Easy Way Out / Excuse Me Sir, Do You Want Me To Check On Your Wife?

An imaginary Double AA Side from ‘Travelling‘, pairing two of the album’s “less polished”, more organic and interesting moments.

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“I’ll take the easy way out…”

Neither was an obvious blockbuster single, but together they show exactly why ‘Travelling‘ was such an interesting Roxette album, songs created and collected on the road without worrying too much about fitting neatly into the usual Roxette box.

Easy Way Out

“A country song”
Per Gessle, commenting on the ‘Travelling’ tracklist, 2012

Per’s description was wonderfully straightforward, and pretty accurate. ‘Easy Way Out‘ strips things back to acoustic guitars, harmonica and a relaxed country-pop feel, sounding considerably closer to some of Per’s solo work than the bigger electronic Roxette productions surrounding it.

There’s nothing particularly complicated going on, and that is really its charm. It’s another example of Per’s ability to build something memorable from very simple ingredients, with a melody that seems to just roll along effortlessly.

TDR’s original ‘Travelling‘ review picked up on the same easy-going atmosphere, and it remains one of those album tracks that quietly improves with age. It’s one of my favourite cuts from the album (Thomas2).

Would it have worked as a single? Perhaps not on its own. But as half of a Double AA Side? Absolutely.

“…a fake guitarist in an eighties band…”

Excuse Me Sir, Do You Want Me To Check On Your Wife?

“‘Excuse Me Sir…’ is one of those songs where we sound like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers”
Per Gessle, commenting on the ‘Travelling’ tracklist, 2012

Per recorded the T&A Demo for ‘Excuse Me Sir, Do You Want Me To Check On Your Wife?‘ on October 13, 2009, several years before its eventual appearance on ‘Travelling‘. The demo was later released through ‘The Per Gessle Archives‘.

The finished Roxette version takes that basic idea and gives it considerably more weight, with guitars, harmonies and exactly the slightly ragged American rock feel Per himself compared to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. It’s an unusual Roxette song, but that is also exactly why we like it.

Paired with ‘Easy Way Out‘, it makes for a surprisingly convincing imaginary double aa single: two tracks from the less glossy side of ‘Travelling‘, both driven more by guitars, songwriting and feel and not obvious single choices. Sometimes that’s the point.

★ Currently on Streaming

01 Easy Way Out (Album Version)
02 Excuse Me Sir, Do You Want Me To Check On Your Wife? (T&A Demo, Oct 13, 2009)
03 Excuse Me Sir, Do You Want Me To Check On Your Wife? (Album Version)
04 Excuse Me Sir, Do You Want Me To Check On Your Wife? (T&A Demo, Oct 13, 2009) – In Conversation with Sven Lindström

★ Missing from Streaming

– Easy Way Out (T&A Demo)*

*Unreleased