ABBA Reaction The Day Before You Came Official Video | Dereck Reacts

#abba #abbareaction #thedaybeforeyoucamereaction
Dereck Reacts back at again, and this time as we continue our ABBA journey music video series as I react to The Day Before You Came. This video was a surprise to me visually. Looking forward to playing this song more often!
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Single by ABBA
from the album The Singles: The First Ten Years
B-side "Cassandra"
Released 18 October 1982
Format 7" single
Recorded 20 August 1982 at Polar Music Studios
Genre Synthpop, art pop
Length 5:50
Songwriter(s) Benny Andersson
Björn Ulvaeus
Producer(s) Benny Andersson
Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"The Visitors"
(1982) "The Day Before You Came"
(1982) "Under Attack"
#abba #abbareaction #abbathedaybeforeyoucame

[@mreurovision1986]

In my opinion the best and most underrated of all ABBA songs. An absolute masterpiece

[@darrellcampbell5022]

My absolute favourite song in the world. So depressing yet strangely uplifting. Beautifully subdued vocals from Agnetha and the beautiful haunting operatic solo from Frida. Pop music doesn't get any better than this. Shame on the UK public for letting it crawl to number 32. I was 6 when it came out and our family played it constantly. It never fails to impress me no matter how many times I hear it.

[@stevelockett6309]

Your family had such great taste! 😃

[@jonathanfurzeland4740]

I really don't understand how it did so badly in the UK charts. Same for Under Attack and Head Over Heels 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@euronick61]

@@jonathanfurzeland4740 I agree Jonathan .. they were brilliant songs as was The Visitors .. but when an act goes out of fashion, which sadly ABBA did in 1982, they can have the best songs in the world but they just won't do well as the record buying public (mostly teenagers) have moved on, in this case to acts like Duran Duran, Adam & The Ants and Spandau Ballet etc....

[@maryshaffer8557]

I believe that the woman in the video (Played by Agnetha) has either committed suicide, or was murdered by the mysterious man in the video.

[@thehoogard]

this song captures swedish/scandianvian melancholy like no other

[@herrbonk3635]

Yes, at least among songs in English... :)

[@paulecrosby2006]

Yes very well said nd so true....

[@mattias5157]

The Swedes can be quite humoristic I think, and this song gives you a hint about that perhaps. How something so boring can be uplifting. Well, I guess that goes for British people too of course, you have rainy days too..... When Tim Rice a little before this song came along with the script for "Chess" Benny´s answer was, he has told: "Oh! That sounds so boring! Let´s do that!" 😆

[@flyingfeline7110]

Frida's operatic background vocals are amazing. The whole song is magnificent.

[@Bustygirl-dz1wi]

Never knew frida did the amazing backing vocals in this my favourite ABBA song of all time

[@richardkane4869]

As someone else noted, this was the final song ABBA recorded, a very filmic and noir 'Brief Encounter' tribute. Agnetha had to record the song with the lights out due to the emotion of the recording. It was never announced. but they knew this was the end when the recording took place. Bjorn and Benny had her sing the song in a flat way deliberately to emphasise the story of routine she tells. Notice that even when together, they are all looking in different directions, not each other. A bleak and haunting masterpiece that should have fared much better. By 1982, the world was catching onto new wave and ABBA were deemed out of place. As time moved on, we learned ABBA were simply timeless. Beautiful, and ahead of its time.

[@RogueWJL]

Beautifully put Richard .

[@leilashampoo1408]

It was Agnetha who suggested that she should sing the way she finally did (like and ordinary woman), not Benny or Bjorn. Agnetha explained this in a 2013 interview.

[@MisterReactions]

What a comment

[@CristinavdfV]

So well said!

[@richardkane4869]

@@CristinavdfV Thank you so much!

[@catschorus4684]

The Day Before You Came is a masterpiece. An apparent love song that should sound happy and doesn't. No chorus, nearly 6 minutes long, it's genius.

[@miltondm8132]

I always have thought that the melody is not happy because the song is about death, “the day before her death came”, she committed suicide after having a routine life.

[@iwd1705]

It's more or less just a side note that she met a new love to be love (we never got to know). The molody is just on point for the main part of the lyrics describing her routine and more or less boring life. That's what makes it such a great song. It wasn't a big ABBA hit, though. In dact, it was one of their least successful singles. The world wasn't ready for it back then.

