ABBA - The Visitors

[ABBAforeverAndEver]

ahahahahaha

[MrUrdal]

hadde lyst å bruke det i en tv seri prod. suro invasion flott music (det er om suro invasion on blog).superb group abba !

[Silverbirch4444]

I always thought this song was about visitors from another world!

[snookie60100]

very well done ,congrats

[FFridalicious]

Ahahaha! Great one, great one! Cool! Here is the video I made with the lead singer's pictures, showing panic and parts of videos. I hope you like it. :))

I used to play The sims too. Cool game.

[KimenDoret]

oke dit is best raar? wtf,, ik volg het ff niet meer hoor!

[BeachxFlower]

Frida's voice is awesome! this songs rocks! :))

[nightmoves44]

Totally cool concept, and who cares that the song isn't really about aliens? The song can be interpreted many different ways, and this was the way I envisioned it when I heard it back in late '81.

[brelovesmac06]

Too bad this song isn't about aliens. It's about an attack, and her hiding from the soldiers that are looking for people.

[QUASARA]

@misumainio i've reprinted the words on hitchikerstory.blogspot. the words are gorgeous.

[HypnoToad72]

Wow. The readheaded virtual woman looks like Amy Pond...

[hgwman]

Great track!!!! Awesome little video, a lot of hard work gone into this, well done mate!

[crockris]

Firda is singing this like John Lennon sang Tomorrow Never Knows (same distortion.)  The Last of the Psychadelic Songs.

[mysweetlizzie]

very clever video  thanks

[Zimon1987]

It would have been cool if this song really was about an alien abduction. Unfortunately no one ever writes songs about that! =D

[Midnighthour71]

Very well done!!!

[EddieAlda]

I hear the doorbell ring and suddenly the panic takes me.

[JateGal]

Oops! that last one was for

PowerRedBull telling

saturnx311 something.

[JateGal]

Good sound (and look) on your vid. Nice and loud without being too hot and overdriving my speakers!

; Q

[PowerRedBull]

Abba's songs have greatly improved over their period of excistance. Like, their first albums were all a bit cheesy to me, with more corny melodies. The later ones developted and were far more interesting to listen to , in my experience. I like how they developted, but still kept their own originality to their sound and things that made their songs good. I wonder how they would have sounded like if they sticked together longer. Too bad it did not happen

[saturnx311]

Taken from an official article on ABBA's title track of the album"...the Frida-sung title track, The Visitors, dealt with the fate of dissidents in the Soviet Union of the time."

Guess I was wrong, but wanted to post it here to put a stop to the controversy!

[saturnx311]

The only song I actually like by this band-- it still moves me after all these years since it came out, broken by the alternative station in Boston.

Not a protest song in my view, but a song about someone in deep psychosis:

"...the sound so ominously tearing through the silence..."

ABBA is a band to which I never would have listened; however this song is in my favorites collection. Just an awesome effort by this band.

[saturnx311]

@saturnx311 Oh, I notice the other comment that pretty much affirms the same meaning I take from the song.

[PowerRedBull]

@saturnx311

I think because this one has alot more of a 'minor' sound to it (compared to most 'happy', major-sounding abba songs). Like it has more tension to it. Also do songs with more of a 'minor' sound tend to sound a little less 'cheexy/happy' then their major counterparts

Just my 2 cents though

[JateGal]

Yes, particular notes affect mood (flats for example are "sad"). Las Vegas had programed slot machines, etc., to produce bells and dings that often make people happy. Free liquor doesn't hurt either! My favorite note is A2 (really low) at 110 Hz is the only note that has a physical affect on the brain! Neato stuff!

[PowerRedBull]

@JateGal

Interesting!

In music (i compose music - just a hobby though ) I don't really notice much difference between single notes serperately. Mostly just how they are related to other notes, so the pattern in there. If I transpose a song higher or lower a semitone or tone (mostly to make it fit the vocal range) , the feel quite stays the same to me. Is there theory that explains that certain tones do more (in music) than others? (instead of relative distance)

[darkmarkrammstein]

great vid top effort mate

[idowil]

Nice video but the meaning of the song is totally different. It was an ABBA (political) protestsong against what was still normal behind the Iron Curtain: bursting into someone's place and arresting anybody present. No wonder that the song was forbidden in the USSR.

[DronningJade]

When it comes to the melody, I prefer a lot of Abba songs over this one. Still, I love Fridas voice here and the lyrics are very meaningful.

[Moonlitnightt]

love this song. frida did great! cool vid. :)

[sondano]

The Visitors album has the best lyrics in pop history

[qxw66]

wa! how talent the song is! very diff from their others!

[sooziepoos]

Awesome!!!!!!!!

