| Wrap Your Arms Around Me | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Agnetha Fältskog |
| Cover: | Wrapyourarms.jpg |
| Released: | 31 May 1983 |
| Recorded: | 20 January – March 1983[1] |
| Studio: | Polar Studios (Stockholm) |
| Length: | 46:16 |
| Label: | Polar |
| Producer: | Mike Chapman |
| Prev Title: | Nu tändas tusen juleljus |
| Prev Year: | 1981 |
| Next Title: | Eyes of a Woman |
| Next Year: | 1985 |
Wrap Your Arms Around Me is the seventh solo studio album, and first English-language solo album, by Swedish singer and ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog, released on 31 May 1983, by Polar Music, and 8 August in the United States, by Polydor. Following the speculated disbandment of ABBA in late 1982 and the subsequent dissolution of her marriage to group member Björn Ulvaeus, she met with record producer Mike Chapman in London, being heavily known for his work with Blondie, he began collaborating with Fältskog to take role by coming up with the album title and produced it thereafter. As with post-1979 ABBA releases, recording for Wrap Your Arms Around Me took place at Polar Music Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where Fältskog collaborated with songwriters and ABBA studio musicians to complete the album. The recording lasted for a span of three months during that time.
The album marked a significant step in Fältskog's solo career, resulting in a shift in musical style from the pop-oriented sound of ABBA to a more adult contemporary and soft rock aesthetic that established Fältskog's conventional sound following her later solo albums until I Stand Alone. The stripped-back approach accesses theme implications of ballad-tempo driven by an energetic, introspective sensibility, following as a pre-cursor to album-oriented rock, while retaining elements similar to europop. This eventually helped secure Fältskog's reputation as a solo artist, growing more independent from the ABBA clout. Despite limited international chart-topping success compared to ABBA, the album remains an important part of Fältskog's musical catalogue, marking a new chapter in her career.
Following its release, the album became a commercial success across continental Europe, topping the charts in Sweden and Norway. However, it had only modest success overseas in North America, including United States and Canada, charting at 102 and 79, respectively. Four singles—"The Heat Is On", "Wrap Your Arms Around Me", "Can't Shake Loose", and "Man"—were released throughout various countries to promote the album. It has gone to attain sales certifications in Sweden, Finland and Netherlands and it has sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide.
Wrap Your Arms Around Me was released in May 1983. The first track from the album, "The Heat Is On", was issued as a single in Europe, where it is commonly regarded as Fältskog's best-known 1980s solo hit. "The Heat Is On" was successful in Europe and Scandinavia, reaching number one in Sweden and Norway and peaking at number two in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The album's title track was another successful single, topping the charts in Belgium and Denmark, reaching the top 5 in Sweden, the Netherlands and South Africa, and the top 20 in Germany and France.
"Can't Shake Loose" was the choice for the lead single in North America; this song became the first of only two solo singles from Fältskog to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, peaking at number 29 in October 1983. The song was written by Russ Ballard, who also wrote "I Know There's Something Going On", the only US hit by Fältskog's fellow ABBA member, Frida.
The track "Man" was the only song on the album written by Fältskog herself, in contrast to her pre-ABBA 1960s recordings in Swedish, which were mostly self-written. The album's strings were provided by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
In 2005, the album was reissued on CD, featuring five bonus tracks.
On July 28, 2017, Wrap Your Arms Around Me was re-released as part of a reissue collection of solo albums from the members of ABBA. It was available in 180g black and pink vinyl.[2] [3]
English fashion photographer Gered Mankowitz shot the album cover and all the singles based off her album. Mankowitz said of this shoot, "Agnetha was being produced by Mike Chapman who I had worked with a great deal in the 70s; and he asked me to come to Sweden, where they were recording, to shoot this cover. Agnetha was charming, very sexy and photogenic – we had a lovely session together. When I got home to London there was a huge bouquet of flowers waiting – a thank you from her, and a sweet and thoughtful gesture!"[4] David Costa created the stylized cover while Lolo Murray does the makeup for the photo shoot.[5]
Wrap Your Arms Around Me debuted at number one in the Swedish chart on 14 June 1983, selling around 100,000 copies in the first two days since its release. It was proclaimed Sweden's fastest selling albums for the year.[6] It topped the chart for two weeks and placed a total of twelve weeks, before dropping off by 15 November, before it subsequently re-charted on January 1984. By the year end in 1984, it has sold more than 1,200,000 copies since its release.[7] [8] In the United States, the album debuted at number 176 on the Billboard 200 on 17 September 1983, and at number 48 on the Rock Albums chart on 8 October 1983. A month later, it peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Rock Albums and number 102 on the main Billboard 200 chart, spending for a total of eleven weeks on that chart while it only charted four weeks on the rock chart. Since it's debut, it has sold an estimated of 2,500,000 copies worldwide, according to Fältskog.[9]
The album received favorable reviews from music critics.
Joe Viglione from AllMusic retrospectively gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that songs like "The Heat Is On" and "Shame" were "much more refined than a lot of the dreck the major labels were issuing at the time" and that the album is "a healthy serving of charming melodies". He mentioned that the composition, "like the album, is a real gem".
The contemporary review from People magazine was also favorable, the author wrote that the record is like the ABBA albums "smooth, upbeat, relentlessly bright and on the sterile side". He concluded that fans of ABBA will not dislike the record and people who dislike the group will not like it any better.
Adapted from the album's liner notes.
Musicians
Additional musicians
Production
| Chart (1983–84) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 49 | |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] | 79 | |
| European Albums (Top 100)[12] | 11 | |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen albumilista)[13] | 2 | |
| South African Albums (RISA)[14] | 15 | |
| US Billboard 200 | 102 |
| Chart (1983) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] | 35 | |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 50 |
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 31 May 1983 | Polar | POL 365 | |
| Europe | ||||
| North America | 8 August 1983[17] | Polydor | 422-813 242-1 | |
| UK | 31 May 1983 | Epic | EPC 25505 | |
| RCA Victor | Various | |||
| Japan | Discomate | DSP-5119 | ||
| Various | 13 September 2005 | CD | 0602498687697 | |
| 28 July 2017 | LP | 00602557569933 |