1.
Roxette
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Roxette is a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. Formed in 1986, the duo became an act in the late 1980s. Their third album Joyride, which was released in 1991, became just as successful as its predecessor. Roxette went on to 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, Dressed for Success, on the advice of the managing director of their record label, they came together to record Neverending Love, which became a hit single in Sweden. After the release of Dont Bore Us, Get to the Chorus, a greatest hits record, the duo took a hiatus from the mid-1990s before returning with the albums Have a Nice Day and Room Service. They continued to chart in other territories, mainly in Europe and Latin America, in 2002, the duo took a break from recording and touring when Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. In 2011, they released Charm School, their first studio album in ten years and this was followed by Travelling a year later. Their songs It Must Have Been Love and Listen to Your Heart continue to receive radio airplay. Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson first met in Halmstad, Sweden, Gessle performed in Gyllene Tider, one of Swedens most popular bands at the time, and Fredriksson in the less successful Strul and MaMas Barn 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 Somethings Going On, while working on her first solo album, Het vind, Fredriksson performed more background vocals for Gyllene Tiders only album in English, The Heartland Café. The 11-track album was released in February 1984 and sold 45,000 copies in Sweden, According to Gessle, the groups first English-language release was in response to interest expressed by EMIs American label Capitol Records. Capitol took six of the tracks and released an extended play record in the US with a title, Heartland. Gessle and the members of Gyllene Tider chose the title of a 1975 Dr. Feelgood song. The newly named Roxette issued one near-invisible release in the US, Teaser Japanese, whose video reached MTVs studio and 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 and we decided to put Gyllene Tider to rest. Gessle then turned solo work, recording his second Swedish-language solo album, Scener, released in 1985, while Fredriksson recorded her second solo album, Den sjunde vågen
2.
Pop music
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Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid 1950s. The terms popular music and pop music are used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular. Pop and rock were synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they were used in opposition from each other. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music. Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other such as urban, dance, rock, Latin. Identifying factors include generally short to medium-length songs written in a format, as well as the common use of repeated choruses, melodic tunes. David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop music as a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, according to Pete Seeger, pop music is professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music, the music charts contain songs from a variety of sources, including classical, jazz, rock, and novelty songs. Pop music, as a genre, is seen as existing and developing separately, pop music continuously evolves along with the terms definition. The term pop song was first recorded as being used in 1926, Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music. The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pops earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience. Since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the meaning of non-classical mus, usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as the Beatles. Grove Music Online also states that, in the early 1960s pop music competed terminologically with beat music, while in the USA its coverage overlapped with that of rock and roll. From about 1967, the term was used in opposition to the term rock music. Whereas rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of the possibilities of music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral. It is not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward, and, in musical terms, it is essentially conservative. It is, provided from on high rather than being made from below, pop is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged. The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment, the lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes – often love and romantic relationships – although there are notable exceptions
3.
Capitol Records
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Capitol Records, LLC is an American record label which operates as a division of the Capitol Music Group. The label was founded as the first West Coast-based record label in the United States in 1942 by three industry insiders named Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva and Glenn Wallichs, in 1955, the label was acquired by the British music conglomerate EMI as its North American subsidiary. EMI was later acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012 and was merged with the company in 2013, making Capitol Records, Capitol Records circular headquarter building located in Los Angeles is a recognized landmark of California. Mercer first raised the idea of starting a company while golfing with Harold Arlen. By 1941, Mercer was a songwriter and a singer with multiple successful releases. Mercer next suggested the idea to Wallichs while visiting his record store, Wallichs expressed interest in the idea and the pair negotiated an agreement whereby Mercer would run the company and identify their artists, while Wallichs managed the business side. On February 2,1942, Mercer and Wallichs met with DeSylva at a Hollywood restaurant to inquire about the possibility of investment of the company from Paramount Pictures, while DeSylva declined the proposal, he handed the pair a check worth $15,000. On March 27,1942, the three men incorporated as Liberty Records, in May 1942, the application was amended to change the companys name to Capitol Records. On April 6,1942, Mercer supervised Capitols first recording session where Martha Tilton recorded the song Moon Dreams, on May 5, Bobby Sherwood and his orchestra recorded two tracks in the studio. On May 21, Freddie Slack and his orchestra recorded three tracks in the studio, one with the orchestra, one with Ella Mae Morse called Cow-Cow Boogie, on June 4,1942, Capitol opened its first office in a second-floor room south of Sunset Boulevard. On that same day, Wallichs presented the companys first free record to Los Angeles disc jockey Peter Potter, on June 5,1942, Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra recorded four songs at the studio. On June 12, the recorded five more songs in the studio. On June 11, Tex Ritter recorded Jingle Jangle Jingle and Goodbye My Little Cherokee for his first Capitol recording session, and the songs formed Capitols 110th produced record. 133 - Get On Board Little Chillun - July 31,1942 - is a Freddie Slack/Ella Mae Morse/Mellowaires recording that might be the first rock n roll record and she has sometimes been called the first rock n roll singer. A good example is her 1942 recording of song which, with strong gospel, blues, boogie. Bone Walker recorded Mean Old World a pioneering example of the use of electric guitar. The earliest recording artists included co-owner Mercer, Whiteman, Tilton, Morse, Margaret Whiting, Jo Stafford, the Pied Pipers, Johnnie Johnston, Tex Ritter, Capitols first gold single was Morses Cow Cow Boogie in 1942. Capitols first album was Capitol Presents Songs By Johnny Mercer, a three 78-rpm disc set with recordings by Mercer, Stafford and the Pied Pipers, all with Westons Orchestra
4.
Record producer
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A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performers music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many roles during the recording process, the roles of a producer vary. The producer may perform these roles himself, or help select the engineer, the producer may also pay session musicians and engineers and ensure that the entire project is completed within the record companies budget. A record producer or music producer has a broad role in overseeing and managing the recording. Producers also often take on an entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules, contracts. In the 2010s, the industry has two kinds of producers with different roles, executive producer and music producer. Executive producers oversee project finances while music producers oversee the process of recording songs or albums. In most cases the producer is also a competent arranger, composer. The producer will also liaise with the engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording. Noted producer Phil Ek described his role as the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record, indeed, in Bollywood music, the designation actually is music director. The music producers job is to create, shape, and mold a piece of music, at the beginning of record industry, producer role was technically limited to record, in one shot, artists performing live. The role of producers changed progressively over the 1950s and 1960s due to technological developments, the development of multitrack recording caused a major change in the recording process. Before multitracking, all the elements of a song had to be performed simultaneously, all of these singers and musicians had to be assembled in a large studio and the performance had to be recorded. As well, for a song that used 20 instruments, it was no longer necessary to get all the players in the studio at the same time. Examples include the rock sound effects of the 1960s, e. g. playing back the sound of recorded instruments backwards or clanging the tape to produce unique sound effects. These new instruments were electric or electronic, and thus they used instrument amplifiers, new technologies like multitracking changed the goal of recording, A producer could blend together multiple takes and edit together different sections to create the desired sound. For example, in jazz fusion Bandleader-composer Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, producers like Phil Spector and George Martin were soon creating recordings that were, in practical terms, almost impossible to realise in live performance. Producers became creative figures in the studio, other examples of such engineers includes Joe Meek, Teo Macero, Brian Wilson, and Biddu
5.
