Tourism

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Their next album, 1991's Joyride, also went platinum in America, and it was followed in 1992 by Tourism: Songs from Studios, Stages, Hotel Rooms and Other Strange Places, a collection of material recorded during the group's 1991 world tour. In 1994, Roxette released Crash! Boom! Bang!, which was successful in Sweden and Europe but failed to live up to the sales figures of their second and third albums in America. In 1996, Roxette went on hiatus after recording a Spanish-language album, as Gyllene Tider staged a reunion tour and Gessle released a solo album. Roxette returned to duty in 1999 with the album Have a Nice Day, and Room Service followed in 2001, with the duo making a high-profile appearance as part of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, in the fall of 2002, Roxette were forced to curtail their activities when Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumor; over the next several years, she focused on her recovery and recorded solo material, while Gessle also pursued solo projects and staged another Gyllene Tider reunion. Listen To Your Heart”, ”It Must Have Been Love” and “Joyride” became three more US #1 songs in 1989-91, establishing their position as something far bigger and more forceful than your average MTV act. And in between there were even more contenders, as if Roxette were peppering the charts with a relentless flow of singles aiming for the top; “Dressed For Success”, “Dangerous”, “Fading Like A Flower”, “Spending My Time”, “The Big L”, and “Queen Of Rain”. The longest lasting and most successful pop group ever to come out of Scandinavia are making themselves ready to hit the road again. We’re talking about Roxette, of course—the dynamic duo consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, who’s melodic songs with their irresistible hooks and soaring choruses spread like wildfire all over the world some 25 years ago. And guess what, the heat is still on.

Ballads like the wistful “Anyone” and “Milk And Toast And Honey” had all the characteristics of classic Roxette in them, just as “The Centre Of The Heart (Is A Suburb To The Brain” felt like a fresh take on their cheeky, fast-moving pop side.

Notes

But in the fall of 2002, it seemed the story would end. The band was about to release the new single “A Thing About You”, when Marie Fredriksson collapsed at home. She was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a brain tumor. The brand-new collection Roxette XXX – The 30 Biggest Hits is a testament to the band’s incredible staying power. Two CDs with 30 songs, most of which can be heard over the airwaves just around the corner as well as on the other side of the planet, while you read this. But that’s just a part of the explanation. The real secret behind Roxette’s longevity is in the songs. As the group’s chief songwriter, Per Gessle has supplied enough melodies, hooks, choruses, and lyrical twists to turn the group into something resembling a living jukebox.

Having allowed themselves a well-deserved break in the mid ’90s, Roxette returned and released two albums with a slightly updated sound at the turn of the century— Have A Nice Day in 1999 and Room Service in 2001. But despite the group’s ability to change with the times, the songs core stayed the same.