*PLEASE NOTE* Lyrical inconsistencies: • 8:48 it should say: "There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats." • 6:10 and 7:30: these lyric sheets are unofficial. They contain lyrical mistakes. As such, they're not relevant for this video content-wise, and should be viewed as simple visual accompaniment. These mistakes shouldn't happen, but they do. Thanks to Stephen Morris, BubblewrapMe, and Sam Chauffeur for letting me know.
I have never understood the criticism this song has gotten throughout the years, being labeled as “unfinished.” When I first heard it on More ABBA Gold back in ‘93, it sounded fresh, new and up to date (even if it was recorded a decade earlier). It is relentless, shiny and captures all the essence of ABBA’s imperial phase with Björn and Benny’s drive to move with the times while still presenting something innovative and downright experimental. It moves swiftly…before you know it, it fades away but what a track it leaves. I guess I sort of get why it would be a grower to some folks (to be honest, most of ABBA’s output from The Visitors-Voyage compels further and dedicated listen to fully grasp its brilliance, especially if you’re a new fan who’s coming off of Gold or the Mamma Mia experience) but the more I think about this song and this period, the more I wonder about what would’ve been if we had gotten that promised 1983 album. It would’ve been ABBA leaping forward into the decade…’no doubt about it’!
I didn't even know it was criticized - I would argue it could easily have been released on 1986 and still been modern. And, I don't think it has aged at all.
When I bought More Gold, I was curious about this song with that strange title. Then I listened to it and at once I decided it is one of my favourite ABBA songs ever. I love the synth arrangements, and of course I love the vocals: lead Frida, then lead Agnetha, overlapping and intricate harmonies, beautiful chorus and great verses. It's pure ABBA joy and energy, it could light up all my city. I think I Am The City is what the audience was waiting for after The Day Before You Came, but they couldn't see it and it's a pity.
I Am The City is pure magic. Amazing vocal overlays and some clever, insightful lyrics too. With its synth-pop touches, this is one of those latter tracks that gives us a hint of how their style might have evolved had they continued to record together as ABBA throughout the rest of the 80s. There are some killer extended versions of it on RU-vid (for those of you who like your aural pleasure a little longer).
1980's ABBA was phenomenal. Their experience and hunger for new sounds and stories really propelled me to adore this period. "I Am the City" is one of my favorite ABBA tracks, and I think it would be wonderful to feature this song in the ABBAtar experience! BB, one of your most compelling videos, and I was glued to my screen every moment! More 80's moments, please!
The name of the game, One of us, Don‘t shut me down … I am the city - these and many other ABBA works have so many layers and levels…. I prefer listening to these song with (very good!) headphones because every song is like a whole world. So deep and wide and even after decade I discover parts I never seam to have noticed before. And I feel this kind of happiness I rarely find somewhere else in music. These songs seam to have no age, they even get better with time because I‘m more and more able to understand them and I’m still happily working on it. Thank you, Bobby‘s Brother!
ABBA really started to get an edge during those later years. It's interesting how critics insisted that they were passé, all the while they were producing dance-synth masterpieces like I Am The City or Under Attack, which already had such current feel for the era and with a maturity that the new artists of the decade were yet to reach. And how can we forget Just Like That, with a final mix so musically edgy and suggestive (which goes perfectly in line with the implication that the protagonist has a crush with a bad boy) that it wouldn't feel out of place in a pop-punk record like something from Dead or Alive. I mean, those bass lines. I Am The City itself has such haunting lyrics, portraying the city as something much more alive than the previous Summer Night City, in which the city was just described as a place where weird things happen. I Am The City describes the city like a fully aware beast, or corrupt principality, transparently laughing at the people feeding its soul. Agnetha and Frida add to that maniacal personality portraying much higher, youthful and playful voices which almost get to a petty and sarcastic tone.
