"The King Has Lost His Crown"
Song by ABBA
from the album Voulez-Vous
A-side"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
Length3:35
LabelPolar Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
Audio
"The King Has Lost His Crown" on YouTube

"The King Has Lost His Crown" is a song by Swedish group ABBA, released on their 1979 album Voulez-Vous. It was also the B-side of the non-album single "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)".

Synopsis

The song is a "vengeful ballad" whose lyrics are an allegory to describe the end of a relationship.[1]

Critical reception

On his book Abba – Uncensored on the Record, John Tobler said the song "appeared to be much more personal than many of the group's previous songs".[1] The Sydney Morning Herald said "The King Has Lost His Crown" is "an interesting song with some neat variations in style".[2] Internet reviewer George Starostin said it "is simply way too pompous and ambitious to be endured".[3] ABBA biograph Carl Magnus Palm said "Perhaps there's ... a sense of "undiscovered gem" about [Voulez-Vous], simply because what I feel were the best tracks were never international single A-sides, such as 'As Good as New', 'The King Has Lost His Crown' and 'If It Wasn't for the Nights'."[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Tobler, John (2011). Abba – Uncensored on the Record. Coda Books Ltd. p. 67. ISBN 9781908538239.
  2. ^ "ABBA make a comeback". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 May 1979. p. 48.
  3. ^ "ABBA Reviews". Starling.rinet.ru. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  4. ^ "ABBA – favourites and least favourites". Carl Magnus Palm. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
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