Oho!

Per’s 60 for 60. #39 Kissing is the Key. Well then there now, kissing is certainly the key. Kissing is amazing! Taken from the 2008 album “Party Crasher,” which you may remember started out as a SOAP album. This song is great, to put it short and sweet. Just great! And to the point. Per usually dances around subjects, with hints to this and to that. Here he goes the whole way. Kissing IS the key. Period. TDR agrees whole-heartedly. Kissing is the key/to an everlasting love/the kissing is the key/to an everlasting love/it really doesn’t matter/what you are hiding from/kissing kissing kissing/is the key to an everlasting love… Do you agree or do you agree? #per60

Kissing is the Key

Per’s 60 for 60. This is #39 of TDR’s hand-picked list of songs from Per Gessle’s career.

Per in Norrköping 2004 and in Linköping 2018.

Per’s 60 for 60. #40 I Wanna Be with You. OK, a third done, what do you think so far? Here’s another gem from The Lonely Boys. This was meant to be a Roxette song but was also considered for “The World According to Gessle,” but ended up as a Lonely Boys track. Also, a couple of years ago Swedish ’60s rock band The Hep Stars recorded a cover of “I Wanna Be With You” in studio T&A. Funny thing about the Lonely Boys album is that Per claimed – as always – in the interviews that he wrote the songs specifically for this project, while we know for a fact that several of the 6-7 songs were already written long ago. These lyrics are also very cute and loving. I wanna be with you all day/I wanna be with you all night/I wanna be with you all day/I wanna be with you all night… Isn’t it wonderful to feel this way? #per60

This line is important: These lines are important!

Per’s 60 for 60. #41 Fyrklöver (Four-Leaf Clover). Back to the future again. The last song on “En vacker dag” and a late addition at that. It replaced “Rudy & Me” since Per changed his mind about including another English song on the albums. “I do that sometimes” he stated (change his mind.) A beautiful, airy, acoustic number and a duet with Helena “Fyrklöver” is about love (of course,) but unknown love. “Who put this four-leaf clover on my table??” Helena replies “I don’t want to tell you, I don’t want to tell you…” 41 is too low for this song, we blame Stevo! The four-leaf clover is a sign of luck, at least in the western world. #60

Fyrklöver

This is #41 of TDR’s hand-picked list of songs from Per Gessle’s career.

Per’s 60 for 60. #42 Rocket from Her Heart. A demo again, this time from 1989. This was never used by Roxette but it was recorded by Swedish ’50s style bop band The Boppers in ’91. They are famous for being really bad at English, so for some reason they’re singing “She shoots a rocket from MY heart…” and it was also named “Rocket from MY Heart.” In 1993 German artist Mark Keller also recorded it. This song was most likely written for “Joyride,” and it made #42 on our chart. What’s your take on it? #per60

Rocket from Her Heart

Per’s 60 for 60. This is #42 of TDR’s hand-picked list of songs from Per Gessle’s career.

Interesting!

Neil

Listen to these guys discussing ‘Stars’. In their podcast they discuss 2 songs which flopped in the UK and discuss which one they want to ‘unflop’. This time it’s Roxette’s turn. They start discussing Roxette at around 22 mins. I am the ‘Neil’ that is talked about as I went to school with Stuart.

Another hint: Some people ask if this is going to be a Best Of album. Hmmm. Let me put it like this: Many years ago there were times when we (TDR) didn’t dare walking home alone in the dark when Roxette were going to release yet another Greatest Hits album. Well, I guess some of us can sing somehow (not overly sure though) but hey, we like you so we would never hurt you. And does this really look like a CD sleeve? Come on… 🙂

Per’s 60 for 60. #43 Kix. We return to “The World According to Gessle,” a world that’s full of adventure. “Kix” was a single as well and was released June 23 1997. The video was once again directed by Jonas Åkerlund and was banned from MTV due to a gay couple kissing in it. There was a maxi CD released, with two remixes aptly named “Lovely Pair Mix” and “Horribly Pear Shaped Mix.” Funny huh? It was even released as a double single in the UK! Our previous chart song “Love Doesn’t Live Here” was the B-side. “Kix” features a fat synth bass and doesn’t really fit in with the other songs on the album but it’s a more than decent track, which #43 out of 60 proves! #per60

Kix

This is #43 of TDR’s hand-picked list of songs from Per Gessle’s career.

The vid! #per60

Per Gessle – En Händig Man [Music Video]

En händig man was made in the area around Per Gessles hometown, Halmstad. I was asked to direct and film a music video for Per right before he was about to…

Per’s 60 for 60. #44 En händig man (A Handy Man.) 2007, the album is called “En händig man,” a supposed sequel to the very successful and appreciated “Mazarin.” Apparently the working title was “Mazarin II” even. Obviously this was the lead single accompanied by a video, directed by Jeffery Richt and filmed in Halmstad, around Slottsmöllan. Cute lyrics about Hanna, known from “Henry, dansa inte disco” by Gyllene Tider. She is still messy with a “stormy love life”… The lyrics to “En händig man” are actually quite sexy if you listen to them. After all, he is a “handy man” not a handyman. Jag kommer hem till dej/Jag är en händig man/Jag finns för dej jag kommer så fort jag bara kan/Jag lyssnar på dej håller om dej erbjuder en hand/Och vill du jag ska stanna är jag en händig man… I’m coming home to you I am a handy man/I’m here for you I’m coming as fast as I can/I listen to you hold you offer you a hand/And if you would like me to stay I am a handy man… The joke of the title is that Per is the lousiest handyman in the world, and of course he knows it! #per60

En händig man

Per’s 60 for 60. This is #44 of TDR’s hand-picked list of songs from Per Gessle’s career.

Per’s 60 for 60. #45 Genius Gone Wrong. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the genius gone wrong…” Here we open a while new door – The Lonely Boys! A fake ’60s group Per created together with Nisse Hellberg from Wilmer X, and recorded a soundtrack for a book… Unheard of! This song however, was originally a Gyllene Tider song, and was meant to be on their unnamed album Gyllene Tider V. Anders quit Gyllene so the song remained unused, but was released on Mats MP Persson’s 30th B-day album “MP 30!” Per made for him as a gift. They are pretty similar, although the ’60s version is more… ’60s! Recorded using equipment from the era, instruments as well as tape recorders and mixers. He’s going for gold/I’m going for you – I’m the one!/He’ll talk to you later/I’m tellin’ you now – I’m the one! He knows what he wants, do you? #per60

Genius Gone Wrong

Per’s 60 for 60. This is #45 of TDR’s hand-picked list of songs from Per Gessle’s career.

Per’s 60 for 60. #46 I Want You to Know. Another song from “The World According to Gessle,” this time a single even, released September 9, 1997. The video where Per walks around in a forest with life sized cuddly animals was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. Yet another love song from the Man. Does this girl know that he’s interested? Not sure. Who doesn’t want to hear “I want you to know, I want you to stay, don’t go!”?? At least my heart would melt. #per60

I Want You To Know

Per’s 60 for 60. This is #46 of TDR’s hand-picked list of songs from Per Gessle’s career.

You wanted hints? Fine. Project X[mas] is going to be the biggest thing we’ve ever done and you surely remember that we have quite a history. Soon it’s Christmas, in the meantime enjoy our extended advent calendar with Per’s songs. More hints to follow. Stay tuned, it’s worth it. ?