So nice to read such a loving memoriam on Marie and the band (duo) Roxette. I thought nobody remembered “Joyride” until I read your letter yesterday. I had the pleasure of mixing that gem, and the engineer with whom I worked alongside for many days of my mixing career wrote me note of sadness at her passing yesterday too, lending to my melancholy of the day.
Her voice was easy to make cut through and filled with emotion, and it was astounding to uncover the secrets of Per Gessle’s incredible guitar tones.
You’re providing us all with a tremendous and personal written music history with your newsletter, and you should know it’s much appreciated.
Brian Malouf
Producer | Mixer
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Thanks for writing this, Bob. I became very familiar with Roxette thanks to the Nordic Rox show that runs on SiriusXM's the Spectrum channel. Per Gessle is an occasional co-host & of course, the band's music is featured prominently. Per spoke often of Marie & her illness. A unique vocalist & great band, much bigger, as you said, internationally than here. She'll be greatly missed. Jeff Hayward/Maine
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You got this right, Bob. Hugely underrated songs and performances from both Per and Marie. And theirs was not formulaic writing; they gave each other space, the production was radio-perfect and they could deliver all of this live. Those shows always put their songs first. They were serious about their craft and just great to be with.
And yes, this has affected me more than I imagined.
Very best...
Rich Allinson
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Bob,
Thank you for your memory about Roxette and Marie Fredriksson. Sure, Marie’s voice was astonishing, but the genius is Per Gessle, one of the most talented songwriter of his generation and a perfect hit-maker not only as Roxette co-leader but also as Gyllene Tider leader and soloist.
Best
Gianluigi Maino
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That was beautiful. Thank you!
Kåre Garnes
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Goodmornin Bob , thank you for these words , you are so right !
I had the opportunity to work with Roxette - doing their live side for all their dates ,
Marie was such a great artiste to work with and the loss is so sad and difficult to adept
Keep well
Thomas Johansson
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I kinda disagree, Marie was pop, new wave, 80s, 90s, power pop, alternative, Britpop, Hair Metal, Power ballad, mainstream, everything!!!
She never reached a Madonna status yet she would give Annie Lennox and Michael Hutchence a run for their money!!
She was magical and powerful!!
Sadly for Roxette they found their niche right at a time when New Wave was dying and Grunge was King.
Marie will always be remembered as a power house, she was a queen and a humble one at it, she rose from the ashes after finding out she was dealing with brain cancer and she conquered the most challenging markets at the time!
Uncomplicated and beautifully crafted, Roxette music’s will be (from now on) the most flawlessly pop ever made!
Long live to the Scandinavian queen!!
She will NOT fade like a flower!!!
JL
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Thanks for writing this. I had the sincere pleasure of working with these guys when I was a sales regional at EMI Records. They were on top of the world, but in my experience they treated everyone around them with such kindness. It’s not always that way. I was just talking to someone about them about a month ago. I hadn’t seen them or heard new music from them in years. But the memory of their utter graciousness was what remained with me all these years later. Thanks for paying homage to Marie, and Per, if you’re out there reading this, I’m sorry for the loss of your friend, and know that you and Marie made a lasting impact by the way that you treated a mid-level sales guy out in the field.
Best-
David Macias
Thirty Tigers
Nashville, TN
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I love Def Leppard, AC/DC & Billy Squier. And I love Roxette. I love them all because I'm addicted to big, beautiful hooks. RIP, Marie.
Ken Misch
Grumpy Dingo Radio
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"They don't make this music anymore.
But if you lived through the era, you remember it. When the mellifluous sound penetrated your ears and you followed it like the Pied Piper."
Hallelujah, holy shit! You nailed it, Bob! - Amen.
Greg Malecki
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I really loved this! It’s always a shame that it takes something like this to realize how fortunate we all are to have been touched by music. In this case, the music of Roxette. Thank you for reminding me.
Bob Hathaway
FM Music Management
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Hi Bob,
I believe KDWB here in the Twincities were responsible for breaking The Look.
Thank goodness for the Midwest huh?
Bill Scherer live from MN.
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I was in junior high when I heard "Dressed for Success". I immediately went out and bought the cassette single, backed by "The Look" (or maybe it was the other way around). Anyway, what a two sided single! I was mostly a hard rock kid, so didn't want anyone to know how much I loved it, but I played that cassette single over and over on my Sony Sports Walkman.
Those Roxette songs have occupied space on several of my playlists for nearly 20 years now. Saw them on the 2012 tour, supported by Glass Tiger. Fantastic show in a nearly sold out arena, without a hit for nearly 20 years. It's a shame it's over.