[@euronick61]

@@miltondm8132 I don't get the suicide bit .. but the 'character' is singing about her life before she met her partner/husband and how ordinary it was before he came into her life eventually bringing her misery and heartache .. she sings 'I had no sense of living without pain the day before you came' which indicates that now she is living with pain that he is causing

[@rimberlieu]

@@euronick61 'i have no sense of living without AIM', not 'PAIN'. It emphasizes how stuck in a routine she was. On the other hand I agree with you on the fact that I don't get a suicide bit in it, the lyrics say "I didn't even notice I was blue", it means she didn't even realize how sad her life was up until she met her love. Since she didn't realize she was bleue, i understand that she wasn't feeling sad...

[@dont.wilson2121]

Yes it is!

[@dardude1139]

Frida does the high aria above all the voices, what a woman.

[@supastah68]

This was the last song ABBA recorded. A masterpiece,

[@capslock286]

The last one in 35 years; new material recorded in 2017 🙂

[@supastah68]

@@capslock286 really? Because they were supposed to have recorded it in 2018 and it hasn’t been released yet. I think it’s just a rumor.

[@supastah68]

ABBA’s new music will be released in September.

[@miltondm8132]

@@capslock286 well, we’ve been waiting for three years, maybe we’ll never hear that songs.

[@capslock286]

@@miltondm8132 hopefully we’ll hear the songs soon :)

[@clairemcnamara1749]

Brilliant song. My favourite Abba song ever. The baseline ,the synthesiser, the mood, the lyrics, all blended with Agnetas beautiful voice and Fridas angelic chorus line, and of course Bjorns and Bennys harmonies all blend to make this a masterpiece.

[@toreedstrom1172]

Was lucky to see and hear ABBA here in Gothenburg 1979. Eleven people on the stage, plus ABBA. Two drummers, two on guitars, a young guy on piano, three in the choir and three on brass and woodwinds...memory for life....

[@albertoalvarez9341]

Actually, Frida’s voice is part of this song, the angel voice from the background is her and when I realized it I felt more in love with them both and all ABBA

[@kyleday5026]

also bjorn also does a part in this song

[@albertoalvarez9341]

Well even better don’t you? Oh by the way this song is one of the longest song they ever recorded after “Eagle” making this the second one. Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽

[@Super1973Pookie]

I thought I knew everything about ABBA I did not know that. Freda is underrated. Their voices are so alike and it sounds like one voice with a record breaking range when it’s two voices going perfect together. I wish dress had more songs. Have you heard ‘I turn to stone ‘ on her solo album

[@sirterence1]

@@Super1973Pookie Their voices are so alike? I never felt that. Actually, they are very, very different.

[@andrewbennett7508]

Put two women together and they are the best

[@michaelarvedlund7164]

a masterpiece with a tragic background (it was their last recording...at least for about 40 years). I LOVE they are back and they sound as if this year was 1976. They are still wonderful.

[@paulshorney3465]

Best abba song ever for me. Masterpiece

[@jamesharp9640]

The song is a masterpiece ❤️

[@paulecrosby2006]

This record is a masterpiece nd probably the most beautiful pop video ever done. I believe this record is number 6 in the top all time one hundred records in pop history.

[@markwestaway7207]

A glorious song. An almost glacially cold electronic backing sound. Love the understated way Agnetha winds her voice through the song. It quavers and almost breaks in the "my life was well within it's usual frame", and "it's funny but I had no sense of living without aim". The drums turn to a similar beat to Betty Davis Eyes in the instrumental bridge. The high vocal from Frida gliding above it all. The lyric re Dallas is interesting - apparently at one stage Agnetha was connected with the producer of the show Dallas in a Swedish movie. Possibly my favourite Abba song.

[@RogueWJL]

I class this track as a piece of ART. Its perfect The video is so moving and so much melancholy. Freda flexes her operatic chords.

[@klausolekristiansen2960]

ABBA has many really great songs. This one is the best.

[@willswomble7274]

Achingly beautiful, stunningly emotional and ultimately tragic; with a quietly sensational arrangement only enhanced by Frida's coolly haunting contribution at the end. A masterpiece for all time. Oh, and yes P.B., I think of you every day, 42 years on.

