"Listen to Your Heart" | ||||
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Single by Roxette | ||||
from the album Look Sharp! | ||||
B-side | "(I Could Never) Give You Up" | |||
Released | 27 September 1988 | |||
Recorded | August 1988 [1] | |||
Studio | EMI (Stockholm, Sweden) | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Clarence Öfwerman | |||
Roxette singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Listen to Your Heart" on YouTube |
"Listen to Your Heart" is a song by Swedish rock duo Roxette, originally released in Sweden in September 1988 as the second single from the duo's second studio album, Look Sharp! (1988). It was written by Per Gessle with former Gyllene Tider guitarist Mats "M.P." Persson. The song went on to become one of the most successful singles of 1989, reaching number one in both the United States and Canada around November 1989. [2] The track was the first song to reach number one in the US without a commercially released 7-inch single. [3]
"Listen to Your Heart" originally peaked at number 62 in the UK when it was released there in October 1989. However, following the success of "It Must Have Been Love", the track was reissued as a double A-side with "Dangerous" in August 1990, upon which it reached a chart peak of number six on the UK Singles Chart. In 2005, Belgian trance act DHT released a remixed version of the song, which became a top 10 hit in numerous territories, including France, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.
Per Gessle described "Listen to Your Heart" in the liner notes of Roxette's 1995 greatest hits compilation Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! as "The Big Bad Ballad. This is us trying to recreate that overblown American FM-rock sound to the point where it almost becomes absurd. We really wanted to see how far we could take it." [4] Its lyrics were inspired by a close friend of Gessle's, who was in "emotional turmoil, stuck between an old relationship and a new love. A year later, I call him up in the middle of the night after a few too many glasses of champagne, saying 'Hey, you're number one in the States.'" [1]
According to Ultimate Guitar, the track is an alternative rock ballad, with a moderately slow tempo of 86 beats per minute. The verses are made up of three repeating sequences of Bm [5] –G–A and one additional sequence of Bm–G–Em. The first two choruses are composed of two repetitions of a Bm–G–D–A sequence, followed by an extended sequence of D–A–G–D–Bm–G–A–Bm. The bridge consists of E–C♯m–B–A–B–C♯. The final chorus has been modified up by two full tones it consists of two repetitions of D♯m–B–F♯–C♯, followed by a sequence of F♯–C♯–B–F♯–D♯m–B–C♯–D♯m–B, with the final four notes being repeated for the outro. [6]
Seven different versions of the song were released: the original album version; the "Swedish Single Edit", a slightly edited version included on subsequent greatest hits compilations; the "US Remix", used in the music video; the "AC Mix", which is similar to the 'US remix' but with the guitar in the bridge replaced by a saxophone; shorter edits of the aforementioned 2 versions, which cut some parts from the last refrain; and the 7-inch single version, which fades out shortly after the last refrain, omitting most of the outro. [7]
In his review of the Look Sharp! album, Bryan Buss from AllMusic felt the song is "bland" and "overproduced". [8] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Already doing well in the US, this semi-ballad has all the ingredients of a major worldwide hit. This time it seems that the Swedes have beaten the Americans at their own game." [9] In 1990, David Giles from Music Week called it "another big hit", adding that "this single is anything to go by — it made history by reaching number one despite being available on cassette only." [10]
Doug Freel directed the song's music video, which was filmed during a live performance at the Borgholm Castle ruin on the Swedish Baltic Sea island of Öland. [11] Freel and the video's production crew believed the ruin to have been created especially for the video. Gessle said: "It took some time to convince them that the place actually was for real." [4]
The song has been performed on all of Roxette's concert tours. On the Look Sharp! Live Tour and Join the Joyride! Tour, it was performed in its original, power ballad style, although it has been performed in an acoustic version on all tours since the Crash! Boom! Bang! Tour in 1994. [7]
All lyrics were written by Per Gessle. All music was composed by Gessle except "Listen to Your Heart" by Gessle and Mats Persson and "Half a Woman, Half a Shadow" by Marie Fredriksson.
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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Ballad Hits . [1]
Recording
Musicians
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria) [46] | Gold | 25,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [47] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [48] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [49] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sweden | 27 September 1988 |
| Parlophone | [ citation needed ] |
United Kingdom | 9 October 1989 |
| EMI | [50] |
13 November 1989 | Cassette | [51] | ||
Japan | 24 January 1990 | CD | [52] |
"Listen to Your Heart" | ||||
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Single by DHT featuring Edmée | ||||
from the album Listen to Your Heart | ||||
Released | 30 November 2003 | |||
Genre | Trance [53] | |||
Length | 3:51 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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DHTsingles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Listen to Your Heart" on YouTube |
Belgian dance group DHT recorded a dance cover of "Listen to Your Heart" with vocals from Belgian singer Edmée. It was initially released on November 30, 2003, as the first single from DHT's debut studio album Listen to Your Heart (2005).
