Released 27 September 1988 Genre Pop rock | Format 7"
12"
CD | |
B-side "(I Could Never) Give You Up" Recorded 1988 at EMI Studios in Stockholm Length 5:28 (album version)
5:14 (Swedish radio edit) |
"Listen to Your Heart" is a song by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The song was originally released in September 1988 in Sweden as the second single from their second studio album, Look Sharp! (1988). It went on to become one of the most successful singles of 1989, reaching number one in both the US and Canada. The song was written by Per Gessle and former Gyllene Tider guitarist Mats "M.P." Persson. The song was released in the UK in October 1989 and originally peaked at number 62, but was re-issued in August 1990 as a double A-side with "Dangerous" and reached number six, following the success of their previous single "It Must Have Been Love". In 2005, Belgian trance act DHT released a remixed version of the song, which became a top 10 hit in numerous territories, including France, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.
Contents
Production and video
According to Gessle, the song was conceived as:
"The Big Bad Ballad. This is us trying to recreate that overblown American FM-rock sound to the point where it almost becomes absurd. We really wanted to see how far we could take it."
Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!Three different versions of the song are available: the original; a slightly modified version that was included on subsequent greatest hits compilations; and the "US Remix", which is used in the music video. Roxette recorded the video for "Listen to Your Heart" in the Borgholm Castle ruin on the Swedish Baltic Sea island of Öland.
Accolades
In 2008, the song had reached four million American radio plays. The D.H.T. dance cover (see below) is included in the total of plays. The song has been voted The Best Roxette Song ever by readers of fan-site The Daily Roxette. In 2014, the song had reached five million American radio plays.
Live versions
"Listen to Your Heart" has been performed on all of Roxette's concert tours. In 1988 and in 1991, on the Look Sharp Tour and the Join the Joyride Tour respectively, in its original, power ballad style, and on the following tours in an acoustic, unplugged form. However, since their return to excessive touring in 2010 after a long hiatus due to Fredrikssons illness they opt to perform the song with full band again.
At the Wembley Arena gig on their 1991–92 Join the Joyride/The Summer Joyride World Tour, before playing this song as part of the encore, Per said "We can't leave you tonight without playing you this absolutely true story."
Formats and track listings
All music by Per Gessle, except "Listen to Your Heart" by Gessle and Mats Persson; "Half a Woman, Half a Shadow" by Marie Fredriksson and Gessle. All lyrics by Gessle.
- "Listen to Your Heart" – 5:12
- "(I Could Never) Give You Up" – 3:59
- "Listen to Your Heart" – 5:12
- "Half a Woman, Half a Shadow" – 3:33
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Single Mix) – 5:14
- "Dressed for Success" (New Radio Mix) – 3:56
- "(I Could Never) Give You Up" – 3:58
- "Neverending Love" (Live) – 3:31
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Swedish Single Version) – 5:12
- "Dangerous" – 3:46
- "Listen to Your Heart" (US Mix) – 4:53
- "Dangerous" (U.S. Club Edit) – 3:46
DHT cover
In 2005, Belgian dance group DHT's trance cover of "Listen to Your Heart" became a worldwide club hit after being released as single from the album Listen to Your Heart. Originally released in Belgium in 2003, the various mixes of the song reached U.S. clubs in late 2004. The song was released in the U.S. in November 2004. By June 2005, the song reached number one on Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart and the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number eight in August. The same year, the group also released the "Edmée's unplugged vocal edit", an acoustic ballad version of the song, which also received substantial airplay.
Track listings
- "Listen to Your Heart" — 4:32
- "My Dream" — 3:55
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Edmée's unplugged vocal edit) — 4:32
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Furious F.EZ radio edit) — 3:50
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Uniting Nations remix) — 7:11
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Furious F.EZ extended mix) — 4:54
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Hixxy remix) — 7:11
- "Listen to Your Heart" (Friday Night Posse remix) — 7:29
- "Listen to Your Heart" — 4:32