Before coming together to form the duo, Fredriksson and Gessle were already established artists in Sweden, with Fredriksson releasing a number of solo albums and Gessle being the lead singer and songwriter of Gyllene Tider, which had three No. 1 albums. On the advice of the managing director of their record label, they came together to record "Neverending Love", which became a hit single in Sweden.
After the release of Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!, a greatest hits record, the duo took a hiatus before returning with the albums Have a Nice Day (1999) and Room Service (2001). They continued to chart in other territories, mainly in Europe and Latin America, where they earned various Gold and Platinum awards until the beginning of the new millennium. In 2002, the duo took a break from recording and touring when Fredriksson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Gessle went on to release solo albums and reunited with Gyllene Tider before Roxette took to the stage together again for the first time in 8 years, in 2009, during Gessle's European Party Crasher tour. In 2011, they released Charm School, their first studio album in ten years, which was followed by Travelling in 2012. Their latest studio album, Good Karma, was released in 2016.
Their songs "It Must Have Been Love" and "Listen to Your Heart" continue to receive wide radio airplay, with both singles recently receiving awards from BMI for achieving five million radio plays. They have sold an estimated 75 million records worldwide, with over 10 million in certified units from Germany, the US and the UK, achieving gold and platinum certifications for Joyride and Look Sharp! in all three regions.
On 18 April 2016, an official statement was released, cancelling the last leg of the RoXXXette 30th Anniversary Tour due to concerns about Marie Fredriksson's health. As her doctors have advised her to refrain from playing live, she will no longer tour with Roxette. Fredriksson stated: "Sadly, now my touring days are over and I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful fans that has followed us on our long and winding journey." Gessle added: "The joyride on the road is over now – but we sure had fun, didn't we?" Roxette has also worked in the studio on their tenth studio album, Good Karma. They have worked with young producers from Sweden like Addeboy vs Cliff "to inject new blood into the Roxette sound". Remixes aside, this is the first time that they have allowed anyone outside of the Roxette canon to produce new music. On 8 April 2016, the lead single off the album, "It Just Happens", was released. The album followed on 3 June 2016.
Per Gessle toured Europe in October and November 2018 as "Per Gessle's Roxette" with a set that lent heavily on the band's back catalogue.
It Will Take a Long Long Time
Roxette Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And made a note I have to paint the kitchen walls
An angel smiled across the room
All in all, it was a lazy afternoon
Then I thought about you
I think it was some sweet song that I heard
It will take a long, long time
Got to go ahead and deal with my life
It has taken such a long time this time
Sunny called, I was in the bath
And heard the rain hit the roof and tiles real hard (hit the roof real hard/hit the roof)
Then I ran through my magazines
A few letters poorly hidden in a jar (hidden in a jar/oh what a jar!)
And I thought about you
It must have been some old pictures I found
Got to get goin' goin' ahead
It will take a long, long time, yea yea
Got to go ahead and deal with my life
It has taken such a long time this time
Inganakee leo yo
Inganakee leo
The lyrics to Roxette's song It Will Take a Long Long Time tell a story of a woman going about her day, distracted by mundane tasks and her own thoughts until her mind turns to a lost love. Sunny, perhaps a friend or relative, makes a call and reminds the woman of the practical responsibilities she has been avoiding, such as painting the kitchen walls. Yet, as she carries out these domestic chores, the woman cannot help but think of her former lover, spurred on by songs and old photographs. It feels as though she has been grappling with this heartache for a long time, and the song acknowledges the difficult truth that moving on will take quite some time.
The woman's day-to-day world is evoked through sensory details, such as the sound of rain on the roof and tiles or the letters she has hidden away in a jar. These details contrast with the broader, more abstract concern of dealing with a lingering heartbreak. The tone of the song is wistful, with an underlying sense of resignation or determination, as though the singer knows that she must take care of her responsibilities and face the realities of her situation, even if it is painful.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunny called, I was in the hall
While I was in the hall, I received a call from Sunny
And made a note I have to paint the kitchen walls
I took note of the fact that I need to paint the walls of my kitchen
An angel smiled across the room
I saw an angelic smile from someone in the room
All in all, it was a lazy afternoon
Overall, the afternoon was filled with relaxation and inactivity
Then I thought about you
I started thinking about you and reminiscing about the past
I think it was some sweet song that I heard
Probably, it was a song that reminded me of you and elicited sweet memories
Got to get goin' goin' ahead
I need to start moving forward with my life
It will take a long, long time
It is going to take a considerable amount of time
Got to go ahead and deal with my life
I have to face my life and deal with the problems and obstacles that come my way
It has taken such a long time this time
This time, dealing with my problems has taken an unexpectedly long time
Sunny called, I was in the bath
While I was taking a bath, Sunny called me
And heard the rain hit the roof and tiles real hard (hit the roof real hard/hit the roof)
The sound of the rain hitting the roof and tiles was very intense
Then I ran through my magazines
I looked through my magazines quickly
A few letters poorly hidden in a jar (hidden in a jar/oh what a jar!)
I found a few letters that were not very well concealed in a jar
It must have been some old pictures I found
The memories of you were probably evoked by some old pictures I came across
Inganakee leo yo
This line is unclear and could not be associated with a meaningful explanation.
Inganakee leo
This line, by itself, is unclear and could not be associated with a meaningful explanation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PER HAKAN GESSLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind