Lay All Your Love on Me
Encyclopedia
"Lay All Your Love on Me", is a song recorded by Swedish
pop group ABBA
in 1980 for their Super Trouper
album. It was released only as a 12-inch single
in 1981 in limited territories, rather than as a standard 7-inch record. At the time, it was the highest selling 12-inch record in UK chart history, where it peaked at number 7. "Lay All Your Love on Me" appears on the group's ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
collection.
song penned by Benny Andersson
and Björn Ulvaeus
, with Agnetha Fältskog
singing lead. Recording began at Polar Music Studios in Stockholm on September 9, 1980, with the final mix of the song being completed on October 10, 1980.
"Lay All Your Love on Me" is known for a descending vocal sound at the end of each verse. This was achieved by sending the vocal into a harmoniser device, which was set up to produce a slightly lower-pitched version of the vocal. In turn its output was fed back to its input, thereby continually lowering the pitch of the vocal. Andersson and Ulvaeus felt that the chorus of the song sounded like a hymn, so parts of the vocals in the choruses were run through a vocoder
, to recreate the sound of a church congregation singing, slightly out of tune. The song was not originally intended to be released as a single, but was issued in 12-inch form in the UK and a few other countries in 1981. "Lay All Your Love on Me" has since been much covered and now features in the Mamma Mia!
musical that showcases many of ABBA's hits.
ABBA did not film a promotional video for "Lay All Your Love on Me", and so Epic hastily assembled a video by using excerpts from existing ABBA videos, at an approximate cost of £50,000, which was then shown on British television. It was made available on the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
VHS video in 1992, followed by the DVD version over 10 years later.
ed version had soared in popularity, that it topped the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play
chart (along with "Super Trouper
" and "On and On and On
"). Therefore, the decision was made to release "Lay All Your Love on Me" in limited territories in 12-inch form, as opposed to the standard 7-inch record. It peaked at No.7 in the UK, becoming ABBA's lowest charting single since "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
" in 1975. However, reaching No.7 in the charts was, at the time, the highest charting position achieved for a 12-inch only release in the UK. "Lay All Your Love on Me" also charted in Ireland
(No.8), Belgium
(No.14) and West Germany
(No.26).
The remixed version was edited by Raul Rodriguez and appeared on Volume 4 of the DJ subscription label, "Disconet". This re-edit increased the length of the song to 7:50, and included several instrumental breaks which were punctuated with samples of the first drumbeat after the synthesizer intro. This version was intended for club use only, and was not made available for commercial sale.
on their 1988 self-titled debut album; the track would peak in the summer of 1989 at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100
. It was also included on the compilation ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration.
Track listing
from their Metal Jukebox
album. It was released as a single in Japan.
Single track listing
Credits
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
pop group ABBA
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...
in 1980 for their Super Trouper
Super Trouper (album)
Super Trouper is the seventh studio album by Swedish pop group ABBA, first released in 1980 .-Overview:Led by the international hit "The Winner Takes It All", Super Trouper was the group's sixth chart-topping album in the UK. It was also the best-selling album in Britain for 1980...
album. It was released only as a 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
in 1981 in limited territories, rather than as a standard 7-inch record. At the time, it was the highest selling 12-inch record in UK chart history, where it peaked at number 7. "Lay All Your Love on Me" appears on the group's ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on September 21, 1992 through PolyGram, the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn...
collection.
History
"Lay All Your Love on Me" was an electro-discoDisco
Disco 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...
song penned by Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
and Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
, with Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
singing lead. Recording began at Polar Music Studios in Stockholm on September 9, 1980, with the final mix of the song being completed on October 10, 1980.
"Lay All Your Love on Me" is known for a descending vocal sound at the end of each verse. This was achieved by sending the vocal into a harmoniser device, which was set up to produce a slightly lower-pitched version of the vocal. In turn its output was fed back to its input, thereby continually lowering the pitch of the vocal. Andersson and Ulvaeus felt that the chorus of the song sounded like a hymn, so parts of the vocals in the choruses were run through a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
, to recreate the sound of a church congregation singing, slightly out of tune. The song was not originally intended to be released as a single, but was issued in 12-inch form in the UK and a few other countries in 1981. "Lay All Your Love on Me" has since been much covered and now features in the Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
musical that showcases many of ABBA's hits.
ABBA did not film a promotional video for "Lay All Your Love on Me", and so Epic hastily assembled a video by using excerpts from existing ABBA videos, at an approximate cost of £50,000, which was then shown on British television. It was made available on the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits
Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on September 21, 1992 through PolyGram, the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn...
VHS video in 1992, followed by the DVD version over 10 years later.