Love this song immensely, playing it through my surround sound system in my living room fills the room 360 degrees a complex full sound where the lyrics chase the music in an unending frenzy ,and give the feeling of the vibe of a city any city in the world that you connect with. And this song from 40 years ago still sounds fresh and vibrant and so very relevant today, but most of all a sign of what could have been, in the evolution of ABBA ,a very sad and emotionally depressing time for me at the time ,after all the hype of new music and album release at the time I still try to understand why it stopped so very abruptly and permanently until now 40 years later,but thank goodness they came back to mend a broken heart ,love ABBA and will always be grateful for this moment in my life ,and for all you do BB to enhance these moments to perfection. Thankyou.
I would love to see this level of research for "Dream World". I think that song is another masterpiece and 1978 was an interesting year for ABBA in terms of creativity.
I remember the excitement of listening to I Am The City for the very first time. Almost as exciting as a first date or something. ABBA' s last work made such an impression on me and even after waiting so many years it sounded fresh and immaculate. Nothing beats that professionalism. As you say it reflects the hustle and buste of the city life.. must be inspired by London, now the new home of our digitalised heroes.
Thanks Bobby's B - an intriguing (and enjoyably dramatic) history of their last official year of collaboration. "I Am the City" is a goosebump inducing song with its multilayered dynamics. I think in 1982 the group was at a definite crossroads: not being as certain as before, in the face of pop music changing then, as to what to release as a sure-shot radio hit, coupled with the lack of their dwindling new material to choose from - and having less enthusiasm to carry on. The compounded result of their divorces and particularly Benny & Björn's recent marriages, making it difficult to frictionlessly stay in each other's company as often as before.
"I am the City", by virtue of coming at the end of ABBA's first career, is not a particularly well-known song, outside of the dedicated fandom. Regardless, it deserves to be better-known because of the sheer level of the production, which is extremely high. The interweaving of the instrumental and vocal arrangements is complex and, particularly in the final outro, unsurpassed.
Wasn't really sure at first hearing but over the years it has grown on me and now I love it! Same with Summer Night City, didn't used to like it as it was a different sound for them, but now I adore that song - especially the full length version!! Great work BB, another informative, slick and entertaining video!! X
My dear young friend, thank you very much for this new video of your investigations. I honestly think that "I am the city" is an excellent song, that deserved to be taken into account in its time to be an A-side single, what Agnetha and Frida do vocally is absolutely fascinating I think that in addition to the personal circumstances that the members of ABBA were going through, which you described very well, it is probable that the low ranking of "Head over heals" as a single in the UK affected and disappointed them, and this was later confirmed with the successive last two singles It is that, despite his humility, ABBA was not used to positions 25 or 32 on the charts, good numbers for any artist or group, but low for ABBA's level of self-demand. But that's how it was, unfortunately at that time they couldn't get out of that situation, and those songs were relegated And they are all very good, "Just like that" is still in high demand by fans, and "You own me one" is quite good. Thank GOD, for themselves, life brought them together in the studio after 35 years, and with Voyage (album and concerts) they gave us the Golden Brooch to their extraordinary career
The song is one of the best things Abba ever did!!! However , the song is quite chilled and sounds too metallic , as if a warm bass line is missing . but maybe it should be thematically so. It is Frida's voice that is extremely special (art) and stands out. Both together the sounds are high end! No other singers could have created this sound experience.
Thank you very much for this great video. That was much work. I am the City is one of ABBAs best songs - I was of this opinion since the first day I heard it. ABBA must work for a last tenth album. Ten is a round number. And this album should have all songs on the tracklist, which were planed for the ninth album and at least new arrangements - maybe with material of the archievs. Benny, you four are not too old for that as you said! For doing what you are doing and making people, the ABBA-family, happy, you will never be too old! ABBA, please work for Opus 10!
I relistened to this after watching your video and you’ve given me a new appreciation for it. Musically, I’m still not sure I’m a fan of it, but I agree 💯 that the vocal layering is fascinating, even experimental for ABBA and their usual arrangements, and the production is brilliant. It’s interesting that this could have been the direction the group may have gone down if they had stuck with it.