Per Gessle
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Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider. With Fredrikssons illness in 2002, he went back to recording albums, reformed Gyllene Tider in 2004 and became a successful artist in his native Sweden. Per Gessle was a member of Gyllene Tider, in 1976. They quickly became a group in Sweden, but after their fourth album, The Heartland Café, sold poorly compared to their previous albums. We decided to put Gyllene Tider to rest, in 1982, Gessle released his first solo album, Per Gessle and after Gyllene Tider split-up his second album, Scener, quickly appeared in 1985. Gessle and Marie Fredriksson had been friends for a few years before came together as Roxette in 1986. After the success of their first hit Neverending Love, which was written by Gessle, Roxette went on to achieve four U. S. #1s and two #2s, with their albums Look Sharp. and Joyride attaining platinum status in a number of countries. After Roxettes early nineties success, Per released a compilation album in 1992, På väg. Bang. and subsequent world tour, Roxette took a break, in 1996, after a reunion and subsequent tour of Gyllene Tider, Gessle recorded his first English solo album, using Brainpool and Gyllene Tider as backing musicians. Christoffer Lundquist from Brainpool would also come to collaborate with Per on later releases, the World According to Gessle, released in 1997, produced three singles, Do You Wanna Be My Baby. Kix and I Want You to Know, the videos to all three songs were directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The World According to Gessle was re-released in 2008, with bonus material. In 1997 Hjärtats trakt – en samling was released as a best-of album, after Roxette released Have a Nice Day and Room Service to moderate success, Per continued with his solo work. The subsequent album Mazarin, was successful in Sweden, going five times platinum in 2004. His first album involving singer Helena Josefsson brought Gessle numerous awards, four Grammis awards, Best Artist, Best Male Pop Performer, Best Composer and Best Song. He also won three Rockbjörnen awards, Best Swedish Male Artist, Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Song —, the song Här kommer alla känslorna, is Gessles most successful release in Sweden, spending two months at No. Also in 2004, saw Gessle and Gyllene Tider reunited for a 25th-anniversary celebration that included the bands first album in 20 years, Finn 5 fel. and another very successful tour in Sweden
6.
Marie Fredriksson
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In 2002, after fainting at home, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. During her rehabilitation she continued to make music, resulting in the album The Change and she later reunited with Gessle to record more Roxette albums, embarked on worldwide tour and continued to record as a solo artist in her native Sweden. Marie Fredriksson, who was born in Össjö, was the youngest of five children, the family later moved to the small Swedish town of Östra Ljungby. Being poor, both parents were forced to work, often leaving the children on their own, together with her siblings or neighbourhood children, Fredriksson began to play music and sing. She was often asked by her mother to perform in front of friends who were impressed by her Olivia Newton-John-like singing voice, Maries interest grew stronger in her teens as she discovered artists such as Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, and Deep Purple. At 17, Fredriksson enrolled in a college and performed in local theatre. However, she found it boring, instead longing for the thrill of an audience. As she phrased it, I wanted to perform and she became involved in theatre, and after moving to the town of Halmstad, she found herself involved in the local music scene. Joining her boyfriend Stefans band Strul, they played local gigs, after that group split, Marie and a new boyfriend, Martin Sternhuvsvud, performed as MaMas Barn. Per Gessle, the lead singer of the famous Swedish group Gyllene Tider, shared a rehearsal studio with Fredriksson. Lindbom was suitably impressed with Fredrikssons voice and offered her a contract, Lasse Lindbom asked Fredriksson to record a duet with him, Så nära nu, which lead to her joining his group The Lasse Lindbom Band. Gessle started to encourage her to start a career, but she was too nervous. Fredriksson finally accepted, and she recorded her first solo album, Het vind, Ännu doftar kärlek was the first single. Lindbom, Fredriksson, Per Gessle and Mats MP Persson started a new band called Spännande Ostar and that same year, Fredriksson and Lindbom went to the Canary Islands to write songs for Maries second solo album. They returned to Sweden for the recording, the album was released in 1986, under the name Den sjunde vågen. Den bästa dagen and Silver i din hand were released as singles, Gessle and Fredriksson had talked about working together for many years. Fredrikssons career was soaring in Sweden, but Gessle was a former member whose solo career was not doing as well. Friends and people in the industry were skeptical towards the idea of Marie collaborating with Gessle and his idea was to form a duo, singing in English, and try to have some success in Europe
7.
The Ballad Hits
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The Ballad Hits is part one of two best of albums by Roxette, released on 4 November 2002. The other is The Pop Hits, released in March 2003, the tracks A Thing About You and Breathe were recorded especially for this album. Only the first one was released as a single, the limited edition of the CD included an EP featuring four tracks, The Weight of the World, It Hurts, See Me and Every Day. The European version is copy protected, the album proved to be a reasonable success in Europe, reaching the top 10 in many countries and reaching #11 and achieving Silver status in the UK. A Thing About You Previously unreleased It Must Have Been Love from Pretty Woman Listen to Your Heart from Look Sharp, fading Like a Flower from Joyride Spending My Time from Joyride Queen of Rain from Tourism Almost Unreal from Super Mario Bros Crash. You Dont Understand Me from Dont Bore Us, Get to the Chorus
8.
Roxette Hits
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A Collection of Roxette Hits, Their 20 Greatest Songs. Released on 18 October 2006 is a greatest hits from Swedish pop duo Roxette, the tracks One Wish and Reveal were recorded especially for this album in May 2006. The sold out Australian leg of the Charm School World Tour helped this release to enter the Australian Top 20 in early 2012, six years after the original release. One Wish The Look Dressed for Success Listen to Your Heart Dangerous It Must Have Been Love Joyride Fading Like a Flower Spending My Time How Do You Do, almost Unreal Sleeping in My Car Crash. The Canadian Tour Edition, released 2012, replaces Milk and Toast and Honey and Reveal with The Sweet Hello, all songs written by Per Gessle, except where noted
9.
Single (music)
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In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record, an album or an EP record. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats, in most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular, in other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album. As digital downloading and audio streaming have become prevalent, it is often possible for every track on an album to also be available separately. Nevertheless, the concept of a single for an album has been retained as an identification of a heavily promoted or more popular song within an album collection. Despite being referred to as a single, singles can include up to as many as three tracks on them. The biggest digital music distributor, iTunes, accepts as many as three tracks less than ten minutes each as a single, as well as popular music player Spotify also following in this trend. Any more than three tracks on a release or longer than thirty minutes in total running time is either an Extended Play or if over six tracks long. The basic specifications of the single were made in the late 19th century. Gramophone discs were manufactured with a range of speeds and in several sizes. By about 1910, however, the 10-inch,78 rpm shellac disc had become the most commonly used format, the inherent technical limitations of the gramophone disc defined the standard format for commercial recordings in the early 20th century.26 rpm. With these factors applied to the 10-inch format, songwriters and performers increasingly tailored their output to fit the new medium, the breakthrough came with Bob Dylans Like a Rolling Stone. Singles have been issued in various formats, including 7-inch, 10-inch, other, less common, formats include singles on digital compact cassette, DVD, and LD, as well as many non-standard sizes of vinyl disc. Some artist release singles on records, a more common in musical subcultures. The most common form of the single is the 45 or 7-inch. The names are derived from its speed,45 rpm. The 7-inch 45 rpm record was released 31 March 1949 by RCA Victor as a smaller, more durable, the first 45 rpm records were monaural, with recordings on both sides of the disc. As stereo recordings became popular in the 1960s, almost all 45 rpm records were produced in stereo by the early 1970s
10.
