Lay All Your Love on Me

"Lay All Your Love on Me"
Single by ABBA
from the album Super Trouper
B-side"On and On and On"
Released10 July 1981 (1981-07-10)[1]
RecordedSeptember–October 1980
Genre
Length4:32
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"Andante, Andante"
(1981)		 "Lay All Your Love on Me"
(1981)		 "One of Us"
(1981)
Lyric video
"Lay All Your Love on Me" on YouTube
DiscoNet 12" extended remix 1981

"Lay All Your Love on Me" is a song recorded by the Swedish pop group ABBA for their seventh studio album, Super Trouper (1980). The song features lead vocals by Agnetha Fältskog. It was originally not intended as a single by Polar Music, the group's label, but a remix version of the track gained major popularity in nightclubs. As a result, "Lay All Your Love on Me" was released on 10 July 1981, as Super Trouper's sixth and final single, only in certain territories and only as a 12-inch single.

"Lay All Your Love on Me" became a chart success, charting at number seven on the UK singles chart and becoming the then-highest selling 12-inch single in UK chart history. In the United States, the song peaked atop the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It has gone on to become one of the group's most enduring hits. Slant Magazine ranked the song at number 60 in their list of the greatest dance songs of all time in 2006,[4] and number 66 in the revised 2020 list.[5]

Composition

"Lay All Your Love on Me" is an electro-disco song penned by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with Agnetha Fältskog singing lead. Recording began at Polar Music Studios in Stockholm on 9 September 1980, with the final mix of the song being completed on 10 October 1980. It is known for a descending vocal sound at the end of the verse immediately preceding the refrain. This was achieved by sending the vocal into a harmoniser device, which was set up to produce a slightly lower-pitched version of the vocal. In turn its output was fed back to its input, thereby continually lowering the pitch of the vocal. Andersson and Ulvaeus felt that the chorus of the song sounded like a hymn, so parts of the vocals in the choruses were run through a vocoder, to recreate the sound of a church congregation singing, slightly out of tune.[6] The song was not originally intended to be released as a single, but was issued in 12-inch form in the UK and a few other countries in 1981. "Lay All Your Love on Me" has since been much covered and is also featured in the Mamma Mia! musical (and its film adaptation), that showcases many of ABBA's hits.

Music video

ABBA did not film a promotional video for "Lay All Your Love on Me", and so Epic hastily assembled a video (at a cost of £3,500) by using excerpts from the existing ABBA videos for "Take a Chance on Me", "Summer Night City", "The Name of the Game", "I Have a Dream", "Voulez-Vous" and "The Winner Takes It All". It was never shown on TV because Epic managers thought it "wasn't needed", but was included on the ABBA Gold VHS.[7]

Release

"Lay All Your Love on Me" was originally not intended as a single release. However, in 1981, a remixed version of the track by Raul A. Rodriguez, otherwise known as C.O.D of Disconet, was released and became a hit in nightclubs,[8] enough so that it ended up topping the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart along with "Super Trouper" and "On and On and On".[9] This success resulted in Polar Music releasing the track as a single in selected territories and only as a 12-inch single, as opposed to the standard 7-inch record.

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "Lay All Your Love on Me" debuted at number 19 on the UK singles chart the week of 18 July 1981, and rose to its peak position of number seven the following week; alternatively, it peaked at number five on the NME charts.[10] Although it was their lowest-charting hit since "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", "Lay All Your Love on Me" would become the first ever song to reach the top ten in the UK based solely on 12-inch sales.[11] It would become the group's seventeenth consecutive top-ten hit, and eighteenth overall. At the time, it was the best selling 12-inch single in history, later surpassed by "Blue Monday" from New Order.[12] As of September 2021, it is ABBA's 17th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams.[13]

Because of the limited release, "Lay All Your Love on Me" charted in only a few regions. In West Germany, the song debuted at number 35 on the German Singles Chart the week of 17 August 1981, and peaked at number 26, becoming the first single since "Voulez-Vous" to miss the top ten in the country. In Ireland, the single peaked at number eight on the Irish Singles Chart, becoming the group's eighteenth consecutive top ten single. In Belgium, it peaked at number 13 on the Ultratop 50.

Legacy

In 2006, Slant Magazine ranked "Lay All Your Love on Me" No. 60 in their list of the greatest dance songs of all time,[14] and No. 66 in the updated 2020 list.[5] In September 2024, Swedish national radio Sveriges Radio P3 ranked it among the world's 300 best songs.[15]

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1981) Position
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[25]
with "Super Trouper" and "On and On and On"		 14

Release history

Region Date Title Label Format Catalogue
Netherlands,

West Germany

 3 Jul 1981 "Lay All Your Love On Me" / "On And On And On" Polydor 12-inch vinyl 2141 397
UK,

Ireland

 13 Jul 1981 Epic EPC A 13 1456
France 1981 Vogue 310922
USA Atlantic 12-inch vinyl, promo DMD 259
Brazil RCA Victor 100.8063
Japan "Lay All Your Love On Me" / "Super Trouper" Discomate DSS-1008
"Lay All Your Love On Me" 7-inch vinyl, promo, single-sided DSS-11
Netherlands,

