Roxette
Encyclopedia
Roxette are a Swedish
pop music
duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson
(vocals) and Per Gessle
(vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!
. Roxette went onto achieve nineteen UK Top 40 hits and several US Hot 100 hits, including four US number-ones with "The Look
", "Listen to Your Heart", "It Must Have Been Love
", and "Joyride
". Other hits include "Dangerous
", "Fading Like a Flower", and "Dressed for Success
".
After the release of Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
, a greatest hits record, the duo took a hiatus in the mid-1990s. With the release of Have a Nice Day
(1999) and Room Service (2001) they continued to chart in other territories such as Europe and South America, where they earned various Gold and Platinum awards until the beginning of the new millennium. In 2002 the duo took a break from recording and touring when Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Roxette took to the stage together again for the first time in 8 years, in 2009, during Gessle's European Party Crasher
tour.
Their songs "It Must Have Been Love" and "Listen to Your Heart" continue to receive radio airplay, with both singles recently receiving awards from BMI
for achieving four million radio plays. They have sold an estimated 60 million records worldwide, with over 3.5 million record sales in the United States, achieving platinum for Joyride and Look Sharp!
there.
and Marie Fredriksson
first met in Halmstad
, Sweden
, in the late 70s. Gessle performed in one of Sweden's most popular bands of the time Gyllene Tider
and Fredriksson in the less successful Strul and MaMas Barn (Mama's Children) before both embarked on solo careers. In 1981, Fredriksson sang for the first time with Gyllene Tider on stage and was featured as a background vocalist for a Swedish-language album the band released in 1982. Gessle also worked with ex-ABBA
singer Frida
, for a song that appeared on her 1982 album Something's Going On
, setting music to a Dorothy Parker
poem.
While working on her first solo album, Het Vind
(Hot Wind), Fredriksson performed more background vocals for Gyllene Tider's only album in English, The Heartland Café
. According to Gessle, the group's first English-language release was in response to interest expressed by EMI
's American label Capitol Records
, in an attempt to reach into the lucrative American market. The 11-track Heartland Café was released in February 1984 and sold 45,000 copies in Sweden. Capitol took six of the tracks and released an extended play
(EP) record in the United States with an abridged title, Heartland, but the company insisted on a different name for the band. Gessle and the other members of Gyllene Tider (Swedish for "Golden Times" or "Golden Age") chose the title of a 1975 Dr. Feelgood
song, "Roxette
".
The newly-named Roxette issued one near-invisible release in the United States, "Teaser Japanese", whose video reached MTV
's studio but received no rotation to speak of. It, and subsequent singles, fared better in Sweden, and Gyllene Tider briefly toured the country to support the album. However, "the album died soon enough and the international career died before it even started", Gessle wrote. "We decided to put Gyllene Tider to rest... until further notice."
Gessle then turned solo work, recording his second Swedish-language solo album, Scener
, released in 1985 and again featuring Fredriksson on background vocals. While Fredriksson recorded her second solo album, Den sjunde vågen
.
It was then that the Managing Director of EMI, Rolf Nygren, suggested that Gessle and Fredriksson should sing together. Gessle translated a song called "Svarta glas" ("Black glasses") into English, which became their first single, "Neverending Love
". It was released in the summer of 1986 under the name "Roxette" and reached the Swedish Top 10, selling 50,000 copies.
" in Sweden, Gessle and Fredriksson quickly recorded a full length album, translating songs Gessle had written originally for his third solo album. With the release of Pearls of Passion
in October 1986, Roxette maintained their commercial momentum in Sweden with their next singles "Goodbye to You
" and "Soul Deep". Some singles from Passion were released in other countries, including Canada
, Italy
, Japan
, Australia
and other Europe
an countries. Their international releases didn't emulate their Swedish success. Damas of Allmusic retrospectively wrote:
The album was followed by a compilation of remixes of the same songs entitled Dance Passion
.
In 1987, Fredriksson released and publicised her third solo album Efter Stormen
. Meanwhile, Roxette released the single "I Want You
" in collaboration with Eva Dahlgren
and Ratata. Later in the year, they released "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For the Broken Hearted)
", a holiday themed song that received some attention as Roxette prepared their next album, though EMI Germany decided against releasing the single. Pearls of Passion was re-released internationally in 1997, and included "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" as a bonus track.
" and "Listen to Your Heart" were chosen as the first two singles from their second album Look Sharp!
, as Gessle and EMI Sweden chose to highlight Fredriksson's singing. Gessle said "I always thought we should promote the songs Marie sang. Me being a lead singer wasn't part of the plan, not for me anyway." Both singles reached the Top 10 of the Swedish singles chart
, while the album, which was released in Sweden in October 1988, held the #1 position for seven weeks. Music critic Måns Ivarsson was underwhelmed by the album, "To consist of two such original persons as Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, the album sounds unbelievably conventional."
When the third single from Look Sharp, "The Look
" became another Top 10 single in their home country, Roxette were still unknown internationally. It was while studying in Sweden, that an American exchange student from Minneapolis, Dean Cushman, heard "The Look", and brought a copy of Look Sharp! home for the 1988 holiday break. He gave the album to a Minneapolis radio station, KDWB
101.3 FM. The station started playing "The Look" and based on positive caller feedback, the song became very popular, and quickly spread to other radio stations. The song became a radio hit before any Roxette product had been commercially released or promoted in the US market. The story was covered by radio, newspapers and TV in the US and in Sweden, with Gessle recently telling this as the story which highlighted the beginning of their international success.
After the popularity of "The Look" in the U.S. EMI
officials made the decision to release and market the single worldwide. "The Look" and pressed copies of Look Sharp! were issued in early 1989 to record stores and radio stations. "The Look" became their first #1 in the U.S. on April 8, 1989, where it remained for one week. At the end of the year, Billboard named "The Look" one of the 20 biggest Hot 100 singles of the year. The breakthrough for Roxette became international when "The Look" also topped the charts in 25 other countries.
"Dressed for Success
", featuring Fredriksson on lead with Gessle singing short parts for accentuating, was the second international single. The single peaked at #14 on the Hot 100
as well as at #3 in Australia and #2 in Japan. "Listen to Your Heart" was released thereafter. The song differed from previous singles and instead resembled the guitar-heavy ballads of Heart
. "Listen to Your Heart" spent a single week at #1 in the US in November 1989 and reached the Top 10 in most territories. "Listen to Your Heart" bore the distinction of being the first US Billboard Hot 100 #1 to be not commercially available on 7-inch vinyl.
A fourth single, "Dangerous," was released at the end of the year, entering into the Hot 100 at the end of December. The single, a duet between Gessle and Fredriksson, spent two weeks at #2 on the Hot 100 in February 1990, and again becoming a worldwide success by reaching the Top 10 in important music markets such as Germany and Australia. "Dangerous" was released as a double A-sided single in the UK with "Listen to Your Heart".
Look Sharp!
won Gessle his first Swedish Grammis
award in the category Best Composer. Roxette received two Rockbjörnen
awards for Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Group.
approached EMI and Roxette about contributing a song to the soundtrack of an upcoming film, Pretty Woman
, starring Richard Gere
and Julia Roberts
. Gessle has claimed that "It Must Have Been Love
", by then a 2-year-old recording, was chosen because Roxette didn't have time to compose and record a new song. The film's producers turned it down, asking for another song, but Gessle declined to produce another song. Some weeks later after re-editing the film before release, the producers re-requested "It Must Have Been Love", but Roxette had to remove the Christmas lyrics. Gessle and producer Clarence Öfwerman
then took the old recording, had Fredriksson replace a single Christmas-referenced line in the song and added some instrumentation and background vocal overlays.
Though not the first single released from the soundtrack, "It Must Have Been Love" would prove to be Roxette's most successful single release. The song spent two weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 in June 1990, three months after the film's release, and stayed for two additional weeks at #2, spending a total of seventeen weeks in the Top 40. Billboard named "It Must Have Been Love" the #2 Hot 100 single of the year behind Wilson Phillips
' "Hold On
". The song also topped the charts in more than 20 other countries (including Australia and Japan) around the world. In Germany the single spent 9 months in the Top 75, and peaked at #3 in the United Kingdom
, the duo's highest singles chart position there. The soundtrack went on to be certified three times platinum by the RIAA
.
In Sweden, Roxette collected their second Rockbjörnen as Best Swedish Group.
for over a year. J.D. Considine of Rolling Stone
magazine reviewed Joyride: "By emphasizing its sense of personality, Roxette delivers more than just well-constructed hooks; this music has heart, something that makes even the catchiest melody more appealing."
"Joyride
" the single became Roxette's first #1 in their home country. It also topped the charts in more than 25 countries around the world, including Germany, Australia and the United States, becoming their 4th and last U.S. #1. The single also reached #4 in the U.K.
and achieved success in Canada
which resulted in Roxette being nominated in 1992 for a Juno Award
in the category, Best Selling Single by a Foreign Artist. Its follow-up, "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)", a power ballad similar to "Listen to Your Heart", with Fredriksson on lead, spent a week at #2 in the U.S. in July and was a major hit in other big markets as well, peaking in the Top 5 in Australia, Germany and Sweden. "Fading Like a Flower" became Roxette's last U.S. Top 10 single.
It was then that Roxette embarked on an ambitious Worldwide tour. The Join The Joyride! World Tour 1991/92 tour eventually reached more than 1.5 million fans in 107 concerts around the world, including a few dates in the United States.
It was at this time that EMI's American subsidiary made personnel changes that resulted in a downturn in the publicity for Roxette. Though Joyride was certified platinum and made impressive worldwide sales, subsequent singles from the album, the ballad "Spending My Time
" and "Church of Your Heart
", failed to reach the heights of previous singles in the U.S. charts. Gessle said of the situation, "I believed this ("Spending My Time") was going to be our biggest hit ever, which might have happened if not our American record company had fired a lot of...ah, never mind."