Opportunity Nox
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Opportunity Nox is the only single from Swedish pop duo Roxettes 2003 compilation album The Pop Hits. In March 2003, Opportunity Nox became the first Roxette song to reach Svensktoppen, due to Marie Fredriksson having cancer at the time, the song had no promotion and featured very little of her vocals. Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen both gave the song 4 stars and called it their best song since Dangerous and Joyride respectively, despite the lack of promotion, this song did peak at #11 in Sweden, and was a minor hit in Germany and Switzerland. The video for the song is animated by Animation Director Murray John and this was mainly due to Fredrikssons illness. Opportunity Nox Fading Like a Flower Breathe Opportunity Nox at MusicBrainz Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
11.
Scandinavia
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Scandinavia /ˌskændᵻˈneɪviə/ is a historical and cultural region in Northern Europe characterized by a common ethnocultural North Germanic heritage and mutually intelligible North Germanic languages. The term Scandinavia always includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the remote Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are usually not seen as a part of Scandinavia, nor is Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark. This looser definition almost equates to that of the Nordic countries, in Nordic languages, only Denmark, Norway and Sweden are commonly included in the definition of Scandinavia. In English usage, Scandinavia sometimes refers to the geographical area, the name Scandinavia originally referred vaguely to the formerly Danish, now Swedish, region Scania. Icelanders and the Faroese are to a significant extent descended from the Norse, Finland is mainly populated by Finns, with a minority of approximately 5% of Swedish speakers. A small minority of Sami people live in the north of Scandinavia. The Danish, Norwegian and Swedish languages form a continuum and are known as the Scandinavian languages—all of which are considered mutually intelligible with one another. Faroese and Icelandic, sometimes referred to as insular Scandinavian languages, are intelligible in continental Scandinavian languages only to a limited extent, Finnish and Meänkieli are closely related to each other and more distantly to the Sami languages, but are entirely unrelated to the Scandinavian languages. Apart from these, German, Yiddish and Romani are recognized minority languages in Scandinavia, the southern and by far most populous regions of Scandinavia have a temperate climate. Scandinavia extends north of the Arctic Circle, but has mild weather for its latitude due to the Gulf Stream. Much of the Scandinavian mountains have a tundra climate. There are many lakes and moraines, legacies of the last glacial period, Scandinavia usually refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Some sources argue for the inclusion of the Faroe Islands, Finland and Iceland, though that broader region is known by the countries concerned as Norden. Before this time, the term Scandinavia was familiar mainly to classical scholars through Pliny the Elders writings, and was used vaguely for Scania, as a political term, Scandinavia was first used by students agitating for Pan-Scandinavianism in the 1830s. After a visit to Sweden, Andersen became a supporter of early political Scandinavism, the term is often defined according to the conventions of the cultures that lay claim to the term in their own use. More precisely, and subject to no dispute, is that Finland is included in the broader term Nordic countries, various promotional agencies of the Nordic countries in the United States serve to promote market and tourism interests in the region. The official tourist boards of Scandinavia sometimes cooperate under one umbrella, Norways government entered one year later. All five Nordic governments participate in the joint promotional efforts in the United States through the Scandinavian Tourist Board of North America, Scandinavia can thus be considered a subset of the Nordic countries
12.
Halmstad
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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, the city had a population of 92,797 in 2012, out of a municipal total of over 90,000. Halmstad is Swedens 20th-largest city by population and located about midway between Gothenburg and Malmö and it is Europes northernmost city with a lot of timber framing architecture. Halmstad, at the part of the Kingdom of Denmark, received its first city charter in 1307. The oldest remains of that first town are to be found at Övraby upstream on Nissan, just south of, the remains of the church can still be seen today between a defunct brick industry and a former landfill. In the 1320s the town moved to the present day town centre, at this time there were two monasteries in the town and during the 15th century the St. Nikolai church was built. Halland was the object of numerous battles, sieges and occupations by Swedish troops, during the Kalmar Union – a Nordic Union between Sweden, Norway and Denmark which lasted between 1400 and 1520 – it was in Halmstad that the Union King was to be finally selected. 1619 is an important date in the history of Halmstad, in March of that year, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden and Christian IV met at the castle. Over a period of a week they celebrated the payment in full of the Älvsborg ransom, august of the same year saw the destruction of Halmstad by fire. Halland became part of Sweden for a period of thirty years when peace was declared at the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645, the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658 made this acquisition permanent. Sweden defeated Denmark in the Battle of Fyllebro which took place in 1676 just outside Halmstad, the first May Day demonstration in Sweden was held in Halmstad in 1897. The population grew from 48,800 in 1990 to 58,577 in 2010, in September 2007 the city hosted the Solheim Cup, which was played at the Halmstad Golfklubb. In 2011 Halmstad was the port of the Tall Ships Races. Halmstad has the south Scandinavian variety of the relatively wet climate with warm summers and cool to cold winters. Founded in 1983, Halmstad University is a higher education institution offering bachelors and masters programs in various fields of study. In addition, it conducts Ph. D. programs in three fields of research, Information Technology, Innovation Science and Health Science, Halmstad University has more than 9000 students, including 245 exchange students and 163 international programme students
13.
Stockholm
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The city is spread across 14 islands on the coast in the southeast of Sweden at the mouth of Lake Mälaren, by the Stockholm archipelago and the Baltic Sea. The area has settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC. It is also the capital of Stockholm County, Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden. The Stockholm region alone accounts for over a third of the countrys GDP and it is an important global city, and the main centre for corporate headquarters in the Nordic region. The city is home to some of Europes top ranking universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institute and it hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall. One of the citys most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The Stockholm metro, opened in 1950, is known for its decoration of the stations. Swedens national football arena is located north of the city centre, Ericsson Globe, the national indoor arena, is in the southern part of the city. The city was the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics, and hosted the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics otherwise held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Stockholm is the seat of the Swedish government and most of its agencies, including the highest courts in the judiciary, and the official residencies of the Swedish monarch and the Prime Minister. The government has its seat in the Rosenbad building, the Riksdag is seated in the Parliament House, and the Prime Ministers residence is adjacent at the Sager House. After the Ice Age, around 8,000 BCE, there were already a number of people living in the present-day Stockholm area. Thousands of years later, as the ground thawed, the climate became tolerable, at the intersection of the Baltic Sea and lake Mälaren is an archipelago site where the Old Town of Stockholm was first built from about 1000 CE by Vikings. They had a positive impact on the area because of the trade routes they created. Stockholms location appears in Norse sagas as Agnafit, and in Heimskringla in connection with the legendary king Agne, the earliest written mention of the name Stockholm dates from 1252, by which time the mines in Bergslagen made it an important site in the iron trade. The first part of the name means log in Swedish, although it may also be connected to an old German word meaning fortification, the second part of the name means islet, and is thought to refer to the islet Helgeandsholmen in central Stockholm. Stockholms core, the present Old Town was built on the island next to Helgeandsholmen from the mid 13th century onward. The city originally rose to prominence as a result of the Baltic trade of the Hanseatic League, Stockholm developed strong economic and cultural linkages with Lübeck, Hamburg, Gdańsk, Visby, Reval, and Riga during this time
14.
