Roxette discography

Roxette discography
Roxette on stage in Weert 2011
Studio albums10
Live albums1
Compilation albums13
Singles56
Video albums11
Music videos52
Promotional singles20
Remix albums1
Box sets3

The discography of Swedish pop duo Roxette consists of ten studio albums (including six Swedish number ones), one live album, thirteen compilation albums, one remix album, eleven video albums, three box sets, fifty-six singles (including three Swedish and four US number ones) and twenty promotional singles, as well as fifty-two music videos. The duo, which consisted of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson, are the second most commercially successful Swedish act of all time, after ABBA.[1] They sold over 75 million records worldwide,[2][3][4] although a report by the Los Angeles Times put the figure as high as 80 million.[5] The RIAA awarded them certifications of 3.5 million units in the US,[6] where the duo have sold over two million albums since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in May 1991.[7][8] The BPI in the UK certified Roxette for shipments of at least 3 million.[9] They were particularly successful in Germany, where they are recognised as one of the highest-certified acts of all time, with shipments of 5.725 million units.[10]

The duo formed in 1986, releasing debut album Pearls of Passion that same year. The record and its singles performed well in Sweden, but failed to chart elsewhere. Their international breakthrough came with Look Sharp! in 1988, which contained "The Look" and "Listen to Your Heart". Both songs peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Dangerous" peaked at number two.[11] Originally a non-album single in 1987, "It Must Have Been Love" became an international hit when it was re-released in 1990 as part of the soundtrack to Pretty Woman.[12] Their most successful album, Joyride, was issued the following year, eventually selling over 11 million copies worldwide. The title track was their fourth number one on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)" also peaking at number two.[11]

Roxette's fourth studio album Tourism was recorded in multiple studios during the "Join the Joyride! Tour", which saw them performing to over 1.7 million people worldwide.[13] The record performed well internationally, selling six million copies worldwide, but failed to replicate the success of previous albums in North America. 1994's Crash! Boom! Bang! was followed by greatest hits collection Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! in 1995, which both sold in excess of five million copies worldwide. A compilation of Spanish-language re-recordings titled Baladas en Español was issued in Spanish-speaking territories in 1996. Studio albums Have a Nice Day and Room Service were released in 1999 and 2001, respectively, and were both commercially successful throughout Europe.

Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2002, resulting in a period of inactivity for the duo. They briefly reunited to record two new songs for A Collection of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs! in 2006, before reforming in 2009 and embarking on "The Neverending World Tour".[14] Their studio albums from 1986–2001 were re-mastered and re-released in September 2009, featuring previously released bonus tracks.[15] Eighth studio album Charm School came in 2011, with Travelling following a year later. Their tenth and final studio album, Good Karma, was issued in 2016. The band began releasing 30th anniversary editions of their studio albums in 2018, with Look Sharp! followed by Joyride in 2022 and Tourism in 2023. Fredriksson died in 2019 as a result of complications stemming from her 2002 cancer diagnosis.[14] The band released an album of outtakes titled Bag of Trix on the first anniversary of her death; it was released in dedication to her.[16]

  1. ^ Røyseland, Halstein (16 October 2008). "Roxette skylder millionbeløp" [Roxette owes millions]. VG Nett (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  2. ^ Mathieson, Craig (22 February 2015). "Roxette reunion goes beyond the nostalgia circuit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  3. ^ Lars Brandle (21 April 2016). "Roxette Calls Time on Touring". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Universal Music Publishing signs multi-territory deal for Roxette catalogue". Music Business Worldwide. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Marie Fredriksson of Swedish pop duo Roxette dies at 61". Los Angeles Times. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  7. ^ Keith Caulfield (16 August 2005). "Billboard.com > Ask a Question > Roxette's Rocky U.S. Relationship". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  8. ^ Gary Trust (16 January 2009). "Ask Billboard: Roxette, Whitney Houston, Interpol". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 January 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference bpi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference bvmi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference us-singles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Mackie, Drew (25 June 2015). "Roxette's It Must Have Been Love, 25 Years Later". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  13. ^ Tzvetkova, Juliana (12 October 2017). Pop Culture in Europe. ABC-Clio. p. 52. ISBN 9781440844669. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  14. ^ a b Bakker, Tiffany (11 December 2019). "Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson dead at 61". news.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Roxette's official website". Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  16. ^ Joanna Chojnacka (26 November 2020). "Roxette - "Piece of Cake". Zapowiedź płyty dla Marie Fredriksson" ["Roxette - 'Piece of Cake'. Announcement of an album dedicated to Marie Fredriksson"]. Antyradio (in Polish). Retrieved 1 December 2020.