The Annotated ``Knowing Me, Knowing You''

16th August 2000

Many people know that Don McLean's song American Pie is a tribute to Buddy Holly and to the two musicians who died with him in that fatal plane crash, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. The entire song is riddled with references to them, and to the musical scene at that time, in the late 50s - McLean felt that pop music had lost its simplicity, purity and ``danceability'' since then, and the song doubles as a lament for the lost Rock 'n' Roll.

What's not so widely appreciated is that ABBA's Knowing Me, Knowing You is also an appreciation of Holly and a lament for the loss of the work he never produced. What follows is a line-by-line exposition of the true meaning of this 70s classic.

No more carefree laughter Silence ever after Mostly self-explanatory, this verse simply expresses ABBA's sadness at the loss of Buddy Holly.

Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye So far as the Swedish songsters are concerned, ``this is goodbye''; the ``story'' of classic pop music ``ends'', leaving behind only the ``empty house'' of 60s psychedelia and 70s prog-rock, where the ``tears'' of unnecessarily complex time signatures and non-functional harmony cascade down the ``cheeks'' of the decaying music scene.
The irony here, of course, is that it was ABBA themselves who in the late 70s were largely responsible for restoring pop music to its former glories.

Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) To ABBA, knowing both themselves and Buddy Holly as they do, the reflection is a source of profound anguish - the phrase usually translated as ``Ah-ha'' would be better rendered as ``Aaaaarrrrrrrgh!!'', which is the connotation it carries in the original Swedish.

There is nothing we can do ... the loss of Holly is irrevocable; and yet, despite claiming that there is nothing they can do, in the the very act of creating ``Knowing Me, Knowing You'', ABBA did more than they could have dreamed towards commemorating his life and work.

Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) The subtle use of incremental repetition augments the sense of anguish.

We just have to face it, this time we're through Indeed, in the face of this anguish, can there be any point in continuing to perform? ABBA seem here to be questioning the validity and significance of their own art.

(This time we're through, this time we're through This time we're through, we're really through) In this passage, incremental repetition is pushed to and beyond its logical extreme, frankly rather spoiling the effect.

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) Blah blah blah ...

Knowing me, knowing you It's the best I can do Yadda yadda yadda ...

Mem'ries - good days, bad days They'll be with me always In these old familiar rooms children would play Now there's only emptiness, nothing to say Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) There is nothing we can do Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) We just have to face it, this time we're through (This time we're through, this time we're 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 [repeat] Oh, I can't go on with this charade.
It's just a song already!

Feedback to <mike@miketaylor.org.uk> is welcome!

`No more carefree laughter Silence ever after`	Mostly self-explanatory, this verse simply expresses ABBA's sadness at the loss of Buddy Holly.
`Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye`	So far as the Swedish songsters are concerned, ``this is goodbye''; the ``story'' of classic pop music ``ends'', leaving behind only the ``empty house'' of 60s psychedelia and 70s prog-rock, where the ``tears'' of unnecessarily complex time signatures and non-functional harmony cascade down the ``cheeks'' of the decaying music scene. The irony here, of course, is that it was ABBA themselves who in the late 70s were largely responsible for restoring pop music to its former glories.
`Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)`	To ABBA, knowing both themselves and Buddy Holly as they do, the reflection is a source of profound anguish - the phrase usually translated as ``Ah-ha'' would be better rendered as ``Aaaaarrrrrrrgh!!'', which is the connotation it carries in the original Swedish.
`There is nothing we can do`	... the loss of Holly is irrevocable; and yet, despite claiming that there is nothing they can do, in the the very act of creating ``Knowing Me, Knowing You'', ABBA did more than they could have dreamed towards commemorating his life and work.
`Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)`	The subtle use of incremental repetition augments the sense of anguish.
`We just have to face it, this time we're through`	Indeed, in the face of this anguish, can there be any point in continuing to perform? ABBA seem here to be questioning the validity and significance of their own art.
`(This time we're through, this time we're through This time we're through, we're really through)`	In this passage, incremental repetition is pushed to and beyond its logical extreme, frankly rather spoiling the effect.
`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)`	Blah blah blah ...
`Knowing me, knowing you It's the best I can do`	Yadda yadda yadda ...
Mem'ries - good days, bad days They'll be with me always In these old familiar rooms children would play Now there's only emptiness, nothing to say Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) There is nothing we can do Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa) We just have to face it, this time we're through (This time we're through, this time we're 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 [repeat]	Oh, I can't go on with this charade. It's just a song already!