"Why Did It Have to Be Me?" is a song by the Swedish

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

band

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

. The song was released on the 1976 album ''Arrival''. "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" has been called a " Fats Domino flavoured" song. The song has been noted for its mix of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

stylings. A live version of the song appears on the album ''

Live at Wembley Arena ''Live at Wembley Arena'' is an album of live recordings by Swedish pop group ABBA, released by Polar Music on 26 September 2014, on 2 CD, 3 LP and digital format. The album, produced by Ludvig Andersson, includes the complete concert at London' ...

''.

Background

"Why Did It Have To Be Me" was the final song to be completed for ''Arrival''. Originally, the song " Happy Hawaii", a song featuring lead vocals by Agnetha Fältskog and

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on 15 November 1945), also known by her nickname "Frida", is a Norwegian-born Swedish singer, songwriter and environmentalist, who is best known as one of the foun ...

was written for the album; however, this was discarded. A more country-styled track was then attempted, but it too was discarded. The song was then re-written and rerecorded, becoming ''"Why Did It Have To Be Me?"'', with lead vocals by Björn Ulvaeus. "Happy Hawaii" was later released as the B-side to the hit single "

Knowing Me, Knowing You "Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in February 1977 as the third single from the group's fourth album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with A ...

" released in 1977 and as a bonus track on selected versions of the ''Arrival'' album.

Reception

Pitchfork described the song as "

Björn Bjorn (English, Dutch), Björn (Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch, and German), Bjørn (Danish, Faroese and Norwegian), Beorn (Old English) or, rarely, Bjôrn, Biorn, or Latinized Biornus, Brum (Portuguese), is a Scandinavian male given name, or less oft ...

’s barroom boogie about a sap who loses his heart, all but one lap-steel and two fingers of whisky short of vintage

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

" and notes the use of a male voice in the album, as it is the only song on the album featuring Ulvaeus on lead vocals. Similarly,

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

notes the song as being "for the guys" and praises it as an example of the "professional songwriting" on the album.

''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' version

Lily James Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (born 5 April 1989), better known by her stage name Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series ''Ju ...

Josh Dylan Josh Dylan (born 19 January 1994) is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Captain Adam Hunter in ''Allied'' (2016), as well as Young Bill in ''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' (2018). Career Josh Dylan trained at the Guildhall School o ...

and

Hugh Skinner Hugh William Skinner (born 6 January 1985) is an English actor. He is best known for starring in sitcoms W1A (TV series), ''W1A'' (2014–2017) and ''The Windsors'' (2016–2020), and his appearances in musical films Les Misérables (2012 film) ...

recorded a cover of "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of '' Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again''. The version was released on July 13, 2018 alongside the rest of the soundtrack, by Capitol and

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. The song was produced by Benny Andersson.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{ABBA songs ABBA songs Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus 1976 songs