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The Winner Takes It All

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"The Winner Takes It All"
Song

"The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group's Super Trouper album on July 21, 1980, it is a ballad, reflecting the end of a romance. The single's B-side was the non-album track "Elaine".

History

"The Winner Takes It All", originally titled "The Story of My Life", was written by both Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with Fältskog singing the lead vocal. The lyrics to the song were thought to mirror the divorce between Ulvaeus and Fältskog in 1979. However, Ulvaeus himself denies this, saying the basis of the song "is the experience of a divorce, but it's fiction. There wasn't a winner or a loser in our case. A lot of people think it's straight out of reality, but it's not". [1]

In a 1999 poll for Channel Five, "The Winner Takes It All" was voted Britain's favorite ABBA song. In a 2006 poll for a Channel Five program, "The Winner Takes It All" was voted "Britain's Favourite Break-Up Song."

Reception

"The Winner Takes It All" was ABBA's eighth UK chart-topper; their first No. 1 in Britain since 1978. It remained at the top for two weeks. [2] "The Winner Takes It All" also hit No. 1 in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and South Africa, and reached the Top 10 elsewhere throughout the world, including the United States, where it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, ABBA's fourth and last American Top 10 hit. The song was also the group's second Billboard Adult Contemporary chart-topper (after "Fernando"). "The Winner Takes It All" was also a hit in Brazil: it was included on soundtrack of a very famous soap opera in 1980 called "Coração Alado" ("Winged Heart") as the main theme.

"The Winner Takes It All" also features in the ABBA-based musical and film, Mamma Mia!.

Single Chart positions

Chart (1980) Position
Brazil Brazilian Singles Chart 1
Belgium Belgian Singles Chart 1
Netherlands Dutch Single Chart 1
Republic of Ireland Irish Singles Chart 1
South Africa South African Singles Chart 1
United Kingdom British Singles Chart 1
Finland Finnish Singles Chart 2
Sweden Swedish Singles Chart 2
Austria Austrian Singles Chart 3
Norway Norwegian Singles Chart 3
Switzerland Swiss Singles Chart 3
Germany German Singles Chart 4
Zimbabwe Zimbabwean Singles Chart 4
Mexico Mexican Singles Chart 5
Australia Australian Singles Chart 7
Italy Italian Singles Chart 7
France French Singles Chart 8
United States American Billboard Hot 100 8
Canada Canadian Singles Chart 10
Spain Spanish Singles Chart 10
New Zealand New Zealand Singles Chart 16
Japan Japanese Singles Chart 33

