Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals) and Per Gessle. They are Sweden's second-best-selling music act after ABBA.
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was disbanded after her death in 2019. The duo achieved international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with their albums Look Sharp! (1988) and Joyride (1991), and topped the charts in the US four times, most notably with "It Must Have Been Love" which was featured in the film Pretty Woman. Prior to the formation of Roxette, he had a successful career in his native Sweden as the frontman for Gyllene Tider. The band released three number-one albums during the early 1980s but disbanded shortly after their fourth album, The Heartland Café (1984).
Joyride is the third studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 25 March 1991 by EMI as the follow-up to their international breakthrough Look Sharp! (1988), as well as the non-album single "It Must Have Been Love", from the soundtrack to Pretty Woman (1990). The album was recorded over an 11-month period in Sweden. The duo experienced considerable pressure from their record label to deliver a successful follow-up album, and resisted pressure to relocate to Los Angeles and work with experienced American producers.
Have a Nice Day is the sixth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released worldwide from 22 February 1999 by Roxette Recordings and EMI. Recorded over an 18-month period in studios in Sweden and Spain, the album was produced by Marie Fredriksson, Per Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman and Michael Ilbert, and was their first studio album since Crash! Boom! Bang! in 1994. The album was not released in the US, as the duo were no longer signed to a label there. A deluxe edition was released in Spanish-speaking territories and, in Arabian regions, the naked babies on the cover were digitally removed, due to religious concerns.
Room Service is the seventh studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released worldwide from 2 April 2001. A planned release in the United States failed to materialise, as the duo's label there, Edel Records America, had been disbanded the previous month due to financial difficulties. Marie Fredriksson was not as involved in the album's production as she had been on previous records, taking part in the composition of just two songs. The album was remastered and reissued with bonus tracks in 2009.
Dance Passion is a remix album by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 27 March 1987 by EMI. It consists of remixed versions of tracks from their debut album, Pearls of Passion (1986). The album was only released on vinyl in select European territories, namely Sweden, Germany and Italy. It failed to chart in the latter countries, and sold just 27,000 copies in Sweden, peaking at number 19 and spending four weeks on the Swedish Albums Chart. It has never been reissued or pressed onto cassette or CD.
Gun-Marie Fredriksson was a Swedish singer, best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. The duo achieved international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with their albums Look Sharp! (1988) and Joyride (1991), and had multiple hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four number ones.
The Heartland Café is an album released by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider on 17 February 1984. The group's first recorded foray into the English language, The Heartland Café was the second album to feature vocalist Marie Fredriksson singing back-up and proved to be a precursor to the Swedish super-duo Roxette, which consists of Fredriksson and Gyllene Tider's lead singer, Per Gessle. The album peaked at No. 18 on the Swedish albums chart.
... Efter stormen is the third studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson, released on 12 October 1987 by EMI Sweden. Her first release since Roxette's commercial breakthrough in Sweden, the album was a massive success, peaking at number one on the Swedish Albums Chart and selling over 50,000 copies within a month of release. It has since been certified platinum by the Swedish Recording Industry Association for shipments in excess of 100,000 units.
Den sjunde vågen is the second studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson, originally released on 17 February 1986 on LP and Cassette by EMI Sweden, with a CD release following on 29 October 1986. The album was a commercial success upon release, peaking at number six and spending almost three months on the Swedish Albums Chart. "Den bästa dagen" and "Silver i din hand" preceded the album as single releases: the b-sides from these singles served as bonus tracks when the record was later issued on CD.
"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 ".
The Roxbox is a boxed set compilation by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 18 October 2006 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol. It is an expanded companion piece to the single-disc greatest hits album A Collection of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs!, which was also released on the same date. The box set consists of four CDs (HDCD) containing singles, album tracks, non-album singles and B-sides, as well as previously unreleased outtakes, alternate versions and demos. It also includes two DVDs: the first is of their previously unreleased 9 January 1993 performance at the Cirkus arena in Stockholm for MTV Unplugged; the second contains every music video ever recorded by the duo. In fact, it is a Dual layer DVD.
"Queen of Rain" is a song by Swedish duo Roxette. It was released on 28 October 1992 as the second single from their fourth studio album, Tourism (1992). The ballad became a top-20 hit in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, and spent over three months on the German Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 19.
"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.
"She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is a song by Roxette, released as the third and final single from their greatest hits compilation Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! Roxette's Greatest Hits (1995). The song had originally been written and recorded for the duo's 1994 studio album Crash! Boom! Bang! but, according to Marie Fredriksson, that version "sounded really tired", and has yet to be released. It was later re-recorded in July 1995 with members of Per Gessle's former band Gyllene Tider. It is the only song in Roxette's discography to not be produced by Clarence Öfwerman. "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" was only released in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, also in Hungary, in the Czech Republic peaking at number 86 on the German Singles Chart. The single included two remixed versions of "The Look" as b-sides. Its music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
"Neverending Love" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 8 July 1986 by EMI as their debut single. The track was originally written in Swedish by Per Gessle, as "Svarta glas", for recording artist Pernilla Wahlgren, who turned it down. However, she offered the song to her brother Niclas Wahlgren, who recorded his own version. The release of his single was cancelled at the request of EMI, when Gessle recorded an English version of the song with Marie Fredriksson.
"Goodbye to You" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 3 December 1986 by EMI as the second single from their debut studio album, Pearls of Passion (1986). The song was written by Per Gessle, and was backed by album track "So Far Away". It was only released commercially on 7" vinyl exclusively in Sweden, although a limited test pressing 12" vinyl was also created, containing an exclusive remix of the song. The single peaked at number nine on the Swedish Singles Chart. No music video was created for the track.
"Soul Deep" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 17 February 1987 by EMI as the third single from their debut album, Pearls of Passion (1986). The song was originally written in Swedish by Per Gessle, and was called "Dansar nerför ditt stup i rekordfart", although Gessle later wrote new English lyrics for the song after deciding its Swedish lyrics were "too silly". The single was only released in Sweden, Germany and Canada. It spent three consecutive weeks at number 18 on the Swedish Singles Chart, but failed to chart in the other two countries.
Live-Ism is the third concert film by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 21 August 1992 on VHS and LaserDisc formats by Picture Music International and EMI. It contains a shortened version of the duo's 13 December 1991 concert in the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia during the Join the Joyride! Tour, which saw Roxette performing to over 1.5 million people during the tour's 100 shows. The video also contains behind the scenes footage, as well as the music videos to "Church of Your Heart", "(Do You Get) Excited?", and their then-current single "How Do You Do!".
Charm School is the eighth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 11 February 2011 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol. It was their first studio album since 2001's Room Service, and their first since vocalist Marie Fredriksson's brain tumour diagnosis in 2002. "She's Got Nothing On " preceded the album as its lead single, which became the duo's highest-peaking single in almost two decades in territories such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The song also entered Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart—making Roxette the only duo who appeared on that chart in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
