It Must Have Been Love

"It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)"
Single by Roxette
B-side "Turn to Me"
Released 2 December 1987
Recorded November 1987
Genre Pop
Length 4:48
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Per Gessle
Producer(s) Clarence Öfwerman
Roxette singles chronology
"I Want You"
(1987)		 "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)"
(1987)		 "I Call Your Name"
(1988)

"It Must Have Been Love" is a song written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The ballad became the duo's third number one hit in the United States,[1] and is one of their best selling releases, being certified gold or platinum in a number of countries.

Four different versions of the song have been officially released. The original 1987 track was followed by the most successful incarnation of the song, a slightly edited version – omitting the Christmas references – which was created for the soundtrack to the 1990 movie Pretty Woman. During the "Join the Joyride! World Tour" in 1991, the band recorded a country music version of the track in Los Angeles, which was included on their 1992 album Tourism. A Spanish-language version of the Pretty Woman recording was released on their 1996 compilation Baladas en español. Finally, an orchestral live performance from the band's 2009 concert at Night of the Proms was included on their 2012 studio album, Travelling.

Original release (1987)

The song was first released as "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" in December 1987. It was composed after EMI Germany asked the duo to "come up with an intelligent Christmas single".[2] It became a top five hit in Sweden,[3] but was not released internationally.[2] This version of the song was never included on any Roxette studio album until the 1997 re-release of their debut Pearls of Passion (1986).[4]

Music video

A performance from a Swedish TV chart show in 1987 acted as the song's first music video. It features Fredriksson and Gessle sitting on a couch on a stage, lip-syncing to the song.[5]

Formats and track listings

All songs written and composed by Per Gessle, except where noted.

  • 7" single (Sweden 1362887)
  1. "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" – 4:48
  2. "Turn to Me" – 2:58 (Music by Marie Fredriksson)

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[3] 4

Re-release (1990)

"It Must Have Been Love"
Single by Roxette
from the album Pretty Woman Soundtrack
Released 20 May 1990
Format
Recorded 1987
Genre Pop
Length 4:20
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Gessle
Producer(s) Öfwerman
Roxette singles chronology
"Dangerous"
(1989)		 "It Must Have Been Love"
(1990)		 "Joyride"
(1991)
Music video
"It Must Have Been Love" on YouTube

During a run of increasingly successful singles from the duo's 1988 album Look Sharp!, Touchstone Pictures approached Roxette and their label about contributing a song to the soundtrack of the upcoming romantic comedy release Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and then-Oscar nominee Julia Roberts.[6] The film was released in March 1990 and went on to make more than US$460 million at the worldwide box office.[7] The corresponding soundtrack album was also a commercial success,[6] which was certified triple-platinum in the US.[8] The soundtrack went on to sell more than nine million copies worldwide.[9]

Critical reception

Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote about the song: "Per and Marie are on target again. Per Gessle continues to demonstrate his uncanny ability to compose exceptional Pop melodies and Marie Fredrickson makes the words and music jump through the speakers. Though timed to coincide with the release of the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere film "Pretty Woman," this tune from the soundtrack could easily stand on its own. Interest in the movie only gives it that much more of a boost."[10]

Chart performance

A re-written and edited version of the track – the lyric "It's a hard Christmas day" was changed to "It's a hard winter's day", and twenty seconds were removed from the intro[9] – became an international hit during the summer of 1990. It was not the first single released from the Pretty Woman soundtrack, but it became the most successful, spending two weeks at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 in June.[6] The song was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the US.[11] At the end of the year, Billboard listed it as the second most successful single of 1990, behind Wilson Phillips' "Hold On".[12]

The single peaked at number three in the UK—their highest peaking single there. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for 14 weeks,[13] and was certified silver by the BPI for sales in excess of 200,000 copies.[14] The song was re-released in the UK and Ireland in September 1993, peaking at number ten in both countries.[13][15] It became Roxette's second of three number one singles in Australia, spending two weeks at the top spot in July 1990.[16] The song was a massive hit in Norway, where it spent twelve weeks at number one.[17] In Switzerland, the song spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one, and a further five weeks at number two—being held off the top spot in those weeks by Matthias Reim's "Verdammt, ich lieb' dich".[18] It also reached number one in Canada, Poland and Spain, and the top five in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Germany, where it spent nine months in the top 75.[19]

