“You’re one in a million, we’re two of a kind…”

Can you believe it? TODAY officially marks the 40th Anniversary of Roxette’s debut release, ‘Neverending Love‘. The beginning, birth you might say of Roxette…

To celebrate, The Roxette Archives have been opened once more, and we were lucky to get:

★ Limited Edition 12″ Vinyl
★ Digital EP
★ Remastered Official Video
★ 40th Anniversary Video

The Vinyl and Digital releases contained demos, hard to find remixes, a live cut, and even a new demo remix by MP.

8th July 1986 >> 8th July 2026

1986 became the year that changed everything. Per continued to struggle to get EMI onboard with ‘PG3’, his third solo effort. Songs had been written, but EMI continued to show little interest, maybe they were “missing a lead single?“. Instead, it was suggested that he team up with Marie to record a song, just to see how it might work.

The song was of course, ‘Neverending Love’ which started life as ‘Svarta glas‘ (‘Black Glasses’) written for Pernilla Wahlgren, who in turn didn’t want it and gave it to her brother Niklas, who recorded it but never got to release it.

The uncertainty as to whether this ‘project’ would be a success also explains one of the more interesting details around the original Swedish single. The cover did not feature Marie or Per themselves. It was a cautious choice, made while Roxette was still being tested as an idea rather than launched as a fully formed band, just in case!

The newly recorded ‘try out song’ with the new English lyrics was an instant success over the summer in Sweden, and led to the opportunity to record a full album. It may not have been the global breakthrough that would come later, but it was the starting point. The first official step in a career that would take Roxette far beyond Sweden.

We’ll celebrate ‘Pearls of Passion‘ later in October during the #ROX40 Countdown.

“I was grateful that I got the chance to work with Marie on an album. That wasn’t planned at all.
It happened because ‘Neverending Love’ became a big hit during the summer”.
[Per Gessle, The Daily Roxette #ROX40 Interview, March 2026]

Roxette at 40. A Neverending Love…

Not one sound, not one song or album, not one era, not one tour, not even one story. A catalogue that still stretches and achieves, indeed, ‘It Must Have Been Love‘ recently passed the One Billion Streaming milestone!

Roxette went on to record 10 Studio albums,  sell over 80 million albums, 30 million singles, have Toured the world several times selling over 5 million concert tickets, and more recently in the digital world, have stacked up over 4 billion streams. Not to mention various #1 hits around the world, including their four Billboard #1 singles in America.

It all begins again where it ends…Roxette at 40, Let’s Celebrate!  Mission accomplished!

The Original Videos

Two videos were made for the single, one better than the other of course.

★ Version 1 = Red hair and those wacky leather outfits.

★ Version 2 = The ballroom / nightclub version. Much better and the one that’s been remastered.

Neverending Love Video Shoot.
Photo by Michael Johansson for OKEJ Magazine.

★ The 40th Anniversary Video ★

___________________________________________________________

Big Thanx to:
Per Gessle ★ Johan Olsson ★ Warner Music Sweden ★ TDR / Kai

40th Anniversary Video by
Thomas Lawrie-Clark
with big thanx to Thomas Evensson

Photography by:
Kai-Uwe Heinze ★ Thomas Evensson  ★ Thomas Lawrie-Clark
All other photographs via Roxette Official // Per Gessle Facebook
Copyright remains with original owners