Someone Else's StoryWritten by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoungLong ago
In someone else's lifetime
Someone with my name
Who looked a lot like me
Came to know
A girl and made a promise
She only had to say
And that's where he would be
Lately
Although the feelings run just as deep
The promise he made has grown impossible to keep
And yet I wish it wasn't so
Will she miss me if I go?
In a way
It's someone else's story
I don't see myself
As taking part at all
Yesterday
A boy that I was fond of
Finally could see
The writing on the wall
Sadly
He realized he'd left her behind
And sadder than that he knew she wouldn't even mind
And though there's nothing left to say
Would she listen if I stay?
It's all very well to say you fool it's now or never
I could be choosing
No choices whatsoever.
I could be
In someone else's story
In someone else's life
And she could be in mine
I don't see
A reason to be lonely
I could take my chances
Further down the line
And if that boy I knew should ask my advice
Oh I wouldn't hesitate he needn't ask me twice
Go now!
I'd tell him that for free
Trouble is, the boy is me
The story is, the boy is me.
InterpretationChess is a story about a politically driven, Cold War-era chess tournament between two grandmasters, one American and the other Soviet, and their fight over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other.
In the original UK version, upon arrival in Bangkok, Svetlana contemplates her relationship with Anatoly. She has been brought to Bangkok under duress purely to put emotional strain on her husband. She knows about his relationship with Florence, and also knows that her marriage to Anatoly has been over for some time now, although the two did indeed once love each other (Svetlana may still be in love with him). The degrading nature of her situation as a political pawn, coupled with seeing her once and/or current love with another woman is the catalyst for the song
In the US version, Florence is assisting American chess player Freddie, her sometime lover. He has just caused an international incident by accusing the Soviet player of cheating and walking out of the match. When she confronts Freddie and tells him she's arranged a meeting, he refuses to attend without an outright apology. Freddie storms out after a heated argument. Alone in the room, Florence sings a lament to how ridiculous her situation is. She doesn't understand why she's in this position, but after seven years it's difficult to call it quits.
For this album, Dennis changed the lyrics to be told from a man's perspective.
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