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Coming up, it’s a band who owes much of their massive success to a random foreign exchange student. The band Roxette comprised of singer Marie Fredriksson and songwriter Per Gessle were on the rise in their home country of Sweden, but their records had failed to break through in America. However, after this student caught Roxette in concert, he returned home with their latest album Look Sharp! and almost single-handedly broke this band in the States. A DJ played their song The Look and it went straight to #1… for 2 years Roxette Reeled off four #1 hits and two #2’s, and actually you could say they 5 #1s because Dangerous hit #2 on the billboard hot 100 but hit #1 on the cashbox charts. Their other hits were It Must Have Been Love, Listen to Your Heart, Dressed for Success, Joyride, and Fading Like A Flower... they achieved in the space of two years, more than most bands achieve in a lifetime. Today, we’re covering those hits and giving you the inside track on their rise to global stardom. And then we try and figure out what happened after that. Because these guys completely disappeared from the airwaves a short while later. So how does such a successful band vanish into thin air? We’re going to get to the bottom of it… NEXT on the Professor of Rock. Thank you to this episode’s sponsor, Zenni GET ZENNI Glasses HERE: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Executive Producer Brandon Fugal Honorary Producers Eric Casella, Sherill Thatcher, Christina Root, K&K Bosemer, Kimberley Rumburg, Brent Gephart ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out my Hand Picked Selection Below Professor's Store - Van Halen OU812 Vinyl Album - The 80s Collection - 100 Best Selling Albums - Ultimate History of 80s Teen Movie - 80s to 90s VHS Video Cover Art - Totally Awesome 80s A Lexicon - Best In Ear Headphones (I Use These Every Day) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check Out The Professor of Rock Merch Store - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check Out Patron Benefits Help out the Channel by purchasing your albums through our links! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you, thank you for your support. Click here for Premium Content: #classicrock #80smusic #vinylstory #roxette Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. Tell you what, if you ever made a snow cone from the Snoopy Snowcone machine or something made out of the easy bake oven, you’re going to Dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia. We also have a Patreon you'll want to check out. There you’ll find an additional catalog of exclusive content and you can even become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history. Today we’re telling the story of a band, a duo actually, that we’ve yet to cover on the channel. They were massively successful around the world thanks to a catalog of highly infectious pop-rock, at the end of the 80s into the new decade these guys kicked out six songs that either topped the US charts or came in at #2. A phenomenal feat. They actually had only one single during that time that failed to break the Top 10 on the Hot 100. Self-described as a “feel-good band” with a “positive energy” message, I’m talking about the ultimate hit makers Roxette! Comprised of the Swedish duo of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson, Roxette formed in 1985 with the help of ex-Abba manager Thomas Johannson. Both Gessle and Fredriksson were working on solo careers at the time. Per, who was also working as a songwriter for hire was discovered by Johannson who was looking for songs for Frida Lyngstad, formerly of Abba. Fredriksson for her part was also on the rise, having released three popular solo albums. Johannson teamed them up and they became Roxette. Songs originally planned for Per’s third solo album were instead repurposed for Roxette’s 86 debut record, Pearls Of Passion. With the release of that record, Roxette almost immediately achieved tremendous success in Sweden. A home-country hit, Pearls Of Passion certified platinum there with nearly 300,000 copies sold… Putting them in prime position for an international breakthrough with their next record. Roxette’s second album Look Sharp! in October 1988.
