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( January 2012 ) `` When All Is Said and Done '' Single by ABBA from the album The Visitors B - side `` Should I Laugh or Cry '' Released 31 December 1981 ( U.S. ) Format 7 '' single Recorded 16 -- 19 March 1981 at Polar Music Studios ; finished 14 November 1981 Genre Pop, europop Length 3 : 20 Label Atlantic ( U.S. ) Songwriter ( s ) Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus Producer ( s ) Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus ABBA singles chronology `` Slipping Through My Fingers '' ( 1981 ) `` When All Is Said and Done '' ( 1981 ) `` Head over Heels '' ( 1982 ) `` Slipping Through My Fingers '' ( 1981 ) `` When All Is Said and Done '' ( 1981 ) `` Head over Heels '' ( 1982 ) `` No Hay a Quien Culpar '' El Salvador single Music video `` When All Is Said and Done '' on YouTube `` When All Is Said and Done '' is a song recorded in 1981 by Swedish pop group ABBA. It is featured on the group 's final studio album, The Visitors, and was released as a single in the United States on 31 December 1981 on Atlantic 3889. It debuted on the Billboard pop singles chart on 9 January 1982 and peaked at # 27. It also achieved particular success in Canada, where it peaked at No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. The lead vocals were sung by Anni - Frid Lyngstad. The flip - side of the single was `` Should I Laugh or Cry ''. Contents 1 Overview 2 Reception 2.1 Music video 3 Mamma Mia ! 4 Cover versions 5 Charts 6 References 7 External links Overview ABBA consisted of two married couples who later divorced. Similar to the group 's 1980 track, `` The Winner Takes It All '', which could have been influenced by the split between band members Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, `` When All Is Said and Done '' detailed the divorce between Anni - Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson. Written during a time of emotional turmoil, Ulvaeus has admitted that the recent divorce between Benny and Frida was at the back of his mind during the songwriting process for this song. Björn sought approval from Benny and Frida before the group began working with the song. When recording began in March 1981, only one month had passed since their separation. `` When All Is Said and Done '' saw Frida giving words and emotions detailing all of her sorrow and pain, not only for herself, but for all of those who had been through a separation. The backing track the group had first recorded was completely changed after Frida had laid down her powerful and emotional vocals. As Frida herself later recalled : `` All my sadness was captured in that song. '' ABBA recorded a Spanish version of `` When All Is Said and Done '', `` No Hay a Quien Culpar '', which was released as a single in Mexico and several other South American countries. The Spanish title written by Buddy and Mary McCluskey translates as `` No One Is to Blame ''. The track was also slightly remixed, for example leaving out the double - tracked snare drum of the original English version and adding new synth overdubs, giving the song a warmer feeling than the original version. In Mexico it reached the No. 29 chart position. Reception Not every territory wanted to release `` One of Us '' as the first single from The Visitors ; the U.S. instead opted for `` When All Is Said and Done ''. `` When All Is Said and Done '' was a modest success in the United States, peaking at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming ABBA 's final Top 40 hit in that market. On Billboard 's Adult Contemporary chart, the song reached No. 10 and was the group 's eighth and final Top 10 hit. On Billboard 's Dance / Disco chart, the song peaked at No. 7. It debuted on the U.S. charts on 31 December 1981. `` When All Is Said and Done '' peaked at No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in Canada on 6 March 1982. The song spent 9 weeks on the Adult Contemporary Chart. `` When All is Said and Done '' was also released in Australia, coupled with `` Soldiers '', another song from The Visitors. It peaked at number 81. Music video In August 1981, a music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Lasse Hallström. Parts of the video that feature Lyngstad by the sea were filmed in the Stockholm archipelago. The scenes where the other ABBA members appear were filmed in Stockholm. The Spanish music video for `` No Hay A Quien Culpar '' is almost an exact copy of the English version. The only difference is Frida 's haircut in the Spanish one. Mamma mia ! `` When All Is Said and Done '' was included in 2008 film version of the ABBA musical Mamma Mia !, performed by Sam Carmichael ( as played by Pierce Brosnan ), with one line -- `` slightly worn but dignified, and not too old for sex '' -- also sung by Meryl Streep. The song is substantially different from the original release, not only in that it has been reworked into a ballad but also that a new second verse was written by Björn Ulvaeus specifically for the movie soundtrack and added to the song 's original lyrics as recorded by ABBA : `` It 's been there in my dreams, the scene I see unfold True at last, flesh and blood, to