Happy Birthday: Marie Fredriksson of Roxette

Today we celebrate the birthday of the member of Roxette who isn’t Per Gessle, which immediately narrows the possibilities for the birthday girl’s identity down to a list of precisely one name: Marie Fredriksson. To honor both this lovely woman and her lovely voice, we’ve got the official Roxette playlist locked and loaded for your listening enjoyment, but we’ve also put together a list of five non-Roxette songs which also feature Ms. Fredriksson.

1.    Strul, “Ki-I-Ai-Oo / Strul Igen” (1981): Marie’s gift for singing revealed itself relatively early in her life, and she began to grow increasingly interested in music as she entered her teens, but it wasn’t until she was in her late teens that she realized with complete certainty that she was destined to be a performer. After moving to the town of Halmstad, Sweden, Marie joined her boyfriend Stefan’s band, Strul, and was a member when they released this single. It didn’t go anywhere, unfortunately, but, hey, everybody’s got to start somewhere, right? 

2.    Lasse Lindbom Band, “Så Nära Nu” (1982): When Marie met her future Roxette cohort, Per Gessle, he was so struck by her talent that he helped secure her an audition with his producer, Lasse Lindbom, who was just as impressed with her as Per had been. As a result, Lindbom asked her to join his band and made particularly good use of her on a few tracks on their 1982 album, including this duet.

3.    Per Gessle, “Om Du Har Lust” (1983): While still in the band Gyllene Tider, Gessle issued his self-titled debut album, and having already begun to forge a solid chemistry with Marie, he had her come into the studio and contribute vocals to three of the album’s songs, including this single.

4.    Ulf Lindell, “Sanna” (1984): Although he’s a virtual unknown in the US, Lundell is a well-known figure on the Swedish music scene, having been called “Sweden’s Bob Dylan” when he released his debut LP in 1975. These days he holds an official government title – Minster-Counselor, Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in Geneva – but in ’84 he had enough foresight to feature Marie on a track on his album SWEETHEARTS. Oh, and the title might not be a giveaway if you don’t known Swedish, but this song is actually a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).”

5.    Frida Lyngstad & Marie Fredriksson, “Alla Mina Bästa Ar” (1996): A member of ABBA and a member of Roxette teaming up for a duet? Talk about a piece of Swedish pop that goes down smoooooooth…