The Look - Roxette - 1989

Roxette

The Look

Roxette

Fonte: rockol.it

Nel 1986 gli svedesi Per Gessle e Marie Fredriksson vengono convinti da un produttore a mettersi insieme per formare un duo. Dopo un album proposto praticamente solo nel loro paese, nel 1988 incidono LOOK SHARP. La loro vita cambia grazie a uno studente 

americano che porta il nastro con sé a casa sua, a Minneapolis, e lo regala a una radio locale. Dopo che la radio passa qualche pezzo, viene inondata dalle richieste. Il singolo "The look" va al numero 1. "It must have been love", inclusa nel film "Pretty woman", ripete 

l'impresa. Dopo altri due album di "euro-pop" nella migliore tradizione degli Abba, dei quali vengono inevitabilmente -vista la provenienza- considerati gli eredi, si diffonde la voce di una lite tra i due.. Dopo CRASH!BOOM!BANG!, registrato, in parte, a Capri, i due 

pubblicano una raccolta, contenente "You don't understand me". Ma soprattutto diventano mamma e papà nelle rispettive coppie di appartenenza. Da segnalare che nel 1994, un loro disco disponibile solo nei fast-food di McDonald ha venduto un milione di copie negli Usa. 

Nel 1999 tornano con un nuovo album HAVE A NICE DAY, a cui seguono nel ROOM SERVICE (2001) e le raccolte THE BALLAD HITS (2002) THE POP HITS (2003).

Dopo alcuni progetti solisti e una grave malattia che colpisce Marie, il duo si ritrova insieme 

per “One way”, singolo estratto dal greatest hits A COLLECTION OF ROXETTE HITS - THEIR 20 GREATEST HITS (2006).

A distanza di dieci anni dall’ultimo disco ROOM SERVICE, nel 2011 esce CHARM SCHOOL, realizzato nella natia Svezia. Nel frattempo al gruppo sono successi degli 

avvenimenti importanti: Marie Fredriksson è stata prima colpita a da un tumore al cervello, da cui è guarita; i due componenti hanno realizzato due lavori solisti a testa. Nel 2012 viene quindi pubblicato il nuovo lavoro, TRAVELLING.

Source: roxette.se

Roxette - Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle – came out of Sweden in the late 80's. Their game was pop, their mission to conquer the world. With 33 chart-busting singles and total record sales exceeding 75 million, it’s seems safe to say “mission accomplished”. Except 

for one thing. It ain’t over yet. Biding their time during Marie Fredriksson’s recovery after her brain tumour operation in 2002, the band has gradually staged a comeback that will climax with a new album and a World Tour in 2011. They entered the world of pop with "The 

Look" in 1989, followed up with the classic ballad “It Must Have Been Love” in 1990, the über-platinum "Joyride" album in 1991, and their first World Tour. For the next ten years they were on top of the charts somewhere in the world, the constant flow of hit singles and 

albums resulting in staggering record sales. Amazingly, Roxette's seductive mix of romantic ballads and smart pop with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, still seem to posses the same hit potential as when they first stormed the airwaves. During 2005, new cover versions of 

“Listen To Your Heart” and “Fading Like A Flower” both occupied the dance charts. The song remains the same, indeed... Marie and Per met in the laid-back West Coast town Halmstad already in the late 70's, but individual success prevented them from "doing 

something together". Per's former power-pop group Gyllene Tider was – and amazingly enough still is - one of Sweden's most loved acts (although defunct since 1985, their record-breaking 1996 and 2004 re-unions still reverberates through the Swedish show-business 

annals). Marie's impressive solo career gave her an equally solid platform. But in 1986 they were finally ready to merge their creative forces. The logic was simple: Per had the songs, Marie had the voice - together they could go places. They sure did. Here's what happened: 

