"The Visitors" (originally "Den första", meaning "The First"), also known as "The Visitors (Crackin' Up)", is a 1981 song by the Swedish pop group

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 ...

. It is the title track from the band's studio album of the same name, and was released as the fourth and final single in April 1982. The lead vocal was performed by

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 ...

Meaning

The official stated theme is a protest against the mistreatment of political dissidents in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

at the time, as ABBA seemed to put political issues into their lyrics in the final days of the group. Björn Ulvaeus has stated that at the time of release he preferred that the song should have a sense of mystery so did not explain the exact meaning. In 1982, the album '' The Visitors'' was banned in the Soviet Union, possibly due to the band allowing a video of "

When All Is Said and Done "When All Is Said and Done" is a song recorded in 1981 by Swedish pop group ABBA, and is featured on the group's eighth studio album, '' The Visitors''. The track – with lead vocals by Anni-Frid Lyngstad – was released as a single in the Uni ...

" to be shown in the

United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

television special, ''Let Poland Be Poland'', along with a spoken message from Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, broadcast via satellite around the world on 31 January 1982. The show, which also featured

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

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Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

, Henry Fonda, UK Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

and US President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, was a public protest against the then-recent imposition of martial law in Poland. However, ABBA's segment was not included in the broadcast, the official reason given being time restraints. However, it is likely that the segment was omitted because Ulvaeus and Andersson exemplified, in addition to Poland, US-supported dictatorships

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

as countries where citizens' human rights are routinely violated.

Reception

"The Visitors" was released as the album's second (and final) single in the US instead of " Head over Heels," which remained as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. The single peaked just outside the Top 60 at No. 63 on the

singles chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

in the U.S., and a double A-sided "The Visitors/When All Is Said and Done" 12" single reached No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' dance chart. The song was also remixed by Greg Silva subscription DJ remix service, Hot Tracks, into a much longer version that brought additional club play. This was the single most-requested remix by Hot Tracks, and was featured in Volume One of ''The Best of Hot Tracks''.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer Bruce Eder retrospectively described the song as "a topical song about Soviet dissidents that also manages to be very catchy." ''The Visitors'' album reviewAllMusic.com. Retrieved 31 August 2009. Even though the song did not have any success in some countries, "The Visitors" was No. 1 in Costa Rica.

Personnel

– lead vocals * Agnetha Fältskog - backing vocals * Björn Ulvaeus – guitar, backing vocals * Benny Andersson – keyboards, synthesizer

Charts

References

External links

"The Visitors" / "When All Is Said and Done" U.S. 12" release info
Discogs {{DEFAULTSORT:Visitors, The 1982 singles ABBA songs Polar Music singles Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus 1981 songs Protest songs