Knowing Me, Knowing You is the third song to appear here from one of the greatest pop groups of the 1970’s – ABBA. This is my favourite song from this super group. Despite having heard it hundreds of times I never grow tired of it. I think it’s one of the finest crafted Pop songs I have heard. The composition is outstanding and how the female and male voices in a polyphonic sense interact during the chorus, is one for the ages – at least to my ears. It’s one of those rare times in Pop music where I am left to ponder, ‘I do not know how they did that‘.
No more carefree laughter
Silence ever after
Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes
Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye
Knowing me, knowing you, aha
There is nothing we can do
Knowing me, knowing you, aha
We just have to face it, this time we’re through
(This time we’re through, this time we’re really through)
(This time we’re through, we’re really through)
Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go
(I have to go, this time I have to go, this time I know)
Knowing me, knowing you, it’s the best I can do
Knowing Me, Knowing You was the third single released from the magnificent 1977 record – Arrival. I wrote in the Fernando article: ‘I remember as a boy sitting in front of the fireplace and holding the 1976 Arrival album in my hands and I was besotted by it. The helicopter looked just like the one used in the Skippy: The Bush Kangaroo episode called ‘Many Happy Returns‘ where Sonny has to fly Jerry’s helo on his own. Those were the days!’
Knowing Me, Knowing You ended up being one of the group’s more successful hits. It was a chart – topper or top 10 hit in too many countries to mention here. It was also one of the earliest ABBA songs to deal with the break-up of a relationship. It predates the divorces of the ABBA members as well as further break-up songs to come like The Winner Takes It All. The video below was directed by future Academy Award nominee Lasse Hallström and is a landmark in his career alongside most other videos of the band which were directed by him.
Reference:
1. Knowing Me, Knowing You – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Yes I love this song…and many of their songs. They had an incredible run of pop songs. Matt sorry I’ve been missing…had a terrible stomach virus.
I’m sorry to read about your recent illness. I hope you already feel much better. I too like a lot of their songs, but this one always ‘Wow’d’ me more than any other and continues to do so.
I’m feeling better today…I’ve been sick more in the past month than I was the entire last year…we caught everything going around recently.
I love how they build their vocal harmonies.
It’s weird just going out on the streets and I had to go to Colombia Migration this morning and it just seems uncanny how many people are coughing, and spluttering compared to Pre-Pandemic days. I don’t know if it was always like that or if people are just picking up more contagions.
One could argue that Benny Andersson’s song composition prowess is second to none in the Pop music world.
I think the time in isolation hurt us because we didn’t build up any immunity.
More than writing…they knew how to build a pop song with layers.
It’s the synchronicity in the harmony between the women (which has never been surpassed in Pop) and the polyphonic adaption of the men’s voices in this song.
Speaking of synchronicity, I just saw a video from two young women who said to me they were from Serbia and sung Christina Perri’s ‘Back in Time’. I have never ever heard synchronisation of harmony like those twins. I’ll send it below in case you are intrigued.
That was really cool…they are perfectly in sync with each other.
I know, it’s incredible. I haven’t heard their equal. I don’t know how they aren’t already famous lol
Yea as you and I know…it’s about being in the right place at the right time! They have the look for sure. Both good looking girls but that shouldn’t be the reason.
Being twins with enormous talent and harmony synchronicity should be enough. Anyhow they are still young.
There is another one they do called, ‘I know the end’ by Phoebe Bridgers. I saw the original. Their version kicks ass. Just brilliant.
They know their stuff and that’s putting it mildly.
I just listened to their cover of Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You….it’s really good.
Yeh, it wasn’t bad. They also sang Lorde ‘Liability’ which was really good. My kids and I are big fans of Lorde ‘Team’.
Hello there, I’m new here – I love your observations on ABBA but…… those twins! (Chefs kiss)