1. Så stilla så långsamt [1992 – DSR]
2. Kom vila hos mig [2013 – Nu!]
3. Bara för en dag [1987 – ES]
4. Det regnar igen [1992 – DSR]
5. Sista sommarens vals [2013 – Nu!]
6. Ber bara en gång [1996 – IETSV]
7. Sparvöga [1989 off the Swedish drama TV series]
8. Ett hus vid havet [1985 – DSV]
9. Ett bord i solen [2007 – TFT]
10. Så skimrande var aldrig havet [1990 off Taube compilation album]
11. Ännu doftar kärlek [1984 – HV]
12. Så länge det lyser mittemot [1992 – DSR]
13. Om du såg mig nu [1987 – ES]
14. Efter stormen [1987 – ES]
15. Den sjunde vågen [1985 – DSV]
16. Guldgruva [2006 – MBV] (guest appearance of Pugh Rogefeldt)
17. Mellan sommar och höst [1992 – DSR]
18. Den bästa dagen [1985 – DSV]
19. Tro [1996 – IETSV]
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There were not too many familiar faces at the concert tonight, but as Nina Wolfframm informs on FB, the show was the best so far, a million times better than e.g. Helsingborg. Most probably, after the first 3 concerts Marie and the band feel safer, thus more relaxed, they got used to how it works and it’s not that stressful anymore. Well, we know Per didn’t let Christoffer relax, but hopefully, Marie and all the other members of the band could have a rest during the past concert-free days.
The audience was not standing up, but was making lots of noise. Marie was also talking more between the songs than during the previous concerts. Well done!
There was a change in the setlist, since there was a guest artist, Pugh Rogefeldt. He and Marie performed Guldgruva, which was written (lyrics & music) by Pugh and covered by Marie on Min bäste vän. Marie was also a guest artist at Pugh’s concert in 2006.
Screenshot is from the ”Gyllene Tider sommaren 2013” docu
As we already heard it from Per, there is a new show on Nordic Rox called Twelve Peaks. The essence of it is Per Gessle choosing 12 songs according to the actual topic and he and Sven Lindström are discussing them. Sven made the first 2 shows available via Evgeny Perekopskiy. Huge thanx for that! You can check them out at the links below.
I encourage you to listen to these shows, it’s really worth it. I always love listening to Sven and Per talking to each other. They always have a very nice, relaxed conversation, a friend to friend discussion about music. All smiles and laughs and jokes and meaningfulness. You just have to love Mr G’s enthusiasm when he is talking about songs and music in general and Sven is a fab partner in that. Magnificent is the word.
The part with Per starts at 50:14, right after Church of Your Heart being played, but because of all the gorgeous music you can hear on Nordic Rox, I suggest you listening to the complete, 3-hour-long programme.
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Wizzard: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
Bob Dylan: Must Be Santa
Slade: Merry Xmas Everybody
Roxette: It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The Broken Hearted)
The Crystals: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Brainpool: The Last Christmas
The Pogues: Fairytale of New York
Elvis Presley: Blue Christmas
Mud: Lonely This Christmas
David Bowie & Bing Crosby: Little Drummer Boy
Nick Lowe: Silent Night
At the Bob Dylan song Sven asked Per how it looks like when Mr G is dancing around the Xmas tree and he replied it’s exactly like what you can see in the hilariously good video of the song. So check it out! 😉
It’s impossible for Per to present a Xmas song list without It Must Have Been Love. Here he tells the well-known story of the song, starting out as a Christmas song, how it became the soundtrack to Pretty Woman, Billboard No. 1., etc.
Nice to see Brainpool’s latest single on the list. Per says it’s a cute little song and it’s very Swedish in a way.
About Elvis Mr G says he wasn’t really an Elvis fan, his sister was. His brother was a Beatles fan.
About Christmas in general Per says it’s nice to have a white Christmas. However, if he didn’t have a big family, he would probably leave for a mild climate place with lots of sunshine during Xmas time, to Miami or LA. But he likes it in Sweden. They are talking about Per not being a winter guy. We know he doesn’t ski, but now it turns out he doesn’t swim in the ocean, because there are fish there. So he prefers the pool. Fish-free pool. 🙂
Sven starts the whole show with telling that Per took his time off while recording his new album with Christoffer Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman. The part with PG starts at 49:10, just after The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye being played. You, see? As I said, it’s worth listening to the complete, 3-hour-long programme.
