In the 1970s, ABBA found worldwide success with hits such as “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo,” and “Fernando.” But as the Swedish pop group was entering its final chapter in 1982, band member Anni-Frid Lyngstad, aka Frida, was making her mark as a solo artist.
Frida’s third solo album Something’s Going On featured a major pop hit, fueled by a music video heavily featured on the then-new MTV.
Written by Argent lead singer Russ Ballard, “I Know There’s Something Going On” was driven by Phil Collins’ thunderous drum track and a darker edge that was worlds away from ABBA’s polished pop sound. Ballard penned lyrics about a relationship falling apart—an especially personal subject for Frida, who had recently divorced her husband and ABBA bandmate Benny Anderson.
The song became a worldwide hit and reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, cementing Frida as a bona fide solo star in the music video era.
Ballard was known as the lead singer and guitarist for the ‘70s rock band Argent, but he was also a prolific songwriter, penning classics for bands such as Rainbow and Three Dog Night.
In an interview with Best Classic Bands, Ballard revealed that he wrote “I Know There’s Something Going On” very quickly.
“To write that whole thing took about an hour,” the musician said. “That’s not bad. I think the best songs of mine have been really, really quick songs.”
While the song was written by Ballard, Collins was brought in to play drums and produce the album. Frida had been determined to get the Genesis legend to help her.
Speaking with the Dutch magazine Weekend, Frida recalled that her daughter introduced her to Collins’ 1981 single “In the Air Tonight.”
“I thought that was a marvelous record,” she shared. “Soon after that I bought his album Face Value. When I had listened to that, I was determined to contact him for a possible collaboration. When I called him eventually with the proposition to produce my solo album and play the drums as well, he was enthusiastic immediately.”
“The result has become totally different from the ABBA-sound, but that was my intention,” Frida added. “For me, it was essential to create my own sound and, despite the fact that I worked with different musicians and in totally different circumstances, I think I succeeded.”
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Frida’s Something’s Going On was recorded in February and March of 1982 at Polar Studios in Sweden, according to a post on Collins’ Facebook page. In addition to Collins, musicians such as Daryl Stuermer, Mo Foster, the Martyn Ford Orchestra, Gavyn Wright, Skaila Kanga and the Phenix Horns contributed to the tracks.
Recording the album was freeing for Frida during a transitional period in her life.
“Within ABBA I had to sing the songs that Benny or Björn [Ulvaeus] wrote,” she told Good Morning America in 1982. “But in this case I could choose myself what I wanted to do. From my heart, actually what I wanted to sing, what I wanted to have on the album. Of course, it’s different sound-wise because Phil Collins produced it, and he is also playing the drums.”
Nearly 45 years later, “I Know There’s Something Going On” remains one of Frida’s best-known solo recordings, a pop-rock hit with an irresistible hook that helped make it a timeless classic.
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