Their remarkable story

The Roxette Story

The Swedish super-duo Roxette; Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, have been on top of the charts in the world ever since their big breakthrough with "The Look" in early 1989. Since then, they have continued to deliver hit after hit, resulting in 40 million records sold all over the world. Their fan-base has continued to grow with every hit and on Roxette's first major worldwide tour, "The Joyride Tour 1991-92" over 1 million people in four continents enjoyed their 108 shows. During these years, artists have come and gone but Roxette remains in the top league of international super-stars.
Though Marie and Per have worked their way around the world several times during this period, they always return to Sweden where they still have their homes.
Here's a short overview of the Roxette story. So far...

1958:
Marie Fredriksson is born in Östra Ljungby, Sweden.

1959:
Per Gessle is born in Halmstad, Sweden.

1967:
Per buys his first album, Kinks "The Kink Kontroversy", from his older brother, who needs five kronor to buy cigarettes. A serious vinyl addiction is started.

1973:
Inspired by Bowie, Per makes an ill-fated attempt to colour his hair red. He walks the streets of Halmstad and gets stared at. He realizes that he enjoys it.

1975:
Halmstad, known as "Sweden's Liverpool" in the 60's, is influenced by the growing new wave-movement. There's a healthy music scene taking place. Pe & Marie are both involved with various bands.

1977:
The Sex Pistols perform in a small, packed Halmstad club. It's a you-should-have-been-there-event. Marie tries unsuccessfully to get in. Per is home watching the re-run of the Monkees on TV.

1978:
Career build up. Marie is the singer and pianist in the band Strul. Per is the singer, songwriter and guitarist in Gyllene Tider. After getting countless rejection-letters from most Swedish record companies (including Polar, signed by Björn and Benny of Abba) Gyllene Tider finance their own debut-EP.

1979:
Amused by Per's word-play lyrics on the self-financed EP, EMI signs Gyllene Tider.

1980-81:
Gyllene Tider-mania bursts out in Scandinavia. Hit singles, top selling albums, record breaking tours, the workds. At the same time Marie is struggling to get attention with Strul, releasing a single that goes nowhere.

1982:
Strul record one album under the name MaMas Barn. It flops.

1983:
Per release self titled debut solo album which surprises many with a low-key folk atmosphere, far from Gylene Tider's energetic power pop.

1984:
A shift of roles. Marie records her breakthrough debut solo album "Het Vind", which quickly establishes her as a major artist on her own. Gyllene Tider on the other hand are on their way down. The band makes their final album, "Heartland Café", their first attempt to make it outside of Sweden. It is released in the U.S.A. under the new group name Roxette, but flops. The review in Billboard said "nothing much happening here".

1985:
Gyllene Tider split. Per records second solo album, "Scener", which becomes his least selling album so far. Marie's second solo album "Den Sjunde Vågen" confirms her status as one of Sweden's premier female rock singers.

1986:
After suggestion from EMI, Per & 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 record with Roxette anyway. Songs originally planned for Per's third solo album is used for Roxette’s debut album ”Pearls Of Passion”. It establishes the new duo in Sweden. ”Neverending Love” is a minor hit in Europe.

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 their second album, ”Look Sharp!” and tours Sweden again. The album is a triumph in Sweden, but nothing is happening elsewhere. that is, until an American exchange student returns from Sweden and urges radio station KDWB in Minneapolis to listen to ”The Look”. The station copies its CD on cassette and plays the song. Listeners phone in and request it. From KDWB ”The Look” spread on cassette copies to other radio stations, repeating the success. Suddenly Roxette have a hit single in the U.S.A. – but no record released.

1989:
EMI quickly release ”The Look” in the U.S.A. It climbs the charts fast and is # 1 in March. It also tops the charts in 24 other countries. In October they get their second US #1 with ”Listen To Your Heart” and tours Europe. The album, ”Look Sharp!”, eventually sells 8 million copies worldwide.

1990:
A re.written ”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.

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 and by then over 1,7 million people have seen Roxette on stage. When the tour is over ”Joyride” has sold a staggering 10 million copies.

