Gyllene Tider (; "Golden Times") was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

pop group fronted by

Roxette Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough second a ...

singer, guitarist and songwriter

Per Gessle Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...

. They were one of the best-selling Swedish bands ever and have had numerous hits in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

, starting with the break-through song "Flickorna på TV2" in 1980. The band earned legendary status in Sweden based on their power pop, catchy choruses and lyrics about life in a small town.

History

In 1977,

met Mats Persson, a member of the band Audiovisuellt Angrepp, forming the duo "Grape Rock". Later Micke Syd Andersson, Anders Herrlin and Göran Fritzon joined and the quintet was born. The group's name was changed to "Gyllene Tider", alluding to

Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fail ...

's song " The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll". In 1980, the LP ''

Gyllene Tider Gyllene Tider (; "Golden Times") was a Swedish pop group fronted by Roxette singer, guitarist and songwriter Per Gessle. They were one of the best-selling Swedish bands ever and have had numerous hits in Scandinavia, starting with the break-th ...

'' was released, becoming a huge success in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. "Flickorna på TV2" ("The girls on TV2") was the album's biggest hit. The second album, released in 1981 under the name '' Moderna Tider'' (''Modern Times''), also enjoyed huge success, and was followed by a record-breaking national tour. The following year ''

Puls Puls may refer to: * Puls (surname) * ''Puls'' (album), by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider * Puls (band), a Danish music band specializing in club dance music * Puls (beer brand), a brand produced by Viru Brewery, Estonia * Puls (company), a com ...

'' (''Pulse'') was released, including the hits " Sommartider" ("Summer times") and "Flickan i en Cole-Porter-sång" ("The girl in a

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

song"). In March 1985 Gyllene Tider officially broke up after releasing their only album in English; "The Heartland Cafe'". Per Gessle continued with a solo-career and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson in 1986. After the break-up several platinum-selling compilation albums were released and a number of live reunions have taken place, starting with the immensely popular ''Återtåget'' tour in 1996. In 2004, the band celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with the first new album in over 20 years and a huge summer tour in July and August. The tour, called ''GT25'', was a massive success, being the biggest tour in Scandinavia ever and the second largest of all time in the whole of Europe, gathering well over half a million people all over Sweden. When they performed at

Ullevi Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the ...

stadium in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

on 7 August 2004 during the ''GT25'', 58,984 fans watched the concert live, breaking the record set by

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

, and the performance was later broadcast on

TV4 TV4 or TV 4 may refer to: *TV4 (Poland), a private Polish television station *TV4 (Sweden), a Swedish television network **TV4 Group, owners of the Swedish television station *South African Broadcasting Corporation TV4, a channel operated by the st ...

. Gyllene Tider reunited again on 14 August 2010 as a surprise

encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...

during Roxette's concert in

Halmstad Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Socia ...

, both bands' hometown. They performed a three-song set, featuring the songs "Juni, Juli, Augusti", "Sommartider", and "När alla vännerna gått hem", with Marie Fredriksson and the rest of the Roxette band joining them on stage for the last number. In January 2013, the group announced a new album and summer tour in Sweden, both called ''"Dags att tänka på refrängen"''. The album was released on 24 April 2013; the 19-show sell-out tour started on 5 July 2013 in Halmstad and ended on 10 August in

. In January 2019, Gyllene Tider announced a farewell tour to celebrate 40 years which took place in Sweden and Norway in the summer of 2019. The tour started on 4 July in Halmstad, Sweden, and ended there on 10 August as well. Their final album ''Samma skrot och korn'' was released on 14 June 2019.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Others *''Modern Times'' (1982) - Never released *''Heartland'' (special US release, containing 6 tracks from ''

The Heartland Café ''The Heartland Café'' is an album released by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider on 17 February 1984. The group's first recorded foray into the English language, ''The Heartland Café'' was the second album to feature vocalist Marie Fredriksson ...

''. (Release credited to

)

Live albums

Compilation albums

EPs

*1978 ''

'' (EP) (aka "Billy" and "the yellow EP") *1981 ''Swing&Sweet'' (Bonus-EP) included with the first copies of the album ''Moderna Tider'' with four cover versions of international hits: ''Gyllene tider för rock 'n' roll'' (Golden Age of Rock'n'Roll - Mott the Hoople), ''Vill ha ett svar'' (I Need to Know - Tom Petty), ''Och jorden den är rund'' (And Your Bird Can Sing - The Beatles) and ''Ge mig inte det där'' (Girl Don't Tell Me - The Beach Boys).

DVD and VHS

*1997 ''Återtåget'' (documentary from TV4, live and interviews ) *2004 ''Karaoke Hits!'' *2004 ''Parkliv!'' (concert/documentary from 1981 filmed by

Lasse Hallström Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (; born 2 June 1946) is a Swedish film director. He first became known for directing almost all the music videos by the pop group ABBA, and subsequently became a feature film director. He was nominated for an Acade ...

'', released on DVD 2004) *2004 ''GT25 Live!'' (live at Ullevi 2004) *2013 ''Live sommaren 2013'' *2019 ''GT40 Live Ullevi'' (live at Ullevi 2019) (Also on BD).

Singles

Notes

References

External links

Gyllene Tider
Official)
Gyllene Tider.com - Elektroniska Tider
(With full discography and info) * * {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Per Gessle Swedish pop music groups 1977 establishments in Sweden 1985 disestablishments in Sweden Culture in Halmstad