By June 2005, the song had reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight in August. Worldwide, the cover reached the top 10 in the Czech Republic, France, and the United Kingdom while becoming a top-twenty success in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, and Norway. The same year, the group also released the "Edmée's unplugged vocal edit", an acoustic ballad version of the song, which also received substantial airplay.
The Furious F. EZ version of the song is in the key of B minor with a tempo of 145 beats per minute. [54]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [93] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [94] | Gold | 500,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
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Belgium | 30 November 2003 |
|
| [95] [96] |
Australia | 21 November 2005 | CD | Ministry of Sound | [97] |
United Kingdom | 5 December 2005 | 12-inch vinyl | Data | [98] |
Look Sharp! is the second studio album by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, released on 21 October 1988 by EMI, two years after their debut Pearls of Passion (1986). It was recorded at EMI Studios in Stockholm and at Trident II Studios in London between March and September 1988. The album was an immediate commercial success in Sweden, debuting at number one and eventually being certified 6× platinum there.
Don't Bore Us - Get to the Chorus! Roxette's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 30 October 1995 by EMI. The record contains the duo's four number ones from the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: "The Look", "Listen to Your Heart", "It Must Have Been Love" and "Joyride", and a further two which reached number two on the chart: "Dangerous" and "Fading Like a Flower ". It also includes four newly recorded tracks, three of which were released as singles: "You Don't Understand Me", "June Afternoon" and "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore". The album's title is based on a quote from Motown-founder Berry Gordy.
"It Must Have Been Love", originally "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)", is a song written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The power ballad became the duo's third number one hit in the United States, and is one of their best selling releases, being certified gold or platinum in a number of countries. It remains their most well-known and signature song.
DHT was a Belgian duo consisting of singer Edmée Daenen and Flor Theeuwes, also known as DJ Da Rick. It had a hit in the US and Australia in 2005, with its cover version of "Listen to Your Heart", originally recorded by Roxette. The track reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart in December of that year. Marketing of the song often referenced DHT as an acronym for Definite Hit Track. On 14 June, 2019, the duo unveiled a previously unreleased album, titled #2 on Apple Music, Spotify, and other music portals.
"Sleeping in My Car" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 7 March 1994 by EMI as the lead single from the duo's fifth studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994). The song was composed by Per Gessle in under an hour, and was the final song the band recorded for the album. It is a pop rock song containing elements drawn from pop punk. Marie Fredriksson's vocal range on the track spans over three octaves. The band performed the song at the inaugural 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards.
"Dangerous" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. Written by Per Gessle, the song was released as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Look Sharp! (1988). Gessle penned it just before Roxette's first tour in 1987. Released in May 1989, it was the group's third top-10 single on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number two. It also entered the top 10 in Australia, Canada, and six European countries. The music video was recorded in the ruins of Borgholm Castle. In the UK and Ireland, "Dangerous" was released as a double A-side with "Listen to Your Heart".
"The Look" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album, Look Sharp! (1988). It became an international 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 song received mostly positive reviews from music critics.
"Dressed for Success" is a song by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, released in Europe, on 3 August 1988 as the lead single from their second studio album, Look Sharp! (1988). Following the international success of "The Look" – the album's third single in their home country, but the first to be released outside of Sweden – "Dressed for Success" was re-issued internationally in 1989 and became a worldwide hit, most notably in Australia, where it peaked in the top three and was certified platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
"How Do You Do!" is a pop rock song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album Tourism on 3 July 1992. The track was a commercial success upon release, topping the Norwegian Singles Chart and peaking at number two in several countries, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. The single was backed by several remixes created by Swedish production duo BomKrash, which consisted of Jacob Hellner and Carl-Michael Herlöfsson.
