PG Roxette covers Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”

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Per Gessle – together with Helena Josefsson, Dea Norberg, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson, Christoffer Lundquist and Jonas Isacsson, under the banner “PG Roxette” – is among those 53 artists who have covered their favourite songs from The Black Album of Metallica, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. From the 12 tracks of the album Per didn’t hesitate when asked which one he wanted to interpret – he picked Nothing Else Matters.

The Metallica Blacklist is now released digitally and will be out on 7 LPs / 4 CDs as well on 1st October. All profits will be donated to charities of each contributing artist’s choice along with Metallica’s own foundation, All Within My Hands.

In June, when PG shared the news he said:

I’m thrilled to participate in the “Metallica Blacklist” project. Picking a song to record from their classic “Black Album” was pretty easy for me. “Nothing Else Matters” has always been a favourite of mine. Wow, it’s such a great track!

Under the banner ”PG Roxette” I joined forces with long-time Roxers Clarence Öfwerman + Jonas Isacsson + Christoffer Lundquist + Magnus Börjeson together with Helena Josefsson + Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band of the past.

My ambition was to treat the song with respect while transforming it to a style of my own. I’m very pleased and proud with the outcome.

All proceeds from the recording will go to Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and to UNHCR, a charity I chose together with Marie Fredriksson’s family.

Upon the release he adds:

I remember hearing Nothing Else Matters all the time on the radio in the early 90’s when Marie and I travelled the world constantly. We always joked about that it actually could have been an amazing Roxette ballad, hahaha!

We both loved it very much. So what I’ve tried to create now is to make it sound like a classic Roxette song.

I’m extremely proud to be part of this Blacklist-project that connects artists and bands from all over the world for good causes. Thank you Metallica.

Watch a short video of the recordings HERE!

You will find PG Roxette’s interpretation of Nothing Else Matters on Disc 4 on streaming sites.

Listen here at the song’s direct links: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube!

Credits
Produced by Magnus Börjeson + Clarence Öfwerman + Christoffer Lundquist + Per Gessle
Recorded at Farozon, Malmö + Sweetspot Studios, Halmstad + Aerosol Grey Machine, Vallarum, Sweden in January 2021
Engineers: Magnus Börjeson (Farozon) + Staffan Karlsson (Sweetspot) + Christoffer Lundquist (Aerosol Grey Machine)
Mixed by Ronny Lahti at The Lahti Headquarters, Stockholm, Sweden
Played by:
Magnus Börjeson: Programming + keyboards
Clarence Öfwerman: Programming + keyboards
Christoffer Lundquist: Ondes Martenot + keyboards + electric guitar
Jonas Isacsson: Lead electric guitar
Helena Josefsson: Vocals
Dea Norberg: Vocals
Per Gessle: Vocals

 
Metallica photo by Patrícia Peres, WorldWired Tour 2018, Budapest. PG still is from the official trailer.

What you’ll find on Spotify as the artist details of PG Roxette:

Per Gessle is one of Scandinavia’s most successful artists and songwriters of all time. With a gift for catchy hooks, both musically and lyrically, he has composed chart-topping pop hits for more than four decades. Starting his career in 1978 as the songwriter and lead vocalist in Swedish early 80´s pop phenomenon Gyllene Tider, he and singer Marie Fredriksson teamed up in Roxette with the humble aim to conquer the pop world. Which they did like no other Scandinavian act. Breaking big all over the world in 1989, they would score four US Billboard Hot 100 Number One’s – “The Look”, “Listen To Your Heart”, “It Must Have Been Love”, and “Joyride”.

When Marie Fredriksson sadly lost her long battle to cancer in 2019, the Roxette saga seemed to be over. But the songs were still here, there and everywhere. And so were the fans. A new chapter had to be written. Which it is. And it’s called PG Roxette.

Per Gessle is determined to keep the Roxette legacy alive. Always being the main songwriter and driving force in the band he continues to work both in the studio and on the road. For this project Per has joined forces with long-time Roxette collaborators Clarence Öfwerman, Jonas Isacsson, Christoffer Lundquist and Magnus Börjeson together with the amazing vocalists Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band.


