Me and I

Last updated

"Me and I"
Song by ABBA
from the album Super Trouper
Released1980 (1980)
Recorded1980
Length4:54
Songwriter(s) Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
Producer(s) Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
Audio
"Me And I" on YouTube

"Me and I" is a song from ABBA's 1980 album Super Trouper . As with much of ABBA's 1980s output, the song features use of a synthesizer, and some have classified the song as synthpop. Anni-Frid Lyngstad handles the lead vocals.

Contents

Background

Recording began on 8 September 1980 and finished on 25 September 1980. [1] The track acquired the following two working titles: "Jackass" and "Piccolino". It is the last song on the first side of Super Trouper.

In his book Bright Lights, Dark Shadows, Carl Magnus Palm wrote the following:

"Bjorn's maturity as a lyricist was showcased in songs like 'The Winner Takes It All', and the hidden gem, 'Me and I', featuring an Eartha Kitt-inspired lead vocal by Frida, showed a hitherto secluded side of Björn's imagination. Its split personality theme - I am to myself what Jekyll must have been to Hyde - combined with Frida's forceful delivery put a welcome darker spin on ABBA's largely bright and wholesome universe. It was a more literal version of broodiness that coloured songs like 'SOS' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'."

In the early 1980s the instrumental segment of this song was used as theme music to BBC television coverage of bowls.

Critical reception

Abba - Uncensored on the Record described it as a "comparatively rarely heard song from the Super Trouper album". [2] Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba described it as "the hidden gem" of the Super Trouper album. [3]

Performances

The song has been performed once, on the ABBA TV special, Dick Cavett Meets ABBA in 1981. The live rendition is included on the Thank You for the Music box set released in 1994.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anni-Frid Lyngstad</span> Swedish singer (born 1945)

Princess Anni-Frid Reuss, Dowager Countess of Plauen, known by her birth name or simply as Frida, is a Swedish singer who is best known as one of the founding members and lead singers of the pop band ABBA. Born in Bjørkåsen (Ballangen), Norway, to a Norwegian mother and a German father, she grew up in Torshälla, Sweden, and started her first solo career there, as a jazz singer in 1967, through a talent competition called New Faces.

<i>Super Trouper</i> (album) 1980 studio album by ABBA

Super Trouper is the seventh studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, released on 3 November 1980. It features the No.1 singles "The Winner Takes It All" and "Super Trouper". The album became the biggest-selling album of 1980 in the UK.

<i>The Visitors</i> (ABBA album) 1981 studio album by ABBA

The Visitors is the eighth studio album by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 30 November 1981.

<i>The Singles: The First Ten Years</i> 1982 compilation album by ABBA

The Singles: The First Ten Years is a double compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in November 1982.

<i>Gracias Por La Música</i> 1980 ABBA album

Gracias Por La Música is a Spanish-language album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in Spain on 5 April 1980 and Latin America on May 10. Gracias Por La Música was originally released due to the unexpected surge in popularity for the group in Latin American countries such as Mexico and Argentina after the release of the Spanish-language versions of "Chiquitita" and "I Have a Dream" in 1979. These tracks were both released as singles and went on to become big hits. Encouraged by this success, the band therefore decided to record another eight tracks in Spanish and release a full-length album especially for the Latin American market. The album was also released in ABBA's native Sweden on June 23, and in Japan on July 21 after ABBA played eleven successful concerts earlier in March.

<i>Somethings Going On</i> 1982 studio album by Frida

Something's Going On is the third solo album by Swedish singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida), one of the founding members of the Swedish pop group ABBA, and her first album recorded entirely in English. Her previous two albums had been recorded in Swedish. Recorded in early 1982 during the final months of ABBA, the album was released in September of that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring Ring (ABBA song)</span> 1973 single by Bjorn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida (ABBA)

"Ring Ring" is a song by Swedish group ABBA, released as the title track of their 1973 debut album. The single gave the group their big break in several European countries (although the rest of Europe, North America and Australia would be introduced to ABBA the following year). The song was written in Swedish by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, along with their manager Stig Anderson, with an original title of "Ring Ring (Bara du slog en signal)" ("Ring Ring (If Only You Called)"). Translation into English lyrics was helped by Neil Sedaka and his collaborator Phil Cody. The Swedish version reached No. 1 in the Swedish charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Day Before You Came</span> 1982 song by ABBA

"The Day Before You Came" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in October 1982 as the lead single from the compilation album The Singles: The First Ten Years.

"Intermezzo No. 1" is an instrumental track from Swedish pop group ABBA's self-titled third album, released in April 1975. It was the first of only two tracks by the group not to contain lyrics; the other was the title track of their 1976 release, Arrival. It is the only purely instrumental ABBA song however, as Arrival includes "a static layer of rich harmony vocals". On the cover, the song was credited as "Intermezzo No.1 featuring Benny Andersson".

"Dum Dum Diddle" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1976 album Arrival. In 1977 it was released as a promo single in Argentina on the RCA label.

"Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" is the closing track on ABBA's 1981 album The Visitors. It was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

"The Piper" is a track from the 1980 album Super Trouper, by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song is loosely based on the famous story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, but lyricist Björn Ulvaeus cites the novel The Stand by Stephen King as a source of inspiration. It is regarded by some ABBA fans as being very different from the more mainstream songs they had recorded until this time. In particular, the dark lyrics dealing with the seduction by fascistic leaders and a somewhat medieval sound are not seen in their earlier songs. It is also the only ABBA song where a part of the refrain is in Latin, and has gained a small cult following among ABBA fans.

"I Saw It in the Mirror" is a song by Swedish pop band ABBA, released on their 1973 album Ring Ring.

<i>Dick Cavett Meets ABBA</i> TV series or program

Dick Cavett Meets ABBA is a 1981 television special featuring the Swedish pop group being interviewed by the American television personality Dick Cavett. ABBA also took to the stage, performing nine songs in a so-called "mini-concert". A one-off broadcast was filmed and produced by Sveriges Television (SVT) in Stockholm, Sweden and broadcast 12 September 1981 as "Dick Cavett Meets ABBA".

"One Man, One Woman" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1977 album ABBA: The Album. It is that album's third track after "Eagle" and "Take a Chance on Me". Composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, it has appeared on several compilation albums over the years, such as 1998's Love Stories and 2012's The Essential Collection.

"Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1973 album Ring Ring.

"What About Livingstone?" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1974 album Waterloo.

"My Mama Said" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1974 album Waterloo. It was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

"Hole in Your Soul" is a rock 'n' roll song by ABBA, released on their 1977 album ABBA: The Album. The song was a reworking of "Get On The Carousel", a number featured in the mini-musical The Girl with the Golden Hair, written by the group for their 1977 concert tours.

References

  1. Palm, Carl Magnus (1 September 2000). From Abba to Mamma Mia!: The Official Book. ISBN   9780823083176 . Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  2. Tobler, John (4 January 2012). Abba - Uncensored on the Record. ISBN   9781908538239.
  3. Palm, Carl Magnus (1 September 2008). Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba. ISBN   9781847724199.