<P> After 1981's The Visitors, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson took some time off to write new material, yet at the same time, they were beginning to create their first musical, Chess, alongside Tim Rice . Meanwhile, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni - Frid Lyngstad slowly began their English - language solo careers . Fältskog recorded with the ABBA backing vocalist Tomas Ledin the song "Never Again" (a hit in Europe) and played a leading role in the Swedish film Raskenstam, while Lyngstad worked with Phil Collins to produce her solo album Something's Going On . </P> <P> The group returned to Polar Studios in May--August 1982 to record new songs for a planned follow up album to The Visitors . "The Day Before You Came" was one of six new songs that were recorded, with only two of them being released as singles and two as the B - sides . One of the other songs recorded, "I Am the City", would not see international release until 1993's More ABBA Gold CD, while another, "Just Like That", has never been released in its entirety (partially released in 1994). </P> <P> I really like that song . It becomes extremely sad when you hear it like this . The recording is sad too, but the lyric itself is not sad, which is the genius of Bjorn (Ulvaeus). To me, when you read that lyric and take the music away it's just someone saying what they did that day --' I read a book',' I watched TV',' I took the tube', whatever; it doesn't say what it really is . But when you put that lyric onto that music you realise something not good has happened . It's a very intelligent lyric . </P> <P> Ulvaeus wrote the lyrics, which to some degree are influenced by his divorce from Fältskog . He later said: "Even if 90% of the lyrics were fiction there are still feelings in songs like' Winner Takes It All' and' Day Before You Came' they have something from that time in them ." </P>

Abba the day before you came lyrics meaning