PG Roxette “Nothing Else Matters” header pic is from Spotify.

Update on 17th September 2021: a music video has been published and some more info from Per.

Wanna know how NOTHING ELSE MATTERS came about in the studio? Here’s the story.
I’ve always thought NEM was a beautiful song. It’s got strong melodies, pretty straightforward but smart chord progressions, a lyric you can interpret in many different ways. It’s epic. If I should cover it I would love it to sound like a classic Roxette ballad! Shorten it a bit + create a magnetic intro.
We noticed at the Marie Tribute in Gothenburg 2020 how amazing Dea + Helena sound when they sing together. They sang FADING LIKE A FLOWER at the concert and we were all blown away.
So the basic idea for the vocals on PG Roxette’s take on NEM was to use that particular sound you get when you mix two very different voices and blend them. That’s what we did in the verses and in the outro. Dea + Helena share the duties. The choruses were mine to sing. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to work with three distinctive voices in one song. It certainly appeals to my restless mind!
The programming was done primarily by Magnus + Clarence, then Christoffer came aboard and did some overdubs. His recent baby, an Ondes Martenot from 1928 came in handy. Jonas did his guitar parts in Stockholm and he sounded like he always does; out of this world.
It was an amazing journey from start to finish. Ronny Lahti, who worked many times on Roxette albums in the past, did some extraordinary mixes. He’s another master.
And hey, here’s some footage from the recording sessions filmed by Anders Roos.
Badabam from P.

Making Something Out Of Nothing – Per Gessle gets into classical music

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As SVT informs, world star Per Gessle continues to break new musical grounds. In recent years he has made electronic music, country and recorded a Metallica cover. Now he steps up on the classic stage.

He says:

It’s like being in a toy store. There were a lot of instruments that I didn’t even know existed.

On 1st September, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Joachim Gustafsson and singer Emmi Christensson recorded the piece, Making Something Out Of Nothing, written by composer Tommie Haglund with lyrics by Per Gessle in Stockholm Concert Hall.

The authors come from widely differing musical worlds, but are both Halmstad residents and ran into each other at the confectionery Regnbågen down in the city center.

Tommie says:

We started talking to each other. Later I would have a festival with my music in Stockholm and asked Per if he wanted to come and listen. He did and I was very happy that he came. The idea arose: “what if you were to do something together”.

After Gyllene Tider and Roxette, Per Gessle has increasingly made himself known as a musical chameleon. This autumn he will go on an acoustic tour with old hits, but he has also had time for electronic music with the Daft Punk-scented side project Mono Mind, a solo album with country musicians in Nashville and a cover of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters.

For the moment, it is therefore classic that applies.

Per says:

I try to do things that feel fun and challenging. Otherwise I get bored.

He enthusiastically talks about the Metallica collaboration, which will celebrate that this autumn it is 30 years since the group released their self-titled album Metallica.

Per tells:

Under the name PG Roxette, I have collected the old Roxette band and done a cover of ”Nothing Else Matters”. It sounds like an old Roxette ballad all of a sudden. I’m very proud to have been asked by them.

The text for Tommie Haglund’s Making Something Out Of Nothing was picked up by Per Gessle from the drawer and filed.

Per tells:

It was actually written for the last Roxette album, ”Good Karma” many years ago. I wrote my own music for the lyrics, but never really liked my own music, so when Tommie asked about lyrics, I already had one that I like a lot.

In addition to the premiere in Sweden next spring, the plan is for the piece to be exported to Colombia. The Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, with Swedish Joachim Gustafsson as the new chief conductor, will perform it at home in March 2022. As an extra spice, Per Gessle’s lyrics will be translated into Spanish and probably sung by Colombian superstar Shakira.

Tommie tells:

It’s the orchestra’s suggestion. It would be fun if she manages to sing it.

In SVT’s video – where you can hear a snippet of the piece – Per tells:

For me, it’s pretty much about understanding oneself, if one has to describe it briefly. It’s a quite tough lyric. It questions a lot.

