Wish I Could Fly

It’s 1999 and Roxette made a return after a bit of a “break” with an updated sound and look…

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!

“I’d fly over rooftops, the great boulevards…”

‘Wish I Could Fly‘ was the first taster from album #6, the technicolour masterpiece, ‘HAVE A NICE DAY‘.

Released February 1999, it immediately became a massive hit throughout Europe in particular, where the song eventually became the most-played song on European Radio that same year.

The song was a bit of an experiment by Per, who wanted to do a prominently-placed drum loop against the backdrop of a real orchestra. The experiment paid off. It was a big hit internationally and became a Roxette classic quickly.

“A very special song to me. One of my all-time favourite Roxette songs. I never get tired of this”.
Marie Fredriksson, 2000

The video was shot by long-time collaborator, Jonas Åkerlund. It’s a dark and mysterious video with Marie largely alone in an apartment, of which was in the same building as Per’s own apartment. It was borrowed and due to be renovated.

The scenes are linked with a moving spotlight that illuminates various scenes throughout. Per’s son, Gabriel, who was only one at the time features in one of the scenes. The video has been viewed over 16 million times.

As part of the various promotional activities, and also a continuation of the previous ‘Baladas en Español‘ project and success, three songs from the album were given the Spanish translation treatment. ‘Wish I Could Fly‘ became ‘Quisiera Volar‘, translated back as ‘I Would Like To Fly‘. The three Spanish tracks were released as bonus tracks on a special edition release of the album.

‘WICF‘ also got the remix treatment, lots in fact, and pretty damn good too! Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this was the last 2 part CD Single released in the UK, the first the standard and the second the remixes.

The ‘HAVE A NICE DAY‘ era was off to an amazing start, and it was only the beginning of such an amazing time in Roxette’s history.

Currently on Streaming

01 WICF (T&A Demo – Nov 18, 1997)
02 WICF (Album Version)
03 WICF (Tee’s Radio Mix)
04 WICF (StoneBridge R&B Mix)
05 WICF (StoneBridge Club Mix)
06 WICF (The Monk Version)
07 Quisiera Volar / ‘I Would Like To Fly’ (Have A Nice Day Special Edition)
08 WICF (Gessle Over Europe London) – I was there!
09 WICF (Live EMP Sky Church, Seattle USA, 2000)
10 WICF (Live, St.Petersburg 2010)

11 WICF (T&A Demo – Nov 18, 1997) – In Conversation with Sven Lindström
12 Quisiera Volar / ‘I Would Like To Fly’ (T&A Demo – June 23, 1995) – Per Gessle Talks, 1999
13 WICF (Live EMP Sky Church, Seattle USA, 2000) – In Conversation with Sven Lindström