Son of a Plumber
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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, the album, which was officially released on 23 November 2005, is a double CD album packed with deeply personal and highly inventive music according to Gessle. There were three singles released from the album, Son of a Plumber became a defined band, with Per Gessle, vocals and guitar, Clarence Öfwerman, keyboards, Christoffer Lundquist, guitar, Jens Jansson, drums, and Helena Josefsson, vocals. They had all participated in Pers previous solo albums, The World According to Gessle & Mazarin, except Helena Josefsson, together, they also went on to record Gessles next solo albums, En händig man and Party Crasher. They have been on the last Gessle tour too, a lot of songs have typical Per characteristics, overall it is similar to the Beatles White Album. Beatles references can be heard in the music and they have their name in a title of a song, the false solo project become a duo with Helena Josefssons leading vocals on I Have a Party in My Head and Hey Mr DJ. I Have a Party in My Head demonstrates a typical Per trait by having rhyming verses, another typical trait is some of the tracks include hooks, such as in Jo-Anna Says which has guitar riffs and lyrical repetition. In between the tracks there are some 1 minute long instrumentals that lead into the following song. Kurt - the Fastest Plumber in the West and Ronnie Lane are examples of this, the final track Making Love or Expecting Rain contained a few lines of French lyrics, Je ne suis quun enfant. Je ne suis que ton enfant, jai confiance en toi, toujours en toi. which means Im just a child. I trust you, always in you, lasting five minutes, this is the longest song on the album. There is also a track on the CD which is a reprise of Jo-Anna Says. The digital release on iTunes came with the bonus tracks,1. Plonk Son Of a Plumbers official site PerGessle. net Gyllene Tider. com The Daily Roxette Roxettes official site Son of a Plumber discography at MusicBrainz
15.
Have a Nice Day (Roxette album)
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Have a Nice Day is the sixth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released worldwide in March 1999. This was the first international Roxette release in 4 years and their first brand new album since 1994s Crash. The album was not released in the U. S. as the duo were no longer signed to a record label there, the album was a success in various European and Latin American countries, reaching the top three in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden. However, in the UK, it stalled at #28, failing to emulate the Top 5 success of all their previous albums, Wish I Could Fly, the first single, was a sizable hit and was one of the most frequently played songs in Europe during 1999. In the UK the single peaked at #11 on the UK charts, the second single to be released from the album was the ballad Anyone, which failed to make any impact on the charts. The controversial video, directed by long-time collaborator Jonas Akerlund, ends with a distressed Fredriksson committing suicide, the video was the banned by MTV, due to the videos sensitive content. The poor chart showing by Anyone meant EMI UK decided against releasing the single, even though they had sent out promo CDs to radio DJs. The third single from the album was the dance number Stars. The fourth single from the album was Salvation, which reached the Top 20 in Finland, the track It Will Take a Long Long Time was featured in the Julia Roberts and Richard Gere romantic comedy Runaway Bride, though it was not included on the soundtrack album. Have a Nice Day was the first ever Roxette album to feature a track written by Marie Fredriksson. In Arab countries the naked babies on the sleeve had to be removed for religious reasons, the success of Have a Nice Day saw Roxette win the Highest Selling Scandinavian Act at the 2000 World Music Awards. For the Awards Gala, Roxette chose to lead single Wish I Could Fly. CD All tracks written by Per Gessle, except where noted, spanish lyrics by Luis Gómez Escolar. P
16.
Animation
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Animation is the process of making the illusion of motion and the illusion of change by means of the rapid display of a sequence of images that minimally differ from each other. The illusion—as in motion pictures in general—is thought to rely on the phi phenomenon, animators are artists who specialize in the creation of animation. Animation can be recorded with either analogue media, a book, motion picture film, video tape, digital media, including formats with animated GIF, Flash animation. To display animation, a camera, computer, or projector are used along with new technologies that are produced. Animation creation methods include the traditional animation creation method and those involving stop motion animation of two and three-dimensional objects, paper cutouts, puppets and clay figures, Images are displayed in a rapid succession, usually 24,25,30, or 60 frames per second. Computer animation processes generating animated images with the general term computer-generated imagery, 3D animation uses computer graphics, while 2D animation is used for stylistic, low bandwidth and faster real-time renderings. An earthen goblet discovered at the site of the 5, 200-year-old Shahr-e Sūkhté in southeastern Iran, the artifact bears five sequential images depicting a Persian Desert Ibex jumping up to eat the leaves of a tree. They may, of course, refer to Chinese shadow puppets, in the 19th century, the phenakistoscope, zoetrope and praxinoscope were introduced. A thaumatrope is a toy with a small disk with different pictures on each side. The phenakistoscope was invented simultaneously by Belgian Joseph Plateau and Austrian Simon von Stampfer in 1831, the phenakistoscope consists of a disk with a series of images, drawn on radi evenly space around the center of the disk. John Barnes Linnett patented the first flip book in 1868 as the kineograph, the first animated projection was created in France, by Charles-Émile Reynaud, who was a French science teacher. Reynaud created the Praxinoscope in 1877 and the Théâtre Optique in December 1888, on 28 October 1892, he projected the first animation in public, Pauvre Pierrot, at the Musée Grévin in Paris. This film is notable as the first known instance of film perforations being used. His films were not photographed, they were drawn directly onto the transparent strip, in 1900, more than 500,000 people had attended these screenings. Stuart Blackton, who, because of that, is considered the father of American animation, in Europe, the French artist, Émile Cohl, created the first animated film using what came to be known as traditional animation creation methods - the 1908 Fantasmagorie. The film largely consisted of a figure moving about and encountering all manner of morphing objects. There were also sections of live action in which the hands would enter the scene. The film was created by drawing each frame on paper and then shooting each frame onto negative film, the author of the first puppet-animated film was the Russian-born director Wladyslaw Starewicz, known as Ladislas Starevich
17.
Music video
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A music video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys or marketing campaigns for food, although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by terms including illustrated song, filmed insert, promotional film, promotional clip, promotional video, song video. Music videos use a range of styles of contemporary videomaking techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation, music, combining these styles and techniques has become more popular because of the variation it presents to the audience. Many music videos interpret images and scenes from the songs lyrics, other music videos may be without a set concept, being merely a filmed version of the songs live performance. Product placement is a technique in music videos, exemplified by the appearance of the Beats Pill in numerous hip hop videos. In 1894, sheet music publishers Edward B, marks and Joe Stern hired electrician George Thomas and various performers to promote sales of their song The Little Lost Child. Using a magic lantern, Thomas projected a series of images on a screen simultaneous to live performances. This would become a form of entertainment known as the illustrated song. In 1926, with the arrival of many musical short films were produced. Vitaphone shorts featured many bands, vocalists and dancers, early 1930s cartoons featured popular musicians performing their hit songs on-camera in live-action segments during the cartoons. The early animated films by Walt Disney, such as the Silly Symphonies shorts and especially Fantasia, the Warner Brothers cartoons, even today billed as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, were initially fashioned around specific songs from upcoming Warner Brothers musical films. Live action musical shorts, featuring such performers as Cab Calloway, were also distributed to theaters. Blues singer Bessie Smith appeared in a short film called St. Louis Blues featuring a dramatized performance of the hit song. Numerous other musicians appeared in short musical subjects during this period, soundies, produced and released from 1940 to 1947, were musical films that often included short dance sequences, similar to later music videos
18.
