The Winner Takes It All Lyrics
The Winner Takes It All
I don't wanna talkAbout the things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play
The winner takes it all
The loser standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny
I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules
The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear
The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
It's simple and it's plain
Why should I complain.
But tell me does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name?
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say
Rules must be obeyed
The judges will decide
The likes of me abide
Spectators of the show
Always staying low
The game is on again
A lover or a friend
A big thing or a small
The winner takes it all
I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self - confidence
But you see
The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all...
Song Overview
Personal Review
The Winner Takes It All is ABBA’s Everest—grand, perilous, breathtaking. In the musical it detonates two hours of comic farce into raw confession: Donna spots Sam at midnight on the terrace and sings a five-minute aria of losses counted like cards. The cast recording keeps Benny’s original 84 BPM tempo, but Martin Koch’s orchestration trades the 1980 Yamaha GX-1 for string tremolo that vibrates like an exposed nerve. I’ve heard McCarthy nail that climactic E?5 in three different houses; every time, the auditorium exhales as one organism.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Björn Ulvaeus wrote the lyric weeks after signing divorce papers with Agnetha Fältskog; she then recorded the lead vocal, turning private pain into a global #1. Onstage, the autobiographical ache doubles—Donna’s fury mirrors ABBA’s history, Sam’s silent guilt stands in for Björn. Harmonically Andersson sets each chorus on a I – V – vi progression, but the word “loser” always falls on the minor chord, a dagger twist you hear even if you don’t know theory.
“A big thing or a small—the winner takes it all.”
The line jumps a perfect fifth, mimicking a coin tossed into cold night air. The pit answers with timpani roll, like the universe rubber-stamping the verdict.
Verse Highlights
Opening Gambit
Donna’s “I don’t wanna talk” drops a semitone mid-phrase—already surrender before battle begins.
Dice-Throw Verse
Violins saw sixteenth notes under “gods may throw the dice,” evoking roulette wheels Donna can’t control.
Interrogation Bridge
Question after question (“Does she kiss…?”) climbs chromatically; each step tightens the emotional tourniquet.
Song Credits
- Featured: Siobhán McCarthy (Donna), Martin Lowe (musical director)
- Producers: Nicholas Gilpin, Martin Koch
- Composers/Lyricists: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
- Release Date: October 17 1999 (cast) / July 21 1980 single
- Genre: Pop-ballad / Musical theatre power aria
- Length: 4 min 55 sec (cast) / 4 min 54 sec (ABBA)
- Instruments: grand piano, string orchestra, timpani, bouzouki whispers
- Mood: cathartic, operatic, uncompromising
- Label: Polydor / Decca (cast); Polar (original)
- Poetic Meter: loose iambic heptameter on verse lines
- Copyrights: © 1999 Littlestar Ltd.; ? 1999 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Songs Exploring Themes of Break-Up Catharsis
“Nothing Compares 2 U” – Sinéad O’Connor
Both tracks weaponise vulnerability; Sinéad uses Prince’s minimal chords, ABBA drape orchestral grandeur.
“Someone Like You” – Adele
Adele’s piano ballad bows to “Winner” in harmonic lift; each chorus is a white-flag wave.
“I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston
Parting shot as power ballad; Whitney modulates up, Agnetha modulates inward, both scorch earth.
Questions and Answers
- How did ABBA’s single perform on the charts?
- No 1 UK; No 8 US Billboard Hot 100; No 1 Adult Contemporary.
- Is it really about Björn and Agnetha’s divorce?
- Ulvaeus insists it’s fiction but admits “the emotions were real.”
- Streaming numbers in 2025?
- Spotify reports ? 560 million plays, ABBA’s #4 most-streamed track.
- Famous cover versions?
- Cher (2018 orchestral), Carla Bruni (2017 bossa-folk), and musical peers from Sia to Wehbe (2024 Rolling Stone AU tribute).
- How does the 2008 film rendition differ?
- Meryl Streep sings a half-step lower; director Phyllida Lloyd shot it in one continuous Steadicam take at Skopelos cliff.
Awards and Chart Positions
• UK Singles Chart: No 1 for two weeks (Aug 1980)
• US Billboard Hot 100: No 8 (Nov 1980)
• US AC: No 1 (Dec 1980)
• Certified Platinum (BPI) for 600 000 UK units
• Rolling Stone AU 2022 list: #1 greatest ABBA song
How to Sing?
Range: Donna G3–F?5.
Breath: Treat each verse as two-bar phrases; inhale on the comma after “I don’t wanna talk.”
Tempo: 84 BPM; lean slightly behind beat on verses, ride cymbal pushes chorus forward.
Tone: Start conversational; grow chest mix on “winner” until it splinters just shy of vibrato.