Head over Heels (ABBA song)
| "Head over Heels" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Single by ABBA | ||
| From the album The Visitors | ||
| Released | 1982 | |
| Format | 7-inch Single | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 3:51 | |
| Label | Polar Music | |
| Writers | Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus | |
| Producers | Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus | |
| Director | Lasse Hallstrom | |
| Certification | — | |
| Chart positions | #25 (UK) | |
| ABBA singles chronology | ||
| "One of Us" 1981 |
"Head over Heels" 1982 |
"The Day Before You Came" 1982 |
"Head over Heels" is an ABBA song recorded by the Swedish foursome in 1981, but released in early 1982. It was extracted from their final studio album, The Visitors, and coupled with the title track of that album ("The Visitors") as the B-side.
"Head over Heels" was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, recorded in 1981. The lead vocals were sung by Agnetha Fältskog, 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 Björn Ulvaeus) following behind. The song begins with a catchy fairground-style rhythm, played by Benny Andersson on piano, and is very upbeat, considering that by this time, ABBA's singles and album releases had become more and more sombre and depressing in the wake of the breakup of both marriages in the group.
"Head over Heels" was not by any means a successful chart hit by ABBA's standards. The release came as ABBA's popularity was declining, and only managed to chart as high as number twenty-five in the United Kingdom, breaking a run of eighteen consecutive top-ten hits (from "S.O.S." in 1975 to "One of Us" in 1981). This eighteen-hit run had equalled that of The Beatles, who had consecutive top-ten hits from 1964 (with "A Hard Day's Night") to 1976 (with "Yesterday"), broken by "Back in the U.S.S.R." "Head over Heels" did experience top-ten success in Belgium, where it hit number two, and in the Netherlands, peaking at number four. It was also number eight in Austria, and number ten in France. However, by this time, ABBA's chart domination was all but over, and the group effectively disbanded a year later.