The Look
Encyclopedia
"The Look", written by Per Gessle
and performed by Roxette
, was released as a single in early 1989 from the album Look Sharp!
. The song became Roxette's international "breakthrough" song, finally exposing the duo
to music consumers outside of the duo's native Sweden
and Europe after more than one attempt. It topped the U.S. singles chart
in 1989 becoming their first U.S. #1 success and scored #7 on the UK Singles Chart
. The song also topped the charts in 24 other countries.
With the success of the first two singles from the album, they toured Sweden again. When "The Look" was about to be released in Sweden as the third single, an American exchange student named Dean Cushman returned from Sweden and urged radio station
, KDWB
in Minneapolis, to play "The Look". From there, "The Look" spread on cassette
copies to other radio stations. With the song's radio success, EMI
quickly released "The Look". Suddenly, Roxette had a #1 scoring single in the United States
, and the record wasn't even released. When Look Sharp! was finally released, it was able to debut on the U.S. album charts at #50, an unusual feat at the time for a newcomer artist, and later scored #23, eventually staying in the charts for 71 weeks.
According to Gessle the first two verses lyrics were guide lyrics but were kept anyway.
/Parlophone
; 1363337). Also released on many formats, including 3" CD, 5" CD, and 12" vinyl. Included on most of those was The Look (Head-Drum Mix). The first edition of the vinyls was in red vinyl. A few exist in clear vinyl.
7" single
12" maxi
CD maxi
12" Remixes
's hit song and it was only released commercially in the UK in connection with the release of their greatest hits album Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! - Roxette's Greatest Hits
.
This version of the song does not appear on the album, but two of the versions from this single were eventually included on the European release of the single "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore
".
CD maxi 2
. Also it can heard on ingame radio station Vice City FM.
"The Look" appears as a playable track in the 2010 music rhythm game Rock Band 3
.
The song appeared in the Family Guy
episode "Baby Not on Board
" when Stewie announced his remorse for staying up all night listening to Persian radio
.
Danniella Westbrook
skated to the song during props week as a sexy secretary in the UK reality show Dancing on Ice
where, after being in the skate-off for the previous two weeks, she came top of the leaderboard, beating the favorite skater, and being safe in the results, taking her to the semi-final.
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
and performed by Roxette
Roxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
, was released as a single in early 1989 from the album Look Sharp!
Look Sharp! (Roxette album)
Singles*"Chances"*"The Look"*"Dressed for Success"*"Listen to Your Heart"*"Dangerous"-Charts:-Credits:*Vocals — Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson*Drums — Pelle Alsing*Programming and bass — Anders Herrlin...
. The song became Roxette's international "breakthrough" song, finally exposing the duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
to music consumers outside of the duo's native Sweden
Music of Sweden
Sweden shares the tradition of Nordic folk dance music with its neighboring countries including polka, schottische, waltz, polska and mazurka. The accordion, clarinet, fiddle and nyckelharpa are among the most common Swedish folk instruments. This instrumental genre is the biggest one in Swedish...
and Europe after more than one attempt. It topped the U.S. singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1989 becoming their first U.S. #1 success and scored #7 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The song also topped the charts in 24 other countries.
Background
While still unknown outside of Sweden, Roxette released their second album Look Sharp!Look Sharp! (Roxette album)
Singles*"Chances"*"The Look"*"Dressed for Success"*"Listen to Your Heart"*"Dangerous"-Charts:-Credits:*Vocals — Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson*Drums — Pelle Alsing*Programming and bass — Anders Herrlin...
With the success of the first two singles from the album, they toured Sweden again. When "The Look" was about to be released in Sweden as the third single, an American exchange student named Dean Cushman returned from Sweden and urged radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, KDWB
KDWB
KDWB-FM is an American commercial radio station broadcasting in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, the radio format was known for over fifty years as a major contemporary hit radio Top 40 pop music outlet. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota. It broadcasts in 5.1 cinema-quality...
in Minneapolis, to play "The Look". From there, "The Look" spread on cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
copies to other radio stations. With the song's radio success, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
quickly released "The Look". Suddenly, Roxette had a #1 scoring single in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the record wasn't even released. When Look Sharp! was finally released, it was able to debut on the U.S. album charts at #50, an unusual feat at the time for a newcomer artist, and later scored #23, eventually staying in the charts for 71 weeks.
According to Gessle the first two verses lyrics were guide lyrics but were kept anyway.
"Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer"... the first two verses are guide lyrics, words just scribbled down to have something to sing. Couldn't come up with anything better, so we kept them. Everybody gets lucky sometimes...Per Gessle
Per GesslePer Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
Track listings
All formats were released on 12 January 1989, (by EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
/Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
; 1363337). Also released on many formats, including 3" CD, 5" CD, and 12" vinyl. Included on most of those was The Look (Head-Drum Mix). The first edition of the vinyls was in red vinyl. A few exist in clear vinyl.
7" single
- "The Look" (3:56)
- "Silver Blue" (demo) (4:05)
12" maxi
- "The Look" (headdrum mix) (7:16)
- "The Look" (7" version) (3:56)
- "Silver Blue" (demo) (4:05)
CD maxi
- "The Look" (head-drum-mix) (7:22)
- "The Look" (7" version) (3:58)
- "Silver Blue" (demo) (4:06)
- "Sleeping Single" (demo) (3:46)
12" Remixes
- "The Look" (Visible Mix) (6:03)
- "The Look" (Power Radio Mix) (4:09)
- "The Look" (Big Red Mix) (7:33)
- "The Look" (Invisible dub) (5:11)
- "Silver Blue" (demo) (4:00)
Background
"The Look '95" is a remixed version of RoxetteRoxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
's hit song and it was only released commercially in the UK in connection with the release of their greatest hits album Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! - Roxette's Greatest Hits
Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!
-Singles:*"You Don't Understand Me":*#"You Don't Understand Me"*#"Crazy About You"*#"Harleys And Indians "*The Look '95" :*#"The Look" *#"The Look"...
.
This version of the song does not appear on the album, but two of the versions from this single were eventually included on the European release of the single "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore
She Doesn't Live Here Anymore
"She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is a song by Roxette, released as the third single from their Greatest Hits album Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! from 1995. The single was released only in Europe and was a minor hit in Germany....
".
Track listings
CD maxi 1- "The Look" (chaps 1995 remix) (5:08)
- "The Look" (chaps donna bass mix) (6:53)
- "The Look" (rapino club mix) (5:22)
- "The Look" (rapino dub mix) (5:14)
CD maxi 2
- "The Look" (chaps 1995 remix) (5:10)
- "The Look" (original version) (3:59)
- "Crazy About You" (3:59)
- "Dressed for SuccessDressed for Success"Dressed for Success" was released on 28 June 1988 and is the second single from the Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1988 album Look Sharp!. Originally, "Dressed for Success" was their first Swedish single to promote Look Sharp! album in 1988.-Production:...
" (U.S. mix) (4:53)
Charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 47 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 2 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 12 |
| West German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 10 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 7 |
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart | 28 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 2 |
Cover versions
- An English language cover of the song was recorded by the Spanish band, The Stunned Parrots, for their debut album Vol. 1 - Pining for the Fjords. An audio sample can be heard on their official website.
- A rockabillyRockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
cover of this song recorded by the GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
band The BaseballsThe BaseballsThe Baseballs are a German rock and roll band founded in Berlin in 2007. They became popular with rock cover versions of modern hits such as "Umbrella" by Rihanna and "Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry. The band members are only credited by their first names...
was included on their debut album Strike in 2009. - A Cantonese language cover of "The Look" was perform by the Hong Kong pop singer, Alan TamAlan TamWing Lun Alan Tam, MH is an award-winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music...
.(Chinese name of the song:你知我知)
Appearances in other media
In 2009, "The Look" was used in a trailer and TV commercial for the game Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty CityGrand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is a standalone compilation of the downloadable content episodes for the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV. Created by Rockstar North in the United Kingdom, it contains both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony on one disc...
. Also it can heard on ingame radio station Vice City FM.
"The Look" appears as a playable track in the 2010 music rhythm game Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.
The song appeared in the Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "Baby Not on Board
Baby Not on Board
"Baby Not on Board" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the animated television series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on November 2, 2008. The episode features Stewie after he is accidentally left at home when the Griffins head for the Grand Canyon. The family soon...
" when Stewie announced his remorse for staying up all night listening to Persian radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
.
Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for being the original actress to play Samantha Mitchell in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1990–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000 and 2009–10. Away from EastEnders she has presented various shows, and was also a...
skated to the song during props week as a sexy secretary in the UK reality show Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
where, after being in the skate-off for the previous two weeks, she came top of the leaderboard, beating the favorite skater, and being safe in the results, taking her to the semi-final.