Music tastes in the USA were changing, with the emergence of new genres such as new jack swing
, grunge
, harder-core rap
and hip-hop. As William Ruhlmann of Allmusic later wrote, "Americans probably lost interest (in Roxette) at about the time that Nirvana
came roaring in from the Northwest." In a 2009 interview with the BBC News
, Gessle highlighted Nirvana and grunge music as part of the cause which contributed in Roxette's downturn of success. Although Roxette's commercial momentum in America was slowing down dramatically, elsewhere, singles from the Joyride album continued to become hits when "Spending my time" reached the Top 10 in Germany and Canada, while guitar pop tune "The Big L
." made the Japanese and Swedish Top 10 as well as the Top 15 in most European countries.
was recorded. Instead of releasing an album of brand-new material, Gessle and Fredriksson re-mastered older recordings, including several slated for but not included on Look Sharp! and Joyride. They also recorded some of their live performances, recorded a country music
inspired version of "It Must Have Been Love" in a Los Angeles
studio, and recorded new material in various locations around the world — an empty dance club, a hotel room — and compiled everything on to the album. Released in October 1992, Tourism was meant to "capture the energy within the band", Gessle & Fredriksson said.
The first single off the album was "How Do You Do!
" followed by the ballad "Queen of Rain
" and an electrified version of the song "Fingertips", originally recorded acoustically for the album and re-titled "Fingertips '93" for single release. Singles from Tourism barely dented American radio and record stores but in the rest of the world, the first single "How Do You Do!", hit the Top 5 in most European and South America
n countries. The album Tourism also charted well outside of the USA, reaching #1 in Germany
and Sweden, #2 in the UK as well as peaking at #5 in Australia.
It was also in 1992, that the group's European and Australian success reflected in Germany's ECHO Award (the equivalent of the Grammy
) nomination for the International Group of the Year. They also won two Rockbjörnen
s: Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Group. In October 1992, Fredriksson released her first solo album in Swedish in five years, titled Den ständiga resan
(The Eternal Journey).
In early 1993, Roxette became the first non-native-English speaking artists to be featured on MTV's Unplugged
series, though the songs from the performance were never released on an official Unplugged album. At home, Roxette won a Rockbjörnen
Award for Best Swedish Group, the last Rockbjörnen the duo would receive, though there have been nominations in the years since. Also Roxette received their second ECHO Award nomination for the International Group of the Year.
It was also in 1993 when Roxette recorded and released "Almost Unreal
", a song originally slated for the film Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler
. However, the song was moved to the soundtrack to the film based on the Nintendo video game Super Mario Bros.
Supported by an expensive video and ultimately receiving respectable airplay, "Almost Unreal" managed to briefly reach the lower end of the Billboard Hot 100
but reached the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart
, the group's first time there since "Joyride
" two years before. Roxette themselves were dismissive about the song, "Not one of our most inspired moments.", Fredriksson said. While Gessle stated: "I still like the song in a way... but if you wanted to make a parody of Roxette, it would probably sound something like this."
In the Autumn of 1993, a second re-issuing of "It Must Have Been Love" managed to reach the UK and Irish Top 10 singles charts, after the UK television premiere of the film Pretty Woman.
, "It all sounded so... perfectly grown up", Fredriksson described. Bryan Buss of Allmusic wrote, "To go from the painfully pretty "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)" on Joyride to the apathetic "Vulnerable
" to the haunting and powerful title track of the same name on this album shows a serious downward slide.... Though the two have an edge on this album, they almost seem to have become a bit bored."
Although Crash! Boom! Bang! saw chart success (#1 in Sweden, #2 in Germany & Australia, #3 in the UK), it didn't sell as many as their previous albums. EMI America were reluctant to release the album, which sold 46,000 copies despite a promotion by McDonald's, which advertised and sold a 10-track Favorites CD. The Favorites CD reportedly sold about 1 million copies. It was noted by journalists that the McDonalds promotion CD and other CDs by Tina Turner
, Garth Brooks
and Elton John
, led to US music retailers of the time being unhappy with the promotion which bypassed established music stores. The retailers were upset on several fronts including the low price of the items; some stores refused to sell the album, with one major chain protesting by temporarily pulling all products from CEMA
(EMI's distribution wing) out of its sales and ad campaigns. Crash! Boom! Bang! became the last Roxette release EMI
would issue in the US.
The first single release from Crash! Boom! Bang! was "Sleeping in My Car
". The distortion guitar-heavy pop song, born out of anger and frustration of the album's grown up nature, reached #2 in Canada, as well as the Top 10 in 7 European countries (including #1 in Sweden) as well as the Top 15 in the UK, Australia and Germany. However in the US it was less successful, reaching only the Billboard Top 50. Subsequent releases, the title track "Crash! Boom! Bang!
", "Fireworks
", and "Run to You
", were less successful but managed to reach the charts in some countries.
) since Wham!
in 1985. The procedure to get permission for this concert had taken over a year, and included self-censoring the lyrics. The band did re-write some of their lyrics but used the original lyrics after all during the concert.
In October 1995, Roxette released their first greatest hits compilation Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
, which reached the top 5 in many European countries including the UK, as well as the Top 10 in Australia
. It featured four new songs, three were released as singles, including the ballad "You Don't Understand Me
", co-written by Desmond Child
. The song managed to hit the Swedish Top 10. Also that year, a compilation of demos, B-sides and remixes, alongside some of the 1993 MTV Unplugged
material, was released in Japan and parts of South America under the title Rarities
. Roxette received their third ECHO Award nomination for the International Group of the Year.
In 1996, Roxette took instrumental masters of many of its ballads and recorded translated Spanish lyrics over them, released on the album Baladas En Español
, which sold well in Argentina, Chile and other parts of South America, reaching platinum in Spain and Argentina. Also in 1996, Marie Fredriksson released another solo Swedish-language album, I en tid som vår
(In a Time Like Ours). Meanwhile, Gessle reunited with Gyllene Tider
for what turned out to be a successful tour, that brought the band three awards in Sweden.
Gessle released a solo English-language album, The World According to Gessle
, in 1997. One song "I'll Be Alright", featured Fredriksson singing backing vocals.
, which was released in March 1999 and gave Roxette a comeback in continental Europe. It entered at #1 in Sweden and #2 in Germany. Containing elements of techno and house music, Have a Nice Day produced singles that returned Roxette to European charts. The first single, "Wish I Could Fly
", became their highest charting UK single since 1993 (#11), while in Sweden, it charted at #4, their best position since "Sleeping in My Car". Although the second single, "Anyone
", didn't chart well in Europe, "Stars
", the third single, charted well in Scandinavian and German speaking countries.
NME
's review called Have a Nice Day "...another clever-clever bastard of an album which defies Doctor Rock". Damas of Allmusic called the album "an effort to encapsulate Roxette's trademark sound with Brit-pop and electronica, and, by gosh, it works." Sales were brisk in South America as well, but there was no U.S. release of Have a Nice Day.
In 2000, Fredriksson released Äntligen
(At Last). The greatest-hits compilation, titled after one of her songs, is composed of material from her Swedish solo career. It went on to be a big seller in Sweden, peaking at #1 for three weeks, and resulted in a successful tour. Meanwhile, Roxette signed a U.S. distribution deal with Edel Music
, which re-released Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!, replacing some non-U.S. hits with songs from Have a Nice Day. The single "Wish I Could Fly" included in the album reached #27 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and #40 on the Adult Top 40 tally.
was critical of the album, "It is not very good." he wrote. He did praise the three singles, "Real Sugar
", "The Centre of the Heart
" and "Milk and Toast and Honey
", but ended the review with "Roxette is not finished. But soon, I suspect."
The album topped the Swedish charts and reached #3 in Germany, but received little attention in the UK and wasn't released at all in the United States, though it did peak at #2 on CNN
's Worldbeat album chart. The first single
, "The Centre of the Heart" topped the charts in Sweden, and made the Top 10 in Spain, Top 15 in Finland. The other singles, "Real Sugar", the album's opening track and "Milk and Toast and Honey" were less successful. Roxette again went on tour, this time in Europe only, as concerts planned in South Africa
were cancelled after the September 11 terrorist attacks. On reviewing their Löfbergs Lila Arena
concert
, Bjurman from Aftonbladet said "Roxette succeed in all cases, to never leave the 80s.", criticising Roxette's playlist
which consisted of some of their early hits. Johan Lindqvist from Göteborgs-Posten
was more positive, scoring their Munich
concert four stars.
in late 2002 and The Pop Hits
in early 2003. Each set contained a separate CD with material previously available and never heard before tracks. The single "A Thing About You
" was released as the lead single from The Ballad Hits. The album was released in the UK on February 14, 2003, to coincide with Valentines day and entered the charts there at #23 before climbing to its peak position of #11 a week later. It also peaked in the Top 10 in Germany and The Netherlands. The single "Opportunity Nox
" was released from The Pop Hits in 2003. The Ballad Hits which sold over a million copies within a year, helped the duo win a World Music Award
as the Best selling Scandinavian artist in October 2003. In that year, Roxette were also awarded with achievement medals by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
"for appreciated achievements in Sweden and internationally".
, which was later successfully removed in surgery. Four months later, Swedish newspaper Expressen
reported Fredriksson had been diagnosed with a second tumor. This turned out to be false, and Fredriksson later sued the newspaper
for 500,000 kronor.
It was during her recovery that she wrote and compiled songs for her first-ever English-language solo album, The Change
, which was released October 2004. Inspired by Fredriksson's brush with mortality and made mostly in partnership with her husband, Mikael Bolyos
, the album entered the Swedish album chart at #1, and quickly gained Gold status from the IFPI
.