1986. After suggestion from EMI, Per and Marie finally realize their much talked-about plan to work together and record one-off single ”Neverending Love” under the name Roxette. It becomes a big summer hit in Sweden. Marie is advised not to spoil her solo career by 

making pop music with Roxette. She decides to do it anyway. Songs originally planned for Per’s third solo album is used for Roxette’s debut album ”Pearls Of Passion”, which establishes the new duo in Sweden. 1987. Roxette tours Sweden, playing for 100 000 

people in open-air festivals throughout the country. Marie squeezes in her third solo album, ”Efter stormen”, before Roxette’s Christmas single, ”It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The Broken Hearted)”, dominates the Swedish airwaves. 1988. Roxette release 

second album, ”Look Sharp!” and tours Sweden again. The album is a triumph in Sweden, but a flop everywhere else. An American exchange student returns from Sweden and urges radio station KDWB in Minneapolis to play ”The Look”. From there, ”The Look” spread on 

cassette copies to other radio stations. Suddenly Roxette have a hit single in the USA – and the record isn't even released there. 1989. EMI quickly release ”The Look” in the USA. It races up to # 1 in March, and tops the charts in 24 other countries. In October Roxette get 

their second US #1 with ”Listen To Your Heart”, and tours Europe. ”Look Sharp!” eventually sells 8 million copies worldwide. 1990. A rewritten ”It Must Have Been Love” (without the Christmas references) becomes Roxette’s third US #1 in June. It is taken from the 

soundtrack ”Pretty Woman”, which sells 9 million copies. (In 2005, the song has been played more than 4 000 000 times in American radio, earning songwriter Gessle a prestigious BMI Award). 1991. Roxette’s third album ”Joyride” is released. The title track is 

the first single and reaches the #1 position in the U.S.A. (and many other countries) in May. The ”Join The Joyride” World Tour starts in Helsinki on September 4. The band will play 108 concerts in Europe, Australia, U.S.A. and South America, before finishing in Stockholm on 

July 22nd 1992. By then more than 1,7 million people have seen Roxette on stage. After the tour, ”Joyride” passes the 10 million-mark. 1992. ”How Do You Do!” is the hit single off Roxette’s fourth album ”Tourism”, a collection of live tracks and on-the-spot recordings 

made during the world tour. Marie picks up her solo career, releasing her fourth Swedish album, ”Den ständiga resan”, which goes platinum in Sweden. 1993. As the first non-English speaking band ever, Roxette plays MTV Unplugged. ”Almost Unreal”, the lead off track 

taken from the soundtrack ”Super Mario Bros”, is a summer hit in Europe. 1994. Roxette’s fifth album ”Crash! Boom! Bang!” is released in April, and includes hit singles ”Sleeping In My Car”, ”Run To You”, “Vulnerable”, ”Fireworks”, and the title track. Roxette kicks off 

second World Tour in the autumn and play 47 shows in Europe. 1995. The tour continues to South Africa, where Roxette are greeted by 130 000 South African fans. Australia, South East Asia and Japan are next. They also perform in Beijing’s Capitol Indoor Stadium, and 

11 000 Chinese fans go crazy. In South America, the temperature again reaches fever pitch. In the autumn Roxette’s greatest hits-collection ”Don’t Bore Us – Get To The Chorus” is released and quickly becomes another multi-million seller. A re-formed Gyllene Tider plays 

on the new Roxette song ”She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”, taken from the hits collection. 1996. Roxette takes a well-deserved time-out while Gyllene Tider makes a historic comeback in the summer. The former teen-heroes conquer the country in the most 

successful tour of open-air shows ever in Scandinavia. Sales of "Halmstads pärlor", a Gyllene Tider hits collection, reach the mind-blowing figure of 600 000+ copies. In the autumn, a Spanish-language album of Roxette's greatest ballads, ”Baladas En Espanol, is 

warmly received in all Spanish-talking countries. It becomes a platinum record in Spain and gold in Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico and Chile. 1997 In the spring Per release his power-pop solo album ”The World According To Gessle”. For the singles ”Do You Wanna Be My 

