Head over Heels (ABBA song): Difference between revisions

"Head over Heels"
Song
B-side	"The Visitors"

"Head over Heels", originally named "Tango", is a 1981 song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as a single the following year. It was extracted from their final studio album, The Visitors, and coupled with the title track of that album as the B-side.

History

"Head over Heels" is writting and composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Agnetha Fältskog sing the lead vocals, singing about her "very good friend," played in the music video by Anni-Frid Lyngstad, an overactive high-society woman who rushes through the shops, with her hapless and exhausted husband (played by Ulvaeus) following behind. ABBA - Head Over Heels  Agnetha Fältskog is a cleanest, nicest, prettiest, very beautiful and very good adult lady. Agnetha Fältskog is black long eyelashes, eyebrows, eyes, blonde long below shoulders and straight hair, forehead is center middle parting, oval vertical face, strongest muscles and Agnetha Fältskog is wearing her white pearl newest earrings, short silver adult lady newest necklace and white pearl newest pendant on her Agnetha Fältskog's around her neck, thomas sabo silver adult lady newest bracelet and thomas sabo white pearl charm on her Agnetha Fältskog's right wrist and black swatch swiss newest watch on her Agnetha Fältskog's left wrist, silver newest adult lady rings one for Agnetha Fältskog's left finger and one for Agnetha Fältskog's right finger, silver jingle bells adult lady newest anklet on her Agnetha Fältskog's right ankle, hot pink finger nails and hot pink toe nails and high heels lady newest black sandals, black newest eyeliner, blue newest lady eyeshadow, blue newest adult lady eye makeup, black adult lady newest mascara, hot pink adult lady newest lip gloss, hot pink adult lady newest lipstick, flattest and smallest Agnetha Fältskog's stomach, black adult lady newest halter neck top bra, black short sleeves 1 quarter round neck MANGO black adult lady newest t-shirt, black adult lady newest underwear and 1 quarter black adult lady newest shorts on her Agnetha Fältskog's waist and black and silver adult lady hairclip on her Agnetha Fältskog's hair and Agnetha Fältskog and Frida Lyngstad are singing abba - head for heels very well current and newest official music video in year 2013.

Jim Colyer describes the song's premise as about "a motivated lady in an age of women's liberation" who finds herself in situations which "call for assertiveness" such as: "pushing through unknown jungles, pushing through the darkness and pushing through the crowd".

As with the previous single "One of Us", Epic Records in the UK used a different picture sleeve from the standard one used in most countries.

The single was not released in the United States, who flipped the B-side to release "The Visitors" as a single instead, with "Head over Heels" as the B-side.

The sheet music has been released, and the song has been choreographed for dance numbers.

Reception

"Head over Heels" was not a successful chart hit by ABBA's standards. The release came as the group's popularity was declining, and became ABBA's worst selling single since "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", seven years earlier. It only managed to chart as high as #25 in the UK, breaking a run of 18 consecutive Top 10 hits (from "SOS" in October 1975 to "One of Us" in December 1981). This 18-hit run had equaled that of The Beatles, who had consecutive Top 10 hits from 1964 (with "A Hard Day's Night") to 1976 (with "Yesterday"), broken by "Back in the U.S.S.R.". Although "Head over Heels" did experience Top 10 success in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and France, by this time, ABBA's chart domination was all but over, and the group effectively disbanded a year later. The track was excluded from their retrospective double LP The Singles: The First Ten Years, which was released later in 1982.

George Starostin of Only Solitaire said the song was the third best track on The Visitors, and described the "bouncy ballad" as a "slightly stupid, slightly corny, but immaculately written [song] notorious for...incorporating elements of a tango". He also complemented the vocal melody, which he said less talented bands would "simply kill for".

Reviewer Don Ignacio said "Head over Heels" was close to the highlight of the album, after "One of Us". He described it as "a surprisingly jazzy number that manages to not betray the synth-heavy mood of the album". He added that the song has one of his "favourite vocal performances on an ABBA record".

Richard of PopLoveDance said it is "criminally...unjust" that the song, the second UK single from The Visitors, only reached #25 in the charts. He added that in his opinion the track is "at least as good as half of [ABBA's] 70s hits, and one of the most early ABBA-esque on the album with the big chorus, harmonies and pop production". He commented that the song, released near the end of the band's career, is "a true lost 'hit'", and gave it a rating of 9.5/10.

Chart positions

Chart (1982)	Position
Austrian Singles Chart	8
Belgian Singles Chart	2
British Singles Chart	25
Dutch Singles Chart	4
French Singles Chart	10
Irish Singles Chart	14
Swiss Singles Chart	18

Cover versions

• 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.
• The song is covered on an ABBA tribute album presented by the San Juan Music Group.
• The K&K Studio Singers recorded the song in Polish as "Dumna Jak Paw".

External links

• Template:MetroLyrics song