The song is a powerful rock ballad about a woman’s heartbreaking suspicion of her partner’s infidelity.
There are songs that simply exist, and then there are songs that become a part of your life’s soundtrack, a melody that carries the weight of a specific time and feeling. For many of us, “I Know There’s Something Going On” by Frida, the voice we knew so well from ABBA, is one of those songs. It’s not just a song; it’s a memory, a moment captured in the crisp, cold air of the early 1980s when the world felt different and the music was evolving right alongside us.
When the album “Something’s Going On” dropped in 1982, it was more than just a musical release—it was a statement. The very name, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, was synonymous with the bright, melodic pop of ABBA, but this was a new chapter. The world was watching as the members of our beloved group began to explore their individual paths. And with this track, Frida didn’t just step out of the shadow of ABBA; she leapt into a completely different sonic landscape. The track was a huge success, climbing to number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, which was a higher peak than many of ABBA‘s own singles on that chart. It was a massive hit across Europe, too, reaching number one in Belgium, Switzerland, and France, and hitting the Top 10 in multiple other countries, including her native Sweden. In a strange twist, it struggled in the UK, a market that had always adored ABBA, stalling at a disappointing number 43.
The story behind the song is a reflection of the tumultuous time in Frida‘s life. At a time when ABBA was unofficially disbanding, and she was going through a painful divorce from her bandmate, Benny Andersson, she sought a sound that was a radical departure from her past. She had become captivated by the work of Phil Collins, particularly his album Face Value, which was born from his own divorce. It was a serendipitous connection, as both artists shared the pain of being “the injured party.” So, she enlisted Collins to produce her new album. The result was a sound that was a world away from the shimmering pop of ABBA. The track’s ominous, almost theatrical feel is a masterclass in atmosphere. The stark, echo-laden drums—a signature of Collins‘ production—set a brooding tone, a heartbeat of anxiety and impending dread.
The song’s meaning is painted with a similar emotional brush. The lyrics, written by the prolific Russ Ballard, tell a universal story of betrayal and suspicion. It’s about that gut-wrenching feeling when you know, deep in your bones, that something is wrong in a relationship. The constant questioning, the sleepless nights, the quiet paranoia—it’s all there, laid bare in Frida‘s raw and powerful vocal performance. She’s not just singing the words; she’s living them. The video, with its noir-like feel of a private eye and whispered conversations, perfectly captures the song’s tension. It’s a journey into the dark corners of a crumbling relationship, a moment of profound emotional honesty. This wasn’t the polished pop star of our youth; this was a woman, a person, navigating the painful, messy realities of life, and she let us in to share that journey with her. It’s that raw vulnerability that makes the song so timeless and so deeply resonant. It’s a piece of our own history, a reminder of the first time we ever had our own suspicions, our own heartache.