To the questions how many songs he has written, he says he doesn’t count them, but he probably has 7-800 registered songs [according to an earlier article in Hallandsposten it’s rather 1000!!!], which means he is getting old, he says. Sven says: ”Or you’re writing fast!” Regarding the question that comes up very often during interviews (how can one write a hit?) he says you have to have the ability to make a good melody, but you have to write music that is appealing to yourself, but it’s always a happy accidence of the timing and luck for it becoming a hit.
Songs he listed are mostly the ones that inspired him when he was a kid, when he was just listening to these hits. Now he is listening to the songs as a professional and he is missing listening to songs as a non-pro. Songs are not in priority order, Mr G just listed these 12 hits. Picking only 12 songs wasn’t really easy for him, he says.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Refugee
Buzzcocks: Ever Fallen In Love
The Who: Substitute
The Left Banke: Walk Away Renée
The Zombies: Time of the Season
Mott the Hoople: All the Young Dudes
The Beatles: Dear Prudence
The Nerves: Hanging on the Telephone
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood: Summer Wine
Paul McCartney: Too Many People
The Turtles: Happy Together
Dionne Warwick: I’ll Never Fall In Love Again
Regarding The Beatles Per says they released approximately 140 songs and he wished he had written 110-112 of them.
When they are talking about Summer Wine, he says you can do so many great things when you use a male and a female voice. It’s like talking to each other. It was the theory with Roxette, too.
As Per informed earlier, there are a zillion ”12 Peaks” shows to come, e.g. his 12 favourite pop drummers and his 12 favourite pop intros. At the end of the Xmas special he was even joking about an Easter special, with 12 songs about eggs. 🙂 Can’t wait to listen to the upcoming 12 peaks!
About Gotland she says it’s a nice island and she is looking forward to deepening her relationship with it. She has never played there before. Marie says she has been longing for singing in Swedish again. The absolute best thing about performing live is meeting and get close to the audience.
To the question if it is different touring now to touring before her illness she replied today she takes it easy, one thing at a time and puts energy in the right thing at the right time. She is constantly trying to enjoy the ”present”.
Regarding Nu! she says she felt like “finally!!!!”, when it was finished. She is very proud of the whole album and the one and only song, Sista sommarens vals written by her. Right now her favourite song off the album is Kom vila hos mig, especially live.
In the setlist during the tour everyone will find their own favourite MF songs, there are new and old ones. Hela Gotland asked if there is any song she can’t leave out, since the audience demands hearing it. She said there are more songs like this, but especially Sparvöga. Regarding the arrangement she says she has an amazing band with her, so both the up-tempo songs and the ballads sound great.
Marie informs she will stay in Gotland only for 1 day, but plans to come back for a private stay during summer.
To the question if she has any hidden talents she replied:
The letter is about Radio Halland not playing Gyllene Tider often enough, just playing dance bands. He says they wrote quite a lot of letters like this. Radio Halland was special for them, since GT is from Halmstad and they thought the local radio should support local bands more. Per says he didn’t get a reply to that letter back then, he also forgot about it until 20 years later, when one day he entered the building of Radio Halland and saw it at the reception on the wall framed. He remembers they even sent postcards under fake names to have the chance to appear in Poporama (an old radio show).
Per says it was a tough time to make themselves heard, because just like now, the Swedish music industry was very Stockholm oriented. They had to use all the tools they could.
To the question when was the last time he wrote such a letter he laughed and said he stopped doing it now. By the way, some months after this letter had been written they got a contract from EMI Stockholm.
Photo of THE letter by Göran Fritzon
Per says he has always been doing what he loved, writing songs and playing them. He knew it from the very beginning that writing songs for others was not really his thing. He always wanted to play his songs himself.
To the question what was the biggest thing in his career when he is looking back he says it’s Roxette and the 4 Billboard No. 1’s. He says they were pioneers with their tours, touring in South America in the 90’s and also in China. If he thinks about Sweden only, Gyllene Tider is of course still enormous and performing in Ullevi was fantastic, but also their gig in Halmstad in 1995 was magical, then the Återtåget tour in 1996 and playing in Örjans vall in 2004.
As usual, Per says again it’s never clear which song will become a hit or what response you’ll get regarding a song. You have to find your own style and you have to be satisfied with your songs yourself, create them according to your own taste.
Regarding autographs Mr G says he didn’t even have an autograph back in the days, just look at the letter he wrote to Radio Halland, he hadn’t even signed it. Sometimes he did sign Marie’s autographs in the past, at the beginning. George Harrison also signed the others’ autographs in The Beatles he says.
Regarding what he still wants to do before he dies, Per says he wants to work and is looking forward to a new big and long Roxette adventure. Marie is on her solo tour now, but it’s a plan to do more Roxette. To the question if we can see him on stage with Marie during her tour he says he doesn’t think so.
