Lovers (Live a Little Longer)

Last updated

"Lovers (Live a Little Longer)"
Lovers-Live-A-Little-Longer.jpg
Song by ABBA
from the album Voulez-Vous
Released23 April 1979
Recorded13 March 1978 29 March 1979
Studio Polar Music
Genre Disco
Length3:28
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
Audio
"Lovers (Live A Little Longer)" on YouTube

"Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1979 album Voulez-Vous .

Contents

Production

The song premiered in the TV show ABBA in Switzerland in February 1979. [1]

Synopsis

The song argues that a recent scientific study has shown that love is a factor in longevity. It then uses this to say "lovers live a little longer baby, you and me we got a chance to live twice".

Composition

The song contains "electric guitars and restless strings", which blend together to simulate the "dynamite drug" spoken of in the narrative. The song consists of a "vocal baton-changing" between Frida and Agnetha in the lead up to the chorus. The rhythm track of the song is very similar to that of "Eagle". The string arrangement is by Rutger Gunnarsson. [1]

Critical reception

In his book Abba – Uncensored on the Record, John Tobler describes the song as "fairly frantic, but also fairly sexy". He adds that the song illustrates Frida's "thespian and theatrical inclinations". [2] In an article by The Daily Telegraph about ABBA's "hidden gems", it offers the song's "slow, sexy, understated grooves with sweeping strings" as an alternative to The Name of the Game. [3] The Sydney Morning Herald said it was a "steamy, even sensual number". [4] Times Online listed "Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" and "Kisses of Fire" as "shoulda-been hits" that were passed over in favour of other lesser songs. [5] ABBA: Let The Music Speak describes the song as "alternative and risqué". [1] Internet reviewer Michael Lawrence gave the song a C+. [6] ABBA the Blog said: "On "Lovers (Live A Little Longer)" and "Kisses of Fire," ABBA created an adult image of themselves by singing about sex". [7] Internet reviewer George Starostin says of Voulez Vous: "There's also quite a bit of generic filler that shows far less concern for melody than usual, with three songs in a row built on simplistic rhythms, containing no hooks and simply being way too formulaic for ABBA: 'If It Wasn't For The Nights', 'Lovers Live A Little Longer', and 'Kisses of Fire' could have been written by just about any disco-abusing band at the time, Boney M included." [8] Culture Fusion Reviews said ""Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" ... stands as the most complex song on the album. It has a slight disco feel but it moves through so many tempo, time signature and melody changes that it becomes a weirdo highlight of the album." [9] BBC reviewer Sean Egan said "Lovers (Live a Little Longer), a would-be saucy anthem which is merely shrill", is one of the few "clinkers" of the album. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Voulez-Vous</i> 1979 studio album by ABBA

Voulez-Vous is the sixth studio album by the Swedish supergroup ABBA. Released on 23 April 1979, the album yielded five hits, all of them big 1979 singles in Britain – "Chiquitita", "Does Your Mother Know", "I Have a Dream" and the double A-side "Voulez-Vous"/"Angeleyes". The title track showed the group embracing disco music, which at the time was at its peak. The album topped the charts in a number of countries and ranked among Britain's five best-selling albums of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voulez-Vous (song)</span> 1979 single by ABBA

"Voulez-Vous" is a 1979 song by the Swedish group ABBA, written and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad shared the lead vocals. It is the second track on the group's 1979 album of the same name. In the UK and Ireland, "Voulez-Vous" was released as a double A-side, though nearly everywhere else, "Voulez-Vous" was a single A-side. The double A side single is, as of September 2021, ABBA's 13th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Does Your Mother Know</span> 1979 single by ABBA

"Does Your Mother Know" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA and was the second single taken from their sixth album, Voulez-Vous. The B-side was "Kisses of Fire", which was also taken from the album. The song is notable for its emphasis on male vocals, performed by Björn Ulvaeus, with female backing vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angeleyes</span> 1979 single by ABBA

"Angeleyes" is a pop song written and recorded in 1978 by the Swedish group ABBA, and is featured on their sixth studio album, Voulez-Vous. Released as a double A-side with the title track of the album in July 1979, the lyrics and music were composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. As one of ABBA's most popular tracks in the United Kingdom, the song was a successful hit, peaking at No. 3 on the singles chart.

<i>The Complete Studio Recordings</i> (ABBA album) 2005 box set by ABBA

The Complete Studio Recordings is a box set of all of the studio material released by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on November 7, 2005 and consists of 9 CDs and 2 DVDs, plus a full color booklet with a timeline and photos. Another booklet containing complete lyrics to all of the music was also included.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">As Good as New</span> 1979 single by ABBA

"As Good as New" is a song recorded in 1979 by Swedish group ABBA, and was used as the opening track on their Voulez-Vous album. The lead vocals are by Agnetha Fältskog. The song was released as a single in Mexico as a double A-side with "I Have a Dream", where it became ABBA's ninth number-one hit. "As Good as New" was also released in Argentina and in Bolivia.

"When I Kissed the Teacher" is a song by the pop band ABBA. It is the opening track on their 1976 album Arrival.

S.E.X. Appeal were a German trance music project by E-Rotic's former original lead singer Lyane Leigh and RasMaTaz.

"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.

<i>The Albums</i> 2008 box set by ABBA

The Albums is a box set of recordings by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 11 November 2008 through Universal Music. The box set includes nine discs, the first eight are all of the original studio albums the way they were originally released between 1973 and 1981 while the ninth disc features all of the singles that were not released on the band's studio albums along with some of the B-sides. It includes a 40-page booklet on ABBA’s history. It does not include rarities or extras. The box set has charted in several countries.

"The King Has Lost His Crown" is a song by Swedish group ABBA, released on their 1979 album Voulez-Vous. It was also the B-side of the non-album single "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ".

"Kisses of Fire" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released on their 1979 album Voulez-Vous.

"Should I Laugh or Cry" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as the B-side to the 1981 singles "One of Us" and "When All Is Said and Done" for the album The Visitors. Lead vocals were handled by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It first appeared on the 1983 compilation album Thank You for the Music.

"Two for the Price of One" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, featured on their 1981 album The Visitors. The song also appears on the 1986 album ABBA Live.

"I Wonder (Departure)" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1977 album ABBA: The Album. It was originally part of the ABBA-produced mini-musical The Girl with the Golden Hair, which they performed at the end of each of their 1977 concert tours.

"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. 1 2 3 Tesch, Christopher Patrick (2008). ABBA : let the music speak : an armchair guide to the musical soundscape of the Swedish supergroup (1st ed.). Fairfield Gardens, Qld.: Christopher J N Patrick. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-6464-9676-4.
  2. Tobler, John (2011). Abba – Uncensored on the Record. Coda Books Ltd. p. 143. ISBN   9781908538239.
  3. McNulty, Bernadette (10 July 2008). "Abba: take a chance on these". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  4. "ABBA make a comeback". The Sydney Morning Herald . 27 May 1979. p. 48.
  5. "Music Review". Account.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2023.(subscription required)
  6. Lawrence, Michael. "ABBA Song Reviews – Don Ignacio's Music Reviews" . Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  7. Chris (15 September 2013). "Album Review: Voulez-Vous". ABBA The Blog. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  8. "ABBA Reviews". Starling.rinet.ru. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  9. ""Voulez Vous" Review". Culture Fusion Reviews. WordPress. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  10. "ABBA Voulez-Vous – Deluxe Edition Review". BBC Music. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2013.