[@ABBAaccess]

This was the last song ABBA has ever recorded. Simply a masterpiece. Agnetha asked them to turn off the lights when she was about to record the vocals, so much emotion she was feeling. I wonder what ABBA would release after such an amazing song. By the way, those wonderful backing vocals were Frida, throughout the whole song.

[@stevetournay3731]

You'll have heard "Story Of A Heart"? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYnYdpmAfLamec0

[@Flatwoodsdad]

Thanks for the reaction. This was their last recording. Agnetha sang it alone in the dark. Sound engineer said she finished took off her headphones and walked out. He knew ABBA was over. They've never broken up just never recorded together again or until recently anyway.

[@filipcarpentier860]

This is just a masterpiece. Most definitely one their best!!! Please come back, please!!!

[@CristinavdfV]

They listened to you LOL

[@uteorgahs815]

Jede Zeit hat seine Musik,so sagt man. ABBA- Musik ist Zeitlos 💯👍👌✌️‼️

[@joelsondiedrichs9543]

Wonderful ABBA.

[@francis2811]

Abba sang and spoke better English than the English do! There's so much emotion and themes about the band's personal relationships in their songs. 380 million worldwide record sales!

[@tikku123]

My all time favourite Abba song! It’s haunting and beautiful- still gives me goosebumps after all this time

[@Santor6]

The production and arrangement is extremely artistic and professional. Only synth (Yamaha GX-1) and snare drums plus background chorus and backing vocals that slowly rise tension. Melody is all alone from singer. Perfect.

[@groteabbafan]

A real masterpiece i will love ABBA my whole live

[@goroakechi3157]

One of the most easiest songs to understand what it’s about. Just a 80’s Masterpiece!

[@jamescairns4051]

This song has no meaning for you until you experience something truly life changing. And then this song becomes everything to you.

[@steffichristina4259]

Fantastischer Song! Brilliant gesungen von Agnetha!! Aber Fridas Operngesang ebenfalls! Abba das beste vom besten in der Pop Welt! Grüße aus Österreich ❤🧡💛💚

[@ono1dij]

MASTERPIECE!!!! I really can't believe what they could have done if they hadn't split up... The 10th ABBA's album could have been maybe the best album of them...

[@mikevale3620]

It may well be, the comeback album, 'Voyager' after 40 years is released world wide, tomorrow.

[@ono1dij]

@@mikevale3620 Yes!!!!!!! I can't believe it!!! Tomorrow!!!

[@CARLOSDIAZ.1975]

Beautiful and Haunting song great Singers😊😊

[@abbalistener2003]

a unique masterpiece of Abba showing how much they were already entered in the 80's sound much ahead in advance than other groups ; An imaginative almost theatrical story telling totally enhanced by the melancholic melody. It's totally obviuos than they werre not in lack of creativity at the end but more broken by the failures of their marriages.

[@BrokebackBob]

She met a man on the train, they had a short affair, and he had to leave and she is changed and remembering. Very beautiful.

[@paulopinheirosc]

According to their producer Michael B. Tretow they turned the lights off in the studio when Agnetha put her voice on the track and when he remembers what would be ABBA last work together (for many years anyway) tears still come to his eyes.

[@bobtrouper]

Great review again Dereck, this was the very last song ABBA recorded in August 1982, the early version was called "The Suffering Bird", there is a lot of ambiguity in the song, as we don't know what "you" is? Death, murder, a new love? Even your interpretation is different!! It was very unusual as Benny composed the song in the recording studio, using old ideas, Frida does sing the operatic obbligato (which she came up with herself) Benny & Bjorn wanted Agnetha to act out the song, and Bjorn stated that Agnetha was slated in the music press for her bad singing "poor thing" he said, "we should've let her belt it out!" What is poignant is the book the character reads at night, the feminist writer 'Marylin French', who's latest book at the time was 'The Bleeding Heart' about 2 people who fall in love, but have nothing in common, and often have bitter arguments, passionate love, but their affair is destined to end....

[@bobtrouper]

Under Attack was released after The Day Before You Came, in December 1982, The Day Before You Came Was released in October 1982, but Under Attack was written and recorded before The Day Before You Came. In fact the melody for Under Attack first appeared in 1979 in the tour rehearsals in a song called Under My Sun, it then appeared in the demo Rubberball Man, then the melody appeared again in the holy grail of ABBA songs: Just Like That, before settling into Under Attack. The Day Before You Came, was the final ABBA recording in late August 1982, before the new recordings I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down in late Summer 2017

[@paulecrosby2006]

Bad singing, you've got to be joking. I have never heard anyone sing this record better nd it's not ment to a record that you belt out. I think that over the years people have realised that this is a masterpiece especially the music press nd industry which at the time couldn't except the genius of a Swedish group who could write nd sing their own music better than anyone at the time.