With Fredriksson's illness and rehabilition, the duo took a hiatus, allowing Gessle to release Mazarin
(Cupcake) in 2003, his first Swedish-language solo album in 18 years. The album reached #1 on the Swedish album chart
, became five times platinum, and brought Gessle numerous Swedish awards. One of the tracks, "På promenad genom stan
" ("Strolling Through the Town"), featured Fredriksson singing back-up.
In 2004, Gessle and Gyllene Tider
reunited for a 25th-anniversary celebration that included the band's first album in 20 years, Finn 5 fel!
, and another successful tour in Sweden. They beat the Ullevi
attendance record, previously held by Bruce Springsteen
, and the band played to almost half a million fans. As a result, the group was honoured with four awards in Sweden.
In 2005, Belgian dance group D.H.T.
's trance-cover of "Listen to Your Heart" became a worldwide club hit. Originally released in Belgium
in 2003, the various mixes of the song reached U.S. clubs in late 2004. By the mid 2005, the song reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold in October by the RIAA
. Also that year, several songs were released as re-mixes and covers. Among them: two prominent versions of "Fading Like a Flower", one a trance cover by German group Mysterio and one a sampling by Dancing DJs that reached the UK's dance chart. Also, there was a white label
(independent, unauthorized) release, "Joyride 2005".
On November 23, 2005, Gessle released his first English-language solo album in eight years, titled Son of a Plumber
. He was in the middle of publicizing for the album when, on November 29, 2005, Gessle and Fredriksson appeared at the Dorchester Hotel
in London
for an awards presentation by Broadcast Music Incorporated
(BMI). Gessle received an award for "It Must Have Been Love
", which, by 2005, had been played on U.S. radio more than 4 million times. He and co-songwriter Mats Persson also received an award for Dance Song of the Year for D.H.T.'s cover of "Listen to Your Heart". The ceremony marked the first time Gessle and Fredriksson had appeared in public together since before the onset of Fredriksson's brain tumor
and subsequent surgery in 2002. When asked by an Aftonbladet
reporter if there would be a Roxette reunion, Gessle replied, "We haven't decided yet. No doors are closed. We're still young". Fredriksson returned in 2006 with an album of Swedish cover songs, titled Min bäste vän
(My Best Friend).
The "20th Anniversary package" better known as The Rox Box/Roxette 86–06 was released on October 18, 2006 to commemorate Roxette's 20 years in the music industry. Spanning over 4 CDs and single DVD, it included two new singles, "One Wish
" and "Reveal". A new standard greatest hits album, A Collection of Roxette Hits – Their 20 Greatest Songs!
, was released at the same time as The Rox Box. "One Wish" and "Reveal" were also included onto the CD. "One Wish", which was their first new song in four years, was released internationally on October 6, and features both Fredriksson and Gessle singing lead. On February 14, 2007 the second single "Reveal", was released.
In a radio interview on Vancouver
Island's CKWV-FM "The Wave", Gessle shared information about the Roxette single, "One Wish" and The Rox Box. "It's four CDs, a DVD, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, outtakes and demos and stuff. It's like a coffee table
thing, and it's really, really big [with an] 80-page booklet and stuff."
in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany". The tour started on Friday, 23 October in the Sportpaleis Antwerp. Roxette were due to play the Night of the Proms back in 2002, but Fredriksson's illness meant they had to pull out.
Despite the Night of the Proms announcement, the first appearance of Roxette after 8 years was on 6 May 2009, during Per Gessle's concert in Amsterdam
as part of his Party Crasher
tour. Almost at the end of the concert, Gessle said: "I’d like you all to welcome an old friend of mine: Marie Fredriksson", then she joined the band to perform "It Must Have Been Love" and "The Look". Later she also appeared on stage with him in Stockholm
, at the last concert of his solo tour, 9 May 2009. Later in July 2009 they took part in the New Wave festival in Latvia. On 28 September 2009, Roxette re-released remastered versions of all seven of their studio albums; all of the albums featured previously released bonus tracks.
In January 2010 a concert at The Race Legends
event in Sweden on 14 August was announced, followed by confirmation of other concerts in Russia, Denmark and Norway which took place during August and September 2010.
On 18 June 2010, Roxette performed a one off set at Stockholm Concert Hall, performing "The Look" in front of the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria
during the gala concert on the day before her wedding
.
On 4 August 2010 Roxette played a 2 hour secret gig at Leifs Lounge, Hotel Tylösand, just outside Halmstad. This was seen as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming European tour. On 31 December 2010 Roxette performed in Poland at New Year's Eve concert, transmitted live from Warsaw internationally.
In early November 2010 it was announced that Roxette would undertake a full world tour. The tour started on February 28, 2011 in Kazan
, Russia
and is expected to comprise up to 130 concerts and last well into 2012. The tour is expected to sell a million tickets with all six South African concerts sold out.
On 3 December 2010 Per Gessle confirmed the new album's release date through Twitter
and the eighth Roxette album, Charm School
was released on 11 February 2011 and preceded by the first single "She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)
" on 10 January 2011. Roxette's record label EMI
issued a press release regarding the new album. The single reached the German Top 10 and became Roxettes' biggest hit in that market since "How Do You Do!" (#2 in 1992). On 15th November 2011 Roxette played their first UK concert in 17 years at London's Wembley Arena. They will undertake a UK tour in 2012 with dates confirmed in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham.
|1988
|Look Sharp
|Grammi
(Sweden) – Composer of the Year (Gessle)
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1989
|"The Look"
|MTV Video Award
(USA) – International Viewer's Choice (Europe)
|
|-
|rowspan=4|Roxette
|Silver Bravo
Otto (Germany) – Best rock/pop Group
|
|-
|1990
|Bronze Bravo Otto – Best rock/pop group
|
|-
|rowspan=5|1991
|Brit Award
(UK) – Best international group
|
|-
|Silver Bravo Otto – Best rock/pop group
|
|-
|"Joyride"
|MTV Video Award – International Viewer's Choice (Europe)
|
|-
|Joyride
|Grammi – Pop Group of the Year
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Roxette
|Australian Music Awards – Most Popular International Group
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1992
|Gold Bravo Otto – Best rock/pop Group
|
|-
|"Joyride"
|Juno Award
(Canada) – Best Selling Single by a Foreign Artist
|
|-
|1999
|"Wish I Could Fly"
|Fono Music Award (Europe) – European No.1 Airplay hit
|
|-
|2000
|rowspan=2|Roxette
|WMA
– Best selling Scandinavian artist
|
|-
|2003
|WMA – Best selling Scandinavian artist
|
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....
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo, consisting of 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...
(vocals) and Per Gessle
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
(vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!
Look Sharp! (Roxette album)
Singles*"Chances"*"The Look"*"Dressed for Success"*"Listen to Your Heart"*"Dangerous"-Charts:-Credits:*Vocals — Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson*Drums — Pelle Alsing*Programming and bass — Anders Herrlin...
. Roxette went onto achieve nineteen UK Top 40 hits and several US Hot 100 hits, including four US number-ones with "The Look
The Look
"The Look", written by Per Gessle and performed by Roxette, was released as a single in early 1989 from the album Look Sharp!. The song became Roxette's international "breakthrough" song, finally exposing the duo to music consumers outside of the duo's native Sweden and Europe after more than one...
", "Listen to Your Heart", "It Must Have Been Love
It Must Have Been Love
"It Must Have Been Love" is a power ballad written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The ballad became the duo's 3rd #1 hit in the United States, and is one of their best-selling releases, leading the single to be certified gold in a number of countries.The song, included...
", and "Joyride
Joyride (Roxette song)
"Joyride", written by Per Gessle, was the first single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1991 album Joyride, the follow-up to the group's highly successful Look Sharp!. The single topped the charts across Europe, and in Australia, Canada and the United States, where it spent one week at...
". Other hits include "Dangerous
Dangerous (Roxette song)
"Dangerous", written by Per Gessle, is the fourth single released from Roxette's album Look Sharp!. Gessle penned it just before Roxette's first tour in 1987. Released at the end of 1989, it was the group's third top 10 showing on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at #2 in February 1990. ...
", "Fading Like a Flower", and "Dressed for Success
Dressed for Success
"Dressed for Success" was released on 28 June 1988 and is the second single from the Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1988 album Look Sharp!. Originally, "Dressed for Success" was their first Swedish single to promote Look Sharp! album in 1988.-Production:...
".
After the release of Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
-Singles:*"You Don't Understand Me":*#"You Don't Understand Me"*#"Crazy About You"*#"Harleys And Indians "*The Look '95" :*#"The Look" *#"The Look"...
, a greatest hits record, the duo took a hiatus in the mid-1990s. With the release of 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"...
(1999) and Room Service (2001) they continued to chart in other territories such as Europe and South America, where they earned various Gold and Platinum awards until the beginning of the new millennium. In 2002 the duo took a break from recording and touring when Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Roxette took to the stage together again for the first time in 8 years, in 2009, during Gessle's European Party Crasher
Party Crasher
Party Crasher is the third English solo album by Swedish pop-rock singer and composer Per Gessle. This is his second worldwide-released English solo album under his own name after The World According to Gessle in 1997. Originally scheduled for December 3 in Sweden, but it was released on November...
tour.
Their songs "It Must Have Been Love" and "Listen to Your Heart" continue to receive radio airplay, with both singles recently receiving awards from BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
for achieving four million radio plays. They have sold an estimated 60 million records worldwide, with over 3.5 million record sales in the United States, achieving platinum for Joyride and Look Sharp!
