The official stated theme is a protest against the persecution of
political dissidents in the Soviet Union at the time, as ABBA seemed to put political issues into their lyrics in the final days of the group.
Björn Ulvaeus has stated that at the time of release he preferred that the song should have a sense of mystery so did not explain the exact meaning. In 1982, the album
The Visitors was banned in the Soviet Union, possibly due to the band allowing a video of "
When All Is Said and Done" to be shown in the
United States Information Agency television special,
Let Poland Be Poland, along with a spoken message from Ulvaeus and
Benny Andersson, broadcast via satellite around the world on 31 January 1982. The show, which also featured
Frank Sinatra,
Paul McCartney,
Orson Welles,
Henry Fonda,
Margaret Thatcher, and
Ronald Reagan, was a public protest against the then-recent
imposition of martial law in Poland. However, ABBA's segment was not included in the broadcast. The official reason given was time constraints. However, in a Rapport interview, Ulvaeus mentioned that their message referenced human rights issues in US-backed dictatorships such as
El Salvador and
Chile. This has led to speculation that political considerations might have influenced the decision to exclude the segment, although this remains unconfirmed. ==Reception==