"Should I Laugh or Cry"
Song by ABBA
A-side"One of Us"
Released30 November 1981 (30 November 1981)
Songwriter(s)Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus

"Should I Laugh or Cry" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as the B-side to the 1981 singles "One of Us" and "When All Is Said and Done" for the album The Visitors. Lead vocals were handled by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It first appeared on an LP on the 1983 compilation Thank You for the Music

Synopsis

ABBA - Uncensored on the Record says "Should I Laugh or Cry" is "a rather bitter song" about the end of a relationship.[1] ABBA: Let the Music Speak explains it as "reflect[ing] a failing relationship's preemptive strikes of anger and contemplation". The narrator is the "emotionally afflicted party", both "volatile and pitiless" in the verses yet "tender and forgiving" in the choruses. There is a sense that this is the last time the narrator will put up with this situation.[2]

Composition

The chorus harmonies are "intricate" and "close-knit". Agnetha's "dreamy echo vocal" adds a sense of sadness to Frida's "fiery sentiments". The song has "deep percusive strikes" and also a "defiant electric glissando" in the verses, and a "lilting acoustic" in the chorus.[2]

Release

While originally recorded on 4 September 1981 during sessions for the album The Visitors,[3] "Should I Laugh or Cry" was ultimately not included. However, the song now appears as a bonus track on re-mastered reissues of The Visitors in 2001.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Tobler, John (2012-01-04). Abba - Uncensored on the Record. ISBN 9781908538239.
  2. ^ a b Tesch, Christopher Patrick ; editor: Matthew (2008). ABBA : let the music speak : an armchair guide to the musical soundscape of the Swedish supergroup (1st ed.). Fairfield Gardens, Qld.: Christopher J N Patrick. p. 81. ISBN 9780646496764.
  3. ^ "The Visitors - ABBA | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
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