Look Sharp! (Roxette album)
Singles*"Chances"*"The Look"*"Dressed for Success"*"Listen to Your Heart"*"Dangerous"-Charts:-Credits:*Vocals — Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson*Drums — Pelle Alsing*Programming and bass — Anders Herrlin...
there.
1979–1986: Formation
Per GesslePer Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
and 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...
first met in Halmstad
Halmstad
Halmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
, 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....
, in the late 70s. Gessle performed in one of Sweden's most popular bands of the time Gyllene Tider
Gyllene Tider
Gyllene Tider is a Swedish pop group. The name Gyllene Tider translates as "Golden ages" or "Golden times". Few Scandinavians would not recognize the band's most famous song "Sommartider", often played on the radio during late spring and early summer...
and Fredriksson in the less successful Strul and MaMas Barn (Mama's Children) before both embarked on solo careers. In 1981, Fredriksson sang for the first time with Gyllene Tider on stage and was featured as a background vocalist for a Swedish-language album the band released in 1982. Gessle also worked with ex-ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
singer Frida
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
, for a song that appeared on her 1982 album Something's Going On
Something's Going On
Something's Going On was the first solo-album in English for ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad . Her previous albums had all been recorded in Swedish...
, setting music to a Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles....
poem.
While working on her first solo album, Het Vind
Het vind
Het vind is the debut album from Swedish pop singer Marie Fredriksson, released on .-Track listing:LP/MC*Side one#"Het vind" – 5:34#"Jag går min väg" – 3:52...
(Hot Wind), Fredriksson performed more background vocals for Gyllene Tider's only album in English, The Heartland Café
The Heartland Café
The Heartland Café is an album released by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider on 17 February 1984. The group's first recorded foray into the English language, The Heartland Café was the second album to feature vocalist Marie Fredriksson singing back-up and proved to be a precursor to the Swedish...
. According to Gessle, the group's first English-language release was in response to interest expressed by 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...
's American label Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, in an attempt to reach into the lucrative American market. The 11-track Heartland Café was released in February 1984 and sold 45,000 copies in Sweden. Capitol took six of the tracks and released an extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(EP) record in the United States with an abridged title, Heartland, but the company insisted on a different name for the band. Gessle and the other members of Gyllene Tider (Swedish for "Golden Times" or "Golden Age") chose the title of a 1975 Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood (band)
Dr. Feelgood are a British pub rock band formed in 1971. The band's name derives from a slang term for heroin or for a doctor who is willing to overprescribe drugs. It is also a reference to a 1962 record by the American blues pianist and singer Willie Perryman called "Dr Feel-Good", which...
song, "Roxette
Roxette (Dr. Feelgood song)
"Roxette" is a song by the band Dr. Feelgood. Recorded in 1974, it was Dr. Feelgood's debut single and appeared on their debut album, Down by the Jetty....
".
The newly-named Roxette issued one near-invisible release in the United States, "Teaser Japanese", whose video reached MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's studio but received no rotation to speak of. It, and subsequent singles, fared better in Sweden, and Gyllene Tider briefly toured the country to support the album. However, "the album died soon enough and the international career died before it even started", Gessle wrote. "We decided to put Gyllene Tider to rest... until further notice."
Gessle then turned solo work, recording his second Swedish-language solo album, Scener
Scener
Scener was released on 25 October 1985 and is a studio album from Swedish pop artist Per Gessle. The album peaked at #39 on the Swedish albums chart.-Track listing:LP/MCSide-ASide-B...
, released in 1985 and again featuring Fredriksson on background vocals. While Fredriksson recorded her second solo album, Den sjunde vågen
Den sjunde vågen
Den sjunde vågen is the second studio album from Swedish pop singer Marie Fredriksson.-Formats and track listings:LP/MC*Side A#"Värdighet"#"För dom som älskar"#"Silver i din hand"#"När du såg på mej"#"Mot okända hav"*Side B...
.
It was then that the Managing Director of EMI, Rolf Nygren, suggested that Gessle and Fredriksson should sing together. Gessle translated a song called "Svarta glas" ("Black glasses") into English, which became their first single, "Neverending Love
Neverending Love
"Neverending Love", written by Per Gessle, was the first release by the Swedish pop duo Roxette, and was later included on their debut album Pearls of Passion. Originally the single was only meant to be released outside of Sweden but EMI eventually changed their minds and released it in Sweden too...
". It was released in the summer of 1986 under the name "Roxette" and reached the Swedish Top 10, selling 50,000 copies.
1986–1988: Pearls of Passion
After the success of "Neverending LoveNeverending Love
"Neverending Love", written by Per Gessle, was the first release by the Swedish pop duo Roxette, and was later included on their debut album Pearls of Passion. Originally the single was only meant to be released outside of Sweden but EMI eventually changed their minds and released it in Sweden too...
" in Sweden, Gessle and Fredriksson quickly recorded a full length album, translating songs Gessle had written originally for his third solo album. With the release of Pearls of Passion
Pearls of Passion
-Singles:*"Neverending Love":*#"Neverending love"*#"Neverending Love" *"Goodbye To You":*#"Goodbye To You"*#"So Far Away"*"Soul Deep":*#"Soul Deep" *#"Pearls Of Passion"*"I Call Your Name":*#"I Call Your Name"...
in October 1986, Roxette maintained their commercial momentum in Sweden with their next singles "Goodbye to You
Goodbye To You (Roxette song)
"Goodbye to You," was the second single taken from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1986 album Pearls of Passion. It was only released in Sweden, where it peaked at #9 on the singles chart. The B-Side was "So Far Away" which is also included on the album Pearls of Passion. There isn't a video for this...
" and "Soul Deep". Some singles from Passion were released in other countries, including Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and other 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...
an countries. Their international releases didn't emulate their Swedish success. Damas of Allmusic retrospectively wrote:
The album was followed by a compilation of remixes of the same songs entitled Dance Passion
Dance Passion
Dance Passion is a remix album of Roxette's first album, Pearls of Passion. It was only released on vinyl on March 27, 1987 and was never officially released on CD...
.
In 1987, Fredriksson released and publicised her third solo album Efter Stormen
Efter stormen
Efter stormen is the third studio album from Swedish pop singer Marie Fredriksson.-Formats and track listings:LP/MC*Side A#"Längtan" #"Om du såg mej nu"#"Efter stormen"#"Kärlekens skuld"#"Aldrig som främlingar"#"Bara för en dag"...
. Meanwhile, Roxette released the single "I Want You
I Want You (Roxette song)
"I Want You", written by Eva Dahlgren, Per Gessle, Marie Fredriksson, Mauro Scocco, Johan Ekelund and Anders Glenmark is a song which was recorded in mid 1987, about one month before Roxette's first tour....
" in collaboration with Eva Dahlgren
Eva Dahlgren
Eva Dahlgren is a Swedish pop musician, born 9 June 1960 in Umeå, Sweden.Dahlgren was discovered by musician/producer Bruno Glenmark in 1978 after appearing on the TV show "Sveriges magasin" and her debut album Finns det nån som bryr sej om was released the same year...
and Ratata. Later in the year, they released "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For the Broken Hearted)
It Must Have Been Love
"It Must Have Been Love" is a power ballad written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The ballad became the duo's 3rd #1 hit in the United States, and is one of their best-selling releases, leading the single to be certified gold in a number of countries.The song, included...
", a holiday themed song that received some attention as Roxette prepared their next album, though EMI Germany decided against releasing the single. Pearls of Passion was re-released internationally in 1997, and included "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" as a bonus track.
1988–1990: Look Sharp!
In native Sweden, "Dressed for SuccessDressed for Success
"Dressed for Success" was released on 28 June 1988 and is the second single from the Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1988 album Look Sharp!. Originally, "Dressed for Success" was their first Swedish single to promote Look Sharp! album in 1988.-Production:...
" and "Listen to Your Heart" were chosen as the first two singles from their second album Look Sharp!
Look Sharp! (Roxette album)
Singles*"Chances"*"The Look"*"Dressed for Success"*"Listen to Your Heart"*"Dangerous"-Charts:-Credits:*Vocals — Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson*Drums — Pelle Alsing*Programming and bass — Anders Herrlin...
, as Gessle and EMI Sweden chose to highlight Fredriksson's singing. Gessle said "I always thought we should promote the songs Marie sang. Me being a lead singer wasn't part of the plan, not for me anyway." Both singles reached the Top 10 of the Swedish singles chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
, while the album, which was released in Sweden in October 1988, held the #1 position for seven weeks. Music critic Måns Ivarsson was underwhelmed by the album, "To consist of two such original persons as Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, the album sounds unbelievably conventional."
When the third single from Look Sharp, "The Look
The Look
"The Look", written by Per Gessle and performed by Roxette, was released as a single in early 1989 from the album Look Sharp!. The song became Roxette's international "breakthrough" song, finally exposing the duo to music consumers outside of the duo's native Sweden and Europe after more than one...
" became another Top 10 single in their home country, Roxette were still unknown internationally. It was while studying in Sweden, that an American exchange student from Minneapolis, Dean Cushman, heard "The Look", and brought a copy of Look Sharp! home for the 1988 holiday break. He gave the album to a Minneapolis radio station, KDWB
KDWB
KDWB-FM is an American commercial radio station broadcasting in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, the radio format was known for over fifty years as a major contemporary hit radio Top 40 pop music outlet. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota. It broadcasts in 5.1 cinema-quality...
101.3 FM. The station started playing "The Look" and based on positive caller feedback, the song became very popular, and quickly spread to other radio stations. The song became a radio hit before any Roxette product had been commercially released or promoted in the US market. The story was covered by radio, newspapers and TV in the US and in Sweden, with Gessle recently telling this as the story which highlighted the beginning of their international success.