[@capslock286]

If the Marilyn French-cue is intentional, then that’s some really good story-telling through the lyrics...

[@thewatcher2570]

@@bobtrouper where does i am the city land then? It sounded so fresh and alive compared to the songs done in this visitors era... i know it was going on the next album but felt like it was fresher than these tracks

[@bobtrouper]

@@thewatcher2570 was written in Early 1982, recorded bit later, yes ABBA were reintroducing the multi vocals again, bit like You Owe Me one also. Both I Am The City & Just Like That were shelved until 1993 when the former was released, and the latter’s chorus was issued as part of a box set demos release in 1994.

[@joelsondiedrichs9543]

I really like your comments. You notice particularities that we do not observe. You're really good. And I also love the ABBA group. Great job.👏👏👏

[@Stevieweevietv]

Amongst all their great tracks, this is my favourite. The storytelling is beautifully done. And like you those synths that kick in midway just do something for me! The song also means a lot to me...kind of matches my life!

[@Pulsar77]

The last song they ever recorded, and one of my favourites. Makes you wonder what music they would've made if they had stayed together. If you like this 80s synth sound, then check out The Visitors, Should I Laugh Or Cry, Me And I, and Frida's solo hit I Know There's Something Going On. That being said, there are still a ton of ABBA classics you have to discover :)

[@Pulsar77]

@@iaingardiner7360 Under Attack was the last song they released, but The Day Before You Came was the last song they recorded.

[@charlespylad7803]

Well, ABBA came back to the studio in the summer of 2017 and recorded two new songs - "I Still Have Faith In You" and "Don't Shut Me Down'. According to rumours there are more song, maybe to fill an album. In a Swedish radio show a TV-host said he had listened to THREE of the new songs. Exciting news indeed!!! The songs have been delayed due to technical issues with the Avatar-project and when everything seemed fine the corona virus happened. :(

[@notthatharkness7619]

2nd "Should I Laugh Or Cry." One of my ABBA favorites.

[@AdamDawson3]

It was the last song they recorded until 2017 when they recorded 'I Still Have Faith In You' & 'Don't Shut Me Down'

[@onbe804]

They would have record 'Gemini' classics like 'Just like that ' and 'Another you Another me' !

[@mariostylianou7725]

They will never be a group like abba again!! So fortunate to be around them when I did.. when growing up..Lol

[@marting6037]

Haunting track; a personal favourite of mine from ABBA

[@markymids]

I adore this Abba song. One of my absolute favourites and one that imo has no clear interpretation. You seemed to have put quite a positive spin on the song from your reaction however I think that may be because you were watching the video in unison. When I first heard this song, it was audio only and I got chills. To me it doesn't reflect in any way that things became better for her after she met the man (if we're presuming that the "you" is a man). For me there's a deep sense of foreboding throughout the song. Yes her life may have been dull, routine, repetitive and mundane - but it was her own life that she had control over. When this person came into her life, everything changed, and not for the better (that's how I see it anyway!)

[@moised96]

Great reactions i love ABBA .. the background vocals is Frida ✨

[@HollyCranfan]

She said her life had no aim the day before ‘you ‘came. She is happy she met him but some sadness that it can’t be more then it is. At the end when she sings to Bjorn, he looks sad. Then the next day he’s not there or misses the train. In the last album, Agnetha was front and center. Fridas background vocals were hauntingly beautiful. Years later, she said the video was shot in Stockholm.

[@ИринаБондаренко-щ7ч]

Оперное соло Анни-Фрид потрясающее!!! Браво Анни-Фрид!!!

[@happyhawaii0711]

I always loved this song. to me it´s the saddest popsong of all time. one reason is the background, that it was the last song they recorded together( until 2018). please react to Name of the game and When all is said and done. Thank you.

[@withinjapan2024]

One of the safest music videos. ABBA lay it all out to us in everything they did and this is it.. all away from each other on the stage no eye contact no energy all had enough of each other .. it was the end.