A-side and B-side
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The terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 78,45, and 33 1/3 rpm phonograph records, whether singles, extended plays, or long-playing records. Creedence Clearwater Revival had hits with both A-side and B-side releases, others took the opposite approach, producer Phil Spector was in the habit of filling B-sides with on-the-spot instrumentals that no one would confuse with the A-side. With this practice, Spector was assured that airplay was focused on the side he wanted to be the hit side, the earliest 10-inch,78 rpm, shellac records were single sided. Double-sided recordings, with one song on side, were introduced in Europe by Columbia Records. There were no record charts until the 1930s, and radio stations did not play recorded music until the 1950s, in this time, A-sides and B-sides existed, but neither side was considered more important, the side did not convey anything about the content of the record. The term single came into use with the advent of vinyl records in the early 1950s. At first, most record labels would randomly assign which song would be an A-side, under this random system, many artists had so-called double-sided hits, where both songs on a record made one of the national sales charts, or would be featured on jukeboxes in public places. As time wore on, however, the convention for assigning songs to sides of the record changed. By the early sixties, the song on the A-side was the song that the company wanted radio stations to play. It was not until 1968, for instance, that the production of albums on a unit basis finally surpassed that of singles in the United Kingdom. In the late 1960s stereo versions of pop and rock songs began to appear on 45s. The majority of the 45s were played on AM radio stations, by the early 1970s, double-sided hits had become rare. Album sales had increased, and B-sides had become the side of the record where non-album, non-radio-friendly, with the advent of cassette and compact disc singles in the late 1980s, the A-side/B-side differentiation became much less meaningful. With the decline of cassette singles in the 1990s, the A-side/B-side dichotomy became virtually extinct, as the dominant medium. However, the term B-side is still used to refer to the tracks or coupling tracks on a CD single. With the advent of downloading music via the Internet, sales of CD singles and other media have declined. B-side songs may be released on the record as a single to provide extra value for money. There are several types of material released in this way, including a different version, or, in a concept record
19.
Stars (Roxette song)
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Stars is the third single from the Have a Nice Day album by the Swedish duo Roxette. The single was released in August 1999 and this song was originally a rock-driven track, but it made a complete change in the studio. Stars is a song with dance and techno sound, which was a new direction for Roxette. Lead vocals were performed by Marie Fredriksson and in the chorus a children choir can be heard, many remixes were made, including Almighty Radio Edit, which got airplay in most of radio stations. Stars was released as a maxi-CD with the track Better Off On Her Own, in Europe, Stars became a hit single, hitting Top 10 in Finland, #11 in Norway and #13 in Sweden. In Germany it was the highest charting single from the Have A Nice Day album and it was the last Roxette single to make the UK Top 75, but it charted quite low, at #56. The video, directed by Anton Corbijn, reached #19 on MTVs European Top 20, promo Stars –3.44 Stars –3
20.
Room Service (Roxette album)
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Room Service is the seventh studio album released by Swedish pop duo Roxette, on 2 April 2001. The album was a European release only and not released in the United States, the album was a shorter effort than their previous release Have a Nice Day. The Centre of the Heart was originally recorded during the Have a Nice Day sessions but was left off that album, the album produced three singles, The Centre of the Heart, Real Sugar and Milk and Toast and Honey. The Centre of the Heart peaked at #1 in Sweden and was a hit in various European countries. Room Service received a 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. Chili Paddy from MTV Asia also praised the album, saying There are many potential hit singles such as the glorious chirpy sing-along Real Sugar. Caroline Sullivan from UK newspaper The Guardian disliked the album, and wrote, per Bjurman, from Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, bluntly put it, It is not very good, and thought the album was not original. Many songs sound like covers of old Roxette material, perhaps inevitable when you return to roots, but a little more imagination may be required. Simon P. Ward from Dotmusic called the verse a lyrical gem, Ward additionally noted that Make My Head Go Pop. has everything and the kitchen sink thrown into it - keyboards, techno beats, the guitar riff from the Stones Satisfaction and strings. In more recent years, Anders Nunstedt from Expressen gave a critical overview to the album. Speaking of the album in relation to Roxettes other studio albums, he said it was, Outdated, unattractive, while in another comment he stated On Have a Nice Day, you heard a band that has lost its compass. You do not have to listen carefully to Room Service to hear the sound of a duo who have been lost in the woods so long that the search ended. The visual theme to the sleeve and promo shots, photographed by Jonas Åkerlund, was shot at the Californian hotel The Madonna Inn. The video for The Centre of the Heart, directed by Åkerlund, was shot at the hotel, the video became the most expensive Roxette video ever produced, surpassing long-time title holder Spending My Time from their 1991 Joyride album. The Room Service World Tour 2001 was Roxettes first tour in six years. Concerts planned in South Africa were cancelled after the September 11 attacks, on reviewing one of their concerts, Bjurman from Aftonbladet was critical of the duos chosen playlist and suggested that the duo had become too stuck in their past glories. Johan Lindqvist from Göteborgs-Posten was more positive, scoring their Munich concert four stars, all tracks written by Per Gessle, except Little Girl written by Marie Fredriksson
21.
The World According to Gessle
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The World According to Gessle is a solo album by Per Gessle, released on 2 May 1997. It was his first solo album in English, the title is a paraphrase of The World According to Garp - the novel by John Irving. Kix and I Want You to Know were released as singles, the videos for the singles were all directed by Jonas Åkerlund. At the end of the Lay Down Your Arms track, there is a hidden track, the track, an alternate version of Kix is called Cha-cha-cha, sung like Elvis Presley. The Japanese release of this features the ballad Love doesnt live here, the song was also recorded by Belinda Carlisle, which featured on her album A Woman. Gessle used Brainpool and Gyllene Tider as backing musicians for the album, the World According to Gessle was re-released in 2003 as a low budget edition in a cardboard sleeve, and again re-released in May 2008 as an anniversary edition. This time it was a double CD, with 26 bonus tracks, original release All tracks written by Per Gessle, except where noted. 2008 remastered re-release All tracks written by Gessle, except where noted, per Gessle - Words & Music, Vocals, Electric & Acoustic guitars, Harmonica, Tambourine, Vox Jaguar. Marie Fredriksson - Additional vocals on Ill Be Alright Clarence Öfwerman - Piano, Mellotron, Vox jaguar, Organ, Synthesizers, Vocoder, Acoustic guitar, Mats M. P Persson - Electric & acoustic guitars. Micke Syd Andersson - Drums & percussion, christoffer Lundquist - Bass guitar, Zither, Flute, Electric guitar, Backing vocals, Minimoog. Jens Jansson - Drums & percussion, david Birde - Electric & acoustic guitars. Michael Ilbert - Programming & percussion, Jonas Isacsson - Electric guitars & E-bow. Christer Jansson - Drums & percussion, micke Nord Andersson - Acoustic guitars. Jackie Öfwerman - Additional vocals on Elvis in Germany Erik Hausler - Baritone saxophone, strings by S. N. Y. K. O - Conducted by Mats Holmquist. Arranged by Gessle, Ilbert & Öfwerman, per interviewing himself about the album
22.
