Thanks
for tuning in to the Dial tonight, friends! We’re serving up a
forgotten little pop nugget from the year I graduated high school,
1991! I remember that all the yearbook signatures said “Havin’
fun in ‘91”… but I digress. Hailing
from Halmsted, Sweden; give a listen to Roxette and their forgotten
classic “Spending My Time”.
“What’s the time? Seems it’s already morning. I see the sky, It’s so beautiful and blue…”
The duo of guitarist Per Gessle and singer Marie Fredriksson, Roxette was the biggest Scandanavian pop import of the decade in the States – yes, even bigger than Ace of Base. Per and Marie wrote most of their material, though “Spending…” was written by Gessle with Mats Persson, who had also collaborated with Gessle on the smash hit “Listen to your Heart”.
A mature mid-tempo pop-rocker, borrowing heavily from the sub genre of power pop, “Spending” details a woman’s heartache at the loss of her lover, and the emptiness, confusion and apprehension she feels surrounding her life and what her next move should be. The music begins softly and subdued, then over time builds to a near-orchestral crescendo, before settling back down into an elegant, lite-rock fade out.
“I thank the Lord above that you’re not here to see me, in the shape I’m in.”
Despite its impressive orchestration, “Spending”, the third US single from the multi-platinum LP Joyride, unbelievably ended an impressive streak of six top 10 US singles, all of which were either chart toppers or landed in the runner-up position. “The Look”, “It Must Have Been Love”, “Joyride”, and the aforementioned “Listen to Your Heart” all peaked at US #1, while “Dangerous” and “Fading like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)” reached US #2. Amazingly, “Spending” made just a cameo appearance in the lower reaches of the Top 40, peaking at US #32.
Following the fourth and final extract from Joyride, the US #36 “Church of Your Heart”, Sweden's top 90s pop import was no longer represented on the Top 40 here in the States. However, Marie and Per continued earning big hits in The UK and other European countries well into the ‘90s, ending with 1999’s UK #11 “Wish I Could Fly”.
“My friends keep telling me… hey life will go on. Time will make sure I get over you… This silly game of love… you play to win, only to lose.”
“What’s the time? Seems it’s already morning. I see the sky, It’s so beautiful and blue…”
The duo of guitarist Per Gessle and singer Marie Fredriksson, Roxette was the biggest Scandanavian pop import of the decade in the States – yes, even bigger than Ace of Base. Per and Marie wrote most of their material, though “Spending…” was written by Gessle with Mats Persson, who had also collaborated with Gessle on the smash hit “Listen to your Heart”.
A mature mid-tempo pop-rocker, borrowing heavily from the sub genre of power pop, “Spending” details a woman’s heartache at the loss of her lover, and the emptiness, confusion and apprehension she feels surrounding her life and what her next move should be. The music begins softly and subdued, then over time builds to a near-orchestral crescendo, before settling back down into an elegant, lite-rock fade out.
“I thank the Lord above that you’re not here to see me, in the shape I’m in.”
Despite its impressive orchestration, “Spending”, the third US single from the multi-platinum LP Joyride, unbelievably ended an impressive streak of six top 10 US singles, all of which were either chart toppers or landed in the runner-up position. “The Look”, “It Must Have Been Love”, “Joyride”, and the aforementioned “Listen to Your Heart” all peaked at US #1, while “Dangerous” and “Fading like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)” reached US #2. Amazingly, “Spending” made just a cameo appearance in the lower reaches of the Top 40, peaking at US #32.
Following the fourth and final extract from Joyride, the US #36 “Church of Your Heart”, Sweden's top 90s pop import was no longer represented on the Top 40 here in the States. However, Marie and Per continued earning big hits in The UK and other European countries well into the ‘90s, ending with 1999’s UK #11 “Wish I Could Fly”.
“My friends keep telling me… hey life will go on. Time will make sure I get over you… This silly game of love… you play to win, only to lose.”
And in a move that is sure to delight listeners whose tastes reach back to Motown, a nice little Smokey Robinson shout out is dropped in the chorus with the mention of his 60’s hit “Tears of a Clown”. A very classy touch as far as I’m concerned.
So take a trip back to the early 90s, and spin the CD single of Roxette's forgotten minor hit in your Sony Discman. Or, I suppose you could simply click the window below to listen and watch the video. Your call. And I have to say that I appreciate you spending your time with me, here on Kyle's Radio Dial, where the more you listen, the more you REMEMBER!
“Spending my time… watching the days go by… feeling so small, I stare at the wall. Hope that you are missing me too.”
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