"Run to You" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 21 November 1994 by EMI as the fourth single from the duo's fifth studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994). Written by Per Gessle and produced by Clarence Öfwerman, the song charted moderately in several territories, peaking at number 20 in Finland, while reaching the top forty in Belgium, Scotland, Switzerland and the UK. "Run to You" was the duo's final single to chart in the top fifty of the Australian Singles Chart, peaking at number 49. The song's music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
"Almost Unreal" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 10 May 1993 by EMI Records as the lead single from the soundtrack of the 1993 live action film Super Mario Bros., which starred Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, and Samantha Mathis. The song became a top-20 hit in numerous territories, including Scandinavia, Ireland and the UK. It would also be the duo's final top ten hit in the latter two countries, excluding a re-release of "It Must Have Been Love" two months later. The song proved to be unsuccessful in North America, peaking at numbers 94 and 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, although it performed better in Canada, where it peaked within the top 30. It appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their next studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994), mistitled "It's Almost Unreal". The accompanying music video for "Almost Unreal" was directed by Michael Geoghegan.
"Spending My Time" is a song by Swedish duo Roxette, released as the fourth single from their third studio album, Joyride (1991). It was written by Per Gessle and Mats Persson, and produced by Clarence Öfwerman. The single attained moderate success, reaching the top 10 in Germany and Italy, and the top 20 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, while peaking at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart and 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Its music video was directed by Wayne Isham.
"Church of Your Heart" is the fifth and final single taken from Swedish pop duo Roxette's third studio album, Joyride (1991). Written by Per Gessle, the song was a top-20 hit in Canada, where it peaked at number 11, and charted throughout Europe, entering the top 40 in several countries. "I Call Your Name" – originally released as a single from their 1986 debut album Pearls of Passion – appeared as the B-side. On UK editions of the single, the song was backed by an exclusive megamix consisting of a medley of "It Must Have Been Love", "Listen to Your Heart", "The Look", "Joyride" and "Fading Like a Flower ".
"You Don't Understand Me" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette. Written by Per Gessle with American composer Desmond Child, it was released as the lead single from the duo's first greatest hits compilation album, Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! Roxette's Greatest Hits (1995). It was also the only new song from the original edition of the album to appear on the 2000 U.S. edition. The song was a hit in several European countries, reaching the top 20 in Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the duo's native Sweden. The song was also a hit in Germany where, despite peaking at number 44, it would spend over three months on the German Singles Chart.
"June Afternoon" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released in January 1996 as the second single from their second greatest hits compilation album, Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! Roxette's Greatest Hits (1995). The single was only released in Europe, Australia, and Canada, peaking at number one in the Czech Republic and within the top 40 in numerous territories. Its accompanying music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
"The Centre of the Heart" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 19 March 2001 as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Room Service. An uptempo pop song, it was written by Per Gessle and originally demoed in January 1998 during sessions for their previous album Have a Nice Day (1999). The single was backed by an exclusive B-side, "Entering Your Heart", along with several remixes by StoneBridge.
Listen to Your Heart is Belgian band DHT's 2005 debut album. It produced the singles "Listen to Your Heart", "My Dream", "Driver's Seat", "Someone", "I Go Crazy" and "I Miss You". Also covered is "I Can't Be Your Friend", originally recorded by the short-lived country music band Rushlow on their 2003 album Right Now, while "At Seventeen" was previously recorded by Janis Ian.
The discography of Swedish pop duo Roxette consists of ten studio albums, one live album, thirteen compilation albums, one remix album, eleven video albums, three box sets, fifty-six singles and twenty promotional singles, as well as fifty-two music videos. The duo, which consisted of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson, are the second most commercially successful Swedish act of all time, after ABBA. They sold over 75 million records worldwide, although a report by the Los Angeles Times put the figure as high as 80 million. The RIAA awarded them certifications of 3.5 million units in the US, where the duo have sold over two million albums since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in May 1991. The BPI in the UK certified Roxette for shipments of at least 3 million. They were particularly successful in Germany, where they are recognised as one of the highest-certified acts of all time, with shipments of 5.725 million units.
"I Go Crazy" is a song written, composed, and recorded by American singer-songwriter Paul Davis. It was the first single released from his 1977 album Singer of Songs: Teller of Tales, and his second-highest peaking pop hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard chart in 1978. The song entered the Hot 100 on August 27, 1977 and began slowly climbing, peaking in March and April 1978, before dropping off the chart the week after May 27, 1978. Overall, it spent 40 weeks on the Hot 100, setting what was then the record for the longest run on that chart.
"It Just Happens" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 8 April 2016 as the lead single from their tenth studio album, Good Karma. An electropop track, it was their first release under a new deal signed with Warner Music Group. The music video was directed by Tobias Leo Nordquist. Although the song was not as successful as the duo's previous lead singles on commercial charts, it performed well on numerous airplay charts; the track has been broadcast almost 15,000 times on radio in Russia.
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