"Fireworks"
Single by Roxette
from the album Crash! Boom! Bang!
Released5 September 1994 (1994-09-05)[1]
Length3:40
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Per Gessle
Producer(s)Clarence Öfwerman
Roxette singles chronology
"Crash! Boom! Bang!"
(1994) 		"Fireworks"
(1994) 		"Run to You"
(1994)
Music video
"Fireworks" on YouTube

"Fireworks" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 5 September 1994 by EMI as the third single from the duo's fifth studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994). Written by Per Gessle, the song achieved moderate success in various European countries, peaking within the top 20 in Austria and Finland and reaching number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. Its accompanying music video was directed by Michael Geoghegan.

Release

The song was the only internationally released single by Roxette to be omitted from their career retrospective The Rox Box, which included every other single released by the duo up to 2006, and it has never appeared on any of the duo's compilation albums—excluding the Jesus Jones remix of the song included on Rarities (1996). In an interview with The Daily Roxette in 2009, Per Gessle was asked why the song was ignored on compilations, saying: "I guess it just wasn't big enough. There are so many other [Roxette] tracks that kick its ass. And on The Rox Box, we decided to use demos and other uplifting stuff instead."[2]

Music video

Irish filmmaker Michael Geoghegan, who also directed videos for their preceding three singles "Almost Unreal", "Sleeping in My Car" and "Crash! Boom! Bang!", directed the music video, which centers around twin sisters who emigrate from the Swedish countryside to London to pursue fame and fortune. In London, the sisters are seen at various locations, including Piccadilly Circus and the London Underground. During the song's bridge, the sisters are sexually assaulted underneath a bridge. They return to Sweden, and, at the end of the video, their younger brother is revealed to be Per Gessle.[3]

Formats and track listings

All songs were written by Per Gessle.

  1. "Fireworks" (Single Edit) – 3:40
  2. "Dangerous" (Unplugged Version) – 3:13
  1. "Fireworks" – 3:40
  2. "Fireworks" (Jesus Jones Remix) – 4:11
  3. "Dangerous" (Unplugged Version) – 3:13
  4. "The Rain" (Demo, 29 December 1991) – 4:44
  1. "Fireworks" – 3:40
  2. "Dangerous" (Unplugged Version) – 3:13
  3. "The Rain" (Demo) – 4:44
  4. "Crash! Boom! Bang!" (Radio Edit) – 4:25
  1. "Fireworks" – 3:40
  2. "I'm Sorry" (Demo, 18 August 1993) – 3:20
  3. "Fireworks" (Jesus Jones Remix) – 4:11
  4. "Sleeping in My Car" – 3:47

Charts

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4][5] 68
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 24
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 60
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 33
Europe (European AC Radio)[10] 5
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 14
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 51
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[13] 32
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[14] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 41
Scotland (OCC)[16] 26
Spanish Airplay (AFYVE)[17] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 34
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 30

References

  1. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 3 September 1994. p. 27. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Per speaks out in The Daily Roxette fall interview". The Daily Roxette. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  3. ^ Ballad & Pop Hits - The Complete Video Collection (DVD liner notes). Roxette. EMI. 2003. 7243 4 90946 9 7.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 240.
  5. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 20 November 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 13 March 2017 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest position reached.
  6. ^ "Roxette – Fireworks" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Roxette – Fireworks" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2669." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 40. 1 October 1994. p. 11. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Adult Contemporary Europe Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 October 1994. p. 21. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  11. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  12. ^ "Roxette – Fireworks" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  13. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Vikan 29.9. – 5.10. '94". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 29 September 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 | Roxette – Fireworks". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Roxette – Fireworks" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  17. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ^ "Roxette – Fireworks". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  19. ^ "Roxette: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
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