Reception
As "Lay All Your Love on Me" was not intended to be a single, it was not released until 1981, the year after it had been recorded. It was only after a remixRemix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed version had soared in popularity, that it topped the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart (along with "Super Trouper
Super Trouper (song)
-A-Teens version:"Super Trouper" was A-Teens' second single from their 1st album The ABBA Generation, a cover of ABBA's song. When the single came out in the fall of 1999, it became a hit around the globe, just as its predecessor "Mamma Mia", also an ABBA cover...
" and "On and On and On
On and On and On
"On and On and On" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1980 for their Super Trouper album.The track, which had working titles "Esses vad det svänger när man spelar jazz" and "'Til the Night is Gone", was released as a single in a few countries, namely the United States, Japan,...
"). Therefore, the decision was made to release "Lay All Your Love on Me" in limited territories in 12-inch form, as opposed to the standard 7-inch record. It peaked at No.7 in the UK, becoming ABBA's lowest charting single since "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was a hit single for Swedish pop group ABBA, and was their next major worldwide hit after Waterloo. It was the second single to be released from their ABBA album, and one of the last songs to be recorded for the album...
" in 1975. However, reaching No.7 in the charts was, at the time, the highest charting position achieved for a 12-inch only release in the UK. "Lay All Your Love on Me" also charted in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(No.8), 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...
(No.14) and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
(No.26).
The remixed version was edited by Raul Rodriguez and appeared on Volume 4 of the DJ subscription label, "Disconet". This re-edit increased the length of the song to 7:50, and included several instrumental breaks which were punctuated with samples of the first drumbeat after the synthesizer intro. This version was intended for club use only, and was not made available for commercial sale.
Information Society version
"Lay All Your Love on Me" was covered by Minnesota-native techno-pop band Information SocietyInformation society
The aim of the information society is to gain competitive advantage internationally through using IT in a creative and productive way. An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, diffusion, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic,...
on their 1988 self-titled debut album; the track would peak in the summer of 1989 at #83 on the 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...
. It was also included on the compilation ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration.
Track listing
- "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Justin Strauss Remix)
- "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Restricted Re-mix)
- "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Prohibited Dub)
- "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Radio Hot Mix)
- "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Phil HardingPhil Harding (producer)Phil Harding is an English audio engineer, producer and remixer, best known for his extended collaboration with keyboardist and programmer Ian Curnow....
Metal Mega-Mix) - "Funky at 45"
Helloween version
"Lay All Your Love on Me" was also covered by HelloweenHelloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
from their Metal Jukebox
Metal Jukebox
-Personnel:*Andi Deris - vocals*Michael Weikath - guitar*Roland Grapow - guitar*Markus Grosskopf - bass*Uli Kusch - drums...
album. It was released as a single in Japan.
Single track listing
Credits
- Andi DerisAndi DerisAndreas "Andi" Deris is the vocalist and the main songwriter for power metal band Helloween, and co-founder and former lead singer of German melodic metal band Pink Cream 69...
- vocals - Roland GrapowRoland GrapowRoland Grapow, born 30 August 1959 in Hamburg, Germany is a professional guitarist and music producer. Roland is best known for his time in the power metal band Helloween, who he played with for 12 years after replacing founding member Kai Hansen...
- lead and rhythm guitars - Michael WeikathMichael WeikathMichael Ingo Joachim Weikath is the guitarist of the German Power metal band Helloween."Weiki" was born in Hamburg, Germany. He is one of the Helloween founding members, along with the musicians Kai Hansen , Markus Grosskopf and Ingo Schwichtenberg . Along with Grosskopf he is the only other...
- lead and rhythm guitars - Markus GrosskopfMarkus GrosskopfMarkus Großkopf, born 21 September 1965 in Hamburg, Germany, is the bass guitarist, and one of only two remaining original members of the German power metal band Helloween...
- bass guitar - Uli KuschUli KuschUlrich Kusch, born 11 March 1967, is a heavy metal drummer. He is best known for playing with Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Masterplan. He is known for his technical style of playing, fast-paced speed metal-like rhythm and capable songwriting abilities.-Biography:...
- drums
Other cover versions
- The song has been covered by the symphonic metalSymphonic metalSymphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
music project AvantasiaAvantasiaAvantasia is a heavy metal project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist and frontman of the band Edguy. The project's title is a portmanteau of the words "avalon" and "fantasia" and describes "a world beyond human imagination"...
on the 2007 EP Lost in Space Part ILost in Space Part ILost in Space is an EP to the Avantasia album The Scarecrow.- Track listing :#"Lost in Space" #"Lay All Your Love on Me" #"Another Angel Down" #"The Story Ain't Over" #"Return to Avantasia"...
. - UK rival ABBA group, Brotherhood of ManBrotherhood of ManBrotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
recorded a cover version on 20 Disco Greats20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs is a double album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man which was released as two separate albums, but sold together as a 'buy one get one free' package, as was the popular trend at the time.- Background :...
album. - A hi-NRG cover by Poison # 9 was released as a dance single in the UK in 1986.