Cover versions

  • French singer Mireille Mathieu covered the song in French with lyrics by Alain Boublil, called "Bravo, Tu As Gagné" (Translated "Bravo, You've Won"). The recording uses a slightly remixed version of the original ABBA backing track & the lead and backing vocals (by Mathieu, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus) were recorded in the Polar Studios, Stockholm, in December 1980.
  • In 1980, Czech singer Helena Vondráčková released a cover called A ty se ptáš co já with Czech lyrics by Zdeněk Borovec.
  • The 1992 compilation ABBA: The Tribute (released through Polar Records) contained a cover by Swedish band Freda.
  • British singer/songwriter Beverly Craven recorded her own light pop version for her 1993 album Love Scenes. It was also released as a single.
  • In 1993, Argentine duo Pimpinela recorded a Spanish version of "The Winner Takes It All" titled "Solo Hay Un Ganador" for their album Hay Amores Que Matan.
  • Irish pop/rock band The Corrs recorded a version of the song for the Abbamania compilation from 1999. For the 2004 ABBAMania 2 album, the song was covered by TV actress Bernie Nolan.
  • Singer Laura Branigan recorded several dance remix covers of the song.
  • British singer Samantha Fox recorded a cover for the German ABBA Mania compilation, as well as performing it on the coinciding TV special.
  • Singer Hazell Dean released a dance-oriented cover of the song as a single. It was also available on her 1996 album The Winner Takes It All: Hazell Dean Sings Abba and on the 1999 compilation ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration.
  • Several hi-NRG/eurodance cover remixes by Abbacadabra was released in the late 1990s through Almighty Records. It was most recently included on the 2008 compilation We Love ABBA: The Mamma Mia Dance Collection.
  • An electronica cover of the song by Mitchell Sigman can be found on The Electronic Tribute To ABBA compilation, with vocals by Deena Noroian.
  • American musician/songwriter Pamela McNeill covered the song on her Tribute To ABBA album, which was produced by her husband Dugan McNeill.
  • Swedish studio musicians The Black Sweden recorded two versions for their ABBA tribute album Gold, one soft rock, the other acoustic.
  • German singer Janette Biederman has recorded a cover of this song.
  • German power metal band At Vance on their 2001 album Dragonchaser.
  • American indie singer/songwriter Hannah Fury included a cover of the song on her 2001 EP Meathook.
  • Belgian singer Dana Winner covered the song in English for her 2001 album Unforgettable.
  • Stage musical singer Michael Ball recorded a version for his 2001 album Centre Stage.
  • Brazilian ska-core band Randal Grave covered the song on their 2001 album Like To Do Girlie Stuff Sometimes.
  • Synthpop group Queen of Japan covered the song on their 2002 album Headrush.
  • German singer Uwe Kröger included a cover of the song on his 2003 solo album From Broadway to Hollywood.
  • On the 2004 compilation Abbalicious performed by various American drag queens, the song is covered by Cashetta.[3]
  • Swedish opera singer Anne Sofie von Otter covered the song on her ABBA tribute album I Let The Music Speak.
  • American actress/singer Jan Gelberman recorded a cover of the song for her album With Love To Share.
  • A cover of the song by Asian pop band Sweetbox featuring Jade Villalon can be found as a hidden track on the European edition of their 2006 album Addicted. The song was played for the FIFA World Cup of that year.
  • Polish singer Lidia Kopania recorded an English cover of this song for her 2006 album Intuicja.
  • Korean singer Moony (not to be confused with the Italian artist of the same name) recorded an English cover for her 2006 album Whispering Of The Moon.
  • A cover of the song by Finnish a cappella choral ensemble Rajaton can be found on their 2006 ABBA tribute album Rajaton Sings ABBA With Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
  • A lounge music style cover of the song by Trombo Combo was included on their album Trombo Combo: Swedish Sound Deluxe.
  • A cover of the song by Swedish performers Gladys del Pilar and Dave Nerge from a stage show entitled "ABBA: The True Story" was recorded and released as a single.
  • The song was covered in a jazz/lounge music style by American group BNB on their 2008 album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.
  • A cover was recorded by the group Eden, and is featured on two 2008 compilations: Euro Football Party Hits and Olympic Dreams: China.
  • Australian singers Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue recorded the song for the soundtrack of a UK comedy series, Beautiful People with the BBC orchestra. The soundtrack was released on October 20th, 2008.
  • Dance covers of the song have been released over the years by various artists including: Angeleyes on their 1999 album ABBAdance; Euphorica on their 2003 album Abba Dance; DJ Tom Del Sar, and Wildside (in 2002)[4].
  • The song will appear on the 2008 album The Promise by the band Il Divo.

Live performances, appearances in other media, etc.

  • Swedish singer/musician Tommy Körberg has performed the song in various live performances.
  • Australian singer-songwriter Tina Arena performed the song live during the Night of the Proms tour in 2006.
  • American singer Faith Hill covered the song during her Soul2Soul 2007 Tour.
  • The song is performed in second act of the Mamma Mia! musical by the character of Donna. In the context of the musical, the song is used when Donna professes how much she loves Sam, but she cannot forgive entirely for what he did. She also, believing him still married, says "the rules must be obeyed" meaning she couldn't be with a married man.
  • The song is performed by Meryl Streep in the 2008 film adaptation of Mamma Mia!
  • The song was sung on Australian Idol season 6 by Thanh Bui during Abba week.
  • McFly performed the song at the VISA London 2012 Olympic Party in front of Buckingham Palace in London.

References

  1. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/13/popandrock.film
  2. ^ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/all_singles_song.php?id=463
  3. ^ http://www.indie-music.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3208
  4. ^ http://eurokdj.free.fr/search/eurodb.php?name=Wildside
Preceded by UK number one single
August 9 1980 		Succeeded by
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