AllMusic
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AllMusic is an online music guide service website. It was launched in 1991 by All Media Guide which later became All Media Network, AllMusic was launched in 1991 by Michael Erlewine of All Media Guide. The aim was to discographic information on every artist whos made a record since Enrico Caruso gave the industry its first big boost and its first reference book was published the following year. When first released onto the Internet, AMG predated the World Wide Web and was first available as a Gopher site, the AMG consumer web properties AllMusic. com, AllMovie. com and AllGame. com were sold by Rovi in July 2013 to All Media Network, LLC. All Media Network, LLC. was formed by the founders of SideReel. com. The following are contributors to AllMusic, as of this date, All Media Network also produced the AllMusic guide series that includes the AllMusic Guide to Rock, the All Music Guide to Jazz and the All Music Guide to the Blues. Vladimir Bogdanov is the president of the series, in August 2007, PC Magazine included AllMusic in its Top 100 Classic Websites list. All Media Network AllGame AllMovie SideReel All Music Guide to the Blues All Music Guide to Jazz Stephen Thomas Erlewine Official website
23.
Fireworks (Roxette song)
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Fireworks is a song by the Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 18 July 1994 as the third single from their fifth studio album Crash. It achieved moderate success in various European countries, peaking within the top twenty in Austria and Finland, in an interview with The Daily Roxette in 2009, Per Gessle was asked why the song was ignored on compilations, saying, I guess it just wasnt big enough. There are so many tracks that kick its ass. And on The Rox Box, we decided to use demos, the music video was directed by Irish filmmaker Michael Geoghegan, who also directed videos for their preceding three singles, Almost Unreal, Sleeping in My Car and Crash. The video centers around twin sisters who emigrate from the Swedish countryside to London, in pursuit of fame, in London, the sisters are seen at various locations, including Piccadilly Circus and the London Underground. During the songs bridge, the sisters are seen being subjected to a sexual assault underneath a bridge and they return to Sweden, and, at the end of the video, their younger brother is revealed to be Per Gessle. All songs written by Per Gessle. 7 single and cassette Fireworks –3,40 Dangerous –3,13 CD single Fireworks –3,40 Fireworks –4,11 Dangerous –3,13 The Rain –4,44 UK CD1 Fireworks –3,40 Dangerous –3,13 The Rain –4,44 Crash. –4,25 UK CD2 Fireworks –3,40 Im Sorry –3,20 Fireworks –4,11 Sleeping in My Car –3,47 Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
24.
The Look
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The Look is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the single from their second studio album. It became an hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. It topped the charts in 25 countries, and was the first of their four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, the duo released their second album Look Sharp. in October 1988. It was an commercial success in their home country, spending seven weeks at number one on the Swedish Albums Chart. The albums first two Swedish singles, Dressed for Success and Listen to Your Heart, both became top three there, while another song, Chances, was released in Germany, Italy. It quickly became popular, and the station began distributing the track to their radio operations. EMI America had previously rejected the duo as unsuitable for the American market, the Look had already entered the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 100 before the duo began official promotion. It would go on to peak at number one eight weeks later, according to Gessle, the lyrics of the first two verses were guide lyrics. Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer, the first two verses are guide lyrics, words just scribbled down to have something to sing. Couldnt come up with anything better, so we kept them, —Per Gessle All songs written and composed by Per Gessle. This version of the song does not appear on the album, in the 1990s, an adaptation of The Look was used in a television advertisement for Indias Lakmé Cosmetics featuring Aishwariya Rai. In 2009, the song was featured in a marketing campaign for Grand Theft Auto IV. It can also be heard on radio station Vice City FM. The track also appears as a track in the 2010 music rhythm game Rock Band 3. The song was mentioned in the Family Guy episode Baby Not on Board when Stewie announced his remorse for staying up all night listening to Persian radio and it served as the theme song for the TV Land reality TV competition Shes Got the Look. The song was covered by Filipina singer Sarah Geronimo, and it was used as a promotion for Jag when she became the new endorser of the clothing brand, the song was covered by Taiwanese artist Luantan Ascent. It was used as a song for the movie Second Chance and was also featured in its promotional teaser trailer
25.
Look Sharp! (Roxette album)
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Look Sharp. is the second studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette. The album was released on 21 October 1988, two years after their debut Pearls of Passion and it was recorded at EMI Studios in Stockholm and at Trident II Studios in London between March and June 1988. The album was an commercial success in Sweden, debuting at number one. Although commercial success elsewhere was initially modest, the album was the international breakthrough. It went on to be certified platinum or multi-platinum in numerous territories, the Look and Listen to Your Heart both topped the Billboard Hot 100, while Dangerous and Dressed for Success reached numbers two and fourteen respectively on the same chart. Dressed for Success and Listen to Your Heart were released as the albums first two singles in Sweden, with Gessle and EMI choosing to highlight Fredriksson as Roxettes lead vocalist and they were immediate hits in Sweden, peaking at numbers two and three respectively. Chances was released as the albums first single France, Germany and Italy, the Look was released as the albums fourth single in January 1989, becoming another top 10 hit in their home country. While studying there, an American exchange student from Minneapolis, Dean Cushman, purchased the album and brought it home, giving a copy of it to his local Top 40 radio station, KDWB101.3 FM. The Look quickly became popular, and the station began distributing the track to their radio operations. EMI America had previously rejected the duo as unsuitable for the American market, the Look had already entered the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 100 before the duo began official promotion. It would go on to peak at number one eight weeks later and it gradually became a global hit over the next year, topping the charts in 25 countries. It also spent six weeks at one on the Australian Singles Chart. The albums previous singles – excluding Chances – were re-released internationally, Roxette would go on to have four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, including Listen to Your Heart, while the albums final single, Dangerous, peaked at number two. The album received mixed reviews from critics, only Chances and Shadow of a Doubt show glimmers of the skills the duo would soon flourish. Looks like Roxettes forte is pop music that is prettily presented, Roxette were nominated for two Grammis Awards – the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards – in 1989, for Artist of the Year and Best Pop/Rock Group. Fredriksson and Gessle each won an award for Best Pop/Rock Female and Best Composer, both Roxette and Fredriksson won numerous Rockbjörnen awards during this period. They were awarded Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Group at the 1988 ceremony, Fredriksson won the award for Best Swedish Female over four consecutive years, from 1986 to 1989. Look Sharp. was an commercial success in Sweden, selling over 140,000 copies within ten days of release
26.
Dressed for Success
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Dressed for Success is a song by the Swedish rock duo Roxette, released in mid-1988 as the first single from their second studio album, Look Sharp. The recording of the song was marked by a dispute between the members, but this apparently contributed to the strength of Maries performance. I was so mad when I did it, everything about that session went wrong, we argued about the arrangement, we changed the key, I was dead tired of the song when I went in to do a guide vocal. Did it in one blast and suddenly realized, hmm. this is it, —Marie Fredriksson, Dont Bore Us, Get to the Chorus. The music video for the song revolved around the duo performing together in nightclub ruins as several dancers. All songs written and composed by Per Gessle
27.
Dangerous (Roxette song)
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Dangerous is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Written by Per Gessle, the song was released as the fifth, Gessle penned it just before Roxettes first tour in 1987. Released at the end of 1989, it was the third top 10 showing on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was recorded in the ruins of Borgholm Castle and it was released as a double A-side in the UK with Listen to Your Heart. The version on the features a different introduction, omitting the instruments in favour of the duo singing the first line of the chorus. The video for Dangerous was filmed during Roxettes concert at Borgholm Castle in Öland, Sweden and it is a mix of rehearsal and live performance footage from that show, and was directed by Doug Freel. All songs written and composed by Per Gessle, except Joy of a Toy, composed by Gessle and Mats Persson
28.