After the popularity of "The Look" in the U.S. 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...
officials made the decision to release and market the single worldwide. "The Look" and pressed copies of Look Sharp! were issued in early 1989 to record stores and radio stations. "The Look" became their first #1 in the U.S. on April 8, 1989, where it remained for one week. At the end of the year, Billboard named "The Look" one of the 20 biggest Hot 100 singles of the year. The breakthrough for Roxette became international when "The Look" also topped the charts in 25 other countries.
"Dressed for Success
Dressed for Success
"Dressed for Success" was released on 28 June 1988 and is the second single from the Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1988 album Look Sharp!. Originally, "Dressed for Success" was their first Swedish single to promote Look Sharp! album in 1988.-Production:...
", featuring Fredriksson on lead with Gessle singing short parts for accentuating, was the second international single. The single peaked at #14 on the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
as well as at #3 in Australia and #2 in Japan. "Listen to Your Heart" was released thereafter. The song differed from previous singles and instead resembled the guitar-heavy ballads of Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
. "Listen to Your Heart" spent a single week at #1 in the US in November 1989 and reached the Top 10 in most territories. "Listen to Your Heart" bore the distinction of being the first US Billboard Hot 100 #1 to be not commercially available on 7-inch vinyl.
A fourth single, "Dangerous," was released at the end of the year, entering into the Hot 100 at the end of December. The single, a duet between Gessle and Fredriksson, spent two weeks at #2 on the Hot 100 in February 1990, and again becoming a worldwide success by reaching the Top 10 in important music markets such as Germany and Australia. "Dangerous" was released as a double A-sided single in the UK with "Listen to Your Heart".
Look Sharp!
Look Sharp! (Roxette album)
Singles*"Chances"*"The Look"*"Dressed for Success"*"Listen to Your Heart"*"Dangerous"-Charts:-Credits:*Vocals — Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson*Drums — Pelle Alsing*Programming and bass — Anders Herrlin...
won Gessle his first Swedish Grammis
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
award in the category Best Composer. Roxette received two Rockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen is a Swedish popular music award established by the Stockholm evening newspaper Aftonbladet in 1979. The award, which is awarded annually, is divided into several categories and is mostly concentrated around the genres Pop and Rock. The first award was however given to the Swedish...
awards for Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Group.
"It Must Have Been Love" – Pretty Woman soundtrack
It was around this time that Touchstone PicturesTouchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
approached EMI and Roxette about contributing a song to the soundtrack of an upcoming film, Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
, starring Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
and Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
. Gessle has claimed that "It Must Have Been Love
It Must Have Been Love
"It Must Have Been Love" is a power ballad written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The ballad became the duo's 3rd #1 hit in the United States, and is one of their best-selling releases, leading the single to be certified gold in a number of countries.The song, included...
", by then a 2-year-old recording, was chosen because Roxette didn't have time to compose and record a new song. The film's producers turned it down, asking for another song, but Gessle declined to produce another song. Some weeks later after re-editing the film before release, the producers re-requested "It Must Have Been Love", but Roxette had to remove the Christmas lyrics. Gessle and producer Clarence Öfwerman
Clarence Öfwerman
Clarence Öfwerman, born 22 November 1957, is best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album Pearls of Passion in 1986 through to 2011's Charm School, Roxette's latest studio album. He is the big brother of Roxette percussionist, keyboardist and...
then took the old recording, had Fredriksson replace a single Christmas-referenced line in the song and added some instrumentation and background vocal overlays.
Though not the first single released from the soundtrack, "It Must Have Been Love" would prove to be Roxette's most successful single release. The song spent two weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 in June 1990, three months after the film's release, and stayed for two additional weeks at #2, spending a total of seventeen weeks in the Top 40. Billboard named "It Must Have Been Love" the #2 Hot 100 single of the year behind Wilson Phillips
Wilson Phillips
-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Other charted songs:-Awards and nominations:...
' "Hold On
Hold On (Wilson Phillips song)
"Hold On" is the title of a song recorded by American vocal group Wilson Phillips. It was released in February 1990 as the lead single from their album, Wilson Phillips. The song won the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year for 1990...
". The song also topped the charts in more than 20 other countries (including Australia and Japan) around the world. In Germany the single spent 9 months in the Top 75, and peaked at #3 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the duo's highest singles chart position there. The soundtrack went on to be certified three times platinum by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
In Sweden, Roxette collected their second Rockbjörnen as Best Swedish Group.
1991–1992: Joyride
As 1990 wound down, Roxette completed its tour and returned to Sweden to record its follow-up to Look Sharp! The 14-track collection, titled Joyride, which was released in March 1991, became a worldwide hit, topping the charts in a number of countries and became Roxette's best selling album. Their record company EMI invested almost 2 million dollars on promotion for the album, which stayed at #1 in Germany for 13 weeks, while staying on the US album chartBillboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
for over a year. J.D. Considine of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine reviewed Joyride: "By emphasizing its sense of personality, Roxette delivers more than just well-constructed hooks; this music has heart, something that makes even the catchiest melody more appealing."
"Joyride
Joyride (Roxette song)
"Joyride", written by Per Gessle, was the first single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1991 album Joyride, the follow-up to the group's highly successful Look Sharp!. The single topped the charts across Europe, and in Australia, Canada and the United States, where it spent one week at...
" the single became Roxette's first #1 in their home country. It also topped the charts in more than 25 countries around the world, including Germany, Australia and the United States, becoming their 4th and last U.S. #1. The single also reached #4 in the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and achieved success in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which resulted in Roxette being nominated in 1992 for a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
in the category, Best Selling Single by a Foreign Artist. Its follow-up, "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)", a power ballad similar to "Listen to Your Heart", with Fredriksson on lead, spent a week at #2 in the U.S. in July and was a major hit in other big markets as well, peaking in the Top 5 in Australia, Germany and Sweden. "Fading Like a Flower" became Roxette's last U.S. Top 10 single.
It was then that Roxette embarked on an ambitious Worldwide tour. The Join The Joyride! World Tour 1991/92 tour eventually reached more than 1.5 million fans in 107 concerts around the world, including a few dates in the United States.
It was at this time that EMI's American subsidiary made personnel changes that resulted in a downturn in the publicity for Roxette. Though Joyride was certified platinum and made impressive worldwide sales, subsequent singles from the album, the ballad "Spending My Time
Spending My Time
"Spending My Time", written by Per Gessle, was the fourth single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1991 album Joyride. It peaked at #32 on Billboard's Hot 100. A remix was created by MC King Carli and Dr Renault at EMI Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 1991, and was included on the single...
" and "Church of Your Heart
Church Of Your Heart
"Church of Your Heart", written by Per Gessle, was the fifth single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1991 album Joyride. The single came out in 1992.-Music video:...
", failed to reach the heights of previous singles in the U.S. charts. Gessle said of the situation, "I believed this ("Spending My Time") was going to be our biggest hit ever, which might have happened if not our American record company had fired a lot of...ah, never mind."
Music tastes in the USA were changing, with the emergence of new genres such as new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
, grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
, harder-core rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and hip-hop. As William Ruhlmann of Allmusic later wrote, "Americans probably lost interest (in Roxette) at about the time that Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
came roaring in from the Northwest." In a 2009 interview with the BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, Gessle highlighted Nirvana and grunge music as part of the cause which contributed in Roxette's downturn of success. Although Roxette's commercial momentum in America was slowing down dramatically, elsewhere, singles from the Joyride album continued to become hits when "Spending my time" reached the Top 10 in Germany and Canada, while guitar pop tune "The Big L
The Big L
"The Big L.", written by Per Gessle, was the third single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1991 album Joyride. The song became a top ten hit in Japan, Ireland and Sweden as well as a Top 20 hit in the rest of Europe.-Track listings:CD maxi...
." made the Japanese and Swedish Top 10 as well as the Top 15 in most European countries.
1992–1993: Tourism
Roxette continued the Join the Joyride tour through into 1992. It was during this tour that most of the material for Tourism: Songs from Studios, Stages, Hotelrooms & Other Strange PlacesTourism (album)
- Singles :*"How Do You Do!"*#"How Do You Do!"*#"Fading Like a Flower " *#"Knockin' on Every Door" *#"How Do You Do!" *"Queen of Rain"*#"Queen of Rain"*#"It Must Have Been Love"...
was recorded. Instead of releasing an album of brand-new material, Gessle and Fredriksson re-mastered older recordings, including several slated for but not included on Look Sharp! and Joyride. They also recorded some of their live performances, recorded a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
inspired version of "It Must Have Been Love" in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
studio, and recorded new material in various locations around the world — an empty dance club, a hotel room — and compiled everything on to the album. Released in October 1992, Tourism was meant to "capture the energy within the band", Gessle & Fredriksson said.
The first single off the album was "How Do You Do!
How Do You Do!
"How Do You Do!" is a pop song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released as their first single from the album Tourism. The single spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #58 in the United States...
" followed by the ballad "Queen of Rain
Queen of Rain
Queen of Rain was the second single taken from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1992 album, Tourism: Songs from Studios, Stages, Hotelrooms & Other Strange Places....
" and an electrified version of the song "Fingertips", originally recorded acoustically for the album and re-titled "Fingertips '93" for single release. Singles from Tourism barely dented American radio and record stores but in the rest of the world, the first single "How Do You Do!", hit the Top 5 in most European and 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...
n countries. The album Tourism also charted well outside of the USA, reaching #1 in 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...
and Sweden, #2 in the UK as well as peaking at #5 in Australia.