Baby?” and ”Kix” he recruits up-and-coming video director Jonas Åkerlund, whose innovative and controversial work causes much debate and interest (Madonna and Prodigy are quick to make phone calls). 1998 Roxette are ready to work again. In January they 

take off to El Cortijo, Spain, to start recordings for their sixth album of new material, ”Have A Nice Day”. After a summer break, recordings continue in the autumn. It is finished by November. Thoughts of releasing "The Centre Of The Heart " as a single are dropped in 

the last minute, since the song is deemed too out-of-sync with the rest of the album. It will soon be put to better use. 1999 The first single, ”Wish I Could Fly”, is released on February 1st and becomes a major European hit. "Have A Nice Day" is received as an innovative 

and fresh comeback, including sizeable hits as "Anyone", "Stars" and "Salvation". Per and Marie spend the best part of 1999 promoting the record around the world. 2000 New millennium, new year, new songs. In the spring, Marie sums up her solo career with triple-

platinum selling collection "Äntligen". She makes a successful summer tour of Sweden before returning to the Roxette camp to finish the year long recording for the new album, "Room Service". This time they’ve decided to record in Stockholm. 2001. Per and Marie 

travels to the legendary California hotel Madonna Inn to shoot an inspired Jonas Åkerlund directed video for the first single, “The Centre Of The Heart”. The leftover from 1998 is now speeded-up, re-recorded, and ready for chart action. In Sweden the single gets maximum 

exposure as Roxette guests the annual Eurovision Song Contest TV show. In April, "Room Service” is released. “Real Sugar” and “Milk And Toast And Honey” will become huge radio hits in Europe and South America during the year. In the autumn Roxette returns to the 

stage for yet another successful European tour, ending in front of 11 500 cheering and singing fans in Gothenburg’s Scandinavium. 2002. Roxette decide to back up the compilation CD “The BalladHits” and the single “A Thing About You” with a tour, but on 

September 11 Marie Fredriksson collapses at home. She is rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with brain tumour. After a successful operation Marie withdraws to regain her health, only weeks later gathering enough strength to record vocals on the upcoming 

Roxette single “Opportunity Nox”. It’s the new single from the upcoming compilation CD “The PopHits”. 2003-2005. Due to Marie’s illness, Roxette keeps a low profile. Marie records her first English solo album, “The Change”, in 2004. In 2003, Per reaches new 

commercial and artistic heights with the 300 000+ selling “Mazarin”, his first Swedish solo album in 18 years. In 2004, the 25th anniversary reunion of Gyllene Tider breaks all previous records, becoming the year’s second biggest tour in Europe, selling more than half 

a million tickets in Sweden alone. The new GT album “Finn 5 fel!” also finds the former teenage idols in great shape, easily surpassing the 200 000 mark. Not resting on his laurels, Per ships platinum of his solo double album, released under the name “Son Of A Plumber” 

in November 2005. On November 29, Per and Marie is reunited on stage in London to pick up the BMI Award for the 4 000 000th US airing of “It Must Have Been Love. 2006-2008 During 2006 Roxette fans gets a treat when the duo celebrates their 20th anniversary with 

thebox setthe 4 cd and 2 dvd set ”The RoxBox”, containing the group’s biggest hits as well as unreleased material, demos, live recordings and videos. But with Roxette mostly on hold, Marie devotes some time for her art while regaining her strength. Having received 

favourable reviews for her first exhibition, a series of coal drawings titled “After The Change” in 2005, she returns three years later with a series of colour drawings called “A Table In The Sun”. She also releases two albums; ”Min bäste vän”, with covers in Swedish, as well as 