1992:
”How Do You Do!” is the new hit single off Roxette’s fourth album ”Tourism”, which is a collection of live tracks and on the spot-recordings made during the World Tour, verifying that the band can produce great music outside the state of the art-studios where their biggest hits has been created.

Marie picks up her solo career, releasing her fourth Swedish album, ”Den Ständiga Resan”, which sells platinum in Sweden.

1993:
As the first non-English speaking band ever, Roxette are invited to play MTV Unplugged. The event takes place in Stockholm and both fans and media are thrilled by the show’s warmth and musicianship. ”Almost Unreal”, the lead off track taken from the soundtrack ”Super Mario Bros”, is a big summer hit in Europe. At the same time the band zig-zag between Capri, London and Stockholm, recording tracks for their next album.

Marie Fredriksson becomes the proud mother of her first child, Inez Josefine.
Per Gessle marries longtime girlfriend, Åsa Nordin.

1994:
Roxette’s fifth album ”Crash! Boom! Bang!” is released in April. New hitsingles follow: ”Sleeping In My Car”, ”Run To You”, ”Fireworks” and the - despite its title - sweepingly romantic title track. Roxette kicks off their second World Tour in the autumn and play 47 shows on the European leg of the tour.

Marie Fredriksson marries Michael Bolyos, father of Josefine.

1995:
The World Tour continues to South Africa, where Roxette has never played before. They are greeted by some 130.000 South African fans at the four outdoor shows.
The tour continues to Australia. Next is another first for Roxette - South East Asia and Japan. They also perform in Beijing’s Capitol Indoor Stadium, as the first Western band in China for nine years. 11.000 Chines fans go absolutely crazy with joy. South America is next and the temperature reaches fever pitch. Close to hysterical scenes follow wherever the band shows up.

In the autumn Roxette’s greatest hits-collection ”Don’t Bore Us - Get To The Chorus” is released. With 14 world-wide hits and four new songs - ”June Afternoon”, ”You Don’t Understand Me”, ”She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and ”I Don’t Want To Get Hurt” - the album quickly becomes another mulit-million seller.

Back home in Sweden you’d think it would be time for a rest. But no, after much persuasion, Gyllene Tider reforms for a one off gig at their native Halmstad’s main square. The city centre is completely invaded by fans, who has waited ten years for this occasion. The show is a success and both press and fans demand a full scale reunion, a record and a tour. (An indication of how Gyllene Tider sounds in 1995 is to be found on the gutsy new Roxette song ”She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” from the hits collection.) The band, however, downplays the reunion. ”What’s done is done. We’re not coming back”.

1996:
”Uh, OK…we’re coming back”, the band says. And they do. Roxette takes a rest during the first half of 1996. Per writes four Swedish songs for a new Gyllene Tider-EP, the band tours the nation, tops all charts, fills all festival sites, wins a lot of year-end awards and is generally the talk of ´96 in Sweden. When the year is over Gyllene Tider’s greatest hits album has sold 500.000 copies and more than 250.000 Swedes has seen the band. Then it’s ” thank you and bye-bye” again.

Marie is busy as well. She releases her fifth Swedish solo album, ”I En Tid Som Vår”, and gives birth to her second child, Oscar Michael. The album is a hit with platinum sales. So is Oscar.

In the autum Roxette compiles a Spanish-language album of their greatest ballads, ”Baladas En Espanol”, sung by the decidedly non-Spanish spoken Marie. It is warmly received in all Spanish-talking countries, awarding Roxette with a new platinum record in Spain and gold records in Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico and Chile.

1997:
In the spring Per release ”The World According To Gessle”, a tough power-pop solo album. 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).

In August, Per and Åsa become parents to their son, Gabriel.

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 of new songs continue in the autumn. It is finished by November.

1999:
The first single, ”Wish I Could Fly”, is released on February 1st. The world, recovering from severe seasonal fatigue, is holding its breath. (Hey, it'’ here, start breathing and put it on).

to be continued…

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