♫ The Winner Takes It All ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history, Social commentary

I have to admit that I had never heard this ABBA song until last night.  When I posted Dancing Queen a couple of nights ago, Keith mentioned that this one is his favourite song by ABBA.  Although the title didn’t ring any bells, I went to listen, thinking that I would likely recognize the tune once I heard it, but nope … never heard that one before!  So, thank you Keith for expanding my horizons, and this one’s for you, my friend!

SongFacts has a lengthy bit of background info on this song … I’ll share just a bit, then if you’re interested you can read the rest.

ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus wrote “The Winner Takes It All” after separating from his wife and fellow band member, Agnetha Fältskog. It’s about a divorce where one person doesn’t want to separate and clings desperately to the marriage. It put Agnetha in the strange spot of being asked to sing a breakup song written by her ex-husband.

Ulvaeus didn’t intend it this way. He explained: “I sang a demo of it myself which a lot of people liked and said, you have to sing that. But I saw the sensible thing of course, it had to go to Agnetha. I remember coming to the studio with it and everyone said, Oh this is great, wonderful It was strange hearing her singing it. It was more like an actress doing something when she sang it, but deeply moving. Afterwards there were a few tears as well.”

Ulvaeus claimed that 90% of this song is fiction, which is why he didn’t feel too bad about having his ex-wife sing it.

Bjorn has said that while he usually didn’t use drugs or alcohol while writing, he had a bottle of brandy next to him while writing the lyrics for this song. It was very personal to him. He told The London Times March 26, 2010: “Usually it’s not a good idea to write when you’re drunk, but it all came out on that one. By the time I wrote ‘The gods may throw their dice’ the bottle was empty.”

Meryl Streep recorded this song in just one take for the ABBA-themed jukebox musical movie, Mamma Mia! Ulvaeus told The Telegraph: “Meryl Streep is a goddess. And at first we couldn’t believe that she wanted to do it. I was completely taken by surprise when I saw her performance in the movie. To hear her delivering the songs with all the emotion we put in the lyrics is more than we could have dreamed of.”

This song charted at #1 in the UK, #8 in the U.S., and as far as I can tell did not chart at all in Canada.

The Winner Takes It All

ABBA

I don’t wanna talk
About things we’ve gone through
Though it’s hurting me
Now it’s history

I’ve played all my cards
And that’s what you’ve done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play

The winner takes it all
The loser’s standing small
Beside the victory
That’s her destiny

I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence

Building me a home
Thinking I’d be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear

The winner takes it all (takes it all)
The loser has to fall (has to fall)
It’s simple and it’s plain (it’s so plain)
Why should I complain? (Why complain?)

But tell me, does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name?

Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say?
Rules must be obeyed

The judges will decide (will decide)
The likes of me abide (me abide)
Spectators of the show (of the show)
Always staying low (staying low)

The game is on again (on again)
A lover or a friend (or a friend)
A big thing or a small (big or small)
The winner takes it all (takes it all)

I don’t wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You’ve come to shake my hand

I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
But you see

The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all

So the winner takes it all
And the loser has to fall
Throw the dice, cold as ice
Way down here, someone dear
Takes it all, has to fall
And it’s plain, why complain?

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Benny Goran Bror Andersson / Bjoern K. Ulvaeus

The Winner Takes It All lyrics © Universal/union Songs Musikforlag Ab

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35 thoughts on “♫ The Winner Takes It All ♫”

  1. Well, it’s an ABBA song. No, it was fun singing in the car with the girls when someone’s boyfriend had gotten caught.

    On the way to go dancing and get her over it! 😄💃🎶

    Liked by 3 people

  3. Love this song. It is actually in Mama Mia, The Movie, sung by Donna, played by Meryl Streep, to Sam, name of actor escapes me at the moment, on the way up the long mountain road to the chapel where Sophie, the daughter, is getting married. In case you haven’t figured it out, this is one of my favorite movies, filled with music written by ABBA composers. Thanks to Keith for suggesting it. Now I think I’ll have to watch it again!

    Liked by 2 people

  4. In my divorce, there was no winner, no loser — and no lawyers. The judge said he never saw such an amicable divorce. Then he aeked if we really wanted it. By then staying together was impossible, so we each said yes. We were out of vourt in less than half sn hour.
    (The lawyers we hired at first wanted to make it into a big fight over who did whst and who got whst. We agreed to fire them and split things up on our own. That was what impressed the judge so much.)

    Liked by 4 people

  8. Although the title might suggest this Bob Seger tune is the antithesis, it has nuthin’ to do with divorce. It’s inspired by a poem by Leonard Cohen, and a statement about underachievers always playing it safe.

    (In footballin’ newz: My MIGHTY MIGHTY ROVERS kicked off the 24/25 season at home agin’ Notts County at the home venue of Prenton Park with a 0-0 draw, and the USWNT has the same score at halftime in the Olympic Gold Medal match in Paris)

    He wants to dream like a young man
    With the wisdom of an old man
    He wants his home and security
    He wants to live like a sailor at sea

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Pingback: ♫ The Winner Takes It All ♫ | Filosofa’s Word | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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