Thanks again Bobby's Brother for another outstanding ABBA insight!! Sounds like "Just Like That" should be out there somewhere. It would be great if they would release that song...even just by itself. Loved it in the "ABBA Undeleted" track!!!
A great video, Bobby's Brother, and I agree with about all of your sentiments about this fantastic song! I'm surprised "Just Like That" was completed, as other sources declared it was not. About six years ago, I was determined to do something original to promote this song and to be a service to society at the same time. As part of an anti-littering campaign in Japan, I transcribed and partially rewrote "I Am the City" as "You Let Me Be, Litter Free." I combined it with an elephant in city related image from a photo I took in my other social media, and this was my partial alteration of the lyrics... "I am the city… You let me be… I am the city... Coming through the crowd, you've bought food and drink you love... And I'm a revelation spreading out before your eyes… And you find me beautiful and irresistible... A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size… And you feel a strange attraction... The air is vibrant and electrified… But with each litter strewn, one more part of me has died… Somewhere in the middle of the never-ending noise... There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats… And a million voices blend into a single voice... And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets… People come and take their chances... Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose a lot… We all lose if my tidy cleanliness goes to pot… I'm the street you walk, the language you talk, I am the city… The skyline is me, and the energy, I am the city… The famous hotels and the cocktail bars... And the funny smells and the turmoil of course... And the people, the air that you're breathing is me... Yes, I am the city, you let me be… The slobs trash me all their lives, I am a soiled soul... And they all leave their drink cans and food wrappers days and nights… Every day I hear a lot of tired shopping feet... But come tonight they will be dancing in the neon lights… Recycling bins can't do magic... Nor can waste bins, help fill them, you know why… And in the wind if you listen hard you'll hear me cry… I'm the street you walk, the language you talk... I am the city… Staying neat is free, use your energy... To keep me pretty… Don't choke me with junk, like a case of SARS… With those funny smells and the turmoil of course... And the people, the parks and the squares that you see… All the sounds that you hear and the air that you're breathing is me... Yes, I am the city, you let me be… I am the city… You let me be… I am the city… It's not as hard as preventing world wars… Trash leaves funny smells and the turmoil of course... All the sounds that you hear and the air that you're breathing is me… Coming through the crowd, you've brought food and drink you love And I'm a revelation spreading out before your eyes… I'm the street you walk, the language you talk, I am the city… Yes I am the city, you let me be... And you find me beautiful and irresistible… A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size… The skyline is me, and the energy... I am the city... Somewhere in the middle of the never-ending noise... There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats... I'm the street you walk, the language you talk... I am the city… Yes I am the city, you let me be… And a million voices blend into a single voice... And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets… The skyline is me, and the energy, I am the city… Somewhere in the middle of the never-ending noise... There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats… I'm the street you walk, the language you talk, I am the city… Yes I am the city you let me be… And a million voices blend into a single voice... And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets… The skyline is me…" (with partially altered lyrics, can be sung to the tune of the song "I Am The City" by Abba, originally written and produced by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, recorded in 1982 for the uncompleted album "Opus 10," but not officially released until the 1993 album "More Abba Gold - More Abba Hits.")
I love, love, LOVE "I Am The City"!!! It's up there with "Tiger" and "Summer Night City", capturing the essence and atmosphere, and ambiguity of the big city so perfectly, especially the excitement one feels when arriving for the first time! Thank you for this fascinating video, BB. In hindsight, the thought of a planned 9th studio album around the mid-80s is so tantalizing - imagine how many more themes ABBA could have explored at this stage of their lives, continuing what they did on "The Visitors", all of them having reached their 30s. And to think of what musical styles Björn and Benny could have delved into with the changing sound in rock and pop in the 80s! I personally think all those B-sides and singles at the start of the decade - "I Am The City", "You Owe Me One", "Cassandra", "Under Attack", "The Day Before You Came", "Should I Laugh Or Cry" would have made for a good track list for an upcoming album. And last but not least, of course, "Just Like That" - I love that song! I agree with you, BB, "I Am The City" would have been a great fit for the "Voyage" setlist! The knowledge that ABBA actually did consider making a follow-up to "The Visitors" in 1983 just makes it all the more meaningful that Björn referred to "Voyage" as that follow-up!!!
