music is effortless, and yet so complex in all their different layers. In my opinion, Benny Andersson is one of the very best composers of our time. When you really and fully understand the text of ABBA songs, you will be amazed of the depth in the lyrics and the phenomenal insights in the challenges of being human. This ability allows us to easily identify with the lyrics. I do not know of any other group that can captivate me and enchant me like ABBA. Their music and lyrics are magical. Neither do I know of any other group that can evoke as many different and genuine emotions and feelings in me as ABBA do. This is a rare talent that ABBA have in abundance. I go as far as to say that this talent makes their music and lyrics a real healing on a very deep, unconscious level. So, in these very turbulent, chaotic and uncertain times, ABBA has a HUGE mission. Love from Lena
I agree totally. Agnetha is an incredible singer. I had a deep part of me when I was young that I thought nothing could touch. Then Agnetha came along and seemingly effortlessly did it. I was amazed. It was then I knew she was a very special singer.
Dear Dani if you did not know this song of Abba because you are very young, I grow up with Abba and I can tell you is the Number One top ten of Abba people in the world favorite
Of all the reaction vids of this song I enjoyed yours the most. You were really paying attention and you know what you are talking about. Her name is Agnetha Faltskog and yes she is a songwriter herself. She is the queen of heartbreak. Listen to SOS, slipping through my fingers but also the day before you came is very special. She sang it like Charles Aznavour did it. Half singing half speaking. Acting the part of the woman she was singing about. Her discribes her life before she met this man. Masterpiece.
OH I forgot another fun fact. ABBA filmed a number of tv commercials for the then electronics brand National. They made radios, portable cassette players, stuff like that, while they were in Australia.
The husband wrote the song. She sang the song. I don’t know if I could sing under such circumstances ! To me it shows great showmanship on both of them. Could I write such a personal story, for her to sing it ? For all to hear it ? Wow !!! 😳🤭🤯
@@APC3370 He's got balls, i'll give him that. Imagine walking up to your ex-wife "Hey, I wrote a song about our break-up and how much pain you're feeling, how bout you sing it? Oh don't worry, I'll play guitar"
No it isn't. . The song isn't about their break up as Bjorn said. Agnetha was a great actress...really feeling the story of the song. She said: singing the winner was like acting....She did it on many abba and solo songs. That's why she stood out. Frida is a great singer but she can't do what Agnetha can.
@@m.menneke8513 Correct.. In a recent interview though she did say that although the song is about generic break ups she did find it difficult to sing at times.
@@MubiiOxx You’re another person saying this stuff. It’s his sincere feelings she’s singing not hers. You wouldn’t have any problem with it if she wrote it about him. He obviously felt this break up so deeply he wrote a great song about it. You don’t know what happened yet you automatically blame him.
My mom's favorite song as Fernando and mine was Mama Mia back in the early 70s in NZ. One day she told me to come to the TV. It was Abba and she told me that both our favorite songs were from the same group. I remember thinking that was significant as her music was hers and mine was mine. But Abba's success was their broad appeal. Mostly pop songs, but they also sung one of the greatest dance tracks of all time and this song, perhaps the greatest break up song.
hello Dani, nice yo see your reaction to the Sweden pop group ABBA, the leads in 70s (decade post BEATLES) ABBA had more than 20 worldwide hits between 1972/1982, like: Waterloo , S.O.S. , Mamma Mía , Fernando , Dancing Queen , Take a chance on me , Chiquitita ABBA was two couples from Sweden, it's an acróstic with the initials of Their first names: Agnetha (blonde singer) & Björn (guitarist songwriter) Benny (pianist songwriter) & Anni Frid (brunette singer) "The winner takes it all" is the most sad song of ABBA, combine the contrast in sad lyrics with catchy melodies for your fantastic lead singers "The winner takes it all" is for me the best interpretation of a song that I heard in my life by any singer or band It is interpretation, because it is more than just singing, it is also acting and transmitting, and Agnetha does all that and on a superlative level Beyond the morbid that the story of this song produces (lyrics about a divorce, written by the guitarist Björn, sung by his ex-wife Agnetha), the structure reflects a change: it is the first time in all ABBA songs that whoever has the leading voice has been alone from beginning to end She goes one way and the choirs go the other (they do not add up, they remain in the background) and in the end She is left alone passive and exposed, while the chorus and the music finish so up That is why I feel that Agnetha does an extraordinary performance (extraordinary: out of the ordinary) Her face is very expressive and accompanies the various tones and nuances of her majestic vocalization. "The winner takes it all" is a great song, it's in my ABBA Top 5 It is the favorite of British fans, but specialy is the one chose by Björn and Agnetha (and Their own words is the one that is worth more) I like you for a reaction to "Chiquitita" at the Concert for UNICEF in 1979 at United Nations It's a ballad pop with hope lyrics that ABBA premier that night with royalties donated to UNICEF czcams.com/video/oMIw_y9uRT8/video.html My best wishes for You from Buenos Aires Argentina and GOD bless you!
She was going through a marriage break up when they recorded this song and it is a great reflection of her talent and skill that she did such a great job of the song.
