Under Attack
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Under Attack" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by ABBA | ||
| from the album The Singles: The First Ten Years | ||
| Released | December 3 1982 in UK, February 21, 1983 | |
| Format | 7" single | |
| Genre | Europop, Pop | |
| Length | 3:46 | |
| Label | Polar Music, Epic, Atlantic | |
| Writer(s) | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus | |
| Producer(s) | Michael Tretow | |
| Chart positions | ||
|
||
| ABBA singles chronology | ||
| The Day Before You Came (1982) |
Under Attack (1982) |
"Cassandra" (1983) |
"Under Attack" was the last single released by the pop group ABBA while they were still together. It was originally featured as a track on the compilation The Singles: The First Ten Years in 1982, but was released as a single in 1983 in most countries. In the UK it was released on December 3 1982. It was their twenty-eighth single for Polar Music in Scandinavia.
[edit] The song
"Under Attack" was one of the last songs ABBA recorded in August 1982. The group had originally intended to release a new studio album, but the stress of the working environment led them to indefinitely shelve the project and instead release a double-album of their past singles. Since it was decided that there would be two new tracks on the compilation, ABBA set to work recording the songs. The two songs that made it onto what became The Singles: The First Ten Years were "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack". The former was eventually released as a single in October 1982.
[edit] Chart Success
"Under Attack" was not very popular upon its release in 1982/3. Some fans say it was ahead of its time, others criticize it for being too poppy and simplistic when compared to their earlier efforts. Although a top five hit in Belgium and The Netherlands, it did not become a hit anywhere else. In Australia, where the group's popularity only a few years earlier had rivaled that of The Beatles, it was a sad swan-song, limping into the singles chart at #96. After the single's release, it was decided that ABBA would take a "break." However, they would not record as a group again.
Musically it is a song with strong production values and tight harmonies - it has a stereo sound that was popular in its day with a "soft fade" to end the song.
[edit] Comprehensive Charts
| Chart (1983) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 5 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 13 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 15 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 16 |
| West German Singles Chart | 22 |
| UK Singles Chart | 26 |
| French Singles Chart | 43 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 96 |
