ABBA’s still Swedish pop music unconditional greatest success, but Roxette is coming into a clear second place, assess, Dan Rachlin, who as a dj, tv and radio presenter has been involved professionally with music for a lifetime.
– It is difficult to measure someone up against Bjorn and Benny (Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, ed.), but in relation to continuous to be able to continue to deliver great pophits, I consider the Per Gessle as quite unique and a really, really big international popkomponist, and it has his earnings and Roxettes hits also clearly proven, says Dan Rachlin.
According to him, it was the well-oiled interaction between the experienced musician and songwriter Per Gessle and the now defunct, raw poptøs Marie Fredriksson, the duo had the luck to break through internationally.
Roxette obtained with the songs ‘The Look’, ‘listen to Your Heart’, ‘It Must Have Been Love’ and ‘Joyride’ entire four-charts-top rankings in the UNITED states.
– At the time, where they materialise, she was a beautiful tomboy with a raw charisma and a raw vocal. Her vocals were not ABBA-sensitive. It is not ABBA-skøndang being delivered, but rather a little more raw popvokal, which fit well into the time in the end of eighties and start nineties, says Dan Rachlin and adds:
– She is not the type that appeared in guldkjole and with keen hair. It was in the jeans and cowboyjakke with a little punkagtig hairstyle. That was not played on the usual seksualitetsting.
– they persisted for a long time?
– It is, I think, is difficult to say anything sensible about. Per Gessle was a classical musician, and I’ve actually always experienced, that he just loved to come out to perform.
– It is clear that she (Marie Fredrikkson, red.) in the last few years – little ala Kim Larsen – had to sit down when she was on stage. It suddenly became something else. But it was not my impression that she lost her very distinctive vocals.
Dan Rachlin estimates that Roxette will be remembered as one of Sweden’s greatest popsucceser. Photo: Peter Gravesen
– Works independence referendum is still, and will they be remembered?
– ‘The Look’ is still going clean home, and ‘It Must Have Been Love’ is one of our time’s greatest kærlighedsballader – not least because it came on the soundtrack to ‘Pretty Woman’. I will not go so far as to say that we come up in the Beatles class, but I’m thinking that ‘It Must Have Been Love’ and a few others will be by with to be played.
