Frida Ensam - Content

Content

Frida ensam opens with Lyngstad's Swedish solo version of "Fernando" which was not released as a single in Sweden, so that those who wanted it had to buy the album. (It was however released by Polar as a single in Norway but did not reach the charts there). The song was written so that the album would contain something unique and new. This was a song with a great hit potential (being practically a new ABBA song) and this clever decision led to the album selling 130,000 copies. The song became the most popular track on the album and it spent nine weeks at #1 on Svensktoppen (a chart of Swedish songs on Sveriges radio not based on sales). It was after this huge success that Polar decided to release the song in English. This proved to be the a wise decision, as the English version became one of ABBA's biggest hits. ABBA's version, therefore, is technically a "cover".

With the exception of "Fernando" all the other songs are cover versions, showing Lyngstad's and also Andersson's fairly eclectic taste in music. Besides dramatic Italian ballads like "Anima Mia" and "Vado Via" the album includes Lyngstad's interpretations of 10cc's "The Wall Street Shuffle" and David Bowie's "Life on Mars", sixties hits like The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's "Young Girl", the country and western ballad "The Most Beautiful Girl", "Send in the Clowns" from Stephen Sondheim's musical A Little Night Music as well as the Greek folk song "Siko Chorepse Syrtaki" and "Som en sparv" (with lyrics by Swedish poet Barbro Hörberg) originally recorded by Swedish band Wasa. The album received positive reviews both in Sweden and other countries. For example, British Melody Maker wrote: "The album portrays Frida as a very strong and emotive singer and shows the true value of the music, that if sung properly and with enough feeling it transcends all language barriers".

Lyrically most of the tracks have a common theme, that of a strong and independent woman, hence the album title. The ironic lyrics of "Vill du låna en man" show a particularly emancipated Lyngstad: "Hi, would you like to borrow a man? He's one hell of a guy. His umbrella and slippers are included. -- You'll have to be patient though, remember that he owns you - plus the three other women he sees on the side. -- Are you ready to become the mother of someone who measures 2.02 in the buff? -- When he's had his say, that's the way it is. When he's wrong he's right anyway. -- Before you answer just make sure you can handle these children also known as men."

Frida ensam was a huge success in Sweden. The original Swedish version of "Fernando" topped the Svensktoppen radio chart for nine weeks and the album topped the album charts for six weeks and spent a total of 38 weeks in the charts.

A digitally remastered version of the album was released by Universal Music in 2005, including two bonus tracks; the A and B-sides of Lyngstad's debut single for the Polar Music label, both Italian schlager hits with Swedish lyrics by Stig Anderson and both produced by Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. "Man vill ju leva lite dessemellan" was Frida's second Svensktoppen #1 in late 1972.