It was also in 1992, that the group's European and Australian success reflected in Germany's ECHO Award (the equivalent of the Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
) nomination for the International Group of the Year. They also won two Rockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen is a Swedish popular music award established by the Stockholm evening newspaper Aftonbladet in 1979. The award, which is awarded annually, is divided into several categories and is mostly concentrated around the genres Pop and Rock. The first award was however given to the Swedish...
s: Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Group. In October 1992, Fredriksson released her first solo album in Swedish in five years, titled Den ständiga resan
Den ständiga resan
Den ständiga resan is the fourth studio album from Swedish pop singer Marie Fredriksson. The title track was covered by Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth and featured on their special edition issue of Watershed in 2008....
(The Eternal Journey).
In early 1993, Roxette became the first non-native-English speaking artists to be featured on MTV's Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
series, though the songs from the performance were never released on an official Unplugged album. At home, Roxette won a Rockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen is a Swedish popular music award established by the Stockholm evening newspaper Aftonbladet in 1979. The award, which is awarded annually, is divided into several categories and is mostly concentrated around the genres Pop and Rock. The first award was however given to the Swedish...
Award for Best Swedish Group, the last Rockbjörnen the duo would receive, though there have been nominations in the years since. Also Roxette received their second ECHO Award nomination for the International Group of the Year.
It was also in 1993 when Roxette recorded and released "Almost Unreal
Almost Unreal
"Almost Unreal" is a pop song performed by Swedish duo Roxette. The song was released in May 1993 and is featured on the soundtrack of Super Mario Bros....
", a song originally slated for the film Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
. However, the song was moved to the soundtrack to the film based on the Nintendo video game Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. (film)
Super Mario Bros. is a 1993 American action film directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. Based on the Super Mario Bros.video game and its entire franchise, the film features Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and Samantha Mathis. It tells the story of the Mario brothers, Mario and...
Supported by an expensive video and ultimately receiving respectable airplay, "Almost Unreal" managed to briefly reach the lower end of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
but reached the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, the group's first time there since "Joyride
Joyride (Roxette song)
"Joyride", written by Per Gessle, was the first single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1991 album Joyride, the follow-up to the group's highly successful Look Sharp!. The single topped the charts across Europe, and in Australia, Canada and the United States, where it spent one week at...
" two years before. Roxette themselves were dismissive about the song, "Not one of our most inspired moments.", Fredriksson said. While Gessle stated: "I still like the song in a way... but if you wanted to make a parody of Roxette, it would probably sound something like this."
In the Autumn of 1993, a second re-issuing of "It Must Have Been Love" managed to reach the UK and Irish Top 10 singles charts, after the UK television premiere of the film Pretty Woman.
1994: Crash! Boom! Bang!
Roxette took a turn with the 1994 release of Crash! Boom! Bang!Crash! Boom! Bang!
Singles* "Sleeping in My Car"*# "Sleeping in My Car" *# "The Look" *# "Sleeping in My Car" * "Crash! Boom! Bang!"*# "Crash! Boom! Bang!" *# "Joyride"...
, "It all sounded so... perfectly grown up", Fredriksson described. Bryan Buss of Allmusic wrote, "To go from the painfully pretty "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)" on Joyride to the apathetic "Vulnerable
Vulnerable (Roxette song)
"Vulnerable" is a song by Roxette, released as the fifth single from their album Crash! Boom! Bang!. The song is also featured on the compilation album, Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!....
" to the haunting and powerful title track of the same name on this album shows a serious downward slide.... Though the two have an edge on this album, they almost seem to have become a bit bored."
Although Crash! Boom! Bang! saw chart success (#1 in Sweden, #2 in Germany & Australia, #3 in the UK), it didn't sell as many as their previous albums. EMI America were reluctant to release the album, which sold 46,000 copies despite a promotion by McDonald's, which advertised and sold a 10-track Favorites CD. The Favorites CD reportedly sold about 1 million copies. It was noted by journalists that the McDonalds promotion CD and other CDs by Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, led to US music retailers of the time being unhappy with the promotion which bypassed established music stores. The retailers were upset on several fronts including the low price of the items; some stores refused to sell the album, with one major chain protesting by temporarily pulling all products from CEMA
CEMA (record label distributor)
CEMA was a record label distribution branch of Capitol-EMI. The name CEMA stood for the four EMI-owned labels it originally distributed: Capitol Records, EMI Records, Manhattan Records and Angel Records. Subsequently several other labels were distributed, including Chrysalis Records, Virgin Records...
(EMI's distribution wing) out of its sales and ad campaigns. Crash! Boom! Bang! became the last Roxette release 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...
would issue in the US.
The first single release from Crash! Boom! Bang! was "Sleeping in My Car
Sleeping in My Car
"Sleeping in My Car", written by Per Gessle, is a song by Roxette, released as the first single from their 1994 album Crash! Boom! Bang!. It reached #1 in Sweden and #3 in Canada, and stayed on the Canadian charts for more than half a year...
". The distortion guitar-heavy pop song, born out of anger and frustration of the album's grown up nature, reached #2 in Canada, as well as the Top 10 in 7 European countries (including #1 in Sweden) as well as the Top 15 in the UK, Australia and Germany. However in the US it was less successful, reaching only the Billboard Top 50. Subsequent releases, the title track "Crash! Boom! Bang!
Crash! Boom! Bang! (song)
"Crash! Boom! Bang!" is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Released in 1994, it was the second single taken from their album of the same name...
", "Fireworks
Fireworks (Roxette song)
"Fireworks" is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Released in 1994, it was the third single from their album Crash! Boom! Bang!. It achieved moderate success in various European countries, and peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart....
", and "Run to You
Run To You (Roxette song)
"Run to You" is an acoustic-electric rock song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Released in 1994, it was the fourth single taken from their album Crash! Boom! Bang!. The single reached #27 in the UK, and the top 50 in Switzerland and Australia....
", were less successful but managed to reach the charts in some countries.
1995–1998: Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! and Baladas En Español
Roxette then embarked on another, albeit scaled-down, worldwide tour, skipping North America in the process. It was during this tour that Roxette became the first Western band to be allowed to perform in China (Workers' Indoor Arena, BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
) since Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
in 1985. The procedure to get permission for this concert had taken over a year, and included self-censoring the lyrics. The band did re-write some of their lyrics but used the original lyrics after all during the concert.
In October 1995, Roxette released their first greatest hits compilation Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
-Singles:*"You Don't Understand Me":*#"You Don't Understand Me"*#"Crazy About You"*#"Harleys And Indians "*The Look '95" :*#"The Look" *#"The Look"...
, which reached the top 5 in many European countries including the UK, as well as the Top 10 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It featured four new songs, three were released as singles, including the ballad "You Don't Understand Me
You Don't Understand Me
"You Don't Understand Me" is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Released in 1995, it was the first new single from their Greatest Hits album Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! - Roxette's Greatest Hits....
", co-written by Desmond Child
Desmond Child
Desmond Child is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.-Career:...
. The song managed to hit the Swedish Top 10. Also that year, a compilation of demos, B-sides and remixes, alongside some of the 1993 MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
material, was released in Japan and parts of South America under the title Rarities
Rarities (Roxette album)
Rarities is a compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 17 February 1995 in Asia and South America.-Album information:The album composed of songs previously released only as singles...
. Roxette received their third ECHO Award nomination for the International Group of the Year.
In 1996, Roxette took instrumental masters of many of its ballads and recorded translated Spanish lyrics over them, released on the album Baladas En Español
Baladas En Español
Baladas en español is a Spanish language album by Roxette, released on December 2, 1996."Un día sin ti" and "No sé si es amor" were released as singles, though almost every song was frequently played on Latin American and Spanish radio. The album was certified 2xPlatinum in Spain, platinum in...
, which sold well in Argentina, Chile and other parts of South America, reaching platinum in Spain and Argentina. Also in 1996, Marie Fredriksson released another solo Swedish-language album, I en tid som vår
I en tid som vår
I en tid som vår is the fifth album from Swedish pop singer and songwriter Marie Fredriksson. Recorded by and co-produced with her husband Mikael Bolyos at their home studio in Djursholm, Sweden. Some bonus tracks were added to the album when it was remastered and re-released...
(In a Time Like Ours). Meanwhile, Gessle reunited with Gyllene Tider
Gyllene Tider
Gyllene Tider is a Swedish pop group. The name Gyllene Tider translates as "Golden ages" or "Golden times". Few Scandinavians would not recognize the band's most famous song "Sommartider", often played on the radio during late spring and early summer...
for what turned out to be a successful tour, that brought the band three awards in Sweden.
Gessle released a solo English-language album, The World According to Gessle
The World According to Gessle
2008 remastered re-release-Charts:-Credits:* Per Gessle - Words & Music, Vocals, Electric & Acoustic guitars, Harmonica, Tambourine, Vox Jaguar.* Marie Fredriksson - Additional vocals on "I'll Be Alright"...
, in 1997. One song "I'll Be Alright", featured Fredriksson singing backing vocals.
1999–2000: Have a Nice Day
Gessle and Fredriksson reunited in 1998 to record material for a new Roxette album, Have a Nice DayHave a Nice Day (Roxette album)
-Singles:*"Wish I Could Fly"*#"Wish I Could Fly"*#"Happy Together"*#"Wish I Could Fly" *"Anyone"*#"Anyone"*#"Anyone" *#"Cooper"...
, which was released in March 1999 and gave Roxette a comeback in continental Europe. It entered at #1 in Sweden and #2 in Germany. Containing elements of techno and house music, Have a Nice Day produced singles that returned Roxette to European charts. The first single, "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....
", became their highest charting UK single since 1993 (#11), while in Sweden, it charted at #4, their best position since "Sleeping in My Car". Although the second single, "Anyone
Anyone (Roxette song)
"Anyone" is the second single from Swedish duo Roxette's Have a Nice Day 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...
", didn't chart well in Europe, "Stars
Stars (Roxette song)
"Stars" is the third single from the Have a Nice Day album by the Swedish duo Roxette. The single was released in August 1999.-Song information:...