[animated001]

U play the sims 2??? it seems like sims 2.. i luv sims 2

[gsturge]

Yes, but this is from a game called The Movies. The woman in the video is based on a character from the Sims though.

[animated001]

oh kewl

[songsungu]

A very nice video. i used to listen to this and imagine my own senerio. I have no idea what this song is all about, I only know it came at a time when Benny and Bjorn were peaking as artists. It took me several listens to get into it since it was such a departure from anything they had ever done. In retrospect, This song is so fantastic. Christian

[glzgowlass]

XM satelite radio dedicated a channel to ABBA a few months back and it had a lot of interviews thread through the music.

Benny referred to the visitors as a political statement in one of the interviews..sorry.

That secret police/cold war theme is also mentioned on the last CD that I got last year for Christmas that included the visitors.

I think the lyrics could also be meaningful to someone who was affected by psychosis but it's not what it originally was about.

[surfalugnt]

Sorry all of you - this song is not about ufo' s or the secret police in the USSR - it IS about psychosis/schizophrenia I´m sorry to say as one of their relatives (don´t know which of them or if it was a close or distant relative) became psychotic and this song is written to describe that event...

That´s what I´ve heard...

[ChinesePikachu]

looks like the game is the sims haha.

[lagarticus]

I don't know about the poppers but the entire club would go completely black during the intro and when the chorus(now I hear them moving...)started they would pop the lights on so bright and the confetti canons would go off it was pretty spectacular...It helps when you are in your early 20s and with a bunch of good friends and are loving life...I always thought it was about mental illness(Schizophrenia) but turns out it was the Commie who were coming to get you...Could still happen couldn't it..

[DenOndeMister]

More likely it's "anti-terrorist police". But yeah, people are always looking to oppress.

[saturnx311]

Agreed. the song could be applied to the USA now. Just about anything you do now could be construed as terrorist by this police state.

We need a bloody revolution.

Nothing else will take this country back.

[brad4nyc]

Does anyone remember hearing this song in the 80's doing a hit of poppers and then going wild on the dance floor with your friends?

[stephencraig444]

A reunion concert would be awesome - Benny is too old. That's tooooooo bad.

[DenOndeMister]

Benny isn't too old, hes touring with his own orchestra.

[abbaMANQUEZ]

Oh no! The visitors were alien! hahaha.. It's actually political song!

[suusje1983]

Very original video for this genious song, thank you!!

[hurdless2]

BRAVO!! This is my favorite ABBA song. I used to stop in the middle of a drink, pool game, conversation, and grab someone to go dance with. And now to see a video to go with it....very cool!! Excellant job

[klementtiini]

good movie, and i love the music!

[gameon72]

Well done that man!

[peggy1au]

Always loved this song to dance to, circa 1981?

[65unlimited]

Yeah, the passing into refrain after 2:00 and the refrain itself makes me stand up the chair and dance!!

[stephencraig4442]

I always thought this song was about angels.

[GordonFr33man]

I like the atmosphere in this song, its like some kinda of psychotic UFO paranoia. But I've heard its about the secret police in the U.S.S.R (Communist Russia) coming to arrest people.

[maxgel]

Actually, it is a song about secret police (probably in the USSR). UFO don't have any part in it. But the video is very original...

[morik1]

Always thought, The Visitors would be the GREAT opening number for a re-union concert.

One by one , each member on stage.

Benny doing the intro with synths, then

Bjorn, then Agnetha and Frida.

Later a big simphonic orchestra behind them!

and a huge an UFO-like spotlights above them.

Dreaming is FREE!

[timbershell2]

what a great video! really matched the song and entertaining the whole ride!

[theFirstHobbit]

well done

[Danmark30]

NICELY DONE! Love the video...I always thought of visitors from a UFO when I heard this. Perfect.

[3hamlet3]

great job, fantastic

[gguider]

That's clever!!

[Ikklewabbit]

I always thought of aliens when I heard this song but it is to do with groups of people in Russia who just to hold secret mneetings against the current parliment. (Just like they do in all other countries) THIS VIDEO IS SUPERB!!! VERY WELL DONE!!

[5kyblu3]

Love the song<3 ..and the vid :) ..very intriguing. ...awesome!

[richardmetro]

lol at how big her breasts are

[geoffmthomas]

This is just so cool!

[moonrice555]

Good job, man---I dug that.

[rentakeyboard]

IM not sure this is what Bjorn had in mind when he wrote this lyric but who cares. Just remember this was written just after Abba were BANNED in the USSR when Abba offered to be in the TV special "Let Poland Be Poland" in 1980(?) ish.

This is my second favourite Abba song after The Winner

Takes It All. I absolutely love this. What a blast!!!

Abba should release this as a new single and use this as the video. Great Work!!!