Accolades

In 2005, Gessle received an award from BMI after the song's four millionth radio play.[20] In 2014, he received an updated award from the same organization after its five millionth radio play.[21]

Music video

The second video was directed by Doug Freel and was shot in a warehouse. It included clips from Pretty Woman, with Fredriksson singing and playing piano and Gessle playing guitar between various prop changes.[5] There is also an alternate version of the video, without the movie scenes, which was available solely on the VHS The Videos. According to Fredriksson, shooting this video was a surreal experience, as Freel "wanted all movements in slow motion, so I had to lip-sync the vocals at double speed. My first lesson in how to sing an emotional ballad Mickey Mouse style."[2]

As of August 2018, this video has more than 322 million views on YouTube.[22]

Formats and track listings

All songs were written and composed by Gessle, except "Cry", music by Fredriksson and Gessle.

  • Australian cassette and 7" single (US2399)
  • EU cassette and 7" single (Germany 006-1363807 · UK EM141)
  1. "It Must Have Been Love" – 4:20
  2. "Paint" – 3:29
  • US and Canada cassette (4JM-50283)
  1. "It Must Have Been Love" – 4:20
  2. "Chances" – 4:07
  • EU 12" single (Germany 060-1363806 · UK EM141)
  • Japanese 3" CD single (TODP-2194)
  1. "It Must Have Been Love" – 4:20
  2. "Paint" – 3:29
  3. "Cry" (Live from Himmelstalundshallen, Norrköping on 16 December 1988) – 5:42
  • UK CD single (CDEM141)
  1. "It Must Have Been Love" – 4:20
  2. "Paint" – 3:29
  3. "Cry" (Live from Norrköping) – 5:42
  4. "Surrender" (Live from Norrköping on 16 December 1988) – 3:07

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[54] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[55] Gold 25,000*
Germany (BVMI)[56] Gold 250,000^
Sweden (GLF)[57] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

"No sé si es amor" (1997)

"No sé si es amor"
Single by Roxette
from the album Baladas en español
B-side
Released 28 January 1997
Songwriter(s) Per Gessle & Luis Escolar
Roxette singles chronology
"Un día sin ti"
(1996)		 "No sé si es amor"
(1997)		 "Wish I Could Fly"
(1999)

Roxette released a Spanish-language compilation album, Baladas en español, in 1996. It consisted of twelve of their down-tempo singles and album tracks, which were translated by Spanish songwriter Luis Gomez-Escolar, who would later co-write the Ricky Martin hit "Livin' la Vida Loca". The album was only released in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking territories. A translated version of "It Must Have Been Love", titled "No sé si es amor", was released in early 1997 as the album's second and final single.

Formats and track listings

Music and original lyrics by Per Gessle. Spanish lyrics by Luis G. Escolar.

  • CD single (EU 8652802)
  1. "No sé si es amor" ("It Must Have Been Love") – 4:41
  2. "Directamente a ti" ("Run to You") – 3:30

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Spain Top 40 Radio (AFYVE)[35] 6

25th anniversary reissue (2015)

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the song's release on the Pretty Woman soundtrack,[58] Parlophone released a limited edition red-coloured vinyl on 19 May 2015.[59] This single included the Pretty Woman version of the song, backed with the original 1987 release and the Los Angeles-studio performance (minus the live intro recorded in Santiago, Chile) from their 1992 album Tourism. The latter features pedal steel guitar performed by Greg Leisz, who is best known for his work with k.d. lang. The single was released on digital download stores from 23 March.[60]

Formats and track listings

All songs written and composed by Per Gessle.

