CAFFE` LATTE` TOP 2000 TRACKS
THE TOP 100
#13 THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME
ABBA
(1982)
Writers: Bjorn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson
When ABBA recorded "The Day Before You Came", the members had no idea that this was to be the last song cut as a group. In hindsight, it is an appropriate swansong for a band that had so dominated the charts for the previous 8 years. The track is also 1 of the best creations from Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.
"The Day Before..." features a downbeat vocal performance from Agnetha Faltskog which perfectly conveyed the mundane existence of the protagonist until she has an unexpected meeting with a man. She is the star here, ably supported by Andersson's expertise on the GX-1 synthesizer. The track is the only recording that featured a drum machine instead of live drums for a rhythm track.Ulvsaeus and Frida Lyngstad are there: adding subtle acoustic guitar and backing vocals respectively. Ulvaeus' lyrics are cleverly augmented by Andersson's musical contribution.
ABBA intended to record a new album prior to recording the new track. When plans for this project were shelved, it was decided that a compilation album would be issued instead. The proposed double album, entitled 'The Singles: The First Ten Years', of ABBA's hits would include 2 new songs: "The Day Before..." and "Under Attack".
Released as a single around the same time, the former fared poorly in most territories except Europe. It was a Top 10 hit in Scandinavia. Today, critics and commentators are kinder to "The Day Before...". It has been covered by Blancmange (in 1984) and Tanita Tikaram (1998). Despite it being ABBA's final recording, the 2nd last became the group's final single release when "Under Attack" was issued in the same year.
Ulvaeus and Andersson continued writing for the next ABBA album, but sadly, this was to never eventuate. As time passed, the irreconcilable cracks between the 4 members had become too obstructive. The atmosphere in the recording studio had changed forever. Ultimately, it became obvious that ABBA was no more.
"The Day Before..." features a downbeat vocal performance from Agnetha Faltskog which perfectly conveyed the mundane existence of the protagonist until she has an unexpected meeting with a man. She is the star here, ably supported by Andersson's expertise on the GX-1 synthesizer. The track is the only recording that featured a drum machine instead of live drums for a rhythm track.Ulvsaeus and Frida Lyngstad are there: adding subtle acoustic guitar and backing vocals respectively. Ulvaeus' lyrics are cleverly augmented by Andersson's musical contribution.
ABBA intended to record a new album prior to recording the new track. When plans for this project were shelved, it was decided that a compilation album would be issued instead. The proposed double album, entitled 'The Singles: The First Ten Years', of ABBA's hits would include 2 new songs: "The Day Before..." and "Under Attack".
Released as a single around the same time, the former fared poorly in most territories except Europe. It was a Top 10 hit in Scandinavia. Today, critics and commentators are kinder to "The Day Before...". It has been covered by Blancmange (in 1984) and Tanita Tikaram (1998). Despite it being ABBA's final recording, the 2nd last became the group's final single release when "Under Attack" was issued in the same year.
Ulvaeus and Andersson continued writing for the next ABBA album, but sadly, this was to never eventuate. As time passed, the irreconcilable cracks between the 4 members had become too obstructive. The atmosphere in the recording studio had changed forever. Ultimately, it became obvious that ABBA was no more.
Each week, 2 new songs from the remaining Top 100 are added, while another 2 are also included from positions 1501-2000 on the other weekdays. Check back here for an update of the 2000.
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