Tim Weisbeck
in Calgary
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Among the many new realities brought by the new world order of streaming, one that usually gets overlooked, is the fact that all records are now released worldwide.
The turf and ego wars in labels, that you so well described, and I witnessed on so many occasions , were responsible for innumerable artists not reaching new markets that could change their lives and careers.
Let me just remember two instances of artists that you know, where foreign markets were crucial for the survival of their recording careers. Leonard Cohen many times acknowledged in interviews that without the support of his Scandinavian fanbase in the late 70's early 80's, he would have been dropped by Columbia and probably given up on music. A similar thing happened with James Taylor, who found a new purpose for his music by playing live in front of hundreds of thousands adoring fans in the first Rock in Rio in 1985.
K-POP is the most obvious example of the new world of possibilities in this new global music order, but that is just the tip of the iceberg , under the radar of labels and big-time promoters the real revolution of globalization in music has already started. Labels and streaming services are still trying to manage listeners by territory, ignoring the fact that for some music fans in India a a new record by a metal band in Iceland is way more relevant than the latest Bollywood hit.
Cheers,
Beni Borja
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Thank you for your excellent tribute to Marie and Roxette. As an avid audiophile and concert goer, I have yet to run into anyone who loved the band anywhere near as much as I did. Most people dismissed them as bubble gum pop but they really had so much substance not to mention versatility. The ballads were as strong as the up tempo numbers and there were also so many in between that cut so deep. Marie's voice was the ultimate compliment to Per's incredible number of quality compositions and his gravelly voice was an under rated contribution to their success.
They also seemed to be extremely humble and fan friendly. While you noted Joyride as a breakthrough for them, for me their best work was some of the songs that were not hits like Shadow of A Doubt, Chances, View From A Hill and Here Comes The Weekend. Listen to Your Heart was such a masterpiece that it charted twice as a cover. I was on such a high coming off the Rainforest Benefit Show when I read about Marie and it hit me like a ton of bricks. As you said there really wasn't anything like them, though I would submit that Eurythmics is probably the closest.
Rob Fisher
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Thank you for your kind words about Marie & Roxette. I had just been discussing what it is to break up with someone when your post showed up. I can relate to that & all of the things you said about the band at the same time. I had seen them before "The Look" on what I think was the MTV International Hour, which aired after hours on Sundays way back when....and the song they debuted with was "Neverending Love", if you've never checked that out, I highly recommend it....showed what they were capable of....not to mention Per Gessle being one of the artists ABBA's Frida asked for on her first solo album.
Thank you again, this one hurts....and your words help.
Kevin Andrusia
Orlando, FL
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During those years I was an american teen and a religious fan of Roxette; racing around in my mother’s Camero Z28, playing the CD LOUD on Blaupunkt deck - ensuring ALL of my friends felt and knew TRUE pop rock.
You wrote a brilliant send off, I could hear her voice in my head for every lyric you typed out.
She would’ve absolutely been touched.
Thank you.
Matt Hays
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Roxette is still one of my favorite bands of all time. I have all of their CDs. Look Sharp and Joyride are the best and still get playing time in my car. I saw them on their 2012 tour and they were good live. Marie will be missed.
Larry Green
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Marie and Per were very successful for us (Capitol-EMI) in Canada... the U.S. company never gave it the attention it deserved, because quite simply there was no U.S. A&R rep championing them. Unfortunate. I think if Rod Smallwood or Roger Davies would have had them on their roster, there situation would have been very different.
Olie Kornelsen
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Bob, I'm sure 100 people have told you by now, but Shocking Blue were Dutch. You're probably thinking of Blue Swede.
Paul Grein
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Here in South America Roxette sound defined a whole generation. Its mix of pop and melodic rock was the flip side of grunge. And Joyride was as you described it, full of great hooks and that perfect blend between female and male voices. Thanks for the memories. By the way, I think Shocking Blue were dutch. And there’s one short lived duo that sounded like Roxette to me: Savage Garden.
Best,
Aldo Blardone
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Look Sharp, Joyride and Tourism made me a follower too Bob. Thank you for remembering Marie so articulately. You’re right, no one sounds like Roxette and now without Marie, Per Gessle and the Roxette faithful ‘will never be the same.’
Jeff Sacks
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My sophisticated music friends all laugh when I confess my love for all things Roxette.
They sneer and say that band with that Joyride song?
Then I play them the version of
It Must’ve Been Love that’s a mix of an unplugged intro (reportedly) recorded in a hotel room with great country sounding pedal steel guitar that transitions into a Brazil(?) soccer stadium rock version with 80,000 fans singing the chorus in total joy.
If they really know anything about making music they get it.
Marie and Per got it.
They captured lightening in a bottle and gave it back with everything they had.
