Oude wonden - Annie

Having released one album and six singles on the WEA/Arti label, Dutch singer Annie found herself without a recording contract. No wonder: all of her releases failed to chart, as her repertoire was probably just too depressing for most.

But she persevered. 'Oude wonden' ('Old wounds') was released in 1985 on the small 'Audio records' label. The material she sang was as depressing as ever: 'Old wound never heal' she sings on the A-side, and the B-side, 'Waarom ging je heen' ('Why did you leave') is an ode to someone who committed suicide. It was another remarkable addition to an already remarkable repertoire. Unsurprisingly, this single, too, wasn't a hit.

My collection: 7" single no. 7229
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 June 2024
Tracks: 'Oude wonden' / 'Waarom ging je heen'

Wild hearted woman - All About Eve

My recent post about All About Eve's 'Wild hearted woman' was one part of the story. There's another part to it, of course, because back in 1988 the band released many different formats and configurations of their singles.

Take for instance this limited edition version of the same 12" single. It comes in a box, which includes the 12" single in a completely different sleeve plus an enamel badge. That's all. No posters or postcards, just a badge. However, the 12" features an extra track compared to the 'regular' 12" single. The fourth track is a 'reprise' of 'What kind of fool' - a song that would get a single release some months later after the chart success of 'Martha's harbour'. 

It's a nice package, which I managed to buy at a record fair some time after its release.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, 1990
Tracks: 'Wild hearted woman [extended]', 'What kind of fool (Reprise)' / 'Appletree man', 'Like Emily'

Lay all your love on me - Abba

'Lay all your love on me' was not intended to be a single but after a remixed version gained popularity in nightclubs, the song was released as Abba's final single from the album Super Trouper - but only as a 12" single.  At the time, it was the highest selling 12-inch record in UK chart history, where it peaked at No. 7. 

The song is known for a descending vocal sound at the end of the verse immediately preceding the refrain. This was achieved by sending the vocal into a harmoniser device, which was set up to produce a slightly lower-pitched version of the vocal. In turn its output was fed back to its input, thereby continually lowering the pitch of the vocal. Andersson and Ulvaeus felt that the chorus of the song sounded like a hymn, so parts of the vocals in the choruses were run through a vocoder, to recreate the sound of a church congregation singing, slightly out of tune.

This edition is a picture disc released as part of a series accompanying the re-release of the album Super Trouper in 2020. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7319
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 September 2024
Tracks: 'Lay all your love on me' / 'On and on and on'

Super trouper - Abba

I've always viewed 'Super trouper' as an Abba-by-numbers track. Sure, the melody is there and the vocals are spot on, but the lyrics seem a bit uninspired. Being the big pop stars they were at that time, it seemed a bit too 'easy' to get inspired by a super trouper - the kind of spotlight used during live performances - and telling the story of a singer who waits for her lover to appear.

But still, the audiences loved it. The single was actually Abba's last number 1 hit in the UK. It also topped the charts in a handful of European countries. 

This edition is a picture disc released as part of a series accompanying the re-release of the album Super Trouper in 2020. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7318
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 September 2024
Tracks: 'Super trouper' / 'The piper'

The winner takes it all - Abba

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson started writing 'The winner takes it all' in the summer of 1979 in a cottage on the island of Viggsö. The demo had an original title of 'The story of my life' and the first arrangement for the song was uptempo with a constant beat. However, they felt their first effort "much too stiff and metrical", so they left the song for a few days while they worked on other songs. 

Four days later they returned to the song, and Andersson came up with the idea of using a French chanson-style arrangement with a descending piano line and a looser structure. Ulvaeus then recorded a demo using nonsense French words for lyrics, and took the recording home to write the lyrics. According to Ulvaeus, he drank whiskey while he was writing, and it was the quickest lyric he ever wrote. He said, "I was drunk, and the whole lyric came to me in a rush of emotion in one hour." Ulvaeus said that when he gave the lyrics to Fältskog to read, "a tear or two welled up in her eyes. Because the words really affected her." Ulvaeus denies the song is about his and Fältskog's divorce, saying the basis of the song "is the experience of a divorce, but it's fiction. 'Cause one thing I can say is that there wasn't a winner or a loser in our case. A lot of people think it's straight out of reality, but it's not". However, Ulvaeus admitted that the heartache of their breakup inspired the song, but noted that the words in the song should not be taken literally. These days, 'The winner takes it all' is recognized as one of Abba's strongest tracks. 

This edition is a picture disc released as part of a series accompanying the re-release of the album Super Trouper in 2020. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7312
Found: Abba Fanclub, received 3 September 2024
Tracks: 'The winner takes it all' / 'Elaine'

Voulez-vous (extended dance remix) - Abba

The extended dance remix of 'Voulez-vous' on this 7" single was originally released on a promotional 12" single in the USA only. In 2001, the track resurfaced on the 2001 compilation album The Definitive Collection. And then, of course, Abba being Abba, the track was re-released several times. In 2005 it was included in the 'blue' box set The Complete Studio Recordings and in 2012 it was released on a blue sparkling 12" single for Record Store Day.

This edition is a picture disc released as part of a series accompanying the re-release of the album Voulez-Vous in 2019. It is actually the first release of this remix on a 7" single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7315
Found: Abba Fanclub, received 3 September 2024
Tracks: 'Voulez-vous (extended dance remix)' / 'If it wasn't for the nights'

Voulez-Vous - Abba

Although 'Voulez-Vous' was definitely the most recognized song of the two, this single was originally conceived as a double A-side, as is reflected in the artwork. But the appeal of the disco-infused song with the French title was simply much bigger. 

A songwriting trip to the Bahamas saw the birth of this melody, and the proximity to Miami made it convenient to record the backing track at Criteria Studios with members of the disco group Foxy. 'Voulez-Vous' is the only ABBA song (other than live recordings) to be recorded outside of Sweden. 

This edition is a picture disc released as part of a series accompanying the re-release of the album Voulez-Vous in 2019. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7314
Found: Abba Fanclub, received 3 September 2024
Tracks: 'Voulez-vous' / 'Angeleyes'