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.
Black Box is an Italian house music group popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group is currently made up of DJ Daniele Davoli, classically trained clarinet teacher Valerio Semplici, keyboardist and electronic musician Mirko Limoni, and vocalist Celestine Walcott-Gordon. French fashion model Katrin Quinol joined the act in 1989 and became the official face of Black Box, appearing on the cover of their single and album releases as well as in music videos, including the hit "Ride on Time", which was the highest-selling single of 1989 in the UK. The following year, it was revealed that Quinol was lip-syncing and had not performed on the recording. American singer Martha Wash performed the majority of the songs on the group's debut album, Dreamland, while being uncredited.
"Sadeness (Part I)" is a song by German musical project Enigma, released in October 1990 by Virgin Records as the lead single from their first album, MCMXC a.D. (1990). It became an international hit, reaching number one in 14 countries. In the United States, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on both the Dance Club Play and 12-inch Singles Sales charts. Its music video was directed by Michel Guimbard. A sequel to the song, "Sadeness (Part II)" featuring Anggun, was released on Enigma's eighth studio album, The Fall of a Rebel Angel (2016).
"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" is a song by American dance music group C+C Music Factory, released by Columbia Records on November 18, 1990 as the debut and lead single from their first album, Gonna Make You Sweat (1990). The song is sung by singer Martha Wash and rapper Freedom Williams. It was written by Robert Clivillés and Williams, and produced by Clivillés and David Cole. The song charted internationally and achieved great success in the United States, Austria, Germany, and Sweden, where it reached number one on the charts. The accompanying music video was directed by Marcus Nispel, and features singer/dancer Zelma Davis lip-syncing to Wash's vocal parts. Billboard magazine ranked "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
Anders Wilhelm Axel Wollbeck is a Swedish songwriter and producer. He plays the guitar and keyboard. He is part of the songwriting and production duo Vacuum together with Mattias Lindblom.
"Love to Hate You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1991 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Chorus (1991). Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is an electronic dance track inspired by disco music. The synthesizer melody in the chorus is an interpolation of the string break from American singer Gloria Gaynor's disco-era classic "I Will Survive". The duo also recorded a Spanish version of the song, called "Amor y Odio", and one in Italian called "Amo Odiarti". The single was released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden. Its music video was directed by David Mallet.
"Ride on Time" is a song by the Italian house music group Black Box. It was released as a single in July 1989 and included on Black Box's debut album, Dreamland (1990).
"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song by German Eurodance group Snap!, released in March 1992 by Arista and Logic as the second single from their second studio album, The Madman's Return (1992). It features vocals by American singer Thea Austin. The song is written by Benito Benites, John "Virgo" Garrett III and Austin, and produced by Benites and Garrett III. It was an international success, topping the charts in France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The single also reached the top-five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It spent six weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming the second biggest-selling single of 1992. Its music video was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and filmed in Florida, the US.
"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.
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.
Massive Luxury Overdose is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group Army of Lovers. The album was released in 1991, and a reissue of the album 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.
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.
"Shame, Shame, Shame" is a 1974 hit song written by Sylvia Robinson, performed by American disco band Shirley & Company and released on the Vibration label. The lead singer is Shirley Goodman, who was one half of Shirley & Lee, who had enjoyed a major hit 18 years earlier, in 1956, with the song "Let The Good Times Roll" for Aladdin Records. The male vocalist is Jesus Alvarez. The saxophone solo is by Seldon Powell, whose instrumental version, "More Shame", is the B-side.
"Touch Me" is a Italo house song by Italian group 49ers. Produced by Gianfranco Bortolotti, it was released on 4 December 1989 as the third single from their debut album, 49ers (1990). The song received favorable reviews from music critics, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart and it was a top 10 hit in at least 10 other countries in Europe. Outside Europe, it was the first of four hits on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for 49ers. It samples Aretha Franklin's "Rock-A-Lott" and Alisha Warren's "Touch Me".
"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" is a song by Zambian-born Zimbabwean singer Rozalla, released in August 1991 by label Pulse-8 as the second single from her second album, Everybody's Free (1992). The song was written by Nigel Swanston and Tim Cox, and produced by Band of Gypsies. It had been a staple in the clubs in Ibiza and Mallorca in the summer of 1991, and hordes of recovering ravers were delighted to find "that tune about being free to feel good and stuff" was available to buy back home. Upon its release, the song reached number two in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, while entering the top 10 in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the single reached number six, and in Zimbabwe, it peaked at number four. It also topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Several music videos have been made to promote the song. It is widely regarded as one of the biggest dance anthems of the 1990s and it has been remixed and re-released several times.
"Here We Go " is a song by American dance music group C+C Music Factory, released on March 3, 1991, as the second single from their debut album, Gonna Make You Sweat (1990). The song was a success in the US, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. It also hit number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for three weeks. In Europe, the single reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart and number five on the UK Dance Singles Chart. The song was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.
"My Army of Lovers" is a song by Swedish dance music group Army of Lovers, released in March 1990 as the fourth single from their debut album, Disco Extravaganza (1990). The song was written by Tim Norell, Ola Håkansson, Alexander Bard, Anders Hansson and Peo Thyrén. It reuses the instrumental track of "Barbie Goes Around the World" released by the group when they were performing under the name Barbie.
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.
"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.
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.