[@philrob1978]

Just going to add to voice of the crowd, an absolute masterpiece, and can be interpreted in several ways depending on which mood you're in. Whenever I share this with other people and tell them it's ABBA, they are completely dumbfounded by it. But then, I really love their latter day stuff from Super Trouper and The Visitors. The darker nature, which has always been there, comes to the fore, for all of us to see. Very Scandinavian. Just brilliant.

[@MUSICOM2]

it's all synths, except the snare drum! Mainly the very expensive Yamaha GX-1 is used. All made by Benny alone. She sang it in the dark! She was not supposed to sing it too beautiful because this song is about an ordinary woman. (still is too beautiful of course!) The production is superb!! Its made in 1982 (there last one) but it hasnt that sharp kitschy 80ties sound at all! They always pioneered with the latest technology (especially Benny and the producer Micheal Tretow). As said it is their last song and very underrated at that time..

[@Bandido894]

This was their last song 1982 before quitting and you can hear and see all the sadness in music or their faces, not usuall their style. The other lead vocalist delivers the high-note opera singing between verses and the end.

[@hahatoldyouso]

You'll love the whole album this is from, 'The Visitors'...80s and very synthy, theatrical too

[@Pulsar77]

It's actually not on The Visitors, it was meant for a new album that was never finished.

[@emilen2]

@@Pulsar77 At least there's extended newer releases of The Visitors album including "bonus tracks" such as Should I laugh or cry and Day before you came.

[@AdamDawson3]

The Day Before You Came, Under Attack, Cassandra, I Am The City, Just Like That & You Owe Me One were recorded in 1982 for their 9th album that was never finished.

[@NorthSea_1981]

@@Pulsar77 It's on the remastered re-release. Even though the song originally came out after "The Visitors", it absolutely fits the mood and theming of that album.

[@mgbchoralmusic6443]

@@AdamDawson3 They were so close to having that "final album" It's a shame they didn't do a couple more tracks. Some of these tracks are my favourites. Just Like that is great., Cassandra, Should I Laugh or Cry....

[@josue-joshuacordova3847]

ohhh my god!!! This song is very special for me. ABBA last song.

[@kristruscottrobinson4634]

A Seminal melancholic masterpiece. their best song. period

[@joejjeman]

the best song ever... i have listened 20.0000000 times

[@aeproductionstm1150]

listen to "Move on" that's a masterpiece!

[@RushilJuglall]

Dereck glad u enjoying these songs looking forward to more ABBA Reactions

[@traudesuppan]

One of the best reactions to this song

[@joopbergwerff3946]

A masterpiece

[@erikbohlin1006]

And don't forget that the guys you see, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, have written and produced all of the ABBA's songs!

[@fredrikmoller629]

Erik! Så roligt att se dig. /möller

[@erikbohlin1006]

@@fredrikmoller629 Nä men så kul att se dig!

[@joseluissosalinares]

One of the most beautiful, perfect and sad song of ABBA

[@joewhite6421]

Agnethas gaze that looks into a mans soul at 1: 40 and melts my heart.

[@abbagodz]

Please react to "When All Is Said and Done"...their last U.S. Top 30 hit and my all-time favorite ABBA song!!! Thanks much!

[@Payne2view]

Songs like this show that Benny & Bjorn were already thinking more about writing Musicals than pop songs.

[@Charlie-eo3vz]

the back vocal is Frida

[@kyleday5026]

this is the last song abba recorded and it was recorded in the studio booth in the dark all the lights were off. lots of theories about this song

[@dav7444]

Actually one of my favouite Abba records. Wow love your comments

[@roger4268]

You never know what you will get before you listen to an ABBA song except it will be fantastic, there is almost always an interesting story behind their lyrics. It would be interesting to hear you Reacting "Casandra" and "The Piper"

[@paulwilliams1791]

What a classic

[@nickbryan7170]

This song is my favourite. I have to remind myself that this group are not native English speakers. Their lyricism is totally mind blowing. The videos are difficult to judge because back in the seventies there wasn't MTV!

[@harmonrabb1922]

I love that song. In my opinion their best. Thank you for reacting to it.

[@nat2040]

Lyrics!! Genius

[@joachimlind69]

This is a master piece, a ending of there marrige and like a group😢❤but please Derek don't stop every 20 second! it detroys the songs and I love how you explain the song but do it after a while. Love and hugs to you.

