The Centre of the Heart (Is a Suburb to the Brain)

What a title! Here we go into the ‘ROOM SERVICE’ era with a leftover sped up and re-invented.

Disclaimer: This artwork is an unofficial fan-made mock-up created in good faith for editorial and creative discussion only – there could possibly be mistakes, no one's perfect. The mock-up does not represent an official Roxette release, past or present, and is not endorsed by Roxette, their Management, or Record Label. No physical or digital products exist and nothing shown here is for sale, ever. All images, names, and likenesses are used for illustrative purposes only and remain the property of their respective copyright holders. No copyright infringement is intended, and no commercial use is made or implied. Here's a list of almost all our mock-ups so far. Enjoy! Thanks!

“If someone has a minute, won’t you explain…”

The lead single for the seventh Roxette album ‘Room Service‘ was released March 2001, 25 years ago!

Originally demoed and recorded during the ‘Have A Nice Day‘ album sessions in 1997, but didn’t make the cut. The original album recording was slower than what the song eventually became.

“We recorded it for the Have A Nice Day down in Spain… It came slow, even my demo was slow…
It just felt like something was missing… We just cleaned it up, added new base, kept the vocals, and sped it up”.
Per Gessle, In Conversation with Sven Lindström for TPGA, 2014

The single became one of their biggest hits in Sweden, topping the charts for four weeks. Elsewhere across Europe it was hit too, albeit a moderate one. Various remixes were commissioned and featured on the various single formats released. Additionally, we had the album outtake ‘Entering Your Heart‘ as the b-side. Such an amazing song in it’s own right and criminal it didn’t make the album don’t you think?

The video was another cause for controversy, this time due to golf if memory serves? Directed again by now long-time collaborator Jonas Åkerlund. It was an expensive video shot in America at a very characterful hotel aptly named the Madonna Inn. The video is extremely colourful and even nods back to the TV screen features from earlier work during the ‘Look Sharp‘ days. Love it!

I do actually prefer the ‘HAND‘ version of the song, especially all the instrumentation and layers of detail. That said, I do really like the ‘Room Service‘ version too. Win win. Such a great lead single and another exciting era for Roxette.

We got to hear ‘The Centre of the Heart‘ during the album launch gigs, as well as during the ‘Room Service Tour‘.

We’re celebrating the ‘Room Service’ 25th Anniversary this year, with releases already confirmed, including a vinyl issue for the first time. Full release details from the Roxette camp are to be announced at the time of writing this.

Currently on Streaming

01 TCOTH (IASTTB) (T&A Demo – Oct 2, 1997)
02 TCOTH (IASTTB) (Have A Nice Day Outtake 1999) 3:39
03 TCOTH (IASTTB) (Room Service Album Version)
04 TCOTH (IASTTB) (StoneBridge Club Mix Edit)
05 TCOTH (IASTTB) (Yoga Remix)

06 TCOTH (IASTTB) (T&A Demo – Oct 2, 1997) – In Conversation with Sven Lindström
07 TCOTH (IASTTB) (Have A Nice Day Outtake 1999) – Per Gessle Talks 2020

Missing from Streaming

– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Have A Nice Day Outtake – Longer Version) 4:06*
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (StoneBridge Club Mix)
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (StoneBridge Peak Hour Dub)
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (More Vox Dub)*
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Strings & Vox)*
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Instrumental Club Mix)*
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (TV Track)*
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Instrumental Radio)*
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Live in Stockholm – Album Launch Gig)
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Live in Barcelona – Album Launch Gig)
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Live in Cologne – Album Launch Gig)
– TCOTH (IASTTB) (Live in Stockholm 2001 – Room Service Tour)

*Unreleased