Should I laugh or cry?

In January 1998, I visited a guy with whom I had served in the Peace Corps.  He had ABBA's box set, which he played during my very awkward visit with him.  Coming back to the United States after two years in a developing country can do weird things to a person.  Anyway, I left his apartment never to return, but I did end up buying the ABBA box set.  I was soon exposed to a number of songs I had never heard before, including one called "Should I Laugh Or Cry".

I kind of got hooked on this song.  I remember making tapes of ABBA and walking to class in grad school, listening... Wow, I can't believe I had an old school Walkman back then.  But this song has some very interesting lyrics and a haunting melody that still resonates today.  Indeed, it's on the brain this morning.

Another song I liked from that box set is this...

This is a breakup song.  It's all about divorce, but it has a pretty awesome melody coupled with some more interesting lyrics.  If only we could all be so amicable when there's a breakup.

And if you were around in the 1980s, you will recognize some of the cultural references in this song, "The Day Before You Came".  Again, very interesting lyrics.  I have a feeling that the words might have been tricky, given that English was not necessarily their first language.

"Head Over Heels"... a great song to walk to and very flirtatious..

I miss ABBA.  Their wordsmithing wasn't all that great, but they were great performers and they had some really excellent melodies.  Even thirty years on, a lot of their music is still fabulous.