Roxette continued the tradition of Swedish pop stars hitting big in America when they reeled off a string of big hits in the late 80s and early 90s. On most of those songs, the sterling vocals of Marie Fredrikkson took center stage.
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But Fredrikkson played more of a supporting role on “The Look”, Roxette’s first US hit. On that song, it was songwriter Per Gessle who stepped up to deliver some quirky lyrics over an unstoppable electronic groove.
Big In Sweden
Marie Fredrikkson and Per Gessle had already made names for themselves on the Swedish musical scene when they first got together as Roxette in the mid-80s. And it didn’t take long for them to achieve success in their native country.
For the most part, Gessle wrote the songs, and Fredrikkson sang them. For their sophomore album, Look Sharp!, released in 1988, Roxette churned out a pair of singles that did well in Sweden. One of those, “Listen To Her Heart”, would eventually top the charts in America, but only after another song beat it to the punch.
When making Look Sharp!, Gessle made the decision to use more synthetic musical backing instead of a live band. He was hoping it would help them stay current with musical trends. The third single released in Sweden, “The Look”, featured heavy use of synths, along with some stinging guitar work from Jonas Issacson. Accidentally, this would be the song that broke them in America.
“Look” Sharp
Once he put together the music for “The Look”, Gessle started singing some guide lyrics just to get a feel for the melody. He decided to keep these words in place. Some of the phrasings might sound odd. But you have to remember that English was Gessle’s second language.
When he asked Fredrikkson to sing the track, she insisted that it was better with Gessle’s vocal. She did indeed provide some “na-na-na” vocals as the track progressed, while also responding to some of Gessle’s vocals on the refrain.
A Swedish native who was living in the United States decided to pass along a copy of “The Look” to a local American DJ. He started playing the track, other stations soon followed, and without the duo playing too much of a role in it, “The Look” took off. It hit No. 1 in 1989, the first of four chart-toppers by Roxette in the US.
Behind the Lyrics of “The Look”
The opening lines of “The Look” should tell you all you need to know about its freewheeling lyrics. “Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer,” Gessle sings. “She’s a juvenile scam/Never was a quitter, tasted like a raindrop/She’s got the look.” On the surface, it’s an ode to an indefinable, alluring girl.
But you might be better off simply letting the sound of the language wash over you instead of trying to interpret it. After all, Gessle was choosing words based on their sonic impact more than their meaning. He makes sure to orient the audience with a great couplet for the hook. “What in the world could make a brown-eyed girl turn blue?” he asks. “When everything I’ll ever do, I’ll do for you.”
Per Gessle and Marie Fredrikkson never thought that American success would ever be in the cards for them. But their talent outstripped their ambition, and “The Look” started Roxette on an incredible hot streak.
Photo by kpa/United Archives via Getty Images
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