3:50 What makes Agnetha's singing so special is her ability to literally tell a story while singing, like she is actually recalling a memory or an emotion, and thus builds a direct emotional connection to the listener unrelated to her exceptional singing. She is not only singing to the listener, she is also directly talking to the listener while she sings. I don't think I know another singer who can accomplish that in pop music.
"No self confidence...But you see...The winner takes it all. That little addition...'But you see'...What a way to finish the song. Just ABBA at their very best...and they already set the bar very, very high. Beautiful.
The 'ABBA sound' was to skillfully mix the voices of the two female singers to create a kind of harmonious dissonance chorus sound that produced very complex emotional responces and interpretations from the listener. It is true that ABBA is pure genius.
What a song this is, the lyrics are captivating. To think it was written about Bjorn's and Agnetha's marriage breakup. The song takes us inside as she delivers it. 'The gods may throw a dice, Their minds as cold as ice, And someone way down here loses someone dear'. In any breakup, these lines say it all.
This is a super sad song. Breaks my heart each time I've listen to it... during the release and even all these years after. Agnetha's voice had no equal at the time. Great story teller. This is probably my favorite song from ABBA. Dani, you should listen to the song again without trying to analysis each element. Just focus on the lyrics.
The way the music goes from flowing to stop and goes quite Then the beatiful chorus Tell me does she kiss like i used to kiss you smooth as silk vocals And the chorus You have come to shake my hand Superb lyrics alround such an amazing song lyrics and vocals and instruments
@@DaniAtkinson Just like Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. The official music video version is even more dramatic imho. I start blubbering when I watch it, and I am almost 57, I was 16, when this dropped in 1980. I was devastated. Probably not the best song of theirs to start with. Try Waterloo, The Eurovision song contest version.
abba never ever made a bad or underpar song everything they wrote composed or sung was pure gold.. i dare anyone to listen to an abba song and not want to start to move and dance....and smile. this song is so emotional because she was going through the process of her and the gutair players divorce imagine the courage it took for her to go on stage and sing this song about her divorce with her soon to be ex playing the gutair...
I recommend you a singer her name is Diana Navarro with the song "El perdón" she is a very versatile Spanish singer singing different styles of music with incredible melisma. She transmits a lot of emotion and emotion when she sings.
The reason it seems so heartfelt is because her marriage to one of the male artists in the band was really falling apart when they wrote and recorded this song, similar to Gordon Lightfoot who was going thru a divorce when he wrote and recorded "If You Could Read My Mind", however Gordon was a solo artist so he was singing only about the breakup of his marriage, but here she knew they were singing about the breakup of their marriage and the band.
They don’t have back up singers. The sound is created by the two girls singing the song several times on tape (overlay). The technique was invented by their sound technician Michael B Tretow and is used in most of their songs.
This is a song she sang about her divorce from her husband who is on guitar. He wrote the song one night when he was drunk. Once it was on paper and became art it had to be expressed.
I have this as the B-side of what I think was their last hit single, "One of Us." Should still be in the record collection at my parents' house. It was on the album Super Trouper, which I bought with my own money. Then my mother asked if a friend of hers could borrow it and I'd have one of her compilations albums in exchange. I never saw it again. If you knew the stuff I've been listening to since the late 80s, early 90s, you'd never think that in my early years I was a big Abba fan. But Abba are timeless. They are pretty much the only band that my extended family all seemed to agree to like. I remember an uncle having an Abba boxed set.
what's really heartwrenching about this is that the lyrics were written by her estranged husband, who is beside her playing guitar. You can tell she feels every emotion of it, and understands. Both married couples in the band broke up during their success. This is Bjorn and Agnetha's song. Benny and Frida's is "When all is said and done". A must listen. "Knowing me knowing you" is a pre breakup song. Most critics feel this band wrote the best songs describing divorce.
This song was written about divorce and was written during the divorce between the guitar player Bjorn and the singer Agnetha. Bjorn said he wrote the lyrics in about an hour while he was drunk and when he showed it to Agnetha she cried reading the lyrics and to date it is still one of the biggest hits by the group. Both Bjorn and Agnetha deny that the song is about their personal divorce because they both feel neither of them won. The music of ABBA is so timeless and great because both Bjorn and Benny who wrote everything they did were students of music from all over the world and through history and incorporated styles and techniques from all over into the music they wrote.
One of The 'Best Pop Sensations of all Times!' Those two girls could've sung the phone book, and it would've sounded perfect. Benny and Bjorn were musical geniuses! They were is a Class all by themselves... it took those 2-A's and the 2-B's to form that near Perfect Report Card. They truly were... 'One of a Kind!' ♠️♥️♦️♣️ Thank you for sharing! 💖
As a hard-core ABBA fan, I've always loved this song, even though it's *so* sad. My fave up-beat? There's a few different ones ... _Dancing Queen_ ... _Fernando_ (it has a touch of melancholy & wistfulness, but is mostly about remembering the times you fought for your ideals - so up-lifting!) ... _Gimme A Man After Midnight_ & a couple others too.
