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Pearls of Passion 1986
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Pearls of Passion

When Roxette released Pearls of Passion, the Swedish duo already had a solid foundation. Marie Fredriksson had released two successful albums and several catchy singles, while Per Gessle, after the success of his band Gyllene Tider, was looking to consolidate his solo career. It was in this context that Gessle, at the suggestion of Rolf Nygren of EMI Sweden, translated a song originally intended for another artist. By proposing to record it as a duet with Fredriksson, "Neverending Love" was born, the duo's first single which reached third place on the Swedish charts. The rest of the album was gestated throughout the summer of 1986, in sessions that extended until September, and saw the light of day on October 31, 1986, in cassette and vinyl format in Scandinavia and Canada. The overall sound of the album leans towards dance-pop, with a total duration of 48:27 and production by Clarence Öfwerman.

Year
1986
Songs
12
Duration
44 min 43 seg
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About the album

Pearls of Passion, according to DoReSol

The album, which was reissued on CD in 1997 with additional material and again in 2009, generated several important singles in Sweden. "Neverending Love", "Goodbye to You", and "Soul Deep" were positioned among the top twenty most listened to, while "I Call Your Name" also had its place. By the end of 1987, the album had already sold over 200,000 copies in Sweden, reaching second place on the charts. A track that transcended the album was "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)", released as a separate single in December 1987 and which became a hit in Sweden. This track, later re-recorded for the soundtrack of the film Pretty Woman in 1990, removing the Christmas reference, became an international hit.

Despite its good reception in its native country, Pearls of Passion did not manage to chart internationally. A later analysis of the album pointed out the absence of elements that would characterize Roxette's later hits, such as Look Sharp! and Joyride, highlighting the lack of powerful guitars and the presence of more generic dance-pop. However, three tracks were recognized as highlights: "Soul Deep", "Neverending Love", and "Secrets That She Keeps". In 1987, Dance Passion was released, an EP with seven remixed versions of songs from the album, and tracks like "Soul Deep" and "So Far Away" were reinterpreted for future Roxette releases.

Discography

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