Song Analysis - Here Comes Rubie Jamie

 Here Comes Rubie Jamie, also known as Terra del Fuego, is a short 40 second snippet of a demo that was included on the Undeleted medley from 1994, appearing at the 11:43 mark.  From the little that we heard of the song, it's just a fun little piano track with some drums, and Frida and Benny singing together.  It's a very simple lyric as well.  Benny:  "Some people long for Berlin and Barcelona.  They yearn for Paris, Madrid and Rome."  Frida: "and I know some who prefer Arizona and some prefer home."  Benny: "There's only me who is dying to see."  

Though apparently the song does actually feature all four singing, I can imagine with one verse being Bjorn and Agnetha singing back and forth and the other being Frida and Benny singing back and forth as can be heard on the snippet.

I've always had a fondness for this track, mostly because in all of ABBA's officially released work, there is no song quite like this, where each B is paired off with their A and singing together.  The closest thing I can think of to another song like this is I Am An A from 1977, but that song was not officially released either.  

Considering this song is from the recording sessions for ABBA's next album, the self-titled ABBA, I don't think this song really fits in with the style of songs that ended up making it onto that album.  Though, as can be heard from ABBA's various demo versions of songs, ABBA have a way of turning what sounds like a "mediocre" track into something bigger and better.  A good example of this is Baby, the demo version for Rock Me, or Bjorn's initial demo for Like An Angel Passing Through My Room called Twinkle Twinkle.  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the tracks Baby, Twinkle Twinkle, or Here Comes Rubie Jamie btw, it's just that these demos are very unfinished and simple and are nothing like the final versions of the song/what the final version of the song could have been.  

Unfortunately it seems we'll never know if there was a completed version of Here Comes Rubie Jame nor will we ever get to hear beyond the 40 second snippet.  But for the little bit of the song that we have, I really enjoy it.  Benny and Frida sound super playful with each other, which is quite clear as the song ends with some wholesome laughter from the two of them.  

I know it'll probably never happen, but if ABBA ever decided to release full versions of the undeleted tracks, I would be the happiest.  To ABBA, these demos are never good enough, and them being the perfectionists that they are have declared these songs as not worthy of being released.  But I wish they knew that ABBA fans, or at least obsessed and devoted fans like myself, would eat that.  They could literally release a random, ordinary phone call even between let's say between Agnetha and Frida and I would LOVE that.  I especially love when clips of flubs and behind the scenes show up with just adds a more "human" side to these four amazing people who presented themselves in such a "perfect" way.  

To ABBA, they can only release perfection.  If it's not perfect, than it's not worth publishing. And I get that, I just would love more outtakes.  Please and thank you. :')

-- Quick edit to say, I just now saw the news report about an upcoming ABBA documentary celebrating ABBA's historic rise to fame, titled ABBA: Against All Odds, which is said to feature "unprecedented access to SVT (Swedish public television) archives including rare footage that capture the band’s rise to fame and the intense negativity they faced at home. With privileged insights from sources close to the band complete with exclusive photographic memories, rare footage, deleted and unreleased audio, unique band archive from behind the Iron Curtain and several exclusive access interviews that have either never aired or were thought lost since transmission; this is the untold story of ABBA."  I am intriqued specifically by the "rare footage, deleted and unreleased audio." part.  PLEASE let this be available somewhere that my US based self can see.  PLEASEEEEEE