Posted in: Entertainment History, News, Trivia Q & A | No Comments | October 5, 2021
Q. How did the Swedish band Roxette become popular in North America?
A. Roxette became international superstars when their single “The Look” gained traction on US radio where it became their first #1 hit. An American exchange student from Minneapolis brought the song back home to his local radio station. The program director had a hunch the song would blow up and started sending copies of the tape to stations across the country.
Known for their #1 hits “The Look,” “Joyride,” “It Must Have Been Love,” and “Listen To Your Heart,” Roxette is one of the most successful Swedish acts of all time, second only to ABBA. Since their inception in 1986, the duo has sold over 60 million records worldwide.
Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle were already established performers in their native Sweden by the time they formed Roxette. Gessle was the lead singer of the popular band Gyllene Tider and Fredriksson was a solo artist who occasionally performed with groups. She even joined Gyllene Tider a number of times as a backing vocalist and appeared on their first English-language album, The Heartland Café.
In 1990, Roxette was asked to write a song for a low-budget movie with a little-known leading lady. Not expecting much, they offered an older Christmas tune that had done well in Sweden. The movie was Pretty Woman, the actress was Julia Roberts, and the song was “It Must Have Been Love” – all three became instant smashes.
