"I wrote that song very..." — ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus reveals the song he wrote while intoxicated

Swedish supergroup ABBA is responsible for countless hits that remain relevant to this day. Their catalogue has even transcended music and proliferated across the stage and movies thanks to the Mamma Mia franchise.

In a recent interview conducted by The Times, ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus spoke on several of his experiences as a member of the band. One of the most interesting revelations in the piece came when Ulvaeus addressed one of the band’s biggest hits, “The Winner Takes It All”, and how it was originally conceived.

"I wrote that song very quickly while drinking whisky during my drinking days. I rarely wrote while intoxicated because you look at the words the next day and it’s garbage."

Thankfully, Ulvaeus made a hit record in this case, whose lasting impact will not soon be forgotten.

More on Björn Ulvaeus Interview with The Times

Björn went on to add that he was pleased that most of what he had written while intoxicated was, in this case, usable and appeared in the final version of the song. Ulvaeus also added that,

"It’s not a personal story, but I tried to find the detail of a real human pain."

Originally released as the lead single from ABBA's Super Trouper album in 1980, "The Winner Takes It All" reached a high of No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It currently has over 497 million streams on Spotify and ranks fourth overall in terms of streams on the DSP, behind “Lay All Your Love On Me” and ahead of “Mamma Mia.”

Later in the same interview, Ulvaeus spoke about the future of the band and the upcoming ABBA Voyage residency (titled after their 2021 album) at the ABBA arena in London. When asked point-blank if the residency would continue if one of the members ultimately passed away, Ulvaeus made his feelings clear.

"That remains to be seen. We are allowed to stay in our current venue till 2029, but ticket sales might drop, you never know. But is it right to continue when someone is dead? That’s a big ethical question."

Ulvaeus then internalised the question and seemed open to the idea, even in the event of his passing.

"Did Agatha Christie have a problem with The Mousetrap? When you’re gone, you’re gone but… my kids might appreciate it."

This is clearly an interesting tidbit from one of the band’s quartet, as eager fans await the opportunity to see ABBA live in concert again.

Also in the interview, Björn addressed the 28-year age gap between him and his spouse, Christina Sas.

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“Immediately I had severe problems with myself and the age difference. When a man or a woman meets someone much younger and falls in love they think, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’”

Luckily, cooler heads have since prevailed, and Ulvaeus has come to terms with the couple’s age difference. They remain happily married as Björn ramps up for ABBA’s upcoming London residency.

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