"Me and I" - Which version has better American disco rhythm that is made for disco dancing? Debbie Sims or ABBA

 

good old fascinating American disco rhythms

bad Swedish/European electronic synth pop beats not good enough - not made for dancing


Here is the story:

“Me and I” is a song from ABBA’s 1980 album Super Trouper. As with much of ABBA’s 80s output, the song features use of a synthesizer, and some have classified the song as synthpop. Never released as a single, the song is often regarded by ABBA fans as one of their best album tracks. The song was written by ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The song can be considered to be an early electronic song. Anni-Frid Lyngstad handles the lead vocals.


Background
Recording began on 8 September 1980 and finished on 25 September 1980.[1] The track acquired the following two working titles: “Jackass” and “Piccolino”. It is the last song on the first side of Super Trouper.

In the book Bright Lights, Dark Shadows by Carl Magnus Palm, he wrote the following:"Bjorn's maturity as a lyricist was showcased in songs like 'The Winner Takes It All', and the hidden gem, 'Me and I', featuring an Eartha Kitt-inspired lead vocal by Frida, showed a hitherto secluded side of Björn's imagination. Its split personality theme -- I am to myself what Jekyll must have been to Hyde -- combined with Frida's forceful delivery put a welcome darker spin on ABBA's largely bright and wholesome universe. It was a more literal version of broodiness that colored songs like 'SOS' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'." 


Critical reception
Abba – Uncensored on the Record described it as a “comparatively rarely heard song from the Super Trouper album”.[2] Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba described it as “the hidden gem” of the Super Trouper album.[3]
Performances

The song has been performed on TV only once, on the ABBA TV Special, Dick Cavett meets ABBA, when ABBA performed this song live. The live rendition is included on the Thank You For The Music boxset released in 1994.

American pop singer Debbie Sims covered this song in an American disco/pop style without synthesizers or strange vocoders, produced by the late Walter Kahn, taken from her 1998 album, “Songs of Andersson & Ulvaeus”.

"Since I cannot dance to ABBA's original "Me and I" that has a lot ordinary synth pop beats that aren't good enough, which I believe is too electronic for me, I will choose Debbie's American man-made disco version of their tune that is made for dancing". - Laurie Maitland


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