Abba, the biggest and the most well known group from Sweden. Agnetha, the lady that sing this, was also married to Björn (on the guitar). And Benny (on the piano, was married to Anni-Frid, Benny had/has all of his music in his fingers because he dont know sheet music, thats speak what a musician he is). All the lyrics and music was written by Björn and Benny....timeless music.
Happy Friday Dani, I highly recommend any ABBA song they were fantastic. The films "MAMA MIA & MAMA MIA HERE WE GO AGAIN" feature ABBA songs infact the music was written by Benny & Bjorn from ABBA.
Dani, I am not sure why they were not big in the U.S in the seventies , they were huge in the UK & especially Australia, Agnetha has as powerful voice as Whitney, Mariah & Celine
Unfortunately to become big in the USA you have to tour massively and be available 24/7 to the public and ABBA where not prepared to do it because they really didn’t need to. ABBA were always more comfortable in the Studio, they didn’t really like to tour and only did it to see the fans and never made any money from touring because to reproduce their sound live took a massive entourage
@@robertdinmore1971 AGREE.........they only appeared on a few variety shows. In order to get full exposure back then the only way to get recognized was to go out on tour.
Re the layered singing, it sounds like the studio version that ABBA released. I think they might have mimed this particular song. In the studio, ABBA added lots of effects into their songs at times to give it a full sound.
ABBA was famous for doing a lot of multiple takes for vocals (the same four over and over) and putting them all together for that big sound for the final track. Very multi-layered, and that's also why ABBA music is very hard to sing live without changing the sound a bit. Their music was always very well produced. I have only a few actual CDs that I actually still listen to, and listen to them in the car, and ABBA is one of those very few.
One of the reasons that the song was so meaningful to Agnetha (the blond singing), was that it was about her divorce from Bjorn (the guitarist) who wrote the song.
There is great irony in this song. As you mentioned, the slow melody with a fast beat in the background. It's as if the lead singer is broken, but the world goes on around her. Even on that stage, the other band members are be-bopping but her heart is breaking. Isn't that the way of things?
Agnetha (Ang-Neta) sang the song her now divorced husband Björn (Bjoern) guitar has written. Most lyrics in ABBA songs are written by Björn and the music mostly by Benny. Arrangements is a group work. Björn and Benny have written and produced musicals and filmmusic such as Mamma Mia ,Chess a.s.o. Benny and Anni-Frid were also married. Agnetha and Björn divorced 1979 and Anni-.Frid (Frida) divorced 1981. Agnetha and Björn have two children, now grown up, Linda and Christian and also grandchildren so they all meet now and then. Benny and Björn both told that they are very dear friends all four and the reason why they could produce a new album after 40 years.Great. In their latest album VOYAGE is Ludvig (Bennys son ) coproducer. ABBA started 1972 as a group but the breakthrough was by winning the European Song Contest (ESC)1974 with ' Waterloo' in Brighton UK. These people are very down to earth and have no diva manners in spite their fame and fortune. They are as a group one of three most selling artists in the world beside Elvis and The Beatles. Björn is oldest and born 1945 and Frida later same year. Benny is born 1946 and Agnetha 1950. Björn is born in Gothenburg but grew up in Västervik. Frida is born in northern Norway but grew up in Sweden. Benny is born and raised in Stockholm. Agnetha is born in Jönköping.
6:20 The background harmonies comes from the studio recordning where they layered their own voices. A lot of bands made "fake" tv-performances (playback) like this in the 1970s and 80s. But ABBA made real concerts as well, both at home in Sweden and on large world tours. When they did, they had at least twice as many people on stage. Two drummers, two pianists, three guitars, and three backup singers behind their own voices. Usually a couple of woodwind players as well.
Abba The Only band that make you dance with tears in your eyes
And Ultravox ofc
Ultravox deffo..
@@Rathardican sorry, not even in the same universe as Abba.
TRUE @stefanelzenga1453 🙏 Abba The Only band that make you dance with tears in your eyes 😢
@Jessie Ball it was a whimsical reference to an Ultravox song called Dancing With Tears In My Eyes.
Her voice on the line "you've come to shake my hand" kills me every time.
The stoicism of this line. Did you notice that she nearly broke at that point? But she pulled it together. Real pain.
i feel the same thing, every time....
I agree... there is so much symbolism of finality in that line, and she delivers it with a flutter of a crack in the voice.
@@brendanh8193 I've always assumed it was a deliberate decision to let her voice tither on cracking when she delivers that line, but regardless it's amazingly expressive and heartbreaking.
Precise
Some people don't realize that ABBA is one of the biggest selling artists of all time. Album sales.
Exactly! They always 'forget' ABBA on most selling album or artist lists where they should be number one with their around 380 million units sold. With The Beatles next on the list with half of that sold ;)
At the height of their fame they were outselling Volvo cars!!
Who? Not in America
@@Don-vm9ij all over the world.
@@glendirienzo1365 Exactly i remember buying ABBA on 747 variety cassette tapes in saudi arabia in 1982!.
I bought Abba's Arrival album new in 1976 for £1.99 and my mum said it was a waste of money. I still have it and still listen to it 46 years later.
Mothers! 😂 Haha. Sometimes.
There is not one stinker in the entire ABBA library. One of the finest groups ever.
There are many gems and quite a few stinkers too amongst the gems.
