The Winner Takes It All

[annwfyn]

On a random note, is it just me, or was this an amazingly cruel song for a man to give his soon-to-be-ex to sing as they go through their divorce?

I found this today and was really struck by that.

Comments

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Maybe. I'm not sure. I mean, it's the kind of song I listen to and sing when I'm going through painful and unwanted break-ups, and I'm not actually sure how I'd feel about the breaker-up writing it for me to sing. It might even have been an odd kind of gift; 'I know how much this hurts you and I'm sorry' sort of thing.

It's very weird, certainly, but so much depends on exactly what the dynamic was between them at the time.

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it, who actually broke up with whom?

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

She divorced him, according to the internet, and moved out of their home. So I guess it was her decision, tho maybe he kicked her out or something else happened which prompted it?

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Or maybe part of the meaning of the song is 'look how terrible you made me feel'. Yeeeeeees.

[rocket-jockey.livejournal.com]

Both Agnetha and Annafrid filed for divorce around the same time. Benny and Bjorn were pretty obsessed with keeping ABBA at the top of the music industry, and weren't listening to their wives' requests for some time away from the business. The pressures of touring and living in the spotlight, spending time in one anothers' back pockets without much respite, dealing with the business side of the group all the time were too much to keep the relationships intact - any one of those could put too much strain on almost any marriage.

Annafrid eventually remarried to a wealthy nobleman, and Benny and Bjorn stayed together as friends, songwriters and business partners ("Like Old Friends Do" off the same album was a song about their friendship). Agnetha was the token introvert, and spent a long time actively avoiding the public eye, even though she did release a couple of solo albums after ABBA ended.

[anonymous-james.livejournal.com]

Or if you want a cynical view: This divorce is going to be costly, I wrote this, if you sing it, we'll make enough money to pay our legal fees.

[blane-firewing.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I always thought something similar.

Love the song though.