"Anyone" is the second single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from Swedish duo Roxette

Roxette

Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...

's Have a Nice Day

Have a Nice Day (Roxette album)

-Singles:*"Wish I Could Fly"*#"Wish I Could Fly"*#"Happy Together"*#"Wish I Could Fly" *"Anyone"*#"Anyone"*#"Anyone" *#"Cooper"...

album. It was released in May 1999.

Song information

"Anyone" is like its predecessor 'Wish I could fly' a ballad, with instruments including piano, saxophone and strings. "Anyone" was initially planned to be the first single from Have A Nice Day, but the group feared it would sound too "Roxette-ish" for a comeback single, and they chose "Wish I Could Fly

Wish I Could Fly

"Wish I Could Fly" is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Released in February 1999, it was the first single from their sixth studio album Have a Nice Day....

" instead. After the success of "Wish I Could Fly", fans believed the next single release would be "Stars" or "Crush On You" (both are dance songs a-typical for Roxette). But in the end, it was "Anyone" that was picked as the second single. The B-sides

B-Sides

B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...

 are the demo

Demo (music)

A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

 of "Anyone", "Cooper" (a track from Have A Nice Day), and "You Don't Understand Me (Abbey Road Sessions 1995)". The maxi-single includes the video of "Wish I Could Fly". In Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, a double A-side with "Pay The Price" was released, although there is no video for this song.

Chart Success

"Anyone" is often regarded as a flop, because in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 it never achieved as much success as its predecessor. It charted only in The Netherlands at #73, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 (peaking outside the Top 50), Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 (where it failed to reach the Top 30), and Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, where it was a modest success, spending two weeks in the Top 30. EMI

EMI

The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

 UK refused to release "Anyone" because of the poor chart results of the single in Europe. However, in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, "Anyone" gained far more attention and the country's radio stations later even airplayed the Spanish version, "Alguien".

Music video

The video of "Anyone", directed by Jonas Åkerlund

Jonas Åkerlund

Jonas Åkerlund is a Swedish film and music video director, and drummer. He is best known for directing music videos, which are often mock forms of movie trailers and short films...

, was banned by some TV stations (including MTV), because of a scene in which Marie Fredriksson

Marie Fredriksson

is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter and pianist, best known for forming one half of the pop duo Roxette, which she created together with Per Gessle in 1986...

 attempts suicide by drowning herself in the sea. The video was recorded in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 in the peninsula of Tróia

Tróia Peninsula

Tróia is a peninsula located in Grândola Municipality , Portugal, next to the Sado River estuary. Tourism is the peninsula's main activity due to its long beaches facing the Atlantic. There is a ferry boat connection between the peninsula and the city of Setúbal...

. The clip was only broadcast after 10pm in many countries, because some believed it suggested young people to commit suicide.

Track listing

Anyone (CDM)
Released: 1999-05-10 // Roxette Recordings / 8868920

1. "Anyone"
2. "Anyone" (T&A demo, July 29, '98)
3. "Cooper" [Closer to God]
4. "You Don't Understand Me" (Acoustic Abbey Road version, November 15, '95)
5. "Wish I Could Fly" (video)