Long live Rock
Long live Roxette
Jack Haynes
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It’s devastating but was inevitable. She was OK, but she wasn’t alright. She sang her heart out and smiled wide. I met them multiple times — LA, Argentina, Mexico, and Sweden. I marveled at the LA show, as you did, and for the same reasons. I had already witnessed their cult like following in the Argentina shows where 20 year olds sang along knowing every lyric, both in English and Spanish, as Roxette understood being global and smartly recorded in both languages. Thanks for loving their songs, and her voice that made being forlorn sound graceful.
The U.S. label heads were obviously clueless, but there’s nothing revelatory or new about that.
Hal Bringman
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Thank you for this one. Roxette are CRIMINALLY underrated and that first breakout record is a timeless pop masterpiece. They were massively influential on me as a child, and one of the big reasons that I pursued music as a career. Marie will be greatly missed by many, here and abroad. RIP
Joseph Bielski
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Wow, "Watercolours in the Rain" is a BEAUTIFUL song! (I'd never heard it before.)
Mark B. Spiegel
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Thank you for your piece on Marie. She deserves to be remembered that way I recall hearing “The Look” for the first time and hearing that rare gem... a pop song that rock fans could like, and a rock song the pop fans could like. All in one.
But “Joyride” cemented that Roxette had the musical chops to defy boundaries. It had just enough bite, combined with perfect hooks, harmonies, and lyrics. A great song from a great band that never got the respect they deserved.
Steve Jones
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Great 80’s Pop ! Thank for writing about Marie - you do have great taste!
Vince Bannon
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Totally with you about Roxette. Have loved them since the first time I heard them. I have all the CD's, from Sweden; friends there take care of me.
I also have nearly all of Per's solo releases, and some of his other group stuff. All great. Even the Swedish language stuff from his legendary band Gyllene Tider. There's a gem almost nobody knows about, a collaboration with other Swedish rock musicians, called The Lonely Ones. It's kinda as if the 64-65 Stones and Beatles did one album together, including the authentic-looking artwork.
Marie had a special gift, a distinctive voice and a feel for phrasing. Her solo stuff is less pop, more jazzy/soulful. She was a real singer, not a pop singer. And she gave Per the gift of her voice to bring his songs to life. And he gave Marie the gift of his uncanny knack for writing great pop/rock songs, both uptempo and ballads. Theirs was a wonderful pairing, a gift to the rest of us.
I was fortunate enough to see them live at the big arena in Stockholm - sold out triumphant tour-ending hometown show. Herbie was there, as were the heads of EMI labels from all around the world.
When she got sick, it was horrible. And she fought her way back so that they could record again, and tour the world again. And that was amazing. But then, inevitably, she weakened, and retreated from public.
I woke up to the news Tuesday morning and, in a season of loss for me over the past three months, this one hit hard. Though it was not unexpected, it still came as a chock.
RIP Marie, you had not only "the look" but "the voice."
Toby Mamis
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Oh, Bob… you just hit me over the head with these news, so sad. Somehow I missed this, thank you for your thoughtful sharing.
As a fan since the first record and everything else until the early 2000’s (they lost me in the later years), I can only sum it up in one word what made Roxette stand out: JOY. They not only seemed to have a grand ol’ time performing, but that’s the first sentiment that connects me with the memory of their music, as they contributed to the soundtrack of my life in the 90’s. And it’s not like they were all happy-clappy silly pop songs, but even the ballads had more gravitas than cheese and satisfied in a way these bubble-head poptart dum-dums that rule the “charts" now can only dream of, that’s why you can still rock out in a supermarket aisle to The Look or Listen To Your Heart with no shame. Because those who were there will understand when they see you.
As you pointed out, the craft of brilliant and meaningful songwriting structure in pop, such as was/is Per Gessle’s, seems to have largely given way to shallow nonsense filled with buzzwords and meme-worthy catchphrases. You pointed out the Joyride record, but even Look Sharp! has so many brilliant tracks aside from the three hit singles; Chances, View From A Hill, (I Could Never) Give You Up, are all musical gems. Roxette was a beautiful addition to their pop-rock contemporaries, INXS, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Kim Wilde, Seal, Phil Collins, Neneh Cherry, Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson, George Michael, even one/two-hit wonders like Fine Young Cannibals, Terence Trent D’Arby or EMF… at least those are the names that dominated our European airwaves at the time.
Anyway, may Marie rest in peace, her voice lives on.
Fredrick Weiss
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Yep. I never respond to your email feeds, but "Joyride" is simple pleasure, and you get it. Thanks for living and putting yourself out there. You strive to be authentic and goofy shit would expose you as uncool. Thanks for being uncool for all of us.
David Twomey
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