| "Should I Laugh or Cry" | |
|---|---|
| Song by ABBA | |
| from the album Thank You for the Music | |
| A-side | "One of Us" |
| Released | 30 November 1981 |
| Songwriter(s) | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus |
| Audio | |
| "Should I Laugh Or Cry" on YouTube | |
"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 .
ABBA - Uncensored on the Record says: "Should I Laugh or Cry" is "a rather bitter song" about the end of a relationship. [1] ABBA: Let the Music Speak explains it as "reflect[ing] a failing relationship's pre-emptive strikes of anger and contemplation". The narrator is the "emotionally afflicted party", both "volatile and pitiless" in the verses yet "tender and forgiving" in the choruses. There is a sense that this is the last time the narrator will put up with this situation. [2]
 | This section contains too many or overly lengthy quotations .(January 2022) |
The chorus harmonies are "intricate" and "close-knit". Agnetha's "dreamy echo vocal" adds a sense of sadness to Frida's "fiery sentiments". The song has "deep percusive strikes" and also a "defiant electric glissando" in the verses, and a "lilting acoustic" in the chorus. [2]
While originally recorded on 4 September 1981 during sessions for the album The Visitors , [3] "Should I Laugh or Cry" was ultimately not included. However, the song is included on Thank You for the Music (1983) [4] and as a bonus track on remastered reissues of The Visitors. [1]
"One of Us" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in December 1981 by Polar Music as the lead single from the band's eighth studio album, The Visitors (1981). Written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who also produced it, the song has lead vocals by Agnetha Fältskog and is about a woman trying to revive a relationship she had ended. It would become ABBA's last major hit for 40 years, and the last No. 1 single of their career, topping the charts in Belgium, Denmark, West Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. "One of Us" was also a top-10 hit in countries like Austria, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. In the US, where it was released in 1983, it only charted on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart and the Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number 107 and 33, respectively. The music video for the song was directed by Lasse Hallström, featuring Fältskog as a woman moving into her new house. "One of Us" has since been covered by Pandora in 1995, A-Teens in 1999 and Cher in 2018.
"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.
"Eagle" is a song recorded in 1977 by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the opening track on their fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1978), and at 5 minutes 51 seconds, the longest they ever released. As the third and final official single from the album, it was issued in a limited number of territories. These did not include the United States, where an intended release was cancelled, or United Kingdom.
"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".
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 7 November 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.
"When All Is Said and Done" is a song recorded in 1981 by Swedish pop group ABBA, and is featured on the group's eighth studio album, The Visitors. The track – with lead vocals by Anni-Frid Lyngstad – was released as a single in the United States on 31 December 1981 on Atlantic 3889, and reached No. 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1982.
"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.
"I Saw It in the Mirror" is a song by Swedish pop band ABBA, released on their 1973 album Ring Ring.
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".
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.
"Disillusion" is a ballad by the pop group ABBA, on their first album Ring Ring (1973). It is notable as the only song ABBA recorded and released on a studio album to have a songwriting credit from Agnetha Fältskog. She was a songwriter as well as a singer, and had dabbled in that in her pre-ABBA career. She wrote the music, with lyrics added by fellow ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus.
"Elaine" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was used as the B-side to the 1980 single "The Winner Takes It All". It was not included on any of their original albums but was later included as a bonus track on the 2001 reissue of Super Trouper.
"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.
"Soldiers" is an ABBA song, released on their 1981 album The Visitors. Its working title was "Peasants".
"Lovers (Live a Little Longer)" is a song by ABBA, released on their 1979 album Voulez-Vous.
"I Let the Music Speak" is a song by ABBA, featured as the first track to side two of their 1981 album The Visitors. It is the fifth-longest ABBA track, after "Eagle", "The Day Before You Came", "The Visitors", and "Chiquitita".
"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. The song was also released as the B-side to Honey, Honey in. Poland.
