Should I Laugh or Cry

"Should I Laugh or Cry" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released as the B-side to the 1981 singles "One of Us" and "When All Is Said and Done" for the album The Visitors. Lead vocals were handled by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It first appeared on an album on the 1983 compilation Thank You for the Music.

"Should I Laugh or Cry"
Song by ABBA
from the album Thank You for the Music
A-side	"One of Us"
Released	30 November 1981 (1981-11-30)
Genre	Synth-pop[1]
Songwriter(s)	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
Audio
"Should I Laugh Or Cry" on YouTube

Synopsis

ABBA - Uncensored on the Record says: "Should I Laugh or Cry" is "a rather bitter song" about the end of a relationship.^[2] ABBA: Let the Music Speak explains it as "reflect[ing] a failing relationship's pre-emptive strikes of anger and contemplation". The narrator is the "emotionally afflicted party", both "volatile and pitiless" in the verses yet "tender and forgiving" in the choruses. There is a sense that this is the last time the narrator will put up with this situation.^[3]

Composition

The chorus harmonies are "intricate" and "close-knit". Agnetha's "dreamy echo vocal" adds a sense of sadness to Frida's "fiery sentiments". The song has "deep percusive strikes" and also a "defiant electric glissando" in the verses, and a "lilting acoustic" in the chorus.^[3]

Release

While originally recorded on 4 September 1981 during sessions for the album The Visitors,^[4] "Should I Laugh or Cry" was ultimately not included. However, the song is included on Thank You for the Music (1983)^[5] and as a bonus track on remastered reissues of The Visitors.^[2]