I Know There's Something Going On
Encyclopedia
"I Know There's Something Going On" is a song recorded in 1982 by ABBA
singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad
(Frida). It was the lead single from her solo album Something's Going On
. The song was a huge hit around the world during 1982 and 1983.
, in February 1982. As ABBA were unofficially on a break, Lyngstad spent time on her solo project. At the time of recording this song/album, Frida wanted to distance herself from "the typical ABBA pop sound". "I Know There's Something Going On" was written by Russ Ballard
and produced by Genesis
drummer & singer Phil Collins
, who also played drums on the song. The back-up vocals are sung by Lyngstad herself & Collins.
The song & video were released in Autumn 1982 & became a massive hit. It hit #1 in France
(spending five weeks on top), Belgium
, Switzerland
and Costa Rica
and was a Top 10 hit throughout the whole of Europe, as well as in Australia
and South Africa
. In the United States
, the track reached #13. In the UK the song peaked at #43 in September 1982, but did spend seven weeks inside the Top 75.
This single sold 3.5 million copies worldwide and did far better than the last ABBA singles recorded and released in 1982.
The album Something's Going On is also the best-selling solo project of any of the former ABBA members to date.
A one hour TV documentary about the making of the album and this song, is included in Frida - The DVD
. The whole recording process, from day one in the studio to the release party, was filmed by Swedish TV SVT
. This documentary includes interviews with Frida and Phil, Björn and Benny from ABBA, as well as all the musicians playing on the album.
, England
in early July 1982. The video, which received heavy promotion on MTV
due to the worldwide success of the song, shows Frida as a young woman in a struggling relationship. She then discovers through photos taken at a fashion shoot that her husband or lover is seeing another woman.
The video is included in Frida - The DVD
.
, the song was featured during the closing credits of Episode #406, entitled, "I Loathe a Parade".
The song is featured in the 1984 movie "Just The Way You Are" as well as the song "Voulez-Vous" by ABBA (whom Frida is a member of).
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
(Frida). It was the lead single from her solo album Something's Going On
Something's Going On
Something's Going On was the first solo-album in English for ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad . Her previous albums had all been recorded in Swedish...
. The song was a huge hit around the world during 1982 and 1983.
Song history
Recording began in ABBA's Polar Music Studio, StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, in February 1982. As ABBA were unofficially on a break, Lyngstad spent time on her solo project. At the time of recording this song/album, Frida wanted to distance herself from "the typical ABBA pop sound". "I Know There's Something Going On" was written by Russ Ballard
Russ Ballard
Russell Glyn Ballard is an English singer, songwriter and musician.-Career:Ballard was initially a guitarist with Buster Meikle & The Day Breakers in 1961, together with Roy Ballard, Russ's older brother on piano and Bob Henrit on drums...
and produced by Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
drummer & singer Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
, who also played drums on the song. The back-up vocals are sung by Lyngstad herself & Collins.
The song & video were released in Autumn 1982 & became a massive hit. It hit #1 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(spending five weeks on top), Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and was a Top 10 hit throughout the whole of Europe, as well as in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the track reached #13. In the UK the song peaked at #43 in September 1982, but did spend seven weeks inside the Top 75.
This single sold 3.5 million copies worldwide and did far better than the last ABBA singles recorded and released in 1982.
The album Something's Going On is also the best-selling solo project of any of the former ABBA members to date.
A one hour TV documentary about the making of the album and this song, is included in Frida - The DVD
Frida - The DVD
See also: Frida 1967–1972, Frida ensam, Something's Going On, Shine and Djupa andetag.Frida – The DVD is a 3½ hour documentary DVD, that covers the singing career of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, also known as Frida, one of the four members of Swedish pop group ABBA...
. The whole recording process, from day one in the studio to the release party, was filmed by Swedish TV SVT
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
. This documentary includes interviews with Frida and Phil, Björn and Benny from ABBA, as well as all the musicians playing on the album.
Music video
The music video was directed by Stuart Orme and filmed at several locations in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in early July 1982. The video, which received heavy promotion on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
due to the worldwide success of the song, shows Frida as a young woman in a struggling relationship. She then discovers through photos taken at a fashion shoot that her husband or lover is seeing another woman.
The video is included in Frida - The DVD
Frida - The DVD
See also: Frida 1967–1972, Frida ensam, Something's Going On, Shine and Djupa andetag.Frida – The DVD is a 3½ hour documentary DVD, that covers the singing career of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, also known as Frida, one of the four members of Swedish pop group ABBA...
.
Single
- Side A.
- I Know There's Something Going On 4:04 (single edit).
- Side B.
- Threnody 4:16 (album version).
Charts
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 1 |
| British Singles Chart | 43 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 30 |
| Costa Rican Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 3 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 7 |
| French Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 5 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 23 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 3 |
| South African Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
13 |
Cover versions
- In 1992, Italian discoDiscoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
band Co.Ro. covered the song and released it as a single. - In 2006, American electro-rock band LuxxuryBaron von LuxxuryBaron von Luxxury is a producer, songwriter, DJ and lead singer of the band Luxxury. Some of his best-known songs are "Drunk" which was used in commercials for Pontiac, "Sweet and Vicious" which was used on The Hills and "I Know There's Something Going On", a cover of a song by Frida from ABBA...
covered the song on their debut album Rock and Roll is Evil. - In 2006, Tre LuxTré LuxTre Lux is the solo trip hop project of Tina Root, the vocalist of Switchblade Symphony.-A Strange Gathering:Her first full-length album, A Strange Gathering, was released September 19, 2006...
Covered the song on their Cover Album "A Strange Gathering". - In 2007, GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
band Wild Frontier covered the song for their album Bite The Bullet. - In 2009, American electronicElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
group SleepthiefSleepthiefSleepthief is an American electronic music recording project formed by producer and composer Justin Elswick. Elswick began writing music for the album ten years prior to its release. The album was mixed, mastered, co-produced, and co-arranged by Israel Curtis...
covered the song, featuring vocals by Roberta Carter-Harrison. - In 2011, Swedish heavy metal group Ovedrive covered the song for their album Angelmaker.
Sampling
- In 2002, Finnish hip hopHip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group Bomfunk MC'sBomfunk MC'sThe Bomfunk MC's are a Breakbeat, hip hop and electro group formed in 1998 in Finland. The group's front man is the Finnish rapper B.O. Dubb and the main producer is Jaakko "JS16" Salovaara.-History:...
used the song as basis for their hit named "(Crack It!) Something Goin' On". The chorus was performed by Swedish singer Jessica FolckerJessica FolckerJessica Folcker born , is a Swedish singer.-Biography:Folcker was born as Jessica Elisabeth Angelique Folcker in Täby, a Stockholm suburb, on . Her mother is Swedish and her father is from Senegal....
. - In 2009, the track was sampled by Canadian hip hopHip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist k-osK-osKevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...
for the song "Eye Know Something" from his album Yes!Yes! (k-os album)Yes! is the fourth album of alternative hip hop artist k-os, released on April 14, 2009 in Canada by Universal Music Canada. The first single, "4 3 2 1", was released to radio in December 2008 and peaked at #98 on the Canadian Hot 100, also the video premiered on February 17, 2009. "Burning...
.
Appearances in other media
In the MTV animated series DariaDaria
Daria is an American animated television series produced by Paramount Television, and created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. The series focuses on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic teenage girl who observes the world around her...
, the song was featured during the closing credits of Episode #406, entitled, "I Loathe a Parade".
The song is featured in the 1984 movie "Just The Way You Are" as well as the song "Voulez-Vous" by ABBA (whom Frida is a member of).