[HypnoToad72]

The Russians? Drat! I thought it was about a person going nuts... but paranoia does have that effect on people; hmmm, I wonder if this song is more timeless than most people realize? :D

[bsideriver]

Dude!

[badboyforeva]

just notice the lyrics full of metaphors to the paranoia surrounding the soviet union dictatorship

[csm7]

Interesting take on the paranoia/fear of the Soviet Union KGB. It absolotely makes perfect sense and gives the song a whole new meaning and significance. I actually could visualize Russian citizens cowering in fear. A real chilling thought. If not directly a commentary on that, it is at the very least a tale of impending loss of persnal freedom. A very stirring *pop* music song.

[jpishere]

infact it is about the russians sorry

[badboyforeva]

bjorns and bennys words my friend. im not inventing any theory

[jpishere]

it wasn't about the russian invading, it was about a woamn with parnoia

[Oltre]

Wonderful video for an Abba Song

[mikebinok]

I always thought the song was about paranoia. This vision of it is great, thanks for sharing!

[misumainio]

Yep that rings a bell since I'm from Finland... :)

[chap292]

Verygood. Enjoyed it.

[neilyofborg13]

fun but odd

[carsc1]

Man what an amazing song.

[misumainio]

Wow!!! Unbelieveble - that's just never occurred to me, since so many of their songs are about love etc... Thanks!!!

[badboyforeva]

this song is actually about the fear that haunted the russians during the Soviet Union, in the 1970's... the secret meetings, the could-not-express-myself, the quiet voices, the smilings, the noises coming...

[badboyforeva]

About love? maybe until 1979, from then on was all about other more complex issues... for instances all "The Visitors" album.

[misumainio]

What is this song originally about...? Mental illness? Ive wondered about that for some 20 years. Great song though, one of their best.

[gsturge]

Replace the aliens for soldiers. She is about to be arrested, probably tortured and killed. The secret meetings she refers to implies she might be part of the resistance during world war II or planning to escape from east Berlin. The song is still valid today cause it can be about almost any war situation where citizens live in fear of being arrested.

[Bluebean2]

@misumainio Although written earlier, I always associated it with the unrest in communist Poland at the time of it's release. Solidarity was crushed and Martial Law enforced by Jaruzelski . I could imagine the fear felt by Lech Walesa and fellow Union leaders as troops closed in for their early hour arrests. How they must've wondered what the future held. Lyrics could equally refer to any "underground " movement being discovered. Great song from a strong album, shame it all ended here.

[Bluebean2]

@misumainio

[CristianTorrent]

@misumainio The song was about Soviet era dissidents in fear of arrrest by the Soviet authorities.

[mcmlxvi]

@misumainio The official stated theme is a protest against the mistreatment of political dissidents in the Soviet Union at the time, as ABBA seemed to input political issues into their lyrics in the final days of the group. That said, Björn deliberately made the lyrics obscure enough to be open to other interpretations.

In 1982, the album The Visitors was banned from the Soviet Union.

[mikory]

I liked it too! Very creative, and you are certainly very talented!

:)

[whirlyfan]

i thought it was good video love abba love the song very dancey as for sara funny weather a cross between lara croft sister and pamela anderson

[JadMock]

as someone says most underrated song from abba how this never got to no 1 i dont know best dance song to

[Bradelbee]

Really enjoyed this! Very well done!

[gsturge]

Thanks! No she isn't Frida, just a close replica of my Sim in The Sims Online.

[SwissPrincess]

This is absolutely AMAZING, not ONE of my Sims movies has turned out this well! How on eartj did you learn to make them so well! HUGE well done! ANd I LOVE ABBA too! So great song choice!

ALso, is the Sim in the video meant to look like Frida in 1977 or is that a coincidence?

[Chico16]

I thought it was wise to do it in the "wrong" interpretation. I mean, what else is there, Frida and Agnetha trying to cross the Berlin wall?

[whirlyfan]

true chico very true

[gsturge]

Yes, I realize that but it was easier to capture the emotional panic and stress this way.

[Wilseus]

This is not bad. You've totally misconstrued what the song is about though, it's not about aliens at all.

[westmount800]

BIG THANKS, Who ever post this muscic 100%! LOVE YALL!

[kingjg69]

The video really captured the tense atmosphere of this incredible song. Next stop MTV!

[Navarres1983]

superb video!, and one best abba songs for the first time in video, thanks

[rtriplet]

The Visitors is the MOST UNDERRATED song ever recorded by ABBA! Hearing it again takes me back to the early eighty's dance floors, college parties, long lost friends, etc... Wow.

[dangerbird71]

Cool video, very well done!

[BillyBughead]

w00t first comment >8^)=

Hey, those were some friends of mine dropping by for a party. I guess they got the address wrong, and landed on your lot.

Nice to see you here. TSO Vid Artists pwn!