Song Analysis - My Love, My Life

 My Love, My Life is another one of ABBA's breakup songs, a song about a relationship coming to an end. Though this song has a very mature feel to it.  The narrator of the song is clearly heartbroken by the realization that their relationship has gone completely stale, but she deals with it in a very mature way.  Specifically this part of the chorus, "but I know I don’t possess you, so go away, God bless you.  You are still my love and my life, still my one and only."  No matter what happens, she will always love and appreciate what they had, and if it is truly time to break up and end this releationship, then they will on amicable terms.  Doesn't mean they're happy about it, as Agnetha once said (regarding her own breakup not the song My Love, My Life), "there is no such thing as a happy divorce," but at least they're civil and peaceful.

I love how ABBA have a lot of different songs about different types of breakups and divorces, and honestly this type of breakup songs I prefer.

Agnetha sings the lead vocals on this song and has the most prominent voice in the song.  She sings so beautifully and strongly, especially in the last chorus with the extended, "You are still my love aaaaaand my life."  Especially as this song has a lot of choral and almost heavenly sound to it, it always reminds me of Agnetha's "To Love," from her 1983 album Wrap Your Arms Around Me.  

However in the chorus Frida comes in with some absolutely beautiful harmonies as well, specifically on the lines "But I know I don’t possess you, so go away, God bless you."  Though Frida's blended in so well, it's really hard to hear her, however I have an observation: I have an original Arrival vinyl record from the 1970s, and when I play that record on the record player, I can hear the harmonies SO MUCH CLEARER, yet when I connect my phone and play my digital versions of the songs from the 2001 remastered CDs, or even the CD itself through the same speakers, they are not easy to hear.  I love the 2001 remastered versions, they all sound great and the sound is so clear, but there's something to the original pressings of the record that sound SO MUCH CLEARER and BETTER.  (I even compared my ABBA Gold 30th anniversary record to the same tracks on my copy of 1976's Arrival and there is no comparison, I'm sorry the original versions sound better.)

Bjorn's also in the song as well, singing "See it all so clearly, answer me sincerely."  This whole song is just so beautiful and so well done, and is honestly a top favorite of mine.  

Sadly ABBA only performed this song twice, but I bet it would have been a hit live.  It's just such a good and beautiful song, dare I say ABBA's most beautiful track...?