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Sunshine
is a lady who rox you like a baby. |
| Era il 1994. Un
cielo sereno, una spiaggia. Un juke-box. Un istante...qualcosa è uscito
da quel juke-box. E ha trasformato quel semplice istante in un frammento
di magia, magia allo stato puro, e gioia. Quel qualcosa si chiamava Crash!
Boom! Bang! La voce che si librava meravigliosa, commovente, era
quella di Marie Fredriksson. Le note e le parole, d'un'inafferrabile
bellezza, erano di Per Gessle. Loro due, insieme...i Roxette.
Quel brano, Crash!Boom!Bang!, mi
è giunto come una rivelazione. I Roxette mi hanno regalato la facoltà -
la libertà - di fruire della musica come di un momento di gioia
che non chiede di più. Canzoni semplici e perfette. Canzoni lente,
canzoni ritmate. Canzoni a volte gioiose -c'mon, join the joyride...-
, a volte tristi. Ognuna di esse è un attimo da cogliere, assaporare, far
vibrare...
Amerò sempre la musica. Tutta la musica.
Ogni suono, ogni input, ogni frammento di melodia che sappia toccare in
modo speciale le corde della mia anima. Ma sempre rimarrà speciale, senza
età, e vivo, quel momento, nel 1994, su quella spiaggia. E in futuro,
ogni volta in cui dovrò pronunciare una parola che si associ...che si
sposi col mio amore infinito per la musica...la parola sarà Roxette. |
It was 1994. A
clear sky, a beach. A juke-box. An instant...something came out of that
juke-box. And it turned that simple instant into a fragment of magic, pure
magic, and joy. That something was called Crash!Boom!Bang!
The voice that was soaring, wonderful and touching, was Marie Fredriksson's.
The notes and the words, impalpable in their beauty, were Per Gessle's.
Together, the two of them...Roxette.
That song, Crash!Boom!Bang!, came
to me as a revelation. Roxette gave me, as a present, the faculty -the liberty-
of enjoying music as a joyful moment that doesn't ask for more. Simple and
perfect songs. Ballads and uptempo songs. Sometimes, those songs are
joyful -c'mon, join the joyride...-, sometimes they're sad. Each
song is a moment to catch, taste...and let it vibrate...
I will always love music. All music.
Every sound, every input, every piece of melody touching my soul in a
special way. But that moment in 1994, on that beach, will always remain
special, ageless, and alive. And in the future, whenever I'll have to
speak out one word indissolubly linked to my love for music...the word
will be Roxette. |
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Roxette's
biography
Roxette, Sweden's
first pop export of the 90's with the striking image and catchy blend of
pop and rock, consist of Marie Fredriksson (born 30 May 1958 Sweden) and
Per Gessle (born 12 January 1965, Halmstad, Sweden). Gessle became a solo
star in the early 80s having previously played in the new wave band
Gyllene Tider. He was 'discovered' by former Abba manager Thomas Johannson
who was looking for songs for a Frida album. Meanwhile Fredriksson was
playing on the singer/songwriter circuit. Johansson teamed them up in 1985
and they became Roxette. Recording at Gessle's studio in Halmstad they
soon conquered Sweden and broke through in the USA thanks to the inclusion
of the ballad, 'It Must Have Been Love', which was used on the soundtrack
of the film Pretty Woman .
Roxette's history started from a song: "Svarta Glas", written by
Per. He asked a Swedish singer to record it, but she refused. Then Per
made an English version for it, "Neverending Love", and Rolf
Nygren, from EMI, suggested Per to perform it himself together with Marie
(they had already met many times before, since 1977, and Marie sang with
Per for the first time in 1981, for Gyllene Tider). And she accepted!
"Neverending Love" single was a hit in Sweden.
Roxette got its name from a 70's song by Dr. Feelgood, one of Per's
favorite bands.
In 1986, Roxette released their first album in Sweden: "Pearls Of
Passion", and in 1987 they started a tour (The Rock Runt Riket Tour)
around the country. Roxette, with Ratata and Eva Dahlgren (Swedish artists)
performed live for more than 110,000 people.
In 1988, the album "Look Sharp!" was released in Sweden. In that
year something very strange happened: an exchange student from the United
States enjoyed their music and took a copy of the album with him to
America. Then he took it to the biggest radio station in Minneapolis, KWB,
and told the program director Brian Phillips , 'You have to listen to this
album because it's great'. Soon "The Look" went up to #1 before
the album was officially released worldwide (what happened in 1989).
In late 1989 Roxette reached #1 again with "Listen To Your Heart"
and began their first European tour. "Look Sharp!" sold 8
million copies around the world.
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In 1987 Per had
written a song called "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The
Broken Hearted)", and in 1990, after a few changes "It Must Have
Been Love" got into a movie called "Pretty Woman", with
Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, which was a great success and the song was
#1 in many countries. "Pretty Woman" sound track album sold 9
million copies worldwide.