Stills are from SVT’s video report.

The songs fans ask Per Gessle to play on tour

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Per Gessle asked his fans the other day on his social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to suggest songs they didn’t play at the summer sessions at Hotel Tylösand in July and August.

Of course, fans were happy to share their favourites and asked Per to include those in the setlist. If Mr. G wants to play all of them, he will have to extend the hours of playing a bit. And we wouldn’t mind! Haha.

One must love those comments that he could play any track from the Mazarin album. So true! Altogether there were 256 different songs asked for, counting only those that really weren’t played in summer. I’ve tried to eliminate duplications, i.e. if the same person asked for the same songs on more than one channel. So, here is the Top20 list of those hits.

Graph is based on the analysis of comments related to the topic. Pic of PG is taken by Patrícia Peres at the PG Unplugged sessions at Hotel Tylösand, 2021.

I find it interesting that there are some more mid- or uptempo songs missing in the Top20. In the sense that it’s going to be an unplugged tour, it’s understandable in a way, but if I think back to last summer, Juni, juli, augusti was such a fab surprise, how it sounded in an acoustic arrangement that it would be great to hear some more mid- or uptempo songs in a similar version.

In the Top5 we can find 2 Gyllene Tider songs (Chrissie, hur mår du?, Billy), 2 PG solos (Blå december, Viskar) and 1 Roxette ballad (Vulnerable) we’ve always been longing to hear live one day. Will we get lucky and hear it live this autumn? Let’s see what happens!

Among those songs that were played in summer, the most favourites – judging by the comments – seem to be Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång, Tycker om när du tar på mej, På promenad genom stan, Kung av sand and När alla vännerna gått hem. HERE you can check the setlist of each summer gig AND buy your ticket(s) for the autumn tour!

Tribute concert to Marie Fredriksson during the theme year ”100 women, 100 years”!

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Malmö Live Konserthus inaugurates the theme year 100 women, 100 years which aims to strengthen and pay tribute to women in the music industry. During the year, about twenty programs will be presented and one of them is a tribute concert to Marie Fredriksson who was one of Sweden’s foremost singers and songwriters who passed away in 2019. Her career was both great and broad. She wrote, produced, sang and moved between the creation of big hits and finding the fragile and difficult in her lyrics. Via Roxette, she became a world artist.

With a concert in two parts, together with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and three soloists, she is celebrated on 10th, 11th and 12th March 2022. The concert will be a journey through Marie Fredriksson’s art. Malmö Live Konserthus produces and Christoffer Nobin is the conductor, arranger and author of the idea. His relationship with Marie Fredriksson’s art is deep and has followed him through life.

Christoffer Nobin says:

Her songs and lyrics have been able to describe what I myself have not been able to describe, and her voice has aroused an ecstasy and admiration that only few others can achieve. This world artist, at the same time a mysterious rock star and down-to-earth Scanian girl, has reached hearts all over the world with her unique singing voice and genuine expression.

Soloists will be announced shortly and tickets will be released this autumn. -> UPDATE on 10th November 2021: Helena Josefsson and Amanda Bergman will be on stage!

Tickets are on sale HERE!

Photo is from the press release.

Thanks for the hint, Valeria Zvarova!

Thanks for the hint regarding the ticket sales start, Paula Cafiero Högström!

Update on 13th December:

Loney Dear will also join Helena Josefsson and Amanda Bergman on stage, while Christoffer Lundquist also supports the project. Christoffer Nobin who – besides being the one who came up with the idea – is the conductor and arranger says: „She simply sang fantastically well. She has a directness and an appeal in her voice that makes it strike directly, it feels like a force of nature. There is a simplicity and humanity in her voice, at the same time she was technically proficient. And not least: you always recognize her voice, it’s very unique.”

