Should I Laugh or Cry

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"Should I Laugh or Cry"
Song by ABBA
from the album Thank You for the Music
A-side "One of Us"
Released30 November 1981 (30 November 1981)
Genre Synth-pop [1]
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 .

Contents

Synopsis

ABBA - Uncensored on the Record says: "Should I Laugh or Cry" is "a rather bitter song" about the end of a relationship. [2] 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. [3]

Composition

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. [3]

Release

While originally recorded on 4 September 1981 during sessions for the album The Visitors , [4] "Should I Laugh or Cry" was ultimately not included. However, the song is included on Thank You for the Music (1983) [5] and as a bonus track on remastered reissues of The Visitors. [2]

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References

  1. Rowe, Felix (October 31, 2024). "Classic Album: Abba - The Visitors". Classic Pop . Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Tobler, John (2012-01-04). Abba - Uncensored on the Record. ISBN   9781908538239.
  3. 1 2 Patrick, Christopher (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. 81. ISBN   9780646496764.
  4. "The Visitors - ABBA | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  5. "Thank You for the Music > Overview". Allmusic . Retrieved May 1, 2010.