The year 1969 was a crucial turning-point in the ABBA saga. That was the year when Benny Andersson’s group, The Hep Stars, split, and it was the year when the Hootenanny Singers, Björn Ulvaeus’ band, decided to quit touring for the foreseeable future, confining their infrequent group activities to the recording studio. It was also the year when Björn became romantically involved with Agnetha Fältskog, and Benny was engaged to Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Björn and Benny strengthened their working partnership as songwriters and producers, and solidified their connection with Stig Anderson of the record company Polar Music; he also contributed lyrics to many of their songs. In hindsight, it seems the scene was set for ABBA to happen, whenever those involved felt so inclined. The reality at the time, however, was quite different.
In Sweden, the late Sixties and early Seventies were a difficult period for former pop stars such as Benny and Björn. The first, innocent pop era collapsed when the discotheques became popular and killed off many gig opportunities. “Pop” became “rock” and there were demands for a “heavier” and more advanced musical setting; also, the lyrics had to deal with philosophical or political issues if artists wanted to be taken seriously. Those who wanted to devote themselves to pure entertainment found it tough: the market for Swedish light-pop was limited, so what remained was Swedish schlager (a form of European easy listening) and cabaret. That was how the duo Björn and Benny kept themselves afloat, although they dreamed about an international career in English-language pop. Stig Anderson was confident that their dream would come true: “One day you will write a song that becomes a worldwide hit!”
The duo’s first recording project together was less than glamorous, however. In the autumn of 1969, they wrote most of the music for a not-very-good Swedish soft-porn movie, using the working title Inga II (it was a follow-up to a similar film entitled Inga). Two of the songs for the film were released as a single in the spring of 1970: ‘She’s My Kind Of Girl’ (later included on the international version of ABBA’s Ring Ring album) backed with ‘Inga Theme’. None of the songs became a hit, and the film didn’t even open until the autumn of 1971, at which time its English title had changed to The Seduction Of Inga.
Despite this setback, it was decided that Björn and Benny should record an entire album. As early as the summer of 1969 there had been talk of a demo album, for the purpose of attracting other artists to record Andersson/Ulvaeus compositions, but the plans weren’t realised until the following year. Also, it was decided to make it a “real” album for commercial release, even if there was still the hope that there would be cover versions of the songs. The album, eventually entitled Lycka (“Happiness”), was recorded between June and September 1970, although according to a contemporary interview with Björn Ulvaeus, only five days in total was spent in the studio for the 11 tracks on the album. In terms of style, the album was fairly eclectic: intimate ballads were followed by somewhat rawer electric guitar-based pop (the rocky ‘Nånting är på väg’ [“Something’s On The Way”] had appeared in an instrumental version in The Seduction Of Inga), which in turn was followed by folk-pop and perky schlager songs. But in general the album was characterised by a sort of singer/songwriter ambition, as if Björn and Benny wanted to become a Swedish version of Simon and Garfunkel.
Mamma Mia
Björn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end
Look at me now, will I ever learn?
I don't know how but I suddenly lose control
There's a fire within my soul
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know,
My my, I could never let you go.
I've been angry and sad about the things that you do
I can't count all the times that I've told you we're through
And when you go, when you slam the door
I think you know that you won't be away too long
You know that I'm not that strong.
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, even if I say
Bye bye, leave me now or never
mamma mia, it's a game we play
Bye bye doesn't mean forever
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go
Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I could never let you go
The song "Mamma Mia" by ABBA is a tale of a woman who is torn between her love and her pride. She has been cheated on by her lover for an undetermined period, and she has become angry and sad about the things he has done. However, every time she sees him, she loses control and forgets everything, revealing that she still has feelings for him.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "Mamma Mia" several times, is an exclamation reflecting the singer's conflicting emotions. She is torn between her desire to leave the cheating man behind and her inability to resist him. Even when she tries to say goodbye, it is only a game they play, and "bye bye" does not mean forever.
At the end of the song, the singer realizes that she could never let him go, even though she has been brokenhearted since the day they parted. This song was a massive hit from ABBA and resonates with many people in their personal lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been cheated by you since I don't know when
I have been deceived by you for an unknown period of time
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end
I have decided that our relationship must end
Look at me now, will I ever learn?
I am questioning my ability to learn from my past mistakes
I don't know how but I suddenly lose control
I do not understand why I lose control of my emotions when I am around you
There's a fire within my soul
You ignite a passionate fire inside of me
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One glance from you and I feel a strong emotional pull toward you
One more look and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh
The more I look at you, the more I lose sight of my rational thoughts and actions
Mamma mia, here I go again
Here I am again, falling into the same pattern with you
My my, how can I resist you?
I cannot resist you, no matter how hard I try
Mamma mia, does it show again?
Am I showing my vulnerability and desperation for you again?
My my, just how much I've missed you
I have missed you a great deal, despite the pain you have caused me
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
You have caused me a lot of pain and heartbreak
Blue since the day we parted
I have been sad ever since we broke up
Why, why did I ever let you go?
I regret ever breaking things off with you
Mamma mia, now I really know
Now I realize how much I need you in my life
My my, I could never let you go
I cannot bear the thought of being without you
I've been angry and sad about the things that you do
Your actions have made me experience both anger and sadness
I can't count all the times that I've told you we're through
I have broken up with you countless times in the past
And when you go, when you slam the door
When you storm out, slamming the door behind you
I think you know that you won't be away too long
I believe that you always come back to me
You know that I'm not that strong
You have power over me, despite my attempts to be strong-willed
Mamma mia, even if I say
Even if I say
Bye bye, leave me now or never
Goodbye, leave now or it's never going to happen
mamma mia, it's a game we play
This back and forth between us is like a game
Bye bye doesn't mean forever
When I say goodbye, it doesn't necessarily mean forever
Contributed by Kayla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@diannejarrett6185
ABBA oh i love everything ABBA
1976
10YO
Adelaide , Australia
I was at their concert
So were half of my class
I remember goung but nit much more.
But thats ok
I know i was there
Love both movies
Saw the 2nd when on holidays in UK
@lovelygroovey
They wrote and performed lots of wonderful songs. People, please don’t stop singing ABBA!!
@willie_layer2828
I literally thank God every night for YouTube. Where would we be without it?
@georgiahorton1591
Me too, I’m disabled in a chair, my whole life is UTUBE.
@willie_layer2828
@@georgiahorton1591 sorry to hear about your being wheelchair bound. My prayers are with you. 💓 ❣️ 🙏
@jennifermaharaj3551
For sure,a time machine.
@rustylee68
Thank you for the music indeed Bjorn and Benny,may you and your music live on forever❤
@user-xy4ff5yp7b
This music makes me feel uplifted no matter what I’m going through :)
@john-rodgerclaycountychron7071
Me too!
@regwheeler7939
So, so true.
@tiomono4254
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