Understand that these songs are a real story. She is singing about her breakup. ABBA was great about putting the truth out there no matter the pain.
She has the most pure female voice that i've ever heard.
Try listening to Judith Durham of The Seekers.
Yea, shes definitely up there.
Id say thereaare some more skilled singers out there, technically speaking, Floor Jansen, Simone Simons and Sharon den Adel comes to mind.
But the raw and geniune emotion Agnetah conveys so effortlessly EASILY puts her up among the.
Thats not saying Floor, Someand Sharon lacks emotion in their singong, they absolutely does not, there the 0.1% of the 0.1%.
All Im aying is that not even they can take take on Agnetha in as emotional perfomance.
Abba sold around 400 million records. No auto tune back then. These ladies can sing!!!! And Abba songs are some of the most difficult to sing. Have a listen to One of us. Awesome 👌🔥❤️
5 new recorded songs is gonna get released in 2021. Cant freaking wait.
I love ABBA as much as anyone. And there may to have been any AutoTune back then, there was massive Muti-Trackig go the two gils voices. That's why it took the girls and seven other background singers to reproduce the sound of their voices in concert.
Even today after nearly 49 years no auto tune with their two new songs. There vocals are crisp and crystal clear like they were then!
487 million albums
In USA the have only 1 top 10.......ONLY 1 TOP 10. How is that possible? Anyone?
Can you imagine hearing this song on the radio for the very first time more than 40 years ago! I was driving in West Cork and was no ABBA fan . And then the DJ introduced this song as the first radio play of the new ABBA song. Listening for the very first time , before it became such a classic, was like an emotional punch in the gut. The vocal is so pure, so intense , so emotionally raw, so emotionally honest, it just takes your breath away . On my very first hearing of the song all those years ago I had to pull the car over and cry, it was that emotionally deep. 40 years and millions of plays worldwide probably have reduced that emotional gut punch of the song. But those who remember listening for the very first time will never forget. In a hundred years from now , when 99% of pop songs will be forgotten, this will always remain a classic
No female singer has ever sung with more raw emotion than that. Others have told you the background story to it. As they say usually you have to have lived it to sing with that level of feeling like that. Which is generally true. It also helps that she is a brilliant singer of course.
Sinead O'Connor comes to mind.
@@wfemp_4730 Fair point. Forgot about that. That one huge song of hers. Was epic. So much feeling and emotion came across.
Uh... her name was Janis Joplin. Look her up.
@@scottski51 I know her. I've seen her duet with Tom Jones and other performances. Her "feeling and emotion" is a different type though. It's more your passionate. Euphoria kind than your emotional, hurting kind.
ONJ comes to mind that can compare. Both have such raw talent and vocal range for the time frame. Why they were both the best selling females of the 70s.
im 59 i grew up with abba music all of us single guys had the hots for her.we had her on 8 track players that we played in our musclecars and weekends at the track her voice is amazing and always will be
Sweden, Sweden, Sweden, what talents you create! What is it with this little country in the North? Answer: one of their treasures is / has been that they have a natural aptitude for singing and for music in general. It is in their genes. See for example "allsång på Skansen", Stockholm, where they meet and sing together once a week in the summertime. And their people's soul goes very, very deep. ABBA was one of the very first artists to be known outside of Scandinavia. A big hug from Norway, neighbour of Sweden.
Agnetha and Frida--two of the very best singers ever in popular music. And when the harmonize it sounds like the voice of God.
Lady, Abba even if it's not your generation, is pure perfection, all their songs, music, voices...
The greatest pop group ever...bar none. Talent such as this comes but once in a lifetime...if you're lucky.
Slipping through my fingers..another beautiful Abba song
Oh my, I can’t get through that song without sobbing
Song writing at is very best. I hosted a 2 hour Abba Story for a local radio station and the tape is still being replayed over 40 years later. Say's it all.
Agnetha's voice kind of shakes your soul doesn't it?
True
The layered vocal sound you mentioned is actually the work of their very talented audio engineer. There's a good documentary about ABBA's history that talks about how the effect was achieved.
His name is Michael B Tretow, and he's sometimes referred to as the fifth member of ABBA.
I was in the "Disco Sucks" movement, and since ABBA was huge in the discos, I rejected it along with the rest. It wasn't until years later that I realized their unique musicality - they were true musical innovators - It's embarrassing how little my pretentious teen self understood about music back in the 70's.
Never too late😉😉!
Same here. Yet now I'll put the ABBA Gold selection on and zip through 40 of their songs with no problem.
My wife doesn't have great English, but one of the things she said the first time they were on radio was about the group with two men and two ladies. I knew who she meant straight away, even though she didn't know what they were called.
I'm feeling ya.
Disco never dies.
and the guitar player looked at her and felt it
Thank you for your insightful reaction, Dani...as many of the earlier comments have stated, this song was actually written by her ex-husband, Bjorn (on the acoustic guitar), specifically for Agnetha to sing lead. He has said he tried to draw from the emotion of what both of them were going through. Several times over the years, Agnetha has said this was her favorite of all of their many hits. You might want to also check out "Knowing Me, Knowing You", which I believe to have been a foreshadowing of their impending breakup.
