"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man after Midnight)" was written and composed by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, with the lead vocal sung by Agnetha Fältskog. Agnetha, as the narrator, weaves the image of a lonely young woman who longs for a romantic relationship and views her loneliness as a forbidding darkness of night, even drawing parallels to how the happy endings of movie stars are so different from her own existence.
The song was recorded at Polar Music Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1979, and was ready for release in October of that year, in conjunction with the group's tour of North America and Europe.
Originally, ABBA had recorded another song, "Rubber Ball Man", which was planned as a single. It featured the typical "ABBA-arrangement" with both Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad on lead vocals and the use of classical strings. This song was also performed by the group during rehearsals for its 1979 tour as "Under My Sun". However, the group felt that "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!", with its disco sound, would be a better choice, and thus, "Rubber Ball Man" remained nothing more than a demo.
The single version of this song, which was released in its full length of 4:45 everywhere else in the world, was released in the United States and Canada in an edited format, being just 3:36 in length. This was done by removing the first half of the opening instrumental, the first four of the eight bars of the instrumental bridge between the second and final chorus, and fading the song out early. It is believed the edit was done by Atlantic, ABBA's North American record label, and not Polar, hence the reason why it was available only in the USA and Canada. This single version has never appeared on any commercial CD issued by Polar/Universal to date, and along with the US radio edit of Chiquitita, it marked the only time Atlantic ever commercially released an edited version of an ABBA single while they had the North American rights to release ABBA recordings.
The single was never released by Polar Music in the group's native Sweden, instead being featured on the "Greatest Hits Volume 2" album, which did get a Swedish release. While Polar released the single in neighbouring Norway, Denmark, and Finland, copies of these versions were not made available in the Swedish record stores, who thus arranged to import copies of the United Kingdom version on Epic Records. Sales of these imports were sufficient for the single to reach number 16 on the sales chart in Sweden.
"¡Dame! ¡Dame! ¡Dame!" is the Spanish-language version of the song. The song was released as a single to promote Gracias Por La Música in Latin America and other Spanish-speaking countries.
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was another highly successful song for ABBA. It hit No. 1 in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, West Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Norway. It also proved to be ABBA's most successful song in Japan, hitting #17.
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
ABBA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm watchin' the late show in my flat, all alone
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
Autumn winds
Blowin' outside the window as I look around the room
And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Movie stars
Find the end of the rainbow with a fortune to win
It's so different from the world I'm living in
Tired of TV
I open the window and I gaze into the night
But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Half past twelve
And I'm watchin' the late show in my flat, all alone
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
Autumn winds
Blowin' outside the window as I look around the room
And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
The lyrics of ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" is a powerful statement of loneliness and longing for love. The singer describes how she spends her evenings alone, haunted by autumn winds and shadows that follow her. She feels depressed and overwhelmed by the gloom in her room. She longs for someone to help her chase these shadows away and take her through the darkness to the break of the day. She prays for a man to come into her life, to help her find happiness and love.
The singer compares her life to that of movie stars who have it all, including fortune and fame. She is tired of watching TV, and finds solace by gazing out of the window into the night. However, she discovers that there's nothing out there except emptiness and loneliness. The song's repetitive chorus emphasizes the singer's desperate need for love: "Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight, take me through the darkness to the break of the day."
The song's lyrics resonate with many people who experience loneliness and isolation, and long for love and companionship. It expresses the universal desire for human connection and the transformative power of love. It's a disco classic that has stood the test of time and continues to inspire and move people around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Half past twelve
It's already twelve-thirty at night.
And I'm watchin' the late show in my flat, all alone
I'm alone in my apartment, watching a late-night TV show.
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
I don't like being alone at night.
Autumn winds
The breeze made by the autumn wind.
Blowin' outside the window as I look around the room
The wind is blowing outside as I look around my empty room.
And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom
Seeing the empty room and listening to the sounds of the autumn wind makes me feel sad.
There's not a soul out there
There's no one outside in the streets or anywhere nearby.
No one to hear my prayer
There's no one around to listen to me when I pray.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
I'm lonely and I want a man to come to me at midnight.
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
I need someone to help me get rid of the feelings of loneliness.
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
I want someone to accompany me during the lonely hours of the night and lead me to the morning light.
Movie stars
Famous celebrities who star in movies.
Find the end of the rainbow with a fortune to win
Movie stars find fame and fortune, like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
It's so different from the world I'm living in
The world of movie stars is very different from mine.
Tired of TV
I'm bored of watching TV.
I open the window and I gaze into the night
I open the window to look outside at the dark night sky.
But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
Despite looking outside, there's nothing to see except for the dark and empty streets.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
I'm still looking for a man to come to me at midnight.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
I really want a man to come to me at midnight.
There's not a soul out there
It's still very quiet outside.
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
I implore someone to help me feel less lonely and forget about the shadows that surround me.
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
I want someone to accompany me on this lonely night and bring me to the dawn of the next day.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
I want to reiterate my desire for a man to be with me at midnight.
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away?
I still need someone to help me chase away these negative feelings.
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
I want to be taken out of this lonely night and led towards a brighter tomorrow.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
I continue to plead for someone to come to me at midnight.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
I desperately want a man to come to me at midnight.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benny Goran Bror Andersson, Bjoern K. Ulvaeus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@imonmygrave
dear random person, you have a good music taste.
@lemxontarts5802
Why thank u
@julialvrr
Thanks you , you too
@anyssahealer
Thanks!
@ayyubmoghul
This was actually in my recommended 😅
@fabiomelo2059
yeeeaaaaaaaah
@deephouseradio254
Probably one of the most iconic melodies in music history.
@Vykyification
Time goes by ... so slowly :D
@atNguyen-hp1pu
,, , ,*.
@siewheilou399
A good match: I need a hero.