9 Fascinating Facts About Roxette
Roxette is probably one of the most widely loved pop rock duos of the late 80s and early 90s. Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle have given us some of the most memorable pop songs of all time and have sold a staggering 75 million records worldwide!
"Listen to Your Heart", "The Look", "It Must Have Been Love" are just a small part of the solid list of hits written by this Swedish couple. We are sure that many of you still remember and love these unusually light compositions...
In today's article, we suggest recalling 9 fascinating facts about Roxette.
Fascinating Roxette Facts: Top 9
9. The couple borrowed their name from a 1976 song by the little-known British rock band Dr Feelgood. It is not difficult to guess that the heroine of the song is a girl named Roxette.
8. Before joining Roxette, Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle were already well-known and highly successful artists in Sweden. Fredriksson already had a number of noteworthy solo releases under his belt, and Gessle was the vocalist and songwriter of Gyllene Tider, a successful band with three impressive number one albums in their home country.
7. Roxette drew inspiration from 1960s rock music. According to Gessle, this was mainly because most of the songs of that era were "based on strong melodies".
6. Their first global hit only got airplay after an American exchange student aired it on US radio! The song soon became a big hit, quickly spreading to other radio stations and eventually reaching number one on the US charts.
5. "It Must Have Been Love" was only chosen for the Pretty Woman soundtrack because the duo didn't have time to write a new song. It is interesting that the composition was waiting for its “finest hour” for two whole years!
4. Roxette had 19 top 40 hits on the UK charts and, unlike many bands of the time, they even managed to break America! The duo had four US No. 1s with The Look, Listen to Your Heart, It Must Have Been Love and Joyride!
3. In Sweden, Roxette issued their own postage stamp! When your face is printed on a postage stamp in your home country, you know you have succeeded! This is exactly what happened to Fredriksson and Gessle in 1991.
2. Marie Fredriksson died in December 2019 after a 17-year battle with cancer. In 2002, the singer was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and, unfortunately, the disease turned out to be stronger ...
1. The King of Sweden paid tribute by issuing a statement:
“We were overwhelmed by the sad news that singer Marie Fredriksson has passed away… For many in our country, even in my family, her music is closely associated with memories of especially important moments in life…”