- The song was covered on ErasureErasureErasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
's Abba-esqueAbba-esqueAbba-esque is an EP by Erasure. It scored their first number one on the UK singles chart with the release in 1992. Always big fans of the Swedish quartet ABBA, performing various songs in concert for years, Erasure released this four-song covers EP, which was originally intended as a full...
EP which topped the UK charts in 1992. - The San Francisco Gay Men's ChorusSan Francisco Gay Men's ChorusThe San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus is the world's first openly gay chorus, one of its largest and the group most often credited with creating the LGBT choral movement....
recorded a cover of the song on album ExtrABBAganza!. - British pop star Cliff RichardCliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
recorded his own version of this song and has performed it in live concerts. - Swedish pop group A*Teens included a cover of the song on The ABBA Generation. Their version omits the final verse of the song.
- British pop group Steps recorded the song for the ABBAmaniaABBAmaniaABBAmania is a tribute album to Swedish pop band ABBA, released in 1999. It followed an ITV programme of the same name and featured various British and Irish artists covering ABBA songs.-Track listing:# "Money, Money, Money" – Madness...
album and TV special in 1999. The subsequent ABBAMania 2 album released in 2004 included a cover by British TV actresses Charlotte BellamyCharlotte BellamyCharlotte Bellamy is an English actress.-Early life:Bellamy attended Middlesex University studying Performance Arts, graduating in 1993.-Acting career:...
from EmmerdaleEmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
and Jane DansonJane DansonJane Danson is an English actress, most famous for playing the role of Leanne Battersby in Coronation Street.-Acting:...
from Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. - An acoustic version was recorded by Swedish singer Michael Michailoff, and released as a single.
- The song is covered by Yolanda on the compilation Abbalicious, a tribute album performed by American drag queens.
- Dance covers of the song have been recorded by artists including: Abbacadabra (through Almighty RecordsAlmighty RecordsAlmighty Records is a British recording label and remix production team founded in 1989, releasing their first single in the same year. Producing mainly Dance-Pop and Hi-NRG music, the label is best known for releasing remakes and remixes of mainstream pop songs...
), GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
group E-RoticE-RoticE-Rotic is a German Eurodance project. They are mostly known for their use of sexual topics and innuendo in their music. Some of the female vocalists who fronted E-Rotic over the years also fronted Missing Heart vocals.-History:...
on their 1997 Thank You For The Music tribute album, Housecream (audio sample can be heard here), Ecstatica on the Lay All Your Love On ABBA compilation, Euphorica on their 2003 album ABBA Dance, Abilar featuring Sia for the 2004 compilation Absolute Hitmania, and DJ Ensamble on their 2006 Trancing Queen tribute album. - Honest Touch recorded a pop orchestral version for their 2005 album Memories From A Dream.
- A dance cover was recorded by SylverSylverSylver is a Belgian vocal Trance group best known for the song "Turn the Tide". The group's vocalist is Silvy De Bie and keyboardist/songwriter is Wout Van Dessel . Regi Penxten is the producer and co-songwriter...
, on their album Crossroads from 2006. It was actually recognized as the best song on the CD, and was the first single to be released. - ScottishScottish peopleThe Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
artists Connie Palermo recorded an acoustic cover of the song. An audio sample can be found on their MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. - LebaneseLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
indie band Scrambled Eggs recorded an alternative rock cover of the song. An audio sample can be found on their MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page.
Live cover performances
- The song is sung in the Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
musical by the characters of Sky and Sophie. In the context of the musical, the song is used when Sky and Sophie reminisce about how they felt when they met each other and they express how much they love each other. - Argentine electropop band Miranda!Miranda!Miranda! is an Argentine electro pop band formed in 2001. Band members include Alejandro Sergi , Juliana Gattas , Lolo Fuentes , Bruno de Vincenti , and since 2003, Nicolás Grimaldi...
has performed the song live. - Canadian band Woodpigeon performed the song during a live session for the British music magazine PULP. A video of the performance can be seen here.
Sampling
- In 1982. YugoslavYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
pop band ZanaZanaZana may refer to:* Leyla Zana, a Turkish Kurdish politician* Zână, a goddess from Romanian mythology* Zana, a town in Numidia, originally the Roman colony Diana Veteranorum...
took the verse melody as the basis for their biggest hit Dodirni mi kolena. It is not known if members of Zana ever credited Andresson and Ulvaeus as co-writers of their hit. - In 2010, the debut single by American alternative rockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Pretty RecklessThe Pretty RecklessThe Pretty Reckless are an American rock band from New York. The current members are Taylor Momsen , Ben Phillips , Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins ....
, Make Me Wanna Die, featured a reworked intro sample.