Just Like That (song)

“Just Like That” was originally written by Andersson and Ulveus in May 1982, and the first recordings began that same month. It was assumed that the composition, along with some others, will be included in the new studio album. However, the quality of the material did not suit the group, and they forgot about “Just Like That”.

During sessions in late spring and early summer of 1982, journalists often visited ABBA, and therefore it became known about working on new things. Two names appeared in print: “Just Like That” and “ I Am the City ”. They were mentioned in the official press release of Polar Music for the summer of 1982: according to the publication, the songs were completed and ready for inclusion on the next album ^[5] . However, in fact, neither a new album nor the release of "Just Like That" was ever followed. The group’s latest studio sessions resulted in four songs included on The Singles: The First Ten Years and released as singles in October and December 1982, respectively: “ The Day Before You Came ” / “Cassandra”, and “ Under Attack ” / You Owe Me One. "

However, some of the above entries began to circulate in the 1980s in a fan- friendly bootleg environment. For a long time, there were rumors that their source was a cassette allegedly stolen along with Ulveus’s machine, and later he confirmed through Karl Magnus Palma that this was indeed so ^[6] . Another track, “I Am the City,” was featured on the 1993 AB AB Gold Gold: More ABBA Hits .

In 1994, Andersson and Ulveus allowed a 2-minute stretch of “Just Like That” to be included in ABBA Undeleted Potpourri, compiled by Michael Tretov for Thank You for the Music . The publication of the passage gave fans hope that the song would soon be fully released in the original version, but these hopes, according to Palm, are unfounded ^[6] .

At least three different versions of the song were at the disposal of bootleggers. However, there is reason to believe that there were several more ^[7] :

• The first two mixes were recorded on May 4, 1982. One of them, lasting 5 minutes, is sometimes called the "original" version. A feature of this recording is the presence of simple instrumental inserts between verses and choruses, which creates a feeling of some “unfinished” composition. However, it is in it that the guitar riff is later used in the song Under Attack (in words: "Don't know how to take it / don't know where to go / my resistance running low ...").

• The band members returned to work after I Am the City sessions and a short break on May 28, 1982. On this day, two more mixes were recorded, including the so-called "nanan" version. Its main difference from the “original” one is Agneta's vocalization on top of instrumental parts between the parts of the song.

• On June 2, 1982, Bjorn and Benny made a final attempt to rectify the situation by inviting renowned saxophonist Rafael Ravenscroft to record winds. Sessions at the beginning of June gave the so-called “saxophone” version of the song, which became final. It is characterized by a significant change in the melody, heavier bass, as well as the replacement of instrumental inserts with long saxophone riffs.

At the end of the work on the “saxophone” version of “Just Like That”, Benny and Bjorn were rated unsatisfactory, so the song was never released.

Gemini Version

In 1984, after the breakup of the ABBA group, Andersson and Ulveus again turned to “Just Like That”: they needed material for their new production project, the Gemini group, and for the musical “ Chess ”. They decided to rework both the melody and the text. The result of the work were two songs.

The first one, which retained the name and refrain of the source ^[8] , was performed by the Swedish duo Gemini. This version of “Just Like That” in 1986 was released as a single with the song “Live on the Love” as a second side ^[9] . The release geography is represented by the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands ^[9] . A music video was also shot for the song ^[10] .

The second part became the basis for the instrumental demo “When the Waves Roll Out to Sea” with vocals by Elaine Page , which was used as a working material for the musical “Chess”, but again was not released ^[8] . However, bootleg recordings soon began to circulate in a fan environment; they can now be found on the Internet .

Others

• Tribute band Björn Again recorded their version of the song.

• List of Unreleased ABBA Songs