Helena Josefssson, who is looking very much forward to paying tribute to Marie says: „I think it’s great fun that Marie’s music will be in the focus. I feel we have a lot in common with her, we both come from the band culture, and I think her singing technique was influenced by starting in bad rehearsal rooms. Then you must be able to use your voice in different ways. When I got to tour with Marie for a whole year on Roxette’s last world tour, I got to know her. According to the fans, she became an even more loving person when she came back, and what I saw was a person who really loved to sing for her audience. She was also a very simple person without complicated manners, if there was only simple hot dog after the concert she was happy.”

Helena also remembers with warmth how Marie’s son, Oscar was at several concerts and sat in the dressing room with his mother and patiently helped her practice the lyrics, which became more difficult to remember after her illness: „It must have been fun to see her mother on stage in front of tens of thousands of fans who cheered when she came out. It was probably a great feeling for Marie’s children to see her like this.”

Per Gessle Unplugged Tour around Sweden in autumn!

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According to today’s press release, Per Gessle, one of Sweden’s greatest artists and songwriters, will go on tour in Sweden in November and December 2021 with “Per Gessle Unplugged”. After sold-out concerts in Tylösand this summer, the whole country can now join Per Gessle in an acoustic and intimate live environment – where classic hits from his career as a solo artist, Gyllene Tider and Roxette are to be expected!

Per Gessle’s rich song catalogue is undoubtedly one of Sweden’s most successful and most appreciated treasures. Now Per goes on a journey with a band consisting of Roxette musicians Clarence Öfwerman, Christoffer Lundquist, Magnus Börjeson and singer Helena Josefsson. The tour extends over larger parts of Sweden starting in Linköping on 5th November.

Per says:

An acoustic “unplugged” tour is new to me! My band and I did 10 wonderful gigs this summer at Hotel Tylösand and it tuned us to have lust for more. Seated audience, personal and live “for real” where anything can happen.

Aftonbladet writes: “Per Gessle performs on an unusually small and acoustic scale, but the format suits him surprisingly well.”

Göteborgsposten writes: “Musically, Per Gessle has always been crazy not only about power pop and arena anthems but at least as much for this type of acoustic folk pop. It’s not hard to imagine that he had pleasant difficulties in selecting songs for the concert.”

Per continues:

We will play songs from my entire career; Gyllene Tider, Roxette and as a solo artist. Old favourites are mixed with new ones. My ambition is that there will be fantastic evenings that light up the autumn darkness. See you around beautiful Sweden.

Dates:

5th November (Friday) – Linköping, Konsert & Kongress – TICKETS
6th November (Saturday) – Norrköping, Louis de Geer – TICKETS
14th November (Sunday) – Gävle, Konserthuset – TICKETS
19th November (Friday) – Stockholm, Filadelfia – TICKETS
20th November (Saturday) – Uppsala, Konsert & Kongress – TICKETS
22nd November (Monday) – Göteborg, Lorensbergsteatern – TICKETS
23rd November (Tuesday) – Göteborg, Lorensbergsteatern – TICKETS (EXTRA DATE)
28th November (Sunday) – Halmstad, Teatern – TICKETS
29th November (Monday) – Halmstad, Teatern – TICKETS (EXTRA DATE)
8th December (Wednesday) – Karlstad, CCC – TICKETS
9th December (Thursday) – Örebro, Konserthuset – TICKETS
10th December (Friday) – Örebro, Konserthuset – TICKETS (EXTRA DATE)
12th December (Sunday) – Malmö, Slagthuset – TICKETS
14th December (Tuesday) – Jönköping, Konserthuset – TICKETS
15th December (Wednesday) – Kalmar, Kalmarsalen – TICKETS

Tickets for the Per Gessle Unplugged Tour go on sale on Thursday, 2nd September at 9.00 am CET via Livenation.se.

Watch the promo video for the tour HERE!

Press photo by Anders Roos was taken at Hotel Tylösand on 3rd August 2021.

Update on 2nd September 2021: Due to high demand, 3 extra concerts are added: 23 Nov – Göteborg, Lorensbergsteatern, 29 Nov – Halmstad, Teatern, 10 Dec – Örebro, Konserthuset. Tickets are already on sale. The list is updated above.