Ich staune auch nach über 50 Jahren immer wieder über das Phänom von Abba. Sie sind eine Revolution in der Musikwelt. Sie sind und waren ihrer Zeit immer voraus gewesen. Musik, Lyrik und die wunderschönen Stimmen von Agnetha und Annifrid. ❤.Danke auch an dich, Bobby ❤.
I remember when More ABBA Gold was released, I had previously heard the rumors about an unreleased track being included & was absolutely thrilled when I heard I Am The City as the first new ABBA music in 11 years. I still love this song & am so glad they decided to let it out. I was also delighted again the following year when the Thank You For The Music Box Set was released with another two previously unreleased tracks Dreamworld & Put On Your White Sombrero plus Undeleted with all the snippets - I was in ABBA heaven again after so long!
Great episode, as always. Back in 1983, there were bootlegs of I am the City and Just Like That circulating, and we were desperate to see them released. At the Chess premiere at the Barbican in October 1984, a bunch of fans were wearing "I am the City" t-shirts in a bid to try to get Benny & Björn to release it. I remember Benny looking at the shirts and saying, "How did you know about that?" I think we were already beginning to worry that there would be no more ABBA. It was, of course, wonderful when it was released on More ABBA Gold and to this day I so, so wish that they had also released Just Like That, which is also a complete masterpiece.
Great point about lack of publicity for the Visitors Album. I didn't hear about it until the 2020's lol. ABBA was abandoned by commercial radio in my country sometime late 70s. Nothing other than their earlier hits were ever played, and even that became more sparodic into the 80s as the punk and post punk crap took over the music scene. I basically tuned out for a couple of decades. The story of ABBA is like a fairytale, but one with an unhappy ending. The potential was so great but it all fell appart. Sad that they never officially released a version of "Just like that". I love that song. I think it's better than "I am the city".
I agree. Just Like That is one of their best songs from 1982 and the incredible sax-version features the actual sax player of Baker Street, Raphael Ravenscroft. I hope it will be released in full one day.
I absolutely love this presentation Bobby❤ You did a amazing job!!! I never knew or heard of these songs before and now I’m very interested in looking up these songs on my Spotify app. Just listening to this presentation, I Am the City is awesome and still to this day, I can’t understand why they still receive so many criticism 😢. Thank you Bobby for this video. It provided so many answers to some of my questions that were so long over due. Thanks again ❤❤❤❤
The song was and is a gem, but any work of art is viewed from more than one side, where the artist's view is the most ruthless...such is the mind of an artist...
Бесподобный музыкальный разбор! Огромное спасибо! Оставляю данное видео себе в копилку и буду пересматривать. Я музыкант и мне это очень интересно с профессиональной точки зрения. 👍
Of the 1982 songs my favourite is You Owe Me One. Love the eastern riff at the start which was really in at that time. Such a clever catchy chorus. Just behind it was Cassandra and I am the City. Both great pop songs. My least favourites were the two singles that were actually released. Keep up the great work.
It's a shame they never continued this album but as a fan its impossible to imagine what ABBA was going through they never churned out stuff just for money I love this song the B-52's song summer of love has a similar beat
Fascinating Videos, thank you so much for these. I am the City was my all time favourite when it came out - with a lot of publicity- although a close second to Soldiers and I Let the Music Speak, an operatic masterpiece. Their later work appealed to me more, their musical growth was quite apparent with each album. Although it must have been a painful period for them, particularly for Agnetha and Freida. Heartbroken, you can tell.