Joyride (Roxette song)
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Joyride is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Written by Per Gessle, it was released as the single from their third studio album, Joyride. It became one of Roxettes biggest hits, and was one of the most successful singles of 1991, topping charts across Europe, as well as in Australia, Canada. Per Gessle has said that the line of the song was inspired by a note his girlfriend left on his piano. Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Chipettes covered Joyride for their 1991 album The Chipmunks Rock the House, during the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs, the song was used as the intro music of the Vancouver Canucks as they took to the ice before each game. The song became one of the duos biggest hits, and was one of the most successful singles of 1991 and it was their first number one single in their home country, and their first platinum-certified single there. It also topped the charts in other territories, including Austria, Finland. The song spent eight weeks at one in Germany, where it was certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie for sales in excess of 250,000 copies. Joyride peaked at four on the UK Singles Chart, their second-highest chart placing there—behind top three hit It Must Have Been Love. The song spent three weeks atop the Australian Singles Chart, and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments in excess of 70,000 units and it went on to remain one of the top ten-best selling singles of the year in that country. It was their fourth and last number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, all songs written and composed by Per Gessle
29.
Joyride (Roxette album)
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The album was recorded over an 11-month period in Sweden. The album was a critical and commercial success upon release, with a review for AllMusic calling it the work of two pop artists at the top of their game. Joyride topped the charts and was certified multi-platinum in several territories, Joyride, Fading Like a Flower, The Big L. Spending My Time and Church of Your Heart were released as singles, Roxette also toured extensively to support the record, the Join the Joyride. Tour saw them performing to over 1.7 million people across four continents, as of 2001, Joyride has sold over 11 million copies worldwide. The pair recorded rough demo versions of ten songs over a period, after which they were joined by vocalist Marie Fredriksson. By the end of April, the three had completed work on over twenty-five demos, work was transferred to EMI Studios in Stockholm in May, where Gessle and Fredriksson were joined by producer Clarence Öfwerman. With the success of previous album Look Sharp, Gessle has described the pressure to deliver a successful follow-up album as intense, with EMI investing almost US$2 million on pre-release promotion for Joyride. So I think she should write more and her limited input in the songwriting of Roxette material stemmed from difficulty with writing English lyrics, she has said that it feels very strange to write in another language. The song is more folk-orientated than any previously recorded by the duo. The title track was released as the albums first single and it became one of Roxettes biggest ever hits, and was one of the most successful singles of 1991. It was the duos first number one single in their home country, the song spent eight weeks at number one in Germany, where it was certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie for sales in excess of 250,000 copies. It spent three weeks atop the Australian Singles Chart, and was their fourth and last US number one single and it also topped the singles chart in Canada, where it was nominated for a Juno Award in 1992 for Best Selling Single by a Foreign Artist. Fading Like a Flower was released as the second single, the Big L. was released as the third single outside of North America in August, peaking within the top twenty of numerous territories. In September, Roxette began their Join the Joyride, opening on September 4 in Helsinki, the tour would see the band playing to over 1.7 million people during its 100 shows in Europe, Australia and North and South America. The South American leg of the tour was successful, with the band playing to nearly 350,000 people at thirteen concerts. The North American leg of the tour received mixed reviews, a review for the Los Angeles Times claimed that Fredriksson was squandering her talents in pops low-rent district. Shes clearly superior to Roxettes uncomplicated, hook-crammed material, Jon Pareles of The New York Times criticized their show for its mimicry of MTV
30.
How Do You Do!
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How Do You Do. is a pop rock song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released as the single from their fourth studio album Tourism on 3 July 1992. The song was a success upon release, topping the national singles charts in Norway. It also peaked at two in several countries, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden. It was hold off the top spot in many of these territories by Dr. Albans Its My Life, the single was backed by several remixes created by Swedish production duo BomKrash, which consisted of Jacob Hellner and Carl-Michael Herlöfsson. According to Ultimate Guitar, How Do You Do. is a pop rock song written in common time with a tempo of 121 beats per minute. It utilises a common trait found in Roxette compositions of the using a different key signature than the chorus. The verse is composed in C, and consists of three repetitions of a basic C–F–G–F sequence, followed by one shortened sequence of C–F–G, the pre-chorus makes use of a power chord structure, and consists of a sequence of Am–G–F–C–Em, which is then amended to Am–G–F–G. Following a brief pause, Marie Fredriksson takes over lead vocals for the songs chorus, the chorus is composed almost entirely of sharp notes, and follows a sequence of D♯–A♯–D♯–G♯–A♯–Cm–G♯–A♯–Cm–G♯–A♯. The bridge consists of four repetitions of Cm–A♯, played as power chords. American musician Tiny Tim is referenced in the songs lyrics, cassette and 7 single How Do You Do. –3,09 Fading Like a Flower –4,0912 single How Do You Do, –3,12 Knockin on Every Door –3,51 How Do You Do. –5,43 CD single How Do You Do, –3,12 Fading Like a Flower –4,09 Knockin on Every Door –6,05 How Do You Do. –5,43 US CD single How Do You Do, –3,11 Fading Like a Flower –4,09 In 2005, a cover of the song by German dance act Cascada was released as the third single from their debut album Everytime We Touch. This version charted in the top fifty of the Ö3 Austria Top 40, –5,57 Digital download How Do You Do. –7,05 Roxette. se — Roxettes official website CascadaMusic. de — Cascadas official website How Do You Do. at MusicBrainz Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
31.
Tourism (Roxette album)
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Tourism, Songs from Studios, Stages, Hotelrooms & Other Strange Places is the fourth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 28 August 1992 by EMI. The album contains three live recordings, while another track was recorded live in an empty nightclub in São Paulo. A further two tracks were recorded in Buenos Aires Alvear Palace Hotel and it also under-performed on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 117 on the chart and selling approximately 275,000 copies—far short of the million-selling Joyride. Nevertheless, the album was a success in Europe, and was certified platinum in numerous territories. As of 2001, Tourism has sold over 6 million copies worldwide, Tourism was described by Roxette in the albums liner notes as a tour album, not a live album. It consists of songs recorded by the band in various locations during the Join the Joyride. A portion of a performance of It Must Have Been Love from their 25 April 1992 concert at San Carlos Stadium in Santiago. This new version was recorded in Ocean Way Recording Studios in March 1992, also recorded there was new song The Heart Shaped Sea, which again features Leisz. The band recorded several songs while touring in Latin America in May 1992, two other previously released studio recordings are included on the album, Silver Blue was originally released as a b-side to The Look in 1988, Come Back appeared on the Joyride single in 1991. The albums second single, Queen of Rain, was recorded in July 1990 in Stockholm during the sessions for Joyride and it was originally set to appear as that albums final track, but was later excluded in favour of Perfect Day. The album received positive reviews upon release. Dennis Hunt of Los Angeles Times, who described the album as containing just five new songs. He referred to her as being one of pops best and most underrated singers and he awarded the album two-and-a-half stars out of four, highlighting her performance for transforming low-grade fluff into passable–often delectable–pop. Entertainment Weekly referred to the album as a stopgap measure between discs, but said that the catchy and pop-savvy Tourism aint half bad, awarding the album a grade of B–. Though not matching the success of the previous studio albums. The album had impact on American music charts, peaking at number 117 on the Billboard 200—in stark contrast to Joyride. As of August 2005, it has sold 273,000 copies in the US and it peaked at number eighteen on the national RPM albums chart in Canada, where it has been certified platinum by Music Canada for shipments in excess of 100,000 units. It did far better elsewhere, especially in Europe, topping the European Top 100 Albums Chart for four weeks in September 1992
32.