", the third single, charted well in Scandinavian and German speaking countries.
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
's review called Have a Nice Day "...another clever-clever bastard of an album which defies Doctor Rock". Damas of Allmusic called the album "an effort to encapsulate Roxette's trademark sound with Brit-pop and electronica, and, by gosh, it works." Sales were brisk in South America as well, but there was no U.S. release of Have a Nice Day.
In 2000, Fredriksson released Äntligen
Äntligen
-Charts:AlbumSingles-Certifications:- Album credits :* "Äntligen" * "Det som var nu"...
(At Last). The greatest-hits compilation, titled after one of her songs, is composed of material from her Swedish solo career. It went on to be a big seller in Sweden, peaking at #1 for three weeks, and resulted in a successful tour. Meanwhile, Roxette signed a U.S. distribution deal with Edel Music
Edel Music
-History:Edel Music was founded in 1986 by Michael Haentjes in Germany as a mail order record company selling mostly soundtracks. With artists such as Scooter, SASH!, Holly Johnson and many others, it became a very successful pop music label...
, which re-released Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!, replacing some non-U.S. hits with songs from Have a Nice Day. The single "Wish I Could Fly" included in the album reached #27 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and #40 on the Adult Top 40 tally.
2001: Room Service
Room Service followed in 2001 to a mixed response from critics. "Probably the best Roxette album since Joyride", wrote Leslie Mathew of Allmusic. Room Service is an exciting, immediate, high-gloss pop gem that contains very little filler indeed." Per Bjurman from Swedish tabloid AftonbladetAftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
was critical of the album, "It is not very good." he wrote. He did praise the three singles, "Real Sugar
Real Sugar
"Real Sugar", written by Per Gessle, is a song by Roxette, released as the second single from their 2001 album Room Service. It was not released in the UK.-Music video:...
", "The Centre of the Heart
The Centre of the Heart (Is a Suburb to the Brain)
"The Centre of the Heart" is a song by Swedish duo Roxette's 2001 album Room Service. The single was only released commercially in Europe, except in the UK. It was the group's third #1 in Sweden where it remained on the top spot for 4 weeks...
" and "Milk and Toast and Honey
Milk and Toast and Honey
"Milk And Toast And Honey", was the third single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 2001 album Room Service. The single was only released commercially in Europe and Australia where chart-wise it didn't perform spectacularly....
", but ended the review with "Roxette is not finished. But soon, I suspect."
The album topped the Swedish charts and reached #3 in Germany, but received little attention in the UK and wasn't released at all in the United States, though it did peak at #2 on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Worldbeat album chart. The first 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...
, "The Centre of the Heart" topped the charts in Sweden, and made the Top 10 in Spain, Top 15 in Finland. The other singles, "Real Sugar", the album's opening track and "Milk and Toast and Honey" were less successful. Roxette again went on tour, this time in Europe only, as concerts planned in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
were cancelled after the September 11 terrorist attacks. On reviewing their Löfbergs Lila Arena
Löfbergs Lila Arena
Löfbergs Lila Arena is an arena in Karlstad, Sweden, situated just above the river delta of Klarälven. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Färjestads BK. It opened in 2001 following a complete overhaul and major expansion of the previously existing arena. It has a...
concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
, Bjurman from Aftonbladet said "Roxette succeed in all cases, to never leave the 80s.", criticising Roxette's playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
which consisted of some of their early hits. Johan Lindqvist from Göteborgs-Posten
Göteborgs-Posten
Göteborgs-Posten is a major daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Gothenburg, with containing coverage of local, regional, national and international issues. It is chiefly distributed in western Götaland. It has the second largest national circulation, after Dagens Nyheter and before...
was more positive, scoring their Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
concert four stars.
2002–2008: Compilations, solo albums & hiatus
In 2001, at the Grammis ceremony, Roxette received a Music Export Prize from the Swedish Government. After that came a set of compilations, The Ballad HitsThe Ballad Hits
The Ballad Hits is part one of two "best of" albums by Roxette, released in October 2002. The other is The Pop Hits, released in March 2003....
in late 2002 and The Pop Hits
The Pop Hits
The Pop Hits is one of two "best of" albums by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on March 24, 2003. The other is The Ballad Hits, released in October 2002....
in early 2003. Each set contained a separate CD with material previously available and never heard before tracks. The single "A Thing About You
A Thing About You
"A Thing About You", written by Per Gessle, is the only single from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 2002 compilation album The Ballad Hits. The song featured on BBC Radio 2's playlist.-Charts:This song was a medium-sized hit in Europe...
" was released as the lead single from The Ballad Hits. The album was released in the UK on February 14, 2003, to coincide with Valentines day and entered the charts there at #23 before climbing to its peak position of #11 a week later. It also peaked in the Top 10 in Germany and The Netherlands. The single "Opportunity Nox
Opportunity Nox
"Opportunity Nox" is the only single from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 2003 compilation album The Pop Hits. In March 2003, "Opportunity Nox" became the first Roxette song to reach Svensktoppen...
" was released from The Pop Hits in 2003. The Ballad Hits which sold over a million copies within a year, helped the duo win a World Music Award
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
as the Best selling Scandinavian artist in October 2003. In that year, Roxette were also awarded with achievement medals by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
"for appreciated achievements in Sweden and internationally".
Fredriksson's illness
In September 2002, after a fainting spell, Marie Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumorBrain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, which was later successfully removed in surgery. Four months later, Swedish newspaper Expressen
Expressen
Expressen is one of two nationwide evening tabloid newspapers in Sweden, the other being Aftonbladet. Expressen was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and slogans "it stings" or "Expressen to your rescue", always on the reader's side....
reported Fredriksson had been diagnosed with a second tumor. This turned out to be false, and Fredriksson later sued the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
for 500,000 kronor.
It was during her recovery that she wrote and compiled songs for her first-ever English-language solo album, The Change
The Change (Marie Fredriksson album)
The Change is the sixth album by Swedish pop singer and songwriter Marie Fredriksson, and her solo debut in English. Written and recorded during two years of medication and darkness after the removal of a brain tumour in September 2002...
, which was released October 2004. Inspired by Fredriksson's brush with mortality and made mostly in partnership with her husband, Mikael Bolyos
Mikael Bolyos
Edmund Mikael Bolyos is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter and pianist, best known as husband of Marie Fredriksson.-Early work:Mikael Bolyos started his career in the typical Swedish danceband "Rospiggarna". Together with the leadsinger Roger Pontare, he formed the duo "Stars'N'Bars". Playing soul,...
, the album entered the Swedish album chart at #1, and quickly gained Gold status from the IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
.
With Fredriksson's illness and rehabilition, the duo took a hiatus, allowing Gessle to release Mazarin
Mazarin (album)
Mazarin is studio album by Swedish pop musician Per Gessle, released on June 16, 2003.Per Gessle thought of this album as his little side project but it turned out to be a huge success, gaining five × platinum status in his home country...
(Cupcake) in 2003, his first Swedish-language solo album in 18 years. The album reached #1 on the Swedish album chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
, became five times platinum, and brought Gessle numerous Swedish awards. One of the tracks, "På promenad genom stan
På promenad genom stan
"På promenad genom stan" is a song written and performed by Per Gessle and is the second single from his album Mazarin. It describes a walk through his native city of Halmstad, describing various points of interest in the town. The song is a duet with Per's fellow Roxette-singer Marie Fredriksson,...
" ("Strolling Through the Town"), featured Fredriksson singing back-up.
In 2004, Gessle and Gyllene Tider
Gyllene Tider
Gyllene Tider is a Swedish pop group. The name Gyllene Tider translates as "Golden ages" or "Golden times". Few Scandinavians would not recognize the band's most famous song "Sommartider", often played on the radio during late spring and early summer...
reunited for a 25th-anniversary celebration that included the band's first album in 20 years, Finn 5 fel!
Finn 5 fel!
Finn 5 fel! is an album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, released on 9 June 2004. The album stayed at #1 in Sweden for six weeks. It was the first full studio album recorded by the group since 1984's The Heartland Café.-Track listing:...
, and another successful tour in Sweden. They beat the Ullevi
Ullevi
Ullevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
attendance record, previously held by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, and the band played to almost half a million fans. As a result, the group was honoured with four awards in Sweden.
In 2005, Belgian dance group D.H.T.
DHT (band)
DHT is a Belgian duo, consisting of singer, Edmée Daenen and Flor Theeuwes . They had a hit in the US and in Australia in 2005, with their cover version of "Listen to Your Heart", originally recorded by Roxette. The track reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart in December of that year...
's trance-cover of "Listen to Your Heart" became a worldwide club hit. Originally released in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 2003, the various mixes of the song reached U.S. clubs in late 2004. By the mid 2005, the song reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold in October by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Also that year, several songs were released as re-mixes and covers. Among them: two prominent versions of "Fading Like a Flower", one a trance cover by German group Mysterio and one a sampling by Dancing DJs that reached the UK's dance chart. Also, there was a white label
White label
White label records are vinyl records with adhesive plain white labels affixed. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities to evaluate the quality of the disc production...
(independent, unauthorized) release, "Joyride 2005".
On November 23, 2005, Gessle released his first English-language solo album in eight years, titled Son of a Plumber
Son of a Plumber
Son of a Plumber is an album released by Swedish pop-rock singer and composer Per Gessle. It is the first album by Gessle to use a pseudonym artist name; Son of a Plumber. The album, which was officially released on 23 November 2005, is a double CD album packed with deeply personal and highly...