The Biggest Pop Group of all times in the World for me . Extraordinary , outstanding .
Excellent music , songs and very beautiful angelic voices .
ABBA's a perfect pop group in all aspect .
It was after they divorced. Her husband (Björn on guitar) wrote this he later said, in one drunken hour. When he showed the song to Agnetha she cried. The song is nothing but real emotion.
How the hell did she sing this?!
@@jeffharry9675 Professional musician - and a mature mind. No teenager this. They had been married before ABBA, had a child, and got on with life - and wrote and sang about it. Their music is relevant and meaningful to people all over the world today for that very reason. Not a "bubble-gum" pop band.
@@HankD13 As Ed McMahon would say, " you are correct, sir".
Yes it’s true to life
@@jeffharry9675 ❤
Never been ashamed to admit it freely. I always have been and always will be an abba fanatic.
Thanks Dani for reacting to ABBA. What a fantastic band. Love them
Her (ex) husband is on guitar and wrote this song about their breakup.......very emotional.......but she knew how good the song was and had no objections to singing it......incredible performance.....listen to “Fernando”....
-she's singing about her divorce from the guitar player, standing right next to her
And he wrote the song... For HER to sing. It's like four levels of fucked up.
@@mrjdgibbs He he. That's one way of saying it.
@@mrjdgibbs It’s his sincere feelings . Just maybe men feel these things deeper than women do. Men wrote most of the greatest love songs, have you never noticed ?
Hello again, so nice to I see your reaction to ABBA
I love so much the Sweden pop group ABBA
remember They was two couples:
Anni Frid (brunette) &
Benny (pianist)
Björn (guitarist) &
Agnetha (blonde)
Boys was songwriters and Girls was lead singers
ABBA have more than 20 worldwide hits (between 1972/1982) in several countries of all continents, included:
Waterloo
S.O.S.
Mamma Mia
Fernando
Dancing Queen
Take a chance on me
Chiquitita
Gimme gimme gimme
The winner takes it all
Super trouper
"The winner takes it all" is one of their greatest hits, #1 in UK and several countries, #8 in Billboard U.S. and #1 in Adult Contemporary U.S.
"The winner takes it all" have a deep lyric writen by the guitarist Björn and singing at lead vocal by his ex-wife Agnetha, that gives an emotional and powerful interpretation with her lovely voice
note: Agnetha & Björn was separated at the end of 1978 (with two young children) but the legal divorce was in the middle of 1980
after this, Björn wrote this incredible lyrics
(obviously included part of your own history),
and give Agnetha to sing it
at first She cry, but then put all your feelings and emotions and talents to this amazing performing
I hope to see you in another reaction to ABBA songs
I suggest you one of their most worldwide hit:
"Mamma Mia"
(the song that inspire a great musical and two movies with all ABBA songs)
Stay safe and be care
And have a great week!
how can anyone listen to this song and not ball their eyes out in tears and emotion.
This is one of the most emotional songs by ABBA. Agnetha's voice is like a voice of an angel in this song
ABBAs songs are full of catchy and happy melodies; you get in such a good mood when you listen to ABBA. Their music pick you up when you are down or in a depression. Make you want to dance and celebrate being alive. The music is effortless, and yet so complex in all their different layers. In my opinion, Benny Andersson is one of the very best composers of our time.
When you really and fully understand the text of ABBA songs, you will be amazed of the depth in the lyrics and the phenomenal insights in the challenges of being human. This ability allows us to easily identify with the lyrics. I do not know of any other group that can captivate me and enchant me like ABBA. Their music and lyrics are magical.
Neither do I know of any other group that can evoke as many different and genuine emotions and feelings in me as ABBA do. This is a rare talent that ABBA have in abundance.
I go as far as to say that this talent makes their music and lyrics a real healing on a very deep, unconscious level. So, in these very turbulent, chaotic and uncertain times, ABBA has a HUGE mission.
Love from Lena
I agree totally. Agnetha is an incredible singer. I had a deep part of me when I was young that I thought nothing could touch. Then Agnetha came along and seemingly effortlessly did it. I was amazed. It was then I knew she was a very special singer.
This kind of song is capable of making anybody feeling so emotional about past
ABBA the great swedish band at 1980. A typical song I like this group very much. Dani this is very cool 👍
Anyone who has had their heart broken can't help but cry at this one
Abba is great I grew up listening to them
There are sooo many amazing aspects to this song, cool to see you pick up on a number of them. "The Winner Takes It All" is very unique.
Dear Dani if you did not know this song of Abba because you are very young, I grow up with Abba and I can tell you is the Number One top ten of Abba people in the world favorite
ABBA is wonderful. I loved your comments on this beautiful song. Great job. Thanks.
Of all the reaction vids of this song I enjoyed yours the most. You were really paying attention and you know what you are talking about. Her name is Agnetha Faltskog and yes she is a songwriter herself. She is the queen of heartbreak. Listen to SOS, slipping through my fingers but also the day before you came is very special. She sang it like Charles Aznavour did it. Half singing half speaking. Acting the part of the woman she was singing about. Her discribes her life before she met this man. Masterpiece.
