When 'One Of Us' was released as a single it became ABBA's last top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at #3 for three weeks. The song would have been #1 for the week of Christmas in 1981, however due to there not being a published chart Christmas week it remained at #3. 'One Of Us' also reached the top 10 in countries such as Austria (#3), Belgium (#1), Ireland (#1) , the Netherlands (#1), South Africa (#4), West Germany (#1) and as well in their native Sweden (#2).
The song was not as successful in countries like Australia, where the song barley cracked the top 50, stalling at #48 and in the US where the song failed to peak inside the top 100, even though the Group had made huge impact on the charts in both countries, escpecially Australia, just a few years earlier. Nevertheless, 'One of Us' was ABBA's swansong in terms of their hit-making career
One of Us
ABBA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were, I felt, robbing me of my rightful chances
My picture clear, everything seemed so easy
And so I dealt you the blow
One of us had to go
Now it's different, I want you to know
One of us is crying
In her lonely bed
Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead
One of us is lonely
One of us is only
Waiting for a call
Sorry for herself, feeling stupid feeling small
Wishing she had never left at all
I saw myself as a concealed attraction
I felt you kept me away from the heat and the action
Just like a child, stubborn and misconceiving
That's how I started the show
One of us had to go
Now I've changed and I want you to know
One of us is crying
One of us is lying
In her lonely bed
Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead
One of us is lonely
One of us is only
Waiting for a call
Sorry for herself, feeling stupid feeling small
Wishing she had never left at all
Never left at all
Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead
One of us is lonely
One of us is only
Waiting for a call
Sorry for herself, feeling stupid feeling small
The song "One of Us" by ABBA tells the story of a failed romance between two people. The first verse sets the mood for the song, with the singer feeling that they had missed out on great romances because of the person they were with. The chorus reveals that the relationship ended badly, and now one person is crying and lying in bed while the other is waiting for a call, feeling sorry for herself.
The second verse reflects on the singer's own behavior during the relationship, admitting that they were concealing their feelings and feeling kept away from the excitement. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the loneliness and regret that both parties are feeling.
This song is a powerful expression of the pain and regret that can come with failed relationships. It speaks to the feelings of isolation, smallness, and wishing for something different that can come with the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
They passed me by, all of those great romances
I missed out on potential romantic relationships because of you.
You were, I felt, robbing me of my rightful chances
I felt like you were preventing me from experiencing the love and romance that was rightfully mine.
My picture clear, everything seemed so easy
I thought I had everything figured out and that my life would be easy.
And so I dealt you the blow
I ended our relationship.
One of us had to go
Our relationship could not continue with both of us in it.
Now it's different, I want you to know
Things have changed for me and I need you to understand that.
One of us is crying
One of us is upset and emotional.
One of us is lying
One of us is not being truthful.
In her lonely bed
This person is alone in bed and feeling isolated.
Staring at the ceiling
They are lost in thought and contemplating their life.
Wishing she was somewhere else instead
They are longing for a different life or situation.
One of us is lonely
One of us is feeling isolated and alone without the other person.
One of us is only
One of us is waiting for the other person to call or reach out.
Waiting for a call
They are hoping to hear from the other person.
Sorry for herself, feeling stupid feeling small
This person is feeling sorry for themselves and experiencing negative emotions.
Wishing she had never left at all
They regret their decision to end the relationship and wish they could undo it.
I saw myself as a concealed attraction
I thought of myself as a hidden or secret desire for you.
I felt you kept me away from the heat and the action
I thought you were preventing me from experiencing exciting and passionate moments in life.
Just like a child, stubborn and misconceiving
I behaved immaturely and wrongly interpreted the situation.
That's how I started the show
My misunderstanding began the chain of events leading to the end of our relationship.
Never left at all
They wish they had never ended the relationship and stayed together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benny Goran Andersson, Bjoern K. Ulvaeus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@arielsea9087
Interesting that Don’t Shut Me Down mentions an apartment and here she is in an apartment. Here she says ”.
One of us had to go
Now I've changed and I want you to know
One of us is crying
One of us is lying
In her lonely bed
Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead
Don’t Shut Me Down”
“Will you leave me standing in the hall Or let me enter?
The apartment hasn't changed at all
I got to say I'm glad
Once these rooms were witness to our love
My tantrums and increasing frustration
But I go from mad
To not so bad in my transformation
@luciameszarosova
Anyone in 2024? This song and andante!andante are briliant and masterpiece
@cupbeer
ami
@ramserbo5993
Huhuhuhu 😂😂😂😂😂😂 meeeeeeee
@bubuthehun
Yes
@paolaavila4988
Yes ❤
@tariqkhader6196
2024
@jonfury7154
You can listen to Abba for a lifetime & never get bored of hearing them.
@vgeniya1415
🎉❤❤❤👍🤝
@nelly9538
Thank you Jesus for ABBA. I am in therapy but these songs are better than therapy when ending a 15 year marriage. God bless
@rachelwalton4960
Ending a 20 year marriage here and... same
Hope you are doing good ❤