cherish and to hold Careless fools will suffer, yes, I know and I confess : Once I lost my way when something good had just begun Lesson learned -- it 's history -- when all is said and done '' In the context of the movie the lyrics also take on an entirely different meaning ; as opposed to the original which describes a couple going their separate ways, it portrays two lovers finding their way back to each other and rekindling their romance. The song is sung when Sam decides to propose to Donna after he confesses to marrying another woman and then divorcing her ; Donna ultimately accepts. `` When All Is Said And Done '' is also the only song present in the film that was not included in the original stage version ; however, it can be found on the film 's soundtrack. Cover versions In 1996, British singer Hazell Dean recorded a dance - oriented cover of `` When All Is Said & Done '' for her album The Winner Takes It All : Hazell Dean Sings Abba. In 2004, a soft vocal cover version of the song can be found on the ABBA tribute album Funky ABBA by Swedish musician Nils Landgren. This version features Benny Andersson on piano and vocals by Swedish jazz singer Viktoria Tolstoy. In 2006, Swedish opera singer Anne Sofie von Otter covered the song on her ABBA tribute album I Let the Music Speak. In 2006, A eurodance version by DJ Ensamble was featured on the tribute album Trancing Queen. It is also included on the compilation V.A. Remixland Summer 2007. In 2007, The Idea of North performed an a cappella version of this song on their Live at the Powerhouse CD and DVD. Charts Chart ( 1982 ) Peak position Australia 81 Canada Adult Contemporary US Billboard Hot 100 27 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 10 US Billboard Dance / Disco 7 References ^ Jump up to : `` RPM Canada Adult Contemporary Chart, 6 March 1982 ''. Retrieved 18 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` ABBA : The Australian Discography / 1977 -- 1983 ''. Abba-world.net. Retrieved 4 January 2012. Jump up ^ `` Rafaels and Stefans pictures ''. Raffem.com. 1981 - 08 - 29. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Reviews ''. Eurodancehits.com. Retrieved 4 January 2012. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics ABBA songs Discography Ring Ring `` Ring Ring '' `` Another Town, Another Train '' `` Disillusion '' `` People Need Love '' `` I Saw It in the Mirror '' `` Nina, Pretty Ballerina '' `` Love Is n't Easy ( But It Sure Is Hard Enough ) '' `` Me and Bobby and Bobby 's Brother '' `` He Is Your Brother '' `` She 's My Kind of Girl '' `` Rock'n Roll Band '' Waterloo `` Waterloo '' `` King Kong Song '' `` Hasta Mañana '' `` My Mama Said '' `` Honey, Honey '' `` What About Livingstone ? '' ABBA `` Mamma Mia '' `` Hey, Hey Helen '' `` SOS '' `` Bang - A-Boomerang '' `` I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do '' `` Rock Me '' `` Intermezzo No. 1 '' `` I 've Been Waiting for You '' `` So Long '' Greatest Hits `` Fernando '' Arrival `` When I Kissed the Teacher '' `` Dancing Queen '' `` My Love, My Life '' `` Dum Dum Diddle '' `` Knowing Me, Knowing You '' `` Money, Money, Money '' `` That 's Me '' `` Tiger '' `` Arrival '' ABBA : The Album `` Eagle '' `` Take a Chance on Me '' `` One Man, One Woman '' `` The Name of the Game '' `` Move On '' `` Hole in Your Soul '' `` Thank You for the Music '' `` I Wonder ( Departure ) '' `` I 'm a Marionette '' Voulez - Vous `` As Good as New '' `` Voulez - Vous '' `` I Have a Dream '' `` Angeleyes '' `` The King Has Lost His Crown '' `` Does Your Mother Know '' `` If It Was n't for the Nights '' `` Chiquitita '' `` Lovers ( Live a Little Longer ) '' `` Kisses of Fire '' Greatest Hits Vol. 2 `` Gimme ! Gimme ! Gimme ! ( A Man After Midnight ) '' `` Summer Night City '' Super Trouper `` Super Trouper '' `` The Winner Takes It All '' `` On and On and On '' `` Andante, Andante '' `` Me and I '' `` Happy New Year '' `` Our Last Summer '' `` The Piper '' `` Lay All Your Love on Me '' The Visitors `` The Visitors '' `` Head over Heels '' `` When All Is Said and Done '' `` Soldiers '' `` I Let the Music Speak '' `` One of Us '' `` Two for the Price of One '' `` Slipping Through My Fingers '' `` Like an Angel Passing Through My Room '' The Singles : The First Ten Years `` The Day Before You Came '' `` Under Attack '' Other songs `` Merry - Go - Round '' `` Elaine '' `` Put On Your White Sombrero '' `` You Owe Me One '' Unreleased songs Category ABBA albums Category ABBA songs Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=When_All_Is_Said_and_Done&oldid=838603891 '' Categories : 1981 singles ABBA songs Atlantic Records singles Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Music videos directed by Lasse Hallström 1981 songs Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from February 2012 Articles needing additional references from January 2012 All articles needing additional references Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano Nederlands Polski Русский Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 28 April 2018, at 02 : 28. 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Question: who wrote when all is said and done
Answer: Benny Andersson