West Germany

 1988 "Lay All Your Love On Me" / "The Day Before You Came" / "Cassandra" / "Under Attack" Polydor CD 871 115-2
Europe 30 Oct 2020 "Lay All Your Love On Me" / "On And On And On" Polar 7-inch vinyl, picture disc 0602508778643
7 Feb 2025 "Lay All Your Love On Me" / "I’ve Been Waiting For You" 7-inch vinyl, shaped disc 00602475143727
Worldwide 14 Feb 2025 "Lay All Your Love On Me" Streaming
Europe 6 Feb 2026 "Lay All Your Love On Me" / "My Love, My Life" 10-inch vinyl, picture disc 00602488280075

Certifications

Original version

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[26] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[27] Gold 300,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[28]
sales from 2009 		Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] Platinum 30,000‡
Spain (Promusicae)[30] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Mamma Mia! version

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] Platinum 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notable cover versions

Information Society version

"Lay All Your Love on Me"
Single by Information Society
from the album Information Society
Released1989
LabelTommy Boy
Songwriters
Information Society singles chronology
"Repetition"
(1989)		 "Lay All Your Love on Me"
(1989)		 "Think"
(1990)

"Lay All Your Love on Me" was covered by American synth-pop band Information Society on their 1988 first album Information Society. The track peaked at No. 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1989. It was later included on the compilation ABBA: A Tribute – The 25th Anniversary Celebration.

Track listing

  1. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Justin Strauss Remix)
  2. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Restricted Re-mix)
  3. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Prohibited Dub)
  4. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Radio Hot Mix)
  5. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Phil Harding Metal Mega-Mix)
  6. "Funky at 45"

References

  1. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. London, United Kingdom. 11 July 1981. p. 26. ISSN 0144-5782.
  2. ↑ Cox, Jamieson (29 September 2019). "ABBA: Gold: Greatest Hits Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 December 2024. ..."Lay All Your Love on Me" and "The Winner Takes It All": cavernous, sprightly, desperate dance-pop confections...
  3. ↑ "Hits of the Week — Albums". Record World. Vol. 37, no. 1740. New York, NY. 29 November 1980. p. 1. ISSN 0034-1622. ...("Lay Your Love On Me," for instance, sounds like an electro -disco Christmas carol)...
  4. ↑ Slant Magazine 100 Greatest Dance Songs
  5. 1 2 Slant Magazine 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time
  6. ↑ Palm, Carl Magnus: ABBA – The Complete Recordings Sessions, page 101. Verulam Publishing Ltd (13 October 1994). ISBN 0-907938-10-8. ISBN 978-0-907938-10-1.
  7. ↑ "ABBA on TV".
  8. ↑ "Discomusic.com Profile of Raul Rodriguez". Retrieved 5 December 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 15.
  10. 1 2 "UK Singles". New Musical Express. 1 August 1981. p. 2. ISSN 0028-6362.
  11. ↑ "Chart File". Record Mirror. London, United Kingdom: Spotlight Publications. 25 July 1981. p. 30. ISSN 0144-5804.
  12. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (13 June 2011). "An indie label releases Blue Monday, the biggest selling 12-inch single ever". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  13. ↑ UK Official Charts ABBA's Official Top 20 biggest songs
  14. ↑ Slant Magazine 100 Greatest Dance Songs
  15. ↑ "P300 – Världens 300 bästa låtar" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio P3. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  16. ↑ "ABBA – Lay All Your Love on Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "ABBA | IRMA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  18. ↑ "ABBA Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  19. ↑ "ABBA Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  20. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  21. ↑ "swedishcharts.com - ABBA - Lay All Your Love On Me". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME". Official Charts. 18 July 1981. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  23. ↑ "Dutch Single Tip 15/02/2025" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  24. ↑ dutchcharts.nl https://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=st&year=2026&date=20260214%20https://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=st&year=2026&date=20260214. Retrieved 15 February 2026. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ↑ "Year-End – Disco – Audience Response (Singles/Albums)". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 51. New York, NY. 26 December 1981. p. YE-30. ISSN 0006-2510.
  26. ↑ "Danish single certifications – ABBA – Lay All Your Love on Me". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  27. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ABBA; 'Lay All Your Love on Me')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  28. ↑ "Italian single certifications – ABBA – Lay All Your Love on Me" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  29. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – ABBA – Lay All Your Love on Me". Radioscope. Retrieved 29 September 2025. Type Lay All Your Love on Me in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  30. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – ABBA – Lay All Your Love on Me". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  31. ↑ "British single certifications – ABBA – Lay All Your Love on Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 November 2023. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Lay All Your Love on Me ABBA in the "Search:" field.
  32. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia Cast) – Lay All Your Love on Me". Radioscope. Retrieved 12 June 2026. Type Lay All Your Love on Me in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  33. ↑ "British single certifications – Original Cast Recording – Lay All Your Love on Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2021. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Lay All Your Love on Me Original Cast Recording in the "Search:" field.
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