I love Dani, but gotta give a shout-out to FortWorthFabian - the King of Abba reactors!
OH I forgot another fun fact. ABBA filmed a number of tv commercials for the then electronics brand National. They made radios, portable cassette players, stuff like that, while they were in Australia.
The greatest pop band of all time.
Obviously her facial expressions are sincere: this song is about HER break up with her husband (there playing the guitar)
The husband wrote the song.
She sang the song.
I don’t know if I could sing under such circumstances !
To me it shows great showmanship on both of them.
Could I write such a personal story,
for her to sing it ?
For all to hear it ?
Wow !!! 😳🤭🤯
@@APC3370 He's got balls, i'll give him that. Imagine walking up to your ex-wife "Hey, I wrote a song about our break-up and how much pain you're feeling, how bout you sing it? Oh don't worry, I'll play guitar"
No it isn't. . The song isn't about their break up as Bjorn said. Agnetha was a great actress...really feeling the story of the song. She said: singing the winner was like acting....She did it on many abba and solo songs. That's why she stood out. Frida is a great singer but she can't do what Agnetha can.
@@m.menneke8513 Correct.. In a recent interview though she did say that although the song is about generic break ups she did find it difficult to sing at times.
@@MubiiOxx You’re another person saying this stuff. It’s his sincere feelings she’s singing not hers. You wouldn’t have any problem with it if she wrote it about him. He obviously felt this break up so deeply he wrote a great song about it. You don’t know what happened yet you automatically blame him.
My mom's favorite song as Fernando and mine was Mama Mia back in the early 70s in NZ. One day she told me to come to the TV. It was Abba and she told me that both our favorite songs were from the same group. I remember thinking that was significant as her music was hers and mine was mine. But Abba's success was their broad appeal. Mostly pop songs, but they also sung one of the greatest dance tracks of all time and this song, perhaps the greatest break up song.
hello Dani, nice yo see your reaction to the Sweden pop group ABBA, the leads in 70s (decade post BEATLES)
ABBA had more than 20 worldwide hits between 1972/1982, like:
Waterloo , S.O.S. , Mamma Mía ,
Fernando , Dancing Queen ,
Take a chance on me , Chiquitita
ABBA was two couples from Sweden, it's an acróstic with the initials of Their first names:
Agnetha (blonde singer) &
Björn (guitarist songwriter)
Benny (pianist songwriter) &
Anni Frid (brunette singer)
"The winner takes it all"
is the most sad song of ABBA, combine the contrast in sad lyrics with catchy melodies for your fantastic lead singers
"The winner takes it all" is for me the best interpretation of a song that I heard in my life by any singer or band
It is interpretation, because it is more than just singing, it is also acting and transmitting, and Agnetha does all that and on a superlative level
Beyond the morbid that the story of this song produces (lyrics about a divorce, written by the guitarist Björn, sung by his ex-wife Agnetha), the structure reflects a change: it is the first time in all ABBA songs that whoever has the leading voice has been alone from beginning to end
She goes one way and the choirs go the other (they do not add up, they remain in the background)
and in the end She is left alone passive and exposed, while the chorus and the music finish so up
That is why I feel that Agnetha does an extraordinary performance (extraordinary: out of the ordinary)
Her face is very expressive and accompanies the various tones and nuances of her majestic vocalization.
"The winner takes it all" is a great song, it's in my ABBA Top 5
It is the favorite of British fans,
but specialy is the one chose
by Björn and Agnetha (and Their own words is the one that is worth more)
I like you for a reaction to
"Chiquitita" at the Concert for UNICEF in 1979 at United Nations
It's a ballad pop with hope lyrics that ABBA premier that night with royalties donated to UNICEF
czcams.com/video/oMIw_y9uRT8/video.html
My best wishes for You
from Buenos Aires Argentina
and GOD bless you!
They were better received in the UK than probably anywhere!
I know I fancied the pants off Agnetha .....
Uk. Second to Australia.
I love how she talk about this as a simple performance, when the truth is that agneta is singing her own divorce!!.
She was going through a marriage break up when they recorded this song and it is a great reflection of her talent and skill that she did such a great job of the song.
3:50 What makes Agnetha's singing so special is her ability to literally tell a story while singing, like she is actually recalling a memory or an emotion, and thus builds a direct emotional connection to the listener unrelated to her exceptional singing. She is not only singing to the listener, she is also directly talking to the listener while she sings. I don't think I know another singer who can accomplish that in pop music.
Agnetha is known for having Pitch perfect ,perfect Pitch ,along with a flawless B2 - F7 range
im fascinated that you like these songs and can feel them its so cool so i subscribed.please never let them songs die
"No self confidence...But you see...The winner takes it all. That little addition...'But you see'...What a way to finish the song. Just ABBA at their very best...and they already set the bar very, very high. Beautiful.
The 'ABBA sound' was to skillfully mix the voices of the two female singers to create a kind of harmonious dissonance chorus sound that produced very complex emotional responces and interpretations from the listener. It is true that ABBA is pure genius.