Sleeping in My Car
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Sleeping in My Car is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 7 March 1994 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Crash. The song was composed by Per Gessle in under an hour and it is a pop rock song containing elements drawn from pop punk. Marie Fredrikssons vocal range on the spans over three octaves. The song was an commercial success in numerous territories, including Europe, Canada, Australia. It became the second number one single in their home country. It also peaked at seven on Billboards European Hot 100 Singles. In Canada, the reached the top three on two different national charts. In contrast, it was the final song to enter the US Billboard Hot 100. Sleeping in My Car was the song the band recorded for Crash. Bang. and was written by Per Gessle, in the liner notes of their 1995 greatest hits compilation Dont Bore Us, Get to the Chorus. Gessle described how, on listening to the first playback of the album just before Christmas 1993 and he elaborated, We had worked for a year, much too long, endless hours of studio time. I mean, I loved it but there was too little P-O-P, went straight home, really pissed off and came up with this neanderthal-riff and wrote it in an hour. According to Ultimate Guitar, the track is a pop rock song. The song contains elements of pop punk, and its verse is composed of an F♯m–E–F♯m–D–F♯m–E–C♯–D sequence, the first two lines of the bridge are made up almost entirely of slash chords, consisting of two repetitions of a F#–C#/F–B/D#–F#/C# sequence. Marie Fredrikssons vocal range in the spans over three octaves, from a bass note of F♯3 in the first verse to a C♯5 in the final chorus. When Roxette performed in the Workers Indoor Arena in Beijing, China in 1995 during the Crash, tour, Chinese government officials demanded that the band alter the lyrics of this song. We agreed, but didnt change them in the end, said Gessle, finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom included a cover of Sleeping in My Car as a bonus track on their 2013 album Halo of Blood. The song was an commercial success throughout Europe, and become their second number one single in their native Sweden
33.
Crash! Boom! Bang!
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Bang. is the fifth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 9 April 1994 by EMI. The album was an commercial success, peaking within the top ten in over twenty national charts throughout Europe, Australasia. Despite this, the album was never released in the United States. Bang. was sold for a time through outlets of the McDonalds restaurant chain. This edition sold over a million copies there, japanese editions included Almost Unreal as a bonus track. Five singles were released from the album, lead single Sleeping in My Car became the second number one in their home country. It would become the final track to appear on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by the release of Crash, fireworks, Run to You and Vulnerable. Bang. has sold in excess of 5 million copies worldwide, bang. s international release, a shorter version of the album was released by CEMA for a limited time exclusively through outlets of the McDonalds restaurant chain in the US. Bang. sold over a million copies, the proceeds of which were used to fund Ronald McDonald House Charities programs for the health and this CD was sold at below normal wholesale cost, and the promotion angered traditional music retailers, who claimed that it devalued music. This edition of the record was the subject of a 1998 lawsuit filed against an Uppsala-based music production company by Roxette, the duo and their label alleged that J. G. S. Skivproduktion illegally imported 40,000 copies of Favorites from Crash, rather than seek monetary damages, the duo requested the destruction of all remaining copies. The record was released globally from 9 April 1994 on CD, cassette, japanese editions included Almost Unreal as a bonus track—the song had previously been released as a non-album single on the soundtrack of the Super Mario Bros. motion picture. Despite a tentative early summer release date being set for the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the full-length album sold 46,000 copies in the US as of 2005, as an import-release. The band toured extensively to promote the record, the Crash, tour saw them perform to over a million people. Roxette became the first western act since Wham. in 1985 to stage a concert in communist China, the tour concluded on 1 May 1995 in Moscow, with Roxette becoming the first act since 1917 to hold a concert on that date—a public holiday in Russia. As of 2001, the album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, five singles were released from the album. Sleeping in My Car served as its single, and was an immediate commercial success throughout Europe
34.
Run to You (Roxette song)
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Run to You is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 14 November 1994 as the fourth single from their fifth studio album Crash. The song charted moderately in several territories, peaking at number twenty in Finland, while reaching the top forty in Belgium, Scotland, Switzerland and it was the duos final single to chart on the Australian Singles Chart, where it peaked at number forty-nine. B-side Dont Believe in Accidents was written by Per Gessle on 29 March 1988 as a way to learn how to use my new synthesizer, I wrote another one as well, probably the same day. The music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, and consists of footage of the band during the Crash. It features shots of band travelling and performing during soundchecks, and ends with a scene of the taking to the stage at the tours 18 October 1994 date at the Festhalle in Frankfurt. All songs written by Per Gessle, except Listen to Your Heart by Gessle and Mats Persson. UK7 and cassette single Run to You –3,39 Love Is All –4,33 CD single Run to You –3,39 Dont Believe in Accidents –3,42 Crash. –4,15 Almost Unreal –3,25 UK CD2 Run to You –3,39 Listen to Your Heart –4,05 Joyride –3,59 How Do You Do, –3,12 Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
35.
Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
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Dont Bore Us - Get to the Chorus. Roxettes Greatest Hits is a album by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The album was not released in the United States until 26 September 2000, the album title is based on a quote from Berry Gordy. The tracks June Afternoon, You Dont Understand Me, She Doesnt Live Here Anymore, almost Unreal had not been previously released on a Roxette album. It was used in the 1993 movie Super Mario Bros and you Dont Understand Me, June Afternoon and She Doesnt Live Here Anymore were released as singles. The Look 95 was released as a maxi-single in the UK and this version of It Must Have Been Love had also never been previously released on any Roxette album up to this point. The lead single from the album was You Dont Understand Me, the American hit-maker Desmond Child and Per Gessle co-wrote that song, originally intended for submission to other artists. Impressed with the ballad, Gessle decided to keep it. Roxette then realised that this song would make an ideal Roxette track. It was the first time that an outsider, as described by Gessle, the album was released in late 1995 in Australia. The greatest hits package was certified platinum and made the top 40 for the end-of-year best-selling albums, all tracks written by Per Gessle, except where noted
36.
The Centre of the Heart
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The Centre of the Heart is a song by Swedish duo Roxettes 2001 album Room Service. The single was released commercially in Europe, except in the UK. It was the third number 1 in Sweden where it remained on the top spot for 4 weeks. However, its success was limited elsewhere, not managing to reach higher than the top 30 or top 40 in most European countries. The song was considered as the first single and the 10th track from the groups Have a Nice Day album in 1999. This song is known as The Centre of My Heart or The Centre of the Heart. On 23 February 2001, Roxette performed The Centre of the Heart at the break during the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2001, a remix CD was released to promote the single. The Stonebridge Clubmix of this song was featured in the Japanese version of DDRMAX Dance Dance Revolution 6thMix for the PlayStation 2 as well as its arcade version, the video directed by Jonas Åkerlund, was shot at The Madonna Inn in California. It is the most expensive Roxette video ever produced, Roxette are seen performing from a room inside The Madonna Inn
37.
Real Sugar
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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, in the video, directed by Jesper Hiro, all the characters seen are very similar to The Muppets. At the start of the video, Roxette are seen performing The Centre of the Heart on a small TV, the channel is turned over to a late night show, where Roxette are introduced. Later into the song, the band are introduced as Ray, Mandy. After the song is finished, the TV is turned off by a couple of lovers, who are seen kissing
