ABBA Voyage Series – Part 6: 'I Can Be That Woman' | History & Review

"I Can Be That Woman" is as dark and serious as it can get. It forges new musical ground for ABBA, and proves how much their artistry – and personalities – have evolved. Let’s explore the many meanings and influences hidden in this song.

0:00 Intro
0:58 Agnetha – Voice and Artistry
3:45 Frida – A Shimmer of Hope
5:34 Benny’s Music & Production – Pure ABBA
7:21 Björn’s Lyrics – Artistic Progression
9:08 Country vs. ABBA – Origins & Roots
11:43 A Tragic Personal Influence?
13:20 Conclusion – The Ultimate Survivors

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Written, narrated, recorded & edited by Bobby’s Brother.

#abba #voyage #abbavoyage

[debbs]

I have been happily married for years and my only addiction is a certain type of cheesecake, but... when I listen to I Can Be That Woman, I am truly shaken by the reality it describes. Such is the power of Agnetha's interpretation. I am also mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the composition. With The Day Before You Came, some forty years ago, Abba reached a new milestone, IMO. I Can Be That Woman opens yet another historic chapter in their creative possibilities

[alexioverdo]

I gotta admit that at my first listen to this i hadn't thought too much of it., considering it a little dull, stripped or smth so I passed it by.Finally within less than two days later on it had already grown on me.I woke up one dawn with Agnetha's fragile voice haunting my mind..'''you 're not the man you should have been...' and that was like a shot in the heart.It made me think, 'what a shame i overpassed this, how could i?!'Today i adore and cherish EVERY single song on this sacred album.It's their final precious and very moving offering to us and i cherish this with respect, deep love and gratitude.

[rogerolsson]

This song and Dont Shut Me Down are two of their best songs ever.

[LudiusQuassas]

The power of the strings at the "You can't believe it..." along with Agnetha's haunting vocals is one of my favourite moments of the album.
What an amazing track, and my many thanks for having that shimmer of hope to try again with this video of the Voyage series.
It's a beautiful thing that this song has the most streams among the ones from the album's B-side on YouTube.

[ralfh.]

In an interview for the BBC Frida complimented Agnetha for her storytelling. And this song is a perfect example. There are so many elements which have made this my favourite song on the album. Her intense singing and Frida's harmony vocals perfectly match each other.

[alexioverdo]

It's deals with a tragic story but at the same time it carries a hopeful, optimistic message, 'It's never too late for changing'.Seems as if Abba didn't want to leave the listener totally sad and devasastated. 'There's a shimmer of hope' in the end.We've seen it again in some past Abba songs such as 'One man one woman', or even 'Chiquitita' and in a way on "The way old friends do'.But here with ICBTW the story is really tough and far more serious and raw.The analysis of the backing track and of the orchestration you did, while using the dolby atmos system, surfaced up lots of great stuff that was less audible.I loved it even more since then.

[AdamDawson]

'I Can Be That Woman' is one of ABBA's best songs and one of Agnetha's best ever vocal performances.

[helenstephens]

Also Frida vocals add so much emotion to the song and when they join up in the chorus it’s simply magic

[davidmarshall]

Hwy Bobby's Brother! This song from the album is without doubt a masterpiece 🙌 Terrific story telling from a written perspective & delivered by a very very talented leading lady that over the years has produced songs that come from the heart & soul! it appears so much through their music that time & experiences in life have led to the final album of music produced by them to be very melancholy as well as upbeat which has always been the ABBA forte. Agnetha here produces one of her finest performances & there's been some over the years....her voice cracking as she delves deeply into the mood of the song awesome or Another bloody excellent vlog by you BB & keep up the excellent content on the channel 🙂💯👌

[madadam]

I love the fact that Frida, in a radio interview with the BBC (I think) in December 2021 shortly after "Voyage" released praised Agnetha for being "such a great storyteller." She proves it not only here, but in all three songs that feature her on lead vocal on the album, ICBTW along with "Don't Shut Me Down" and "Keep an Eye on Dan." All three songs feature a woman rueing her missed opportunities in a romance, and thinking about what could have been / what still could be in three musically very different songs. One other thing worth mentioning, small as it may be - Agnetha's diction in all of her vocals is second to none. Even though her voice has darkened in her later years, she has matured as a singer in ways we didn't always see in ABBA's 70s-80s heyday.

[danelvis]

The structure of the song is very much country and in style and narrative it reminds me of a song like She Believes In Me. There, music is the binding ingredient. And the progression is through the words after "While she lays...sleeping, dreaming, waiting, crying." Here, Bjorn uses the dog to illustrate all the emotions that are to come. She's sleeping, she jumps down, licks her fingers, happy to see her, but she gets scared when he shows his temper. At the end, the dog is hopeful, reflecting maybe a renewed hope for all. Dogs do have a sense of things. I know from experience. When my ex and I would fight while sitting in the living room and my voice would rise, the dog would always jump up on my chair and start licking my face. Never hers. I think for Tammy it's a relief to see her there. And dogs are a great judge of character.

[thestepfordlife]

My husband died . He was an alcoholic. It killed him eventually. This song wrecked me when I heard it. This song hit very close to home. Thank you for this video BB. Thank you ABBA.

[helenstephens]

Agnetha storytelling is second to none . So many great storytelling and also if you listen to keep an eye on Dan. You can hear the emotion in Agnetha voice talking about leaving her little boy with his dad . As a mum she can relate to the lyrics and emotions of divorce and how her life and children were affected by the separation from her and bjorn also when they were on tour that must have been so hard as she said she yearned to be with her children. Other strong vocals on previous abba albums are disullion hasta manana and her early solo work when she wrote about the pain of splitting with her boyfriend

[nynave]

I would love to see this series with every ABBA album!

[helenstephens]

Agnetha was interviewed on a British tv program called lose women talking to Carol vorderman and she said when she sings an emotional song it is like she is playing a part in a play as an actress

[strose]

Your best video to date. The song is beautiful and I'm still in disbelief that they, ABBA, could put out a masterpiece like Voyage after 40 years. I think it's their best collaboration of their careers.

[WhitneyHoustoneva]

A lot of couples can relate to this song. All relationships have their ups and downs as reflected in Bjorn's lyrics. Agnetha sings the song wonderfully. She was originally inspired by Connie Francis a singer from the 1950s who could sing songs of heartache. This was evident in Agnetha's solo career pre-ABBA.

[carlosgarjon]

First of all, your last sentences with that already iconic picture of ABBA in the snow, almost made me cry.

This song has grown on me through time. I played it just on Friday and I realised that I like it more today than when it was released.
The lyrics make me visualize perfectly what's happening in that living-room, like in a movie.
But the best thing in the song is Agnetha's vocals. It's pure emotion coming from her heart. When she sings "there's a shimmer of hope in your eyes", she gives me literally goosebumps.
And Frida in the chorus helps a lot with the emotional atmosphere.

[cehamecki]

Das Lied ist einfach genial, emotional, traurig, zuversichtlich und beruhigend. Agnetha beweist wieder einmal was es heißt eine Kristallklare Stimme mit allen Nuancen zu singen. Ich bin ein Fan von der ersten Stunde. Phänomenal.

[mitral]

This voyage album has so many varieties of songs and that's whats make this a masterpiece. For instance, I can be that woman is more of a country type, when you danced with me inspired by Irish music, no doubt about it is the fastest track of the album, keep an eye on Dan is an unique song with a little bit of SOS,
Greatest comeback ever. Dear bb, thanks for doing this amazing explorations of songs by one of the biggest bands in the world. We want more and more music from ABBA and I hope they'll continue it. 🙂