Per Gessle

Per Gessle talks about his tribute to Metallica in Aftonbladet

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Aftonbladet did an interview with Per Gessle and asked him about his cover of Nothing Else Matters under The Metallica Blacklist project. On 12th August 1991, Metallica released “The Black Album” and it took the band to the charts. Approximately four months earlier, Swedish pop wonder Roxette had released “Joyride” and was at the top of their career. This year, both albums celebrate 30 years.

Per about when he – among 53 artists – was asked to be part of the project:

I was hesitant at first because I didn’t know all the songs, but when I had to choose a song on my own, it was obvious to be involved. It is of course an honor to be asked.

To Aftonbladet’s question why he picked Nothing Else Matters, he replied:

It was on the radio all the time in the early 90’s and Marie and I always joked that it could have been an amazing Roxette ballad. And that’s exactly how I made it. I’ve used the classic Roxette musicians. We shortened the song properly, made a completely new intro and tried to create an atmosphere in the early 90’s spirit. We even added a typical “roxish” key trick. Lovely. I sang the song together with our two Roxette backup singers Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg.

What Per thinks about Nothing Else Matters from a songwriter’s perspective:

It’s basically a really good pop song. Nice and efficient chord sequence with a few small unexpected twists. Strong melodies that you can stretch. Sensitive text that is open to interpretation. Perfect score in my book.

Aftonbladet asked Per what it was like touching one of Metallica’s most respected ballads. Mr. G replied:

Very inspiring. From my side, of course, it was important to do it my way without directly caring about, or mimicking, the original. It was the song I wanted to work on. I wanted to make a Roxette production out of it. Nothing else mattered.

Aftonbladet asks if Per is afraid of any possible reactions from pure hard rockers who think he has touched their holy ground.

Haha no. It’s only rock ‘n roll but I like it.

Interviewer Per Magnusson notes that PG had a period as a hard rock fan in the early 70’s with Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Mr.G confirms:

You’re absolutely right. When we were growing up, both Marie and I listened a lot to Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and early AC/DC. And I liked Motörhead, don’t forget that!

To the question about his relations to Metallica Per replied:

The first thing I actually heard from Metallica was “Nothing Else Matters” and “Enter Sandman”. Both were played all the time, everywhere you went. It was in the middle of the period when Marie and I travelled the most around the world. I have no other direct relationship with the band.

To the question if Per has ever met any of the members of Metallica he replied:

Absolutely. I have met Lars Ulrich several times. We have mutual friends both in the United States and in Europe. Last time I saw him was at a bar mitzvah in New York. He is a very nice and social person. He talks a lot so I left him to my wife after a while. She also likes to talk.


PG still is from the recordings of Nothing Else Matters.

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!

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.