Army of Lovers

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Army of Lovers
Army of Lovers.png
Background information
Origin Stockholm, Sweden
Genres Dance-pop, Europop
Discography Army of Lovers discography
Years active1987–1996, 2001–2009, 2012–present
Labels Sonet Records (1987–1988)
Ton Son Ton (1988–1992)
Stockholm Records (1992–2001)
Universal Music Group (1998–present)
Sofo Records (2013–present)
Members
Past members
  • Camilla Henemark (1987–1991, 1995–1996, 2012–2013)
  • Michaela de la Cour (1991–1995)
Website armyoflovers.eu

Army of Lovers is a Swedish dance-pop group which formed in 1987 and had a number of hits in Europe throughout the 1990s. Some of their biggest successes include the song "Crucified", which was a big hit in Europe, charting 31 weeks in the Eurochart and peaking at number 14 in 1992. It remains their best-known song internationally. Their second international hit, "Obsession", charted 32 weeks and peaked at number 29.

Contents

The name of the band alludes to the documentary film Army of Lovers or Revolt of the Perverts by German gay rights activist Rosa von Praunheim, the title of which in turn alludes to the Sacred Band of Thebes.

History

Overview

The founding members, who had all worked together in a band called Barbie, were Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda, and Camilla Henemark (aka La Camilla).

Army of Lovers had many top 10 hits on the Eurochart, the biggest being "Crucified", which was one of the biggest-selling European singles of 1991. Their total album sales were seven million copies worldwide. [1]

The band became famous for their outlandish visual appearance (many of their costumes were created by Camilla Thulin), and their high camp music videos directed by Fredrik Boklund.

While Alexander Bard was the brain behind the band, [2] Jean-Pierre Barda was the lead vocalist on hits such as "Crucified" and "Israelism". Bard and Barda were the only two band members who were present throughout all of the band's various line-ups. When La Camilla left in 1991, she was replaced by Michaela de la Cour. In 1992, Dominika Peczynski joined, making the band a four-piece. In 1995, De la Cour left and Henemark returned.

Early success and breakup: 1987–1996

Although both "Obsession" and "Ride the Bullet" reached the top spot of the European charts, the group's presence in the US and the UK was limited to club chart successes (though "Crucified" reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1992). [3]

While they focused on experimenting with various club sounds and samples on their first album, Disco Extravaganza (later re-issued as Army of Lovers in the US), the artists released a proper pop/dance album with Massive Luxury Overdose . The record spawned their biggest hits ("Crucified", "Ride the Bullet", and "Obsession") and managed to sell 250,000 copies in Germany alone. Massive Luxury Overdose was later re-issued for the US market, featuring a new cover and four brand new tracks. Their fourth album, The Gods of Earth and Heaven, was never released in the US. The first single from the album, "Israelism", received radio airplay in several European countries and topped the charts in Israel despite being subject to criticism. Their fifth album, Glory, Glamour and Gold (1994), was supported by a club tour across Germany, where the band promoted same-sex marriage. In 1995, Army of Lovers released their first best-of compilation entitled Les Greatest Hits, which included three new songs. One year later, it was re-released with one additional new song called "King Midas", which replaced "Stand up for Myself". It was written by Jonas Berggren from Ace of Base.

By this point, they had released five studio albums, made over twenty music videos, and become successful across Eastern Europe before Bard disbanded the group to concentrate on his new group Vacuum in 1996.

Reunion: 2001–2009

Army of Lovers reformed briefly in 2001 to celebrate the 10th anniversary since their breakthrough with the release of another best-of compilation called Le Grand Docu-Soap. The compilation contained three covers, including "Let the Sunshine In" and "Hands Up".

