I’ve Been Losing You (1986)

This song is from the band’s sophomore effort Scoundrel Days. It was the first single released in European countries, but did not dent the AT 40. Here is another relationship gone bad song, but this one contains some clear imagery that add a darker feel to the emotional conflict. These lyrics jumped out at me right away, but I am not sure exactly what it means, as the sentiment is not repeated anywhere else in the song: “It wasn’t the rain that made washed away / Rinsed out the colors of your eyes / Putting the gun down on the bedside table / I must have realized.” No more violent suggestions anywhere else in the song, so this line throws me. Later in the song Harek sings my favorite lines, “I can still hear our screams competing / You’re hissing yours like a snake / Now in the mirror stands half a man / I thought no one could break.” Despite a turbulent relationship, he is finally realizing that he cannot live with her. This is clearly echoed in the chorus, “I have lost my way, I’ve been losing you.” I am still drawn to this song (and tomorrow’s as well) because a-ha is is musically evolving. This song is not completely dependent on synthesizers and keyboard hooks to win their audience. The guitar work plays a much larger role. The guitarist, Paul Waktaar-Savoy, is allowed to show that he can play and carry a song with an excellent rhythm guitar. I also love the end – just when you think it is over, they add a little flourish (So wait for it).