  • 12" single (Sweden 0724386504715)
  1. "It Must Have Been Love" – 4:18
  2. "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" – 4:47
  3. "It Must Have Been Love" (L.A. Version) – 4:45

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 25th anniversary vinyl re-release.[61]

Original studio version

L.A. version

Philly Lutaaya version

In 1989, the late Ugandan musician Philly Lutaaya, who was then based in Sweden used the song to record his hit "Alone and Frightened" on his album "Alone", in which he came out as an HIV/AIDS patient, becoming the first public figure to be identified with the virus/disease during an HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda.[62][63]

Shirley Clamp version

In 2006, Swedish pop singer Shirley Clamp recorded a cover version of the song called "När kärleken föds" ("When Love is Born"), it peaked at #6 at the Swedish singles chart.[64]

References

  1. ↑ "Roxette - Chart History on the Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Digital booklet". Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus (liner notes). Roxette. Stockholm, Sweden: EMI Records. 1995. 7243 836203 2 6.
  3. 1 2 3 "swedishcharts.com - Roxette - It Must Have Been Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Pearls of Passion by Roxette on Apple Music". iTunes. Apple Music. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  5. 1 2 Ballad & Pop Hits - The Complete Video Collection (DVD liner notes). Roxette. EMI. 2003. 7243 4 90946 9 7.
  6. 1 2 3 Mackie, Drew (25 June 2015). "Roxette's It Must Have Been Love, 25 Years Later". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Pretty Woman (1990) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Amazon. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Roxette Bio | Roxette Career". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Sholin, Dave (23 March 1990). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1799. p. 52. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  11. 1 2 "American single certifications – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 April 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  12. 1 2 "Billboard.com Year End Charts - Year End Singles - 1990". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Roxette: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  14. 1 2 "British single certifications – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 April 2012. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type It Must Have Been Love in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  15. 1 2 3 "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Roxette". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  16. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (3 August 2013). "ARIA Singles Report: Avicii Is Longest Number One Swedish Act Since Roxette". Noise11. Paul Cashmere. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Norwegiancharts.com – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love". VG-lista. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  19. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "2005 BMI awards". BMI. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  21. ↑ Schneider, Marc (14 October 2014). "Nile Rogers, Ellie Goulding Honored at BMI London Awards". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  22. ↑ Roxette (4 March 2009). "Roxette - It Must Have Been Love". Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  23. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  26. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1268." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  27. ↑ "Top 3 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  28. ↑ "Finnish Singles Charts 1961-1995: Elokuu 1990 August". Suomen virallinen singlelista. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  29. 1 2 "Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single: 1990" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Songs from the Year 1990". tsort.info. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  31. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Roxette" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  32. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  33. ↑ "Charts.nz – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  34. ↑ "Lista Przebojów Trójki | Polskie Radio Online | Notowanie nr438". Polskie Radio. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  35. 1 2 Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  36. ↑ "Roxette Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  37. ↑ "Roxette Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  38. ↑ http://wweb.uta.edu/faculty/gghunt/charts/roxette.html
  39. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  40. ↑ "Roxette | Chart History | Canada Hot Digital Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  41. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  42. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  43. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 50 Singles 1990". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  44. ↑ "Alle Rechte Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  45. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  46. ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. RPM Library Archives. 22 December 1990. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  47. ↑ "De Single Top 100 1990 Over" (PDF) (in Dutch). Radio 538. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  48. ↑ "Jaahroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  49. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  50. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 1990". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  51. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  52. ↑ "Top 100 of 1990 - UK Music Charts". UK Charts. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  53. ↑ "Top 100 of 1993 - UK Music Charts". UK Charts. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  54. ↑ "ARIA End Of Year Singles 1990 | Top 50 Australian Singles Chart". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  55. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 20 April 2012. Enter Roxette in the field Interpret. Enter It Must Have Been Love in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen. 
  56. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Roxette; 'It Must Have Been Love')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  57. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  58. ↑ "Roxette - Discography". Roxette.se. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  59. ↑ "Roxette - It Must Have Been Love - 25th Anniversary". Amazon Music. Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  60. ↑ "It Must Have Been Love - Single by Roxette on Apple Music". Apple Music. Apple. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  61. ↑ "Digital booklet". It Must Have Been Love (liner notes). Roxette. London, United Kingdom: Parlophone Records. 2015. 0724386504715.
  62. ↑ "First song by Ugandan superstar to address HIV/AIDS pandemic –Alone and Frightened by Philly Lutaaya". Matooke Republic. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  63. ↑ "Late Philly Bongoley Lutaaya Vs Roxette". New Vision. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  64. ↑ Swedishcharts - När kärleken föds (It Must Have Been Love) at the Swedish singles chart
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