Further reunions, releases, and shows: 2011–present

Two members of Army of Lovers (La Camilla and Dominika) reunited in June 2011 and appeared as guest vocalists on "Don't Try to Steal My Limelight", a single by Swedish drag artist and blogger Miss Inga. [4] The three later formed the band Happy Hoes and released "We Rule the World", [5] followed by a Christmas song entitled "Happy Ho Ho Ho". Happy Hoes performed at Pride 2012. [5] Army of Lovers reformed with Alexander Bard, Camilla Henemark, and Jean-Pierre Barda in late 2012 to enter the Melodifestivalen 2013 with the song "Rockin' the Ride", in hopes of representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö. [6] [7] Their entry did not reach the finals of the Melodifestivalen. Just a few days after their performance, Bard explained to the press that Camilla Henemark had been kicked out once again and that Dominika Peczynski had returned. This was followed by a public fight between Bard and Peczynski against Henemark. [8]

A new best-of compilation, with four new songs, called Big Battle of Egos, was announced for release on 27 March 2013, to be followed by a single and video called "Signed on My Tattoo", a duet between Army of Lovers and Alexander Bard with his other pop group Gravitonas.

In June 2013, an EP called Scandinavian Crime was released, which included re-recorded versions of "Rockin' The Ride" and "Tragedy", originally from their CD Big Battle of Egos. These new versions featured new vocals by Dominika Peczynski and Jean-Pierre Barda, replacing the parts originally sung by Camilla Henemark. On 1 July 2013, the video for "Crucified 2013" premiered on Expressen TV. The song was a revamped version of the band's breakthrough hit from 1991 and was chosen as the official anthem for Copenhagen Pride 2013.[ citation needed ]

In November 2023, the band released the album Sexodus.

Band members

Current

Past

Timeline

Army of Lovers

Discography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Bard</span> Musician, record producer, author, and activist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Pierre Barda</span> Swedish and Israeli singer, actor, make up artist

Michel Jean-Pierre Barda is a Swedish and Israeli singer, actor, make up artist and hair dresser of French/Algerian Jewish descent. He is one of the founding members of the pop group Army of Lovers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camilla Henemark</span> Musical artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crucified (Army of Lovers song)</span> 1991 single by Army of Lovers

"Crucified" is a song by Swedish band Army of Lovers, released as the first single from their second album, Massive Luxury Overdose (1991), and the seventh single to be released by the band. It was released in May 1991, February–April 1992, and July 2013. The song was written by bandmembers Alexander Bard and Jean-Pierre Barda with Anders Wollbeck, and features Barda, Bard and La Camilla. It was successful in several European countries, including Belgium, where it reached the number-one spot, and Germany, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland, where it reached the top 10. In the United States, "Crucified" became a huge club hit and radio favorite, debuting at number six on the Billboard Dance singles chart and spending a total of 14 weeks in the top 20. The initial remixes available on the CD maxi and vinyl 12" maxi are by Nuzak. The track samples the drum break from James Brown's Funky Drummer.

<i>Disco Extravaganza</i> 1990 studio album by Army of Lovers

Disco Extravaganza is the debut studio album by Swedish pop group Army of Lovers, released in 1990. In the US, the album was simply titled Army of Lovers and was released there the following year. A remastered version of the album was released in 2006.

<i>Massive Luxury Overdose</i> 1991 studio album by Army of Lovers

Massive Luxury Overdose is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group Army of Lovers. The album was released in 1991, and a re-released version was released in 1992. The album contains the band's biggest hits, including "Obsession", and "Crucified", which was a #1 hit in 29 countries. The original version of this album also includes three songs from their first album Disco Extravaganza (1990), which aren't included in the U.S. edition.

<i>The Gods of Earth and Heaven</i> 1993 studio album by Army of Lovers

The Gods of Earth and Heaven is Swedish band Army of Lovers' third studio album. It was the first album, after the replacement of La Camilla by Michaela de la Cour and the introduction of new member Dominika Peczynski. It contains the hit singles "Israelism" and "La Plage de Saint Tropez". "Israelism" was banned from MTV for allegedly making fun of Jewish culture. The album didn't do as well as Massive Luxury Overdose did. Album charted 20 weeks and peaked at number eight in Finnish Albums Chart Top-40. In the end of June 1993, Army of Lovers performed in several TV shows in France, Spain and Italy.

<i>Glory, Glamour and Gold</i> 1994 studio album by Army of Lovers

Glory, Glamour and Gold was Army of Lovers fourth and last studio album of new songs, and was released in 1994. The following albums were compilations, each containing a few new songs. Three singles were released from this album: Lit de Parade, Sexual Revolution, and Life is Fantastic. The most successful single was Lit De Parade, which received a great deal of airplay in Europe.

