Wrap Your Arms Around Me
Studio album by
Agnetha Fältskog
Released31 May 1983
RecordedJanuary–March 1983
StudioPolar, Stockholm, Sweden[1]
GenrePop
Length46:16
LabelPolar
ProducerMike Chapman
Agnetha Fältskog chronology
Nu tändas tusen juleljus
(1981) 		Wrap Your Arms Around Me
(1983) 		Eyes of a Woman
(1985)
Singles from Wrap Your Arms Around Me
  1. "Never Again"
    Released: October 1982
  2. "The Heat Is On"
    Released: May 1983
  3. "Wrap Your Arms Around Me"
    Released: July 1983
  4. "Can't Shake Loose"
    Released: August 1983
  5. "It's So Nice to Be Rich"
    Released: November 1983
  6. "Man"
    Released: 1983 (South Africa)

Wrap Your Arms Around Me is the seventh solo studio album, and first English-language solo album,[1] by Swedish singer and ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog. It was released by Polar Music on 31 May 1983 and was produced by Mike Chapman. "The Heat Is On", "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" and "Can't Shake Loose" were released as singles to promote the album. In 2005, the album was re-released in CD format with five bonus tracks.

Singles and commercial performance

The first track from the album, "The Heat Is On", was issued as a single in Europe, where it is commonly regarded as Fältskog's best-known 1980s solo hit. "The Heat Is On" was successful in Europe and Scandinavia, reaching number one in Sweden and Norway and peaking at number two in the Netherlands and Belgium. The album's title track was another successful single, topping the charts in Belgium and Denmark, reaching the top 5 in Sweden, the Netherlands and South Africa, and the top 20 in Germany and France. "Can't Shake Loose" was the choice for the lead single in North America; this song became the first of only two solo singles from Fältskog to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, peaking at number 29 in October 1983. The song was written by Russ Ballard, who also wrote "I Know There's Something Going On", the only US hit by Fältskog's fellow ABBA member, Frida.

The track "Man" was the only song on the album written by Fältskog herself, in contrast to her pre-ABBA 1960s recordings in Swedish, which were mostly self-written. The album's strings were provided by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.[2]

The album has sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

The album received favorable reviews from music critics. Joe Viglione from AllMusic retrospectively gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that songs like "The Heat Is On" and "Shame" were "much more refined than a lot of the dreck the major labels were issuing at the time" and that the album is "a healthy serving of charming melodies". He mentioned that the composition, "like the album, is a real gem". The contemporary review from People magazine was also favorable, the author wrote that the record is like the ABBA albums "smooth, upbeat, relentlessly bright and on the sterile side". He concluded that fans of ABBA will not dislike the record and people who dislike the group will not like it any better.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Heat Is On"Florrie Palmer, Tony Ashton3:53
2."Can't Shake Loose"Russ Ballard4:21
3."Shame"David Clark Allen3:36
4."Stay"Allen3:17
5."Once Burned, Twice Shy"Dan Tyler, Richard Spady Brannan3:42
6."Mr. Persuasion"Susan Duncombe Lynch, Larry Whitman2:41
7."Wrap Your Arms Around Me"Mike Chapman, Holly Knight5:12
8."To Love"Jill Brandt, Randy Goodrum3:52
9."I Wish Tonight Could Last Forever"Ballard4:12
10."Man"Agnetha Fältskog3:32
11."Take Good Care of Your Children"Tomas Ledin3:43
12."Stand by My Side"Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, David Cowles4:15
Total length:46:16
2005 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Never Again"Ledin3:54
14."It's So Nice to Be Rich" (stereo version)Gunnar Svensson, Hans Alfredson3:41
15."P&B"Svensson, Alfredson4:01
16."The Heat Is On" (Super Dance Music Mix)Palmer, Ashton7:58
17."Ya Nunca Más" (Spanish version of "Never Again")Ledin; Mary McCluskey, Buddy McCluskey3:55

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b Fältskog & Åhman 1997, p. 91
  2. ^ a b Fältskog & Åhman 1997, p. 93
  3. ^ "Wrap Your Arms Around Me – Agnetha Fältskog". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 444. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  6. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Agnetha Faltskog Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1983" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1983" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 June 2020.

Bibliography

Categories