”Tid för tystnad”, a collection of her own ballads. She also performs ”Where Your Love Lies”, the main theme for the blockbuster movie ”Arn – The Kingdom At Road’s End”. Meanwhile Per keeps himself busy by recording and touring around his Swedish solo album ”En 

händig man”, following it with the 80’s tinged pop collection ”Party Crasher” in 2008. 2009-2010 In the spring of 2009 Per embarks on a solo tour of Europe backed by Roxette stalwarts Clarence Öfwerman (keyboards), Christoffer Lundqvist (guitar) and Pelle Alsing 

(drums) as well as Magnus Börjeson (bass) and Helena Josefsson (backing vocals). The set mixes solo material with Roxette classics and after eight years, misty-eyed Roxette fans sees Marie Fredriksson reunite with Per in ”It Must Have Been Love” and ”The Look” on 

stage in Amsterdam. Shortly thereafter the dreams of many loyal fans come true when Roxette announce that they will reunite for the 25th Anniversary ”Night of the Proms” tour in Holland, Belgium and Germany during the autumn of 2009. The tour is a magnificent 

success comprising 42 shows, and more than 600 000 ecstatic Europeans experience the group’s comeback in a neo-classic surrounding with a full symphony orchestra. The tour works so well that Roxette starts to look ahead, writing material for a comeback album as 

well as lining up new shows for 2010. On June 18 2010 Roxette performs live at the Crown Princess Victoria’s and Daniel Westling’s wedding party at the Royal Castle in Stockholm. A few weeks later the band kicks off their summer tour at the Hotel Tylösand, standing in front 

of a Swedish audience for the first time since 2001. Six shows in Sweden, Denmark, 

Norway and Russia is convincing proof that Roxette is back in the game. Ticket demand is unexpectedly high and in Moscow Roxette outsells both Ozzy Osbourne and Sting, who 

plays the same arena the same week. Back home in Sweden Roxette continues the recordings of the upcoming album while announcing their 2011 World Tour – their first trek around the globe since the “Crash! Boom! Bang!” tour of 1994-95. 2011-2015 In February 

2011 Roxette kicks off their World Tour in Russia and release “Charm School”, their first album of new material since “Room Service” in 2001. The new single “She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio)” gets the band back on the airwaves, and when Roxette arrives in South 

America they realise that the continent still hasn’t recovered much from the fan craze that made the group’s 90’s tours so legendary. “Roxers” are waiting at the airport, following them to their hotel, crowding outside the backstage entrance after the shows, and making every 

gig a magic sing-a-long party. The tour is originally scheduled to end that summer, but more dates are constantly added—first for the autumn of 2011 and then for 2012—until it’s renamed ”The Never Ending Tour”. Egged on by the phenomenal response, Roxette puts 

in an amazing live show with Marie belting out powerful vocals like every show is her last, and the band cooking with just the right combination of joy, playfulness and superb musicianship. In between shows, airports, and backstage meet ‘n greets, Roxette records 

and in the spring of 2012 releases yet another new album, “Travelling”. When they reach their final show in Mexico City in September 2012, Roxette has performed their classic songs in front of 1,5 million singing, screaming and crying people in 46 countries since the 

tour started 18 months earlier. After the tour, Marie Fredriksson embarks on a celebrated Swedish solo tour, while Per Gessle collects two prestigious BMI Awards celebrating more than five million airplays on American radio for ”Listen To Your Heart” and ”It Must Have 

Been Love”, when not busy with solo projects and writing new material for Roxette. In the autumn of 2014 it’s yet again time to get the Rox camp together for another lengthy stretch across the globe. Russia is first to be visited in the autumn, with New Zeeland and Australia 

waiting in the beginning of 2015 followed by a massive European summer tour. Instead of a long marathon, the idea now is to create a shorter and more concentrated tour with segments spread out over a longer time. With a six tonnes heavy stage production created 

by the celebrated lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, the band with the never-ending song catalogue is yet again ready to roll. And did we say a new Roxette album is projected for release during the autumn of 2015? Don’t forget your shades, because the future sure looks bright.