What a song this is, the lyrics are captivating. To think it was written about Bjorn's and Agnetha's marriage breakup. The song takes us inside as she delivers it. 'The gods may throw a dice, Their minds as cold as ice, And someone way down here loses someone dear'. In any breakup, these lines say it all.
The lyrics were written by her ex husband and fellow band member standing to her right
Always loved Abba
I'm from Sweden, and I'm so proud to be from the same country 😍😍😍
This is a super sad song. Breaks my heart each time I've listen to it... during the release and even all these years after.
Agnetha's voice had no equal at the time. Great story teller. This is probably my favorite song from ABBA.
Dani, you should listen to the song again without trying to analysis each element. Just focus on the lyrics.
The way the music goes from flowing to stop and goes quite
Then the beatiful chorus
Tell me does she kiss like i used to kiss you smooth as silk vocals
And the chorus
You have come to shake my hand
Superb lyrics alround such an amazing song lyrics and vocals and instruments
She is singing a song written by her ex (the guitarist) about their break up
He's barely two feet away in the light blue suit. She feels it because the song is about her divorce from him.
Ahhh wow.
@@DaniAtkinson Abba actually used to be a band of two married couples. As their marriages got more strained and emotional, so did their songs
@@DaniAtkinson Just like Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac.
The official music video version is even more dramatic imho. I start blubbering when I watch it, and I am almost 57, I was 16, when this dropped in 1980. I was devastated.
Probably not the best song of theirs to start with. Try Waterloo, The Eurovision song contest version.
abba never ever made a bad or underpar song everything they wrote composed or sung was pure gold.. i dare anyone to listen to an abba song and not want to start to move and dance....and smile. this song is so emotional because she was going through the process of her and the gutair players divorce imagine the courage it took for her to go on stage and sing this song about her divorce with her soon to be ex playing the gutair...
Love ABBA
ABBA the best
💖💖💖💖💖
The brunette is Frida and she sings the lead in Fernando, but most of their songs they sing as a duet
6:05 The backup singers all have mics. You can def see it at the very beginning. Thanks for the reaction!
Thank you, Dani. I always liked Abba.
The music from my time
So sad. The singer here lives in almost solitude in Sweden now. Bless her. For the genre of music this is highly emotional.
I recommend you a singer her name is Diana Navarro with the song "El perdón" she is a very versatile Spanish singer singing different styles of music with incredible melisma. She transmits a lot of emotion and emotion when she sings.
The reason it seems so heartfelt is because her marriage to one of the male artists in the band was really falling apart when they wrote and recorded this song, similar to Gordon Lightfoot who was going thru a divorce when he wrote and recorded "If You Could Read My Mind", however Gordon was a solo artist so he was singing only about the breakup of his marriage, but here she knew they were singing about the breakup of their marriage and the band.
They don’t have back up singers. The sound is created by the two girls singing the song several times on tape (overlay). The technique was invented by their sound technician Michael B Tretow and is used in most of their songs.
This is a song she sang about her divorce from her husband who is on guitar. He wrote the song one night when he was drunk. Once it was on paper and became art it had to be expressed.
I have this as the B-side of what I think was their last hit single, "One of Us." Should still be in the record collection at my parents' house. It was on the album Super Trouper, which I bought with my own money. Then my mother asked if a friend of hers could borrow it and I'd have one of her compilations albums in exchange. I never saw it again. If you knew the stuff I've been listening to since the late 80s, early 90s, you'd never think that in my early years I was a big Abba fan. But Abba are timeless. They are pretty much the only band that my extended family all seemed to agree to like. I remember an uncle having an Abba boxed set.
what's really heartwrenching about this is that the lyrics were written by her estranged husband, who is beside her playing guitar. You can tell she feels every emotion of it, and understands. Both married couples in the band broke up during their success. This is Bjorn and Agnetha's song. Benny and Frida's is "When all is said and done". A must listen. "Knowing me knowing you" is a pre breakup song. Most critics feel this band wrote the best songs describing divorce.
Always loved ABBA. Thanks for the reaction.
This song was written about divorce and was written during the divorce between the guitar player Bjorn and the singer Agnetha. Bjorn said he wrote the lyrics in about an hour while he was drunk and when he showed it to Agnetha she cried reading the lyrics and to date it is still one of the biggest hits by the group. Both Bjorn and Agnetha deny that the song is about their personal divorce because they both feel neither of them won. The music of ABBA is so timeless and great because both Bjorn and Benny who wrote everything they did were students of music from all over the world and through history and incorporated styles and techniques from all over into the music they wrote.
One of The 'Best Pop Sensations of all Times!' Those two girls could've sung the phone book, and it would've sounded perfect. Benny and Bjorn were musical geniuses! They were is a Class all by themselves... it took those 2-A's and the 2-B's to form that near Perfect Report Card. They truly were... 'One of a Kind!' ♠️♥️♦️♣️ Thank you for sharing! 💖
My all time fav..abba..
As a hard-core ABBA fan, I've always loved this song, even though it's *so* sad. My fave up-beat? There's a few different ones ... _Dancing Queen_ ... _Fernando_ (it has a touch of melancholy & wistfulness, but is mostly about remembering the times you fought for your ideals - so up-lifting!) ... _Gimme A Man After Midnight_ & a couple others too.
