Today’s classic song of the day is “Knowing Me, Knowing You” by ABBA. Released worldwide in February of 1977, this was one of their biggest hits. This single was a #1 hit in Belgium, Ireland, South Africa, West Germany, and the UK. Even though it peaked at #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it was a Top 10 hit in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and who knows where else. It was big.
“Knowing Me, Knowing You,” like most of ABBA’s hits, was written by the trio of Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and their pal Stig Anderson. The tune was initially titled “Ring It In,” then “Number One, Number One;” the final title came from Stig Anderson, who had a better grasp on English and how it worked than his collaborators. Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyndstad sang lead in the verses and she and Agnetha Falkskog combined their voices in the choruses. Like all ABBA songs, it’s catchy as hell. Benny and Bjorn sure knew how to write the hooks.
The song is somewhat famous for its distinctive music video, directed by future Oscar nominee Lasse Hallstrom. It’s a very Swedish video, with the vocalists singing to each other in profile, then turning to the camera so sing “Ah ha.” Kind of like if Ingmar Bergman had directed Liv Ullman in a music video.
While some have speculated that the song was about one or more of the group’s divorces, the two splits came several years after this song was written and recorded. At the time, Bjorn was till married to Agnetha and Benny was still married to Frida. Bjorn and Agnetha divorced in 1979, while Benny and Frida broke up in 1981.
Folks today don’t always remember what a big deal ABBA was back then. From 1974 to 1982 the group sold more than 350 million records worldwide, making them the one of the best-selling acts in history. While they were bigger in other countries than in the U.S., they still scored fourteen Top 10 U.S. hits. They broke up in 1982 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