<i>Big Battle of Egos</i> 2013 compilation album by Army of Lovers

Big Battle of Egos was Army of Lovers' seventh album. It was a compilation of previous albums, including four new songs: Rockin' The Ride, Crashing Down, Signed on my Tattoo and Tragedy. It was released throughout Europe in March 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Give My Life</span> 1995 single by Army of Lovers

"Give My Life" is a song written by Alexander Bard and Tim Norell from Norell Oson Bard and Jean-Pierre Barda. It was recorded by the Army of Lovers, their first single after the return of La Camilla Henemark to the group, scoring a 1995-1996 hit. The single charted for 18 weeks in Sweden and 23 weeks in the Netherlands. The song also charted at Trackslistan in Sweden.

This is the discography of Army of Lovers, a Eurodance project founded in Sweden in 1987, fronted by Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and Camilla Henemark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israelism (song)</span> 1993 single by Army of Lovers

"Israelism" is a song recorded by Swedish group Army of Lovers, released in March 1993 by Polydor Records and Stockholm Records as the first single from the group's third album, The Gods of Earth and Heaven (1993). The song was a European hit, scoring a top 10 hit in countries like Belgium, Finland, Israel and Sweden. It combines the Jewish folk song "Hevenu shalom aleichem" with Eurodance-beats and also includes additional lyrics written by Alexander Bard, Anders Wollbeck, Jean-Pierre Barda, Michaela de la Cour and Dominika Peczynski. Bard and Wollbeck produced it with Per Adebratt. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Swedish director Fredrik Boklund, who had previously directed the other music videos for Army of Lovers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ride the Bullet</span> 1990 single by Army of Lovers

"Ride the Bullet" is a song recorded by Swedish Eurodance group Army of Lovers. It is written by group members Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and Camilla Henemark with Emil Hellman and Anders Wollbeck, and was originally released on their debut album, Disco Extravaganza (1990). In 1991, the song was remixed and included on the group's second album, Massive Luxury Overdose (1991), and the US release of Disco Extravaganza titled Army of Lovers. A single was released both times; in 1990 and 1992. And both years, a music video was produced, directed by Fredrik Boklund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obsession (Army of Lovers song)</span> 1991 single by Army of Lovers

Obsession is a song by Swedish band Army of Lovers. The lyrics were written by Alexander Bard and Anders Wollbeck, and the song is in part inspired by Laurie Anderson's 1981 song "O Superman"—primarily, the "ah ah" looped backing track. Released in August 1991 by Ton Son Ton as the second single from their second album, Massive Luxury Overdose (1991), "Obsession" reached number one on both the radio and the dance charts in Sweden. It also peaked at number two on the Swedish Singles Chart, number four in Belgium, number seven in Austria and Germany, and number nine in Spain. In 1992, Army of Lovers re-released the single exclusively for the United States and includes remixes only found in this version; it reached number 11 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candyman Messiah</span> 1991 single by Army of Lovers

"Candyman Messiah" is a song by Army of Lovers and released as a single in 1991. This song is written by Alexander Bard, Anders Wollbeck, Camilla Henemark and Jean-Pierre Barda. It peaked at number 22 in Sweden and number 10 in Finland. Although La Camilla sang vocals, Michaela de la Cour was featured in the video.

References

  1. ↑ "Sales, Charts & Awards - Army Of Lovers . net". Armyoflovers.net. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  2. ↑ Rambarran, Shara (6 July 2022). "Alexander Bard: The "King Midas" of Scandipop?". Medium. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 29. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  4. ↑ "Exklusivt: 90-talsikonernas comeback | Nöjesbladet | Webbtv | Aftonbladet". Aftonbladet.se. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Happy Hoes: Getting the ball rolling - armyoflovers.net". army-of-lovers.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "It's official: Army of Lovers announced for Melodifestivalen 2013". Armyoflovers.net. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "EuropeCrazy". 3 March 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Army of Lovers' La Camilla says: love, forgive, forget". Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
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