[@erion777spain1]

Great great great song!!!!!!!

[@emmanuelernandez7067]

The atmosphere, melancholy, that high voice, synths... I'm sad when I hear it but I'm happy too 🤔 But what I know I just love it 😍

[@miltondm8132]

Everybody has felt as the same way the girl of the story does. A really masterpiece.

[@danielk.2298]

The synth-flute should imitate the sound of a special bird. The swedish working title of the song was "Den lidande fågeln", which means "The Suffering Bird"!

[@igaluitchannel6644]

The level beat highlights her humdrum life.

[@nickavenoso7851]

Agnetha Fältskog the lead singer here told the band that she should sing just like a regular person and try to be more normal becuase this song is basically talking about a normal person’s life. The Visitors is my favorite ABBA album.

[@charlespylad7803]

Probably the song is about death. Benny and Björn have hinted at that way in interviews.

[@miltondm8132]

I always have thought that she was describing her routine life before committing her suicide. “It’s funny but I have sense of living without aim”

[@nillejoslin]

It's so uplifting! ;-)

[@WolfkingSybren]

As a music lover to you, another music lover, please give this song a chance and listen to it without filming and analizing what you hear and get into this dark trip that is full of beautiful dredd and melancholy, it's so strong and emotional...I just can't get emotional myself, listening to it.

[@gareth3152]

Waiting for your reaction to the synth-tastic Lay All Your Love On Me

[@emmanuelernandez7067]

👍😍

[@OprechtLetterlijkBizar]

Great review. This song definitely has a build which becomes apparent when you listen to it in one go. It’s definitely story telling, and I love the melancholic kind of sad vibe. And also just love that whole 80s athmosphere. And how awesome is that trench coat! 😄

[@alexandergrosvenor1043]

Probably the best of all ABBA songs and covered shortly after by Blancmange-probably the best cover of an ABBA song. Heartbreaking.

[@leslondon]

Agreed a masterpiece - and the sentiments and past tense narration are pure "brief encounter"

[@robertwill23]

Agnetha (one who sings it) was asked to sing this song in ordinary way (to act it out as just ordinary woman singing). So she almost talk-sings here a la Charles Aznavour, famous French singer who was actually Agnetha's orientation for approach to this song. As music was monotonous and atypical ABBA (stripped to bare minumum, no harmonies, no different melodies) she had to use her voice as only melodic spine, to accentuate certain parts in song, to make it more pronounced. Later the rest of ABBA's members wondered if the song could have had better dramatic effect if Agnetha's natural instincts took over and she wasn't restrained by initial choice.

[@Martin-jd3oc]

Wilson23 imo it was a brilliant move to have Agnetha hold it back for this one. She has belted it out on many other occasions. For this one, restraint was the right way to go to get the haunting emotion through.

[@HarryGhall]

Thank you about that you write. Effectively, i can see Aznavour singing like that.

[@Codex7777]

One of their best songs! Their last album was their greatest, imho. :)

[@russloroville5641]

I think the songs meaning is summed up when she said, 'I had no sense of living without AIM, the day before you came."

[@discogareth]

This video, along with their last single ‘Under Attack’ had a different director compared to all their other videos. Under Attack is also dark and moody and 80s, but more poppy. I hope you react to that one soon.

[@discogareth]

woutch stalker!

[@rodneybaer4324]