I found this video to be extremely heartbreaking to be honest. As a massive ABBA fan at that time, I feel so much opportunity was missed to have produced so much more ABBA material which never happened in the 80’s. While I’ve loved their surprising return, I can’t help but feel cheated of so much more that just never happened in some songs being recorded and left on the shelf and those press releases giving us false hope. What could have been! 😢
I love all of Abba's music, and I respect them as human beings with rights to work solo and on new collaborative projects instead. If they had continued after early 1980s, it would have been against their own wishes and would have left less time to do solo material.
The two, Agnetha and Fridas combined voices made the group work so well , As a group, They were great, that new sound that energized everyone in the room.
Amazing song vocals are outstanding as always it’s so intriguing and so artistic in its own merit it could have been easily an A side ❤ I love the haunting yet complexity within there vocals ❤ Thanks BB as always
There is something magical about this song which lifts you up (yes it would have been great at Voyage). The harmonies are outstanding and created like a collage... Set this against a stark rhythym section, synthesisers and guitar stabs you have the coldness of the city and warmth and energy of the vocals and people that fill it. It really is a musical cityscape. The Visitors remains my favourite Abba album, but despite a completely different sound I think album 9 may have been a very worthy competitor! Never knew they intended to release a double album - BB your research and insights are phenomenal!
Thanks so much for posting. ABBA were my fave band until Duran Duran came along, and years later I was lucky enough to interview Bjorn. Han var jordnära och mycket artig. Ha det bra!
ABBA had so many unused songs of previous years that they could have added to complete the 1982 album. 'I Am The City' is my favorite ABBA song. So many Artists best material can't touch the songs that ABBA scrapped.
Thank you for this. I’ve always thought this. Their equal time in their storytelling is vocally superior. And the depth was stellar. You said it best though, stellar. I appreciate you. Xx
Somehow it makes sense why Just Like That was described as not finished. If you listen to both You Owe Me One, and I Am The City, these two songs are similar, but Just Like That was a departure from the other songs. I too remember seeing a new ABBA track, and listened to it immediately when I got the CD.
Tack så mycket, Bobby's Brother. Once again, I learnt so much about this track, seemingly thrown away as an extra to a compilation. It's certainly not my favourite ABBA track (sorry), but I appreciate the complexity. At least we eventually got 5 of those 6 final songs officially released. They all fit really well together, although I think The Day Before You Came is in a league of its own, and one of my favourite ABBA tracks. Thanks for another great video.
I was just recently rediscovering I Am The City myself, so love your insights, BB. I wasn't too impressed when released on More Gold, I suppose because I was expecting a more standard Abba sound, the one I loved, and this was electronic sounding, but with hindsight, it is just brilliant 🎉🎉
I love the song, Bobby's Brother. It's a masterpiece of production for sure. I see it to be a very difficult song to perform live in concert unless they use prerecorded tracks to back the performance. Thank you for sharing it.
Very informative video! It would be interesting if you would edit another one about ABBA's "Should I laugh or cry" from the same time too. A lot of information you are exposing here, congrats for your sources! Benny was true master in handling synth parts with almost classical musical approach, very warm and pregnant, full of captivating melodies and excellent production.
I immediately loved this song when I first heard it in 1993, becoming an instant favourite until this day. I agree with you, it would suit the voyage show really well!
I believe the term is called Polly Phonic where you blend multiple choruses together which is what makes this my favorite ABBA tune and also along with my favorite ABBA related tune which is Benny and Bjorn's 'A sunday in Battery Park' Swedish version) from Christina Fran Duvemala.
I recall reading in a German magazine around mid 1982 about it and 3 titles were reffered there "I am the city',"Just like that' and 'Cassandra'.And i was expecting them!When they finally releaesed UA and TDBYC i was lost,thinking,where the titles IATC?JLT had gone?!