. He was in the middle of publicizing for the album when, on November 29, 2005, Gessle and Fredriksson appeared at the Dorchester Hotel
Dorchester Hotel
The Dorchester is a luxury hotel in London, opened on 18 April 1931. It is situated on Park Lane in Mayfair, overlooking Hyde Park.The Dorchester was created by the famous builder Sir Robert McAlpine and the managing director of Gordon Hotels Ltd, Sir Frances Towle, who shared a vision of creating...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for an awards presentation by Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
(BMI). Gessle received an award for "It Must Have Been Love
It Must Have Been Love
"It Must Have Been Love" is a power ballad written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The ballad became the duo's 3rd #1 hit in the United States, and is one of their best-selling releases, leading the single to be certified gold in a number of countries.The song, included...
", which, by 2005, had been played on U.S. radio more than 4 million times. He and co-songwriter Mats Persson also received an award for Dance Song of the Year for D.H.T.'s cover of "Listen to Your Heart". The ceremony marked the first time Gessle and Fredriksson had appeared in public together since before the onset of Fredriksson's brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
and subsequent surgery in 2002. When asked by an Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
reporter if there would be a Roxette reunion, Gessle replied, "We haven't decided yet. No doors are closed. We're still young". Fredriksson returned in 2006 with an album of Swedish cover songs, titled Min bäste vän
Min bäste vän
Min bäste vän is the seventh solo album by Swedish pop singer and songwriter Marie Fredriksson, her sixth album in Swedish...
(My Best Friend).
20th anniversary & The Rox Box
In mid 2006, Roxette released to radio "The Rox Medley" to promote a forthcoming "20th Anniversary package". The medley includes six Roxette hit singles: "The Look", "Joyride", "Listen to Your Heart", "Dangerous", "It Must Have Been Love" and "Fading Like a Flower (Everytime You Leave)". It was eventually released as b-side to the single "One Wish" and was also available to download.The "20th Anniversary package" better known as The Rox Box/Roxette 86–06 was released on October 18, 2006 to commemorate Roxette's 20 years in the music industry. Spanning over 4 CDs and single DVD, it included two new singles, "One Wish
One Wish (Roxette song)
"One Wish", written by Per Gessle and performed by Swedish pop duo Roxette, is the first single released from their 2006 album Roxette Hits, the first release from Roxette since 2003. Per Gessle describes the song as an uptempo duet...
" and "Reveal". A new standard greatest hits album, A Collection of Roxette Hits – Their 20 Greatest Songs!
Roxette Hits
A Collection of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs!, released on October 18, 2006 is a greatest hits from Swedish pop duo Roxette, celebrating 20 years of record releases....
, was released at the same time as The Rox Box. "One Wish" and "Reveal" were also included onto the CD. "One Wish", which was their first new song in four years, was released internationally on October 6, and features both Fredriksson and Gessle singing lead. On February 14, 2007 the second single "Reveal", was released.
In a radio interview on Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
Island's CKWV-FM "The Wave", Gessle shared information about the Roxette single, "One Wish" and The Rox Box. "It's four CDs, a DVD, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, outtakes and demos and stuff. It's like a coffee table
Coffee table
A coffee table, also called a cocktail table, is a style of long, low table which is designed to be placed in front of a sofa, to support beverages , magazines, books , and other small items to be used while sitting, such as beverage coasters. Coffee tables are usually found in the living room or...
thing, and it's really, really big [with an] 80-page booklet and stuff."
2009–2010: Night of The Proms and European Tour
Rumours started of a Roxette reunion when Gessle was interviewed by the BBC in April 2009. "Yeah, we've talked about it. It's really up to Marie." Gessle said. Online news sites picked up on the story, furthering the rumours. On 5 May 2009 an announcement was made that "Roxette would re-unite after 8 years and play for the first time on the Night of the PromsNight of the Proms
Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held yearly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Poland. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg...
in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany". The tour started on Friday, 23 October in the Sportpaleis Antwerp. Roxette were due to play the Night of the Proms back in 2002, but Fredriksson's illness meant they had to pull out.
Despite the Night of the Proms announcement, the first appearance of Roxette after 8 years was on 6 May 2009, during Per Gessle's concert in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
as part of his Party Crasher
Party Crasher
Party Crasher is the third English solo album by Swedish pop-rock singer and composer Per Gessle. This is his second worldwide-released English solo album under his own name after The World According to Gessle in 1997. Originally scheduled for December 3 in Sweden, but it was released on November...
tour. Almost at the end of the concert, Gessle said: "I’d like you all to welcome an old friend of mine: Marie Fredriksson", then she joined the band to perform "It Must Have Been Love" and "The Look". Later she also appeared on stage with him in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, at the last concert of his solo tour, 9 May 2009. Later in July 2009 they took part in the New Wave festival in Latvia. On 28 September 2009, Roxette re-released remastered versions of all seven of their studio albums; all of the albums featured previously released bonus tracks.
In January 2010 a concert at The Race Legends
The Race Legends
The Race Legends is a motor sport event that will run for the first time in Sweden 2011 at a Swedish racetrack. The Race Legends is conducted as a Formula One race of today with free practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday....
event in Sweden on 14 August was announced, followed by confirmation of other concerts in Russia, Denmark and Norway which took place during August and September 2010.
On 18 June 2010, Roxette performed a one off set at Stockholm Concert Hall, performing "The Look" in front of the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland is the heiress-apparent to the Swedish throne. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant .-Early life:...
during the gala concert on the day before her wedding
Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling
The royal wedding between Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling took place on 2010 in Stockholm Cathedral. It has been described as "Europe's biggest royal wedding since the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981." Westling's style and title after the marriage is now...
.
On 4 August 2010 Roxette played a 2 hour secret gig at Leifs Lounge, Hotel Tylösand, just outside Halmstad. This was seen as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming European tour. On 31 December 2010 Roxette performed in Poland at New Year's Eve concert, transmitted live from Warsaw internationally.
2011: Charm School and World Tour
On 23 October 2009, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Roxette were recording new songs. Per stated that he had been working on new material for an upcoming album since May 2009.In early November 2010 it was announced that Roxette would undertake a full world tour. The tour started on February 28, 2011 in Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and is expected to comprise up to 130 concerts and last well into 2012. The tour is expected to sell a million tickets with all six South African concerts sold out.
On 3 December 2010 Per Gessle confirmed the new album's release date through Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and the eighth Roxette album, Charm School
Charm School (Roxette album)
-Vinyl Edition:According to a news entry on their official website roxette.se from 26 December 2010 the LP will contain a longer version of "No One Makes It On Her Own" and a faster version of "Speak To Me".-Charts:...
was released on 11 February 2011 and preceded by the first single "She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)
She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)
"She's Got Nothing On ", written by Per Gessle and performed by Swedish pop duo Roxette, is the first single released from their eighth studio album Charm School. The video was directed by Mats Udd...
" on 10 January 2011. Roxette's record label 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...
issued a press release regarding the new album. The single reached the German Top 10 and became Roxettes' biggest hit in that market since "How Do You Do!" (#2 in 1992). On 15th November 2011 Roxette played their first UK concert in 17 years at London's Wembley Arena. They will undertake a UK tour in 2012 with dates confirmed in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham.
Awards
|-|1988
|Look Sharp
|Grammi
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
(Sweden) – Composer of the Year (Gessle)
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1989
|"The Look"
|MTV Video Award
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
(USA) – International Viewer's Choice (Europe)
|
|-
|rowspan=4|Roxette
|Silver Bravo
Bravo (magazine)
Bravo is the largest teen magazine within the German-language sphere. The first issue was published in 1956, subtitled as "the magazine for film and television" . Marilyn Monroe's portrait graced the first published issue, the never-published dummy issue cover displayed Elvis Presley.-History:The...
Otto (Germany) – Best rock/pop Group
|
|-
|1990
|Bronze Bravo Otto – Best rock/pop group
|
|-
|rowspan=5|1991
|Brit Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
(UK) – Best international group
|
|-
|Silver Bravo Otto – Best rock/pop group
|
|-
|"Joyride"
|MTV Video Award – International Viewer's Choice (Europe)
|
|-
|Joyride
|Grammi – Pop Group of the Year
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Roxette
|Australian Music Awards – Most Popular International Group
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1992
|Gold Bravo Otto – Best rock/pop Group
|
|-
|"Joyride"
|Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
(Canada) – Best Selling Single by a Foreign Artist
|
|-
|1999
|"Wish I Could Fly"
|Fono Music Award (Europe) – European No.1 Airplay hit
|
|-
|2000
|rowspan=2|Roxette
|WMA
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
– Best selling Scandinavian artist
|
|-
|2003
|WMA – Best selling Scandinavian artist
|
Tours
- Rock Runt Riket Swedish Tour (with Eva Dahlgren and Ratata) (1987)
- Look Sharp! Swedish Tour (1988)
- Look Sharp Live! European Tour (1989)
- Join the Joyride! World Tour (1991/92)
- The Summer Joyride – European Tour (1992)
- Crash! Boom! Bang! World Tour (1994/95)
- Room Service Tour (2001)
- Night of the PromsNight of the PromsNight of the Proms is a series of concerts held yearly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Poland. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg...
(2009)(Classic meets Pop – headliner, with several artists) - European Tour (2010) (Six dates as a test for a bigger tour in 2011)
- Charm School – The World Tour (2011/12)
See also
- Join the FlumerideJoin the FlumerideJoin the Flumeride is a 1998 Swedish mockumentary. The plot revolves around two fictional bands, "Gula Tidningen" and "Pincette", which are parodies of Swedish pop groups Gyllene Tider and Roxette respectively. The film features a cameo by Per Gessle, the lead vocalist of Gyllene Tider and one...
– a mockumentaryMockumentaryA mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
of two fictional bands parodying Roxette and Gyllene Tider, and featuring a cameo appearance by Per Gessle. - List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of bands named after other performers' songs
- List of best selling music artists
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of Swedes in music
- Swedish popular music