Robert Thorselius’ excellent The Look For Roxette book is now available to view online. Previously only available as a book, the new online version also features an interactive section where you can create your Rox Collection and view items available to buy and swap from other fans.  Having the book online means that it is now possible to update the information as soon as new releases are available. While Marie’s "Där du andas" is there, Per’s "Party Crasher" is not as of yet.  There are lots of interesting, new and rare items on there when compared with the book edition so check out the online version.

STOCKHOLM - In a recent interview with Expressen, Per lists the best songs he has ever written. Per is notorious for giving different answers each time he is asked this kind of question, but this is his latest response:

1. Tycker om när du tar på mej (Per Gessle: Mazarin, 2003)
   "One would think writing love songs becomes easier when you get older, but it only gets trickier. Maybe it's because you lack the naïvety that you had when you were young. But this is a real love song, written to my wife, and I'm very proud of it."
2. The Look (Roxette: Look Sharp!, 1988)
   "A fantastic little song, isn't it? It was so easy to write — everything was obvious. I built up a little ZZ Top groove and all the pieces fell into place without effort. It still sounds like a hit."
3. Perfect Excuse (Per Gessle: Party Crasher, 2008)
   "I'm really happy about the new album. This ballad is great. I sing it really quiet and it makes my voice sound very different. I feel like I've found a new way to sing."
4. Perfect Day (Roxette: Joyride, 1991)
   "We found out that Vicki Benckert could play the accordion and we wanted to do something out of it. You can never go wrong with an accordion. And it became a very nice ballad that was written the same way as 'Listen To Your Heart;' I borrowed a chorus that MP had written, made it the verse and wrote a new chorus. Marie sings wonderfully."
5. Det hjärta som brinner (Gyllene Tider: Moderna tider, 1981)
   "If I'm not mistaken, I wrote this in a park… somewhere. I can't think of any direct reason why this song is so good. It just has the pop quality that feels so obvious and it's always great to play live."

Per also lists the best female singers he has had the pleasure to work with:

1. Marie Fredriksson
   "It was a revolution when she came into my life. Just like Clarence (Öfwerman), she makes my ideas take off. She made my songs have credibility, as if taken from the Bible. She can sing sexy, softly, expressively. Marie is everything."
2. Helena Josefsson
   "She is a completely different type of person than Marie. Helena has sung on all my solo albums since 2003 and is a fantastic singer. She is a poetic, spiritual singer who is incredible at improvising. I usually just say 'sing as you wish' and she sings four to six different versions and we choose the one that fits best."
3. Belinda Carlisle
   "I wrote 'Always Breaking My Heart' and 'Love Doesn't Live Here' for her. The English record company said that she is a mediocre singer and it would be a problem in the studio. She sang perfectly! And in addition, made the songs have her own sound at the very first try. A real professional!"
4. Camilla "Milla" Andersson
   "Eva Dahlgren and Anne-Lie Rydé have also made a nice effort, but Milla from Millas Mirakel has probably meant more to me. She has sung on many, many demos in the Tits & Ass studio and actually has quite a great voice. Hmm… I should write her a hit single soon!"

On UK's 4Music TV channel, Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love" from the "Pretty Woman" OST ranked number 6 on the programme "50 Greatest Movie Song", which was broadcasted today between 11:30 and 16:00 GMT.

The "Pretty Woman" cut of the video was aired in its entirety at around 15:20.

Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from the "Titanic" OST came first. The list was created by the editors based on "popularity" rather than facts like the number of singles sold.

This TV programme is likely to be repeated several times.

Despite having more #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other Swedish artists, Roxette failed to place a single song on the magazine’s top 100 hits of all-time. Per and Marie were in good company, though, as ABBA was also left off the best of the best tally. Meanwhile, Swedish compatriots Ace of Base earned one song on the listing and Roxette scored four #1 hits in Billboard between 1989 and 1991. The hits include, as any fan can easily tell you, “The Look,” “Listen To Your Heart,” “It Must Have Been Love,” and “Joyride.” The four singles spent a combined five weeks at the top of the Hot 100. “It Must Have Been Love” stayed at the top for two weeks, the duo’s only multi-week stay at #1.
“The Sign” tallied six weeks at #1 in 1994 and earned a spot as the #51 song of all-time, according to Billboard.
According to Billboard, “Swede success was prevalent on the Hot 100 in the early '90s. Roxette ruled with ‘It Must Have Been Love’ and ‘Joyride,’ while fellow Swedish act Ace of Base picked up the baton with ‘The Sign.’”

In case you’re wondering, “The Twist” by Chubby Checker was named the biggest Hot 100 hit of all-time. Read the FAQ to see how the charts were tallied.

STOCKHOLM - Per Gessle and Mats MP Persson will travel to London October 7 to receive yet another "Million-Air" award for "Listen to Your Heart."

"Listen to Your Heart" has been played over 4.000.000 times on US radio, same as "It Must Have Been Love" in 2005. According to BMI.com, based on an average length of three minutes, one million airplays is the equivalent of 50,000 hours or 5.7 years of continuous airplay. Top Million-Air songs are for instance The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and The Beatles' "Yesterday" with both over 8.000.000 plays.

Roxette has eight BMI awarded songs.

Per Gessle is obviously very pleased with this and comments "Yay!"

For reasons yet unknown Roxette's US #2 single from 1989, "Dangerous,"  has entered the Australian download chart at #30. "The Oz people are famous for their exquisite taste. Marie and myself are very happy indeed" comments Per to The Daily Roxette.

In the footsteps of Tyra Banks and her show "America's Next Top Model," we now have "She's Got the Look" which basically is the same type of show but features women over 35 competing for the title. The show is hosted by Kim Alexis and premieres in the U.S. on June 4. What's The Daily Roxette's interest in this, you ask? Well, the theme song of the show is, of course, Roxette's "The Look"!

A vote has been taking place on The Daily Roxette's forum the last weeks. All the votes have now been counted and checked and the winner of The Quest to find the best Roxette song EVER is:

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART!

It was a closely run final, with many songs ending up very close. Ultimately though, DANGEROUS finished in second place.

Over 500 votes have been received, over the last 2-3 weeks, so a BIG thank you to everyone who has voted.

As promised here are the results of the 3 favorite songs from each album:

Pearls of Passion:
1 – Surrender
2 – So Far Away
3 – Like Lovers Do

Look Sharp!
1 – Listen To Your Heart
2 – Dangerous
3 – The Look

Joyride
1 – Joyride
2 – Spending My Time
3 – Fading Like A Flower
Read more…

STOCKHOLM (Updated) -

Ring them bells… Ring them bells….
Hola out there in Roxette County!
Just a quickie to wish you the merriest christmas of them all!!! Thanks, as always, for your endless support.
See ya next year (one way or another…)

P&M, Stockholm

Update: Per also wishes the fans a Merry Christmas at gessle.com with a nice message and a new old demo called "Lycklig jul" ("Happy Christmas") from 1985.

German country & western singer Suzie Candell, born 1986, has recorded a c&w version of Roxette's old hit "Sleeping in My Car" on her latest album "I Gotta Be Me." Suzie's album was released in March 2007. Check Suzie's homepage for a snippet. Click "Discografie," then "I Gotta Be Me."

The Daily Roxette has not reached Ms. Candell for a comment. 

Martin M contributed to this article.