@@bobbysbrother137 Well At the time all 3 new ones were reported for inclusion in a new studio album (no hits collection was mentioned as it finally happened resulting with 'The Singles').It was also mentioned a kind of a new Abba tour at the time in the same article and i remember i was in 7th heaven since i had lost their '79 tour cause i was too young to travel alone at the time back in the '70s!
Living in NYC, I always felt like it was a caricature of Manhattan. But at the end of the day, IATC really does capture the spirit of the city so beautifully. It’s majestic at times. It’s noisy at times. It’s annoying at times. But it just wouldn’t be “the city” without all of those visceral elements. In fact, I do believe this song was specifically written about NYC. It certainly doesn’t sound like Stockholm or even London.
I'm always amazed at the depth and details of your videos BB. And now that you mention it, I do hear the same beginning for Inga and I Am The City. Also, I wish they did Hamlet/Lottis Schottis on Voyage. A band called Mon Amour finished the song and have it on RU-vid but they were not allowed to record it. 🎹
I used to listen to I am the City all the time as a little kid in late 90s in my room haha, i was aware that this group that i love was long gone, but i was confused when on the cd you could see its released in 93, for quite a while i thought it was a typo. As for their music, yes, synth was going growing stronger and stronger with even each passing month id say, when you listen to other music from early 80s you can clearly get the idea what a magnificent decade of music was about to unveil, for example the song Dont you want me, in my opinion, transition between disco to synth, then, What is Love by Howard Jones, and specially Shannon and Give me tonight- sealed the deal with new sound which marked the whole decade, i wasnt around back then but thats at least what i think when i listen to these old song, I absolutely love that era and it would be great to hear people who lived back then to let us know how the music and everything was changing so fast, like, in only two or three years from all these disco frenzy switching to synth, i find it fascinating, like, it would be like if we switch from what is up to date now to something completely different, i cant even imagine what. today even if you listen to a song from lets say early 10s sounds fresh as if it was made now, which you couldnt say for a song made in 1972 that sounds fresh in 1983 lets say. so yes, i guess tech was advancing very fast and bands either had to adapt quickly or chose something else. but abba stood the test of time and their music is eternal, they gave us wonderful gift, which im sure we will pass on further in future
I think you mentioned that “Just Like That” was a finished song, but I’m not aware of any recording of it by ABBA themselves that is finished. I wish this were true and if it is please let me know where I can find it. Always love the care you take to make your videos!!
This is a very impressive analysis of the song. Thanks for making this as I learned so much about my favourite group. How did you get access to the split tracks? It takes this video to a whole other level of greatness.
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️💎👑💎♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️The 🌹 Greats 👑 Legends 👑 ABBA'S 👑♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️ Thank you Bobby for the wonderful words ABBA set all the records how a group, vocalist, musician should be ♥️♥️♥️
It’s a very energetic song with ABBA music style, but I am missing Get on the Carousel so much which never been released. Maybe you can make the story about the origin of that song , can’t you Bobby ?🙏 Thank you so much anyway for all your videos about ABBA , the most phenomenal pop band ever ❤ ❤❤❤
IATC/Underattack/Cassandra/You owe me one/Just like that /and The Day before you came ,were the last group of songs that Abba had recorded for their upcoming 1982 studio album following "The Visitors"....that never was.
I think these are all good songs, but The Day Before You Came feels in another league to me: it's one of my favourite ABBA tracks. Sad that Benny (I think I'm right) has vetoed Just Like That for all these years.
I always liked ABBA's early work more than the last two albums, I think I am the city is brilliant, until now I had not noticed the same beginning for Inga and I Am The City, perhaps in my subconscious I noticed that link to their early years. I am the city sounded so modern, vibrant for it's time and really stood out as different, today it still sounds fantastic love the rhythm the multi-layered overlapping vocals and synth sound effects all paint a picture in my mind of a futuristic city filled with people, light and colour. I think it would be a great track to include in ABBA Voyage if they ever change some of the songs or better still add more.