So gloomy and atmospheric. I believe the mystery man was only in her imagination. Another ABBA masterpiece. Funny thing is.... when I originally purchased this album in 1981 at age 13 or 14....this song was not included on the original album. It came out years later on one of the greatest hits or compilation albums. This song and 3 others were recorded in early 1982 and were intended to be part of ABBA's next studio album....which sadly was never completed. I had no idea that 1981's The Visitors would be ABBA's last album. Nobody knew. Maybe not even ABBA themselves, as it wasn't until some time later in 1982 that they all decided that it be best they all just take a break from being ABBA for a while. And sadly, that break, as we all know, lasted almost 4 decades. By late summer of 82 Frida was already working on her first solo album with Phil Collins, which produced her solo hit "Something's Going On" which I remember first hearing and seeing the video on MTV in the autumn (or maybe around Thanksgiving) of 1982. I thought it was cool to see Frida come out with a solo song....but it never dawned on me for a moment that ABBA was no longer together. There was really no information at all back then about ABBA not being together. They never announced it or acknowledged this back then. Maybe it was a secret or just never spoken about. As for me, in 1982 and 1983, I was a proud member of the Official ABBA FAN CLUB. And each year from then on I kept waiting and hoping for the next ABBA album to come out. Back then there was no Internet or 24 hour news stations. There were no websites or social forums. The only music industry news we ever got was from MTV when they would take short breaks from showing music videos and give us a few minutes of music industry news. There really was no mention whatsoever about ABBA....unless of course you heard a new song on the radio or saw a new record on the shelves at Tower Records or Musicland at the shopping mall. I believe by mid 1983 Agnetha had a solo album out and in 1984 Benny and Bjorn were involved with Chess. I was by then 16 years old and very confused by all of this. I was not too familiar with artists embarking on solo careers. Having heard nothing new from ABBA since 1981 was very bewildering to me. It was like ABBA just disappeared without a word. It wasn't until years later that I realized "The Visitors" album had some very dark and sad themes. Even the cover photo of them at the museum seemed sad and mysterious. They each appeared very separated from one another....and nobody was smiling. It took me a while to fully understand that. That last album "The Visitors" is a masterpiece. Probably my favorite ABBA album of all. And if you were to buy that album today you will see that "The Day Before You Came," "Under Attack," "Cassandra" and 1 other song are now included as part of that last album.

[@NorthSea_1981]

Totally agree - 1981's "The Visitors" is their best album. This album and the final songs that were recorded afterwards, including "The day before you came", are my all-time favourites. I really prefer this dark phase compared to their earlier work.

[@sirjohnmara]

ABBA can really paint whole new worlds with simple words and melodies, just in the right place - like paintbrush strokes from a true fine arts master painter during the renaissance.

[@downtherabbithole1353]

You have the gift to interpret every scen there is in this video, i am very impressed. Love what you do Dereck. I am a swedish ABBA fan since 1973.

[@mccorama]

One of my favourite love songs!

[@raymondtaylor8525]

By 1982 New wave music had taken over. The buying public wanted something new! TDBYC would have been no.1 if it had been released a year earlier. One of their top 5 best songs.

[@richardjansson1]

You are very articulate and emotionally connected to music Dereck. I have been a fan of ABBA since 1975. Here in Australia they created something of a precedent back then. I love hearing your fresh views on the music I have loved all my life. Thank You!

[@ralphdimagiba2879]

So, is her life better or much worst when YOU came to her life? The Marilyn French novel referenced in the song is titled Story Of The Heart, it tells the story of two strangers who met in a train station, embarked on an affair culminating to something very disastrous.

[@MariaCarabin]

Ralph Dimagiba glad you brought this up. It’s also not clear what happened ON THE DAY he came. Or after. Is she dead? Has he left her? Björn refuses to tell (it’s his lyrics).

[@ralphdimagiba2879]

@@MariaCarabin That's the beauty of the song, it's melancholic ambiguity. Personally, I think it's safe to say her life became much worst after YOU came, so much so, that the song persona may even have murdered her lover. The entire song sounds like a police inquest where the suspect is "unreliably" narrating events leading to the murder, hence the use of "I must have" motif in the song. 🙂

[@MariaCarabin]

@@ralphdimagiba2879 what a brilliant analysis....And people on ABBA forums etc. have said similar things. Very nice!

[@charlespylad7803]

My guess is that the song is about death. I read that working titles of the song were 'Wind' and then 'The Suffering Bird'

[@MrTumnus82]

Look how smiling and laughing you were at the beginning of the video and how sad you became after watching the video

[@manfredseis5492]

agnetha's late revenge on Bjorn! ;-) maybe she loved him more than he could imagine? maybe that's why she is still single? the beautiful Agnetha!

[@kiwi-to-a-tee]

She had remarried for a while after abba

[@manfredseis5492]

@@kiwi-to-a-tee But only briefly, I think that the big love was Björn.

[@terjoe6643]

My favourite ABBA song of a discography of utter genius. The greatest pop group of all time with no one to touch them. Benny is a melodic genius inspired heavily by Johann Sebastian Bach which you can hear in the weight of the music, especially in The Day Before You Came. The percussion and synths are mimicking the repetitive driving sound of the moving train which is simply another touch of pure, distilled genius.

[@rasvanniekerk6297]

Superb! A true masterpiece!