The Winner Takes It All

"The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish music group ABBA, released on 21 July 1980 as the lead single from the group's seventh studio album, Super Trouper (1980). Penned by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, it is a ballad in the key of G-flat major featuring Agnetha Fältskog on lead vocals, reflecting on the end of a relationship. Although Ulvaeus has denied the song being about his divorce from Fältskog, he has stated the song is about the experience of a divorce. The single's B-side was the non-album track "Elaine".

Continuing ABBA's streak of successful singles, "The Winner Takes It All" topped the charts in the United Kingdom, where it became their eighth number one hit, as well as in Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The single became ABBA's fourth and final top ten chart hit in the United States, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has since become one of the group's most enduring hits. In a 1999 poll for Channel 5, "The Winner Takes It All" was voted Britain's favourite ABBA song. This feat was replicated in a 2010 poll for ITV. In a 2006 poll for a Channel Five programme, "The Winner Takes It All" was voted "Britain's Favourite Break-Up Song". The song has been covered by multiple artists, the most notable being Cher and Susan Boyle.