Another fascinating and informative video, thank you. Such a shame the ninth album didn't materialise in the 1980s, it sounds as though it would have been an absolute masterpiece, especially when you consider the music Benny and Bjorn came up with for 'Chess'.
I absolutely love this song. I am sure it would be perfect in the early part of their current live set. It would be a such a great "new" single as well, done by the abbatars, remastered or even reproduced from scratch.
I absolutely loved this song when More Abba Gold was released. I played it over and over and tried to work out the lyrics, because there were no words for the song in the CD cover. I have a question, if Just Like That is finished, why did they never release it or include it on Voyage?
Thanks for the great review of IATC, one of my favourites since buying More Abba Gold. For me after The Day Before You Came & Under Attack, a more upbeat Abba song would’ve done better in the charts than the previous 2 had. Shame it wasn’t released originally. I also think the driving pulses and upbeat layered choruses would be great in ABBA’s Voyage concert and a track many people would be unfamiliar with. I’m looking forward to your review of ‘Just Like That’ BB, one of my absolute favourites. Was it seriously considered for ABBA’s next album? I was under the impression it was never considered good enough, according to Benny. Thanks again for an awesome detailed video BB, greetings from Australia.
I Am The City was current for the time they recorded it. I wasn't sure about the song when I bought More ABBA Gold in 1993. I has grown on me over the years.
The 2 songs "Just like that" and "I am the city" were indeed very good songs. I suppose they weren t aware that Abba s carreer came at the end in 1983 and no studio album was to be released. Under Attack/You own me one, such dreadfull songs to finish. The day before was such a masterpiece, but o so underrated in 1982.
I agree I Am The City is amazing and would have been intriguing to see what would they come up with next. I also think I Owe You One is underrated it's so different sound wise the Satar (I think I got it right) does it for me. Then again I think Hey Hey Helen is underrated, Hey Helen along with Tropical Loveland was what made me an ABBA fan.
I have personally compared Abba with Rembrandt. Naturally talented, wrote/painted what the audience wanted to see here/ but as their careers went on his painting and their music could be described as Chiaroscuro light/dark. Eventually going out of fashion, overlooked and ridiculed but eventually re-assessed and reapproval came back in fashion. now we have Abba Voyage with an arena built especially for it, in the same way the Rijksmuseum is a show case for Night Watch
I must have heard 'I Am The City' at some point in the 80's on a bootlegged fan cassette doing the rounds and probably copied hundreds of times. I remember liking the track well before its official release on MORE ABBA GOLD. 'Just Like That', in its finished saxophone laden state was on the same cassette, as well as its earlier slower 'dream-like' version. I always remember thinking how well the six completed 1982 songs sounded together, like 'old-ABBA', before it all got very heavy with 'The Visitors'. I imagine many of us looked for other tracks from around the same time frame to create an imaginary 9th ABBA album. Maybe Frida's 'Slowly' from 84 had been written earlier (B&B did try and come up with something for her 'Somethings Going On album and the drums on the Gemini version have a strange Phil Collins-esque quality to them), Agnetha's 'Man' recorded in 83 for her first English solo album or her demo vocal for the Chess track 'Every Good Man Needs A Helping Hand' with its gospel-esque feel which was also there on Bjorns 1981 demo 'Givin' A Little Bit More'. By ABBA album standards, its a shame to think 3 or 4 new songs would have given us a 9th album back in the early 80's and a 10th with Voyage in 2021!! Whichever way you look at it, until Just Like That gets a full and complete release, there will always been one lost in action from the 1982 sessions.
Somehow they included "I am the city" on their more gold album. And "You owe me one" released as the B side to "Under attack" So "Just like that" is the only song remains unreleased. 🙄 Isn't it?
I like this song a lot. It's typical Abba - on the one hand bright and upbeat but with a dark undercurrent, suggesting that the people mindlessly go to the city to worship something, and the city eats people up, consumerism is rampant and and in the wind (if you listen hard) you'll hear it laugh. This is a very dark song indeed.