Abba, the biggest and the most well known group from Sweden. Agnetha, the lady that sing this, was also married to Björn (on the guitar). And Benny (on the piano, was married to Anni-Frid, Benny had/has all of his music in his fingers because he dont know sheet music, thats speak what a musician he is). All the lyrics and music was written by Björn and Benny....timeless music.
Happy Friday Dani, I highly recommend any ABBA song they were fantastic. The films "MAMA MIA & MAMA MIA HERE WE GO AGAIN" feature ABBA songs infact the music was written by Benny & Bjorn from ABBA.
Love abba
Every time that I see you react to a song that seems like one you could perform well, I imagine you singing it.
I like the way that on the 3rd verse it becomes less clear who left who. Very clever.
I love your reaction! The Winner Takes It All is my favorite Abba song. Another I would love to see your reaction to is Fernando.
Dani, I am not sure why they were not big in the U.S in the seventies , they were huge in the UK & especially Australia, Agnetha has as powerful voice as Whitney, Mariah & Celine
Unfortunately to become big in the USA you have to tour massively and be available 24/7 to the public and ABBA where not prepared to do it because they really didn’t need to. ABBA were always more comfortable in the Studio, they didn’t really like to tour and only did it to see the fans and never made any money from touring because to reproduce their sound live took a massive entourage
@@robertdinmore1971 AGREE.........they only appeared on a few variety shows. In order to get full exposure back then the only way to get recognized was to go out on tour.
@@robertdinmore1971 Also they had young kids which made touring tough. Agnetha in particular has mentioned that this was a source of tension.
@@robertdinmore1971 They were very big in Australia, there is a movie about their Australian tour.
@@robertdinmore1971 true but they get the reconintion later they are in the r&r hall of fame
This song will break your heart just listening to it.
When Agnetha and Freda sing together it's called the 3rd voice, its wonderful and unique👏👏👏👏👌👌
Re the layered singing, it sounds like the studio version that ABBA released. I think they might have mimed this particular song. In the studio, ABBA added lots of effects into their songs at times to give it a full sound.
ABBA was famous for doing a lot of multiple takes for vocals (the same four over and over) and putting them all together for that big sound for the final track. Very multi-layered, and that's also why ABBA music is very hard to sing live without changing the sound a bit. Their music was always very well produced.
I have only a few actual CDs that I actually still listen to, and listen to them in the car, and ABBA is one of those very few.
6:08 Abba had three more background singers who are not seen in the video
They are in the background.Tomas Ledin, Lisa Ohman, and Birgitta Wollgard.
One of the reasons that the song was so meaningful to Agnetha (the blond singing), was that it was about her divorce from Bjorn (the guitarist) who wrote the song.
At the end of this song agneta belts
Her heart out sing it lady sing it let us feel youre pain
The "loser standing small" understand the message of the song,the "winner" think it's a party song.
GOD send 4 Angels to earth, and they took the name ABBA ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 🎶
I think this performance was prerecorded in Stockholm during the day then later showed on a German show in the evening.
I absolutely LOVED ABBA
There is great irony in this song. As you mentioned, the slow melody with a fast beat in the background. It's as if the lead singer is broken, but the world goes on around her. Even on that stage, the other band members are be-bopping but her heart is breaking.
Isn't that the way of things?
Agnetha was singing her life story!!
She and her husband were divorcing at this time ( he played guitar and wrote the song )
@Michael Seitz I'm not surprised
Agnetha (Ang-Neta) sang the song her now divorced husband Björn (Bjoern) guitar has written. Most lyrics in ABBA songs are written by Björn and the music mostly by Benny. Arrangements is a group work. Björn and Benny have written and produced musicals and filmmusic such as Mamma Mia ,Chess a.s.o. Benny and Anni-Frid were also married. Agnetha and Björn divorced 1979 and Anni-.Frid (Frida) divorced 1981. Agnetha and Björn have two children, now grown up, Linda and Christian and also grandchildren so they all meet now and then. Benny and Björn both told that they are very dear friends all four and the reason why they could produce a new album after 40 years.Great. In their latest album VOYAGE is Ludvig (Bennys son ) coproducer. ABBA started 1972 as a group but the breakthrough was by winning the European Song Contest (ESC)1974 with ' Waterloo' in Brighton UK. These people are very down to earth and have no diva manners in spite their fame and fortune. They are as a group one of three most selling artists in the world beside Elvis and The Beatles. Björn is oldest and born 1945 and Frida later same year. Benny is born 1946 and Agnetha 1950. Björn is born in Gothenburg but grew up in Västervik. Frida is born in northern Norway but grew up in Sweden. Benny is born and raised in Stockholm. Agnetha is born in Jönköping.
The ultimate break up song written and performed by a couple breaking up.............
6:20 The background harmonies comes from the studio recordning where they layered their own voices. A lot of bands made "fake" tv-performances (playback) like this in the 1970s and 80s. But ABBA made real concerts as well, both at home in Sweden and on large world tours. When they did, they had at least twice as many people on stage. Two drummers, two pianists, three guitars, and three backup singers behind their own voices. Usually a couple of woodwind players as well.