Roxette's third album "Joyride" was released in 1991, named
after a comment made by Paul McCartney (he said that writing songs with
John Lennon was a long joyride). The album sold 10 million units and the
hit "Joyride" reached #1 in many countries. Other successful
songs in the album are "Spending My Time" and "Fading Like
A Flower (Every Time You Leave)".
So they started a world tour. During the "Join The Joyride" tour
(108 concerts around the world in more than 87 countries, including even
Russia and China) they made an album, "Tourism - Songs from studios,
stages, hotel rooms & other strange places", recorded in many
countries, like Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Switzerland
and USA. Released in 1992, "Tourism" sold about 7 million albums.
In 1993, Per wrote a song, "Almost Unreal" for a Bette Midler
movie, but it ended up in the "Super Mario Bros." sound track,
which also had another Roxette song, "2 Cinnamon Street" (a kind
of ‘female version’ of "Cinnamon Street", from the "Tourism"
album). "Almost Unreal" is a very beautiful song, although the
movie is not so good...
In 1994 Roxette released a new album "Crash! Boom! Bang!", which
has sold around 5 million copies, and started another world tour. But in
this tour they didn’t go to USA because the local EMI thought it
wouldn’t be successful. EMI USA released the album "Favorites From
Crash! Boom! Bang!", sold only in the McDonald’s fast food
restaurants, which sold about 1 million copies.
In 1995 EMI released "Rarities" in some few countries with some
demos and some MTV Unplugged versions. "Rarities" is now out of
print. In October Roxette released "Don’t Bore Us - Get To The
Chorus! Roxette’s Greatest Hits" which contained 14 greatest hits
and 4 new ones.
In early 1996 Roxette released "Baladas En Espanol" with some of
their best ballads recorded in Spanish.
In 1997 Per and Marie signed their contract with EMI for the next 10 years.
Still in 1997, EMI re-released "Pearls Of Passion", which was
released only in Sweden in 1986. It contains the original 12 tracks and 8
extra tracks.
In early 1998, after four years out of studio, Roxette went to Spain to
record some songs for the new album, "Have A Nice Day, which was
released in early 1999.
In 2001 Roxette released their latest
studio album, "Room Service", followed by a European tour.
A collection of the band's most intense
and romantic tracks, called "The Ballad Hits", was released in
2002. The following year came another
collection, "The Pop Hits", focused on uptempo songs. Both
these collections also include some previously unreleased material. |
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Call Of The Wild
I know her, and
every notion I get from her
I wear inside me.
I know her, all
of the broken leaves of love
she leaves behind.
Oh - don't you hide away
from the rain.
Oh - can you tell me the
name of this game?
I got to get thru to you.
Behind the door, another
wall,
a lonely cry, a call of
the wild.
A dancing daze, an empty
face,
a crystal high, a call of
the wild.
I know her and in my mind
I dream of her,
how she aches withou me.
I know her and every heart
is a lonely hunter
when she walks by.
Oh - can you read the hurt
in my eyes?
Oh - don't you leave
without saying goodbye.
I got to get thru to you.
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Beautiful
Things
Beautiful things are
comin' my way
Beautiful things, i want
them to stay
But after a while my
beautiful things
don't seem beautiful at
all
Terrible things like when
you wake up
and all of your dreams
seem to crack up.
Like things you have done,
like breakin' my heart
For you it don't seem
terrible at all
Is there someone I can
talk to?
Someone on the line?
Does anybody want to hear
what's on my mind?
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Beautiful things like
leaves on a tree
Beautiful things, the sky
and the sea
Since you've been gone no
beautiful things
seem beautiful to me
Is there someone I can
talk to?
Someone out there on the
line?
Does anybody want to hear
what's on my mind?
Make the grass grow in the
garden
when the rain in passin'
by
Does anybody want to know
what's on my mind?
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Silver Blue
I got to get a message through,
I don't know where we're going.
I wrap my arms around your naked
shoulders,
take cover for the night.
I see you in the morning rain,
oh step inside and lay beside me.
Tender can you close my eyes and blind
me,
oh give me just a smile...
Before I fade to silver,
Silver Blue for you.
Before I fade to silver,
Silver Blue for you.
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| I've turned into
The Broken One
who lost the inspiration.
I want to give you all my love like water
to a blood red rose.
The passion - I can't deal with her.
The Pain - well, I can do without him.
And this is like the milky way, an ocean
that only grows and grows
And babe I fade to silver,
Silver Blue for you.
I turn and fade to silver,
Silver Blue for you.
I wrap my arms around your naked
shoulders,
take cover for the night. |
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Very
special thanx to Sara for most of the pictures and artworks on
this page. You can visit her site at www.mariefredriksson.it
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