"Let Your Heart Dance with Me" is a song by

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 music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

duo Duo may refer to: Places *Duo, West Virginia, an unincorporated community and coal town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia *Duo, Tampere, a shopping centre in Hervanta, Tampere, Finland * DUO, a twin-tower development in Singapore Arts, enterta ...

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 ...

, released on 2 October 2020 as the second single from their compilation album ''

Bag of Trix ''Bag of Trix'' (subtitled ''Music from the Roxette Vaults'') is the third box set compilation by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was issued physically by Roxette Recordings and Parlophone on 11 December 2020, as a quadruple LP and triple CD set ...

''. The song was written by

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 ...

, and contains vocals by

Marie Fredriksson Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock pop duo, duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. ...

. The track was released on a limited edition gold-coloured

7" vinyl In music, a single is a type of Art release#Music, release, typically a song Sound recording, recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for record sales, sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most ca ...

, which was limited to 1,500 copies worldwide and contained their previous single – a cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

song "

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help! ( ...

", recorded live at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

on 15 November 1995 – as the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was also released for the song, featuring previously unseen footage from both Gessle and Fredriksson's private archives.

Background and recording

The track was originally recorded in 2016 for Roxette's tenth studio album ''

Good Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...

'', with songwriter

saying it was his intention to compose a "classic and simple 'clap your hands and stomp your feet' song" while writing the track. However, the song was not finished in time to be included on ''Good Karma''. Gessle said that "as usual we already had so many strong contenders that

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

had to wait for a second chance. And when the idea for 'Bag of Trix''came up, it was a given." ''Bag of Trix'', a 3-disc compilation of previously unreleased material, also features a second track originally recorded for ''Good Karma'', "Piece of Cake". "Let Your Heart Dance With Me" was one of the final vocals

recorded for Roxette, in 2016, before her death in December 2019. She was advised by her doctors to cease all touring activity due to poor health two months before ''Good Karma'' was released. Gessle said: "We cancelled the 016summer tour and all future commitments. But even a studio recording was demanding for her. She wanted so much, but really had to fight to get it out. And she did. Marie was a real trooper to the very end." The track was mixed by Ronny Lahti, who also mixed Roxette's 2001 album ''

Room Service Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...

''.

Release and promotion

A music video for the track was created using footage from Gessle and Fredriksson's private archives. The video premiered on 1 October 2020 on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. Immediately following the broadcast, Roxette's YouTube channel hosted a live Q& A session with Gessle, where he answered questions submitted by fans. "Let Your Heart Dance with Me" was released as a limited edition

on 9 October 2020. This vinyl was gold-coloured and limited to 1,500 copies worldwide, and contained their previous single – a cover of

song "

" that Roxette recorded live at

on 15 November 1995 – as the

Critical reception

A writer for Swedish newspaper ''

Aftonbladet ''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...

'' described the song as "light-hearted and optimistic", but said it was inappropriate for inclusion on ''Good Karma''. Their writer elaborated that although the track was an "easy listen, at first", each subsequent listen revealed it to be "more and more a tribute to Marie Fredriksson." They complimented the "acoustic guitars and carefree whistles", saying that these elements gave the song the impression of a "duo that took a last-minute burst of heat, settled down on a sandy beach and talked about old memories until sunset. But if you listen carefully, you are still struck by a strong melancholy." They went on to describe the song as a fitting tribute to Fredriksson, complimenting Gessle for making it "feel like a tribute to their friendship and a thank you to Marie: 'You made it possible / By being beautiful / And so incredible'; he sings but then turns to a more melancholy appeal: 'Let your heart dance with me / Let me see you smile again'." The German edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' called it a "strikingly optimistic song, although it was recorded at a time when Marie Fredriksson's health problems were being intensified as a result of ten years of recurrent cancer treatment." Similarly, ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

'' described it as a track that "radiates summer, sun and optimism", despite Fredriksson's health status at the time of its recording.

Formats and track listing

"Let Your Heart Dance with Me" written by Per Gessle; "Help!" written by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

* Digital download # "Let Your Heart Dance with Me" – 3:07 * 7" vinyl # "Let Your Heart Dance with Me" – 3:07 # "

" (Abbey Road Sessions, 15 November 1995) – 2:56

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 7" single and

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. * "Let Your Heart Dance With Me" recorded at Aerosol Grey Machine, Vallarum,

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

in 2016 * "Help!" recorded at Abbey Road Studios on 15 November 1995 Musicians *

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

– lead and background vocals and production * Jonas Isacsson – guitar *

Christoffer Lundquist Carl Christoffer Lundquist (born 1970) is a Swedish musician and producer. He was once in the band Brainpool, where he started as a bass player and backing vocalist, but moved to play both the bass and the guitar. Brainpool won a Swedish Gram ...

– background vocals, programming,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

and production *

Clarence Öfwerman Clarence Öfwerman (born 22 November 1957) is a Swedish record producer, best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album ''Pearls of Passion'' in 1986 through to 2016's ''Good Karma'', Roxette's l ...

–

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, programming, production and mixing Technical * Addeboy vs. Cliff – production * Wickholm Formavd. – sleeve design * Emmelie Hedenström – photography * Ronny Lahti – mixing * Alar Suurna – engineering and mixing

Charts

References

{{authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Roxette songs Songs written by Per Gessle Parlophone singles