"Spending My Time"
Single by Roxette
from the album Joyride
B-side"The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye"
Released30 October 1991 (1991-10-30)
RecordedJuly 1990
StudioEMI (Stockholm, Sweden)
GenrePop rock
Length4:39
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Clarence Öfwerman
Roxette singles chronology
"The Big L."
(1991)		 "Spending My Time"
(1991)		 "Church of Your Heart"
(1992)
Music video
"Spending My Time" on YouTube

"Spending My Time" is a song by Swedish duo Roxette, released as the fourth single from their third studio album, Joyride (1991). It was written by Per Gessle and Mats Persson, and produced by Clarence Öfwerman. The single attained moderate success, reaching the top ten in Germany and Italy, and the top twenty in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, while peaking at number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart and thirty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

A remix was created by M.C. King Carli and Dr. Renault (pseudonyms used by Öfwerman & Anders) at EMI Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 1991, and was included on the single. A Spanish version of the song, titled "Un Día Sin Ti" ("A Day Without You"), was released in 1996 as the lead single from the duo's Spanish-language compilation album Baladas en Español.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Bryan Buss noted "the quiet desperation" of the song in his review of Joyride.[1] Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as an "acoustic-anchored pop/rock ballad" and noted further that the "memorable melody and throaty vocals by Marie Fredriksson are [the] track's true highlights."[2] Swedish newspaper Expressen called it a "high-pitched melancholy ballad".[3] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote, "In a Top 40 world starved for pop music, Per and Marie can be considered a delicacy. No matter what the tempo, all their songs contain melodies that win listeners over immediately. Hearing this latest release makes it easy to understand why they've established such a large and loyal international following."[4]

A reviewer from Göteborgsposten complimented the song for its "strong" chorus.[5] Kim Såtvedt from Norwegian newspaper Laagendalsposten also complimented Roxette for their "beautiful ballads" like "Spending My Time", noting it as "enthralling".[6] Pan-European magazine Music & Media described it as a "melancholic ballad".[7] Brendon Veevers from Renowned for Sound called it "the greatest musical creation of all time", adding the song as "such an emotional charged and exquisitely delivered song".[8] Rolling Stones J.D. Considine noted Fredriksson's "vocal fire-work" on the song.[9] Miranda Sawyer from Smash Hits commented, "Yes, it's a hankies-up ballad with a thumping Swedish beat."[10]

Commercial performance

The song was not as commercially successful as the duo's preceding singles. It peaked at number thirty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, ending a run of five consecutive top two singles on the chart.[11] In the liner notes of their 1995 greatest hits compilation Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!, Per Gessle said he believed that "Spending My Time" was "going to be our biggest hit ever, which might have happened if not our American record company had fired a lot of... ah, never mind."[12] At the end of 1991, EMI merged with other record companies to form EMI Records Group North America. The merger resulted in the new company firing over a hundred members of staff, and saw Roxette receiving little support from the new label.[13] The song also peaked at number nine in Canada.[14]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Spending My Time" was directed by American director Wayne Isham and depicts singer Marie Fredriksson at multiple places in a house, such as sitting by a window, lying in bed, sitting on a couch and at a table. Gessle also appears occasionally playing the guitar.[15]

Track listings

All songs were written by Per Gessle and Mats Persson except "The Sweet Hello, the Sad Goodbye", written by Gessle.

  1. "Spending My Time" – 4:39
  2. "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" – 4:49
  • UK 7-inch single[20]
  1. "Spending My Time" – 4:39
  2. "Listen to Your Heart" (Swedish Single Version) – 5:10
  1. "Spending My Time" (Electric Dance Remix) – 5:27
  2. "Spending My Time" – 4:39
  3. "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" – 4:49
  1. "Spending My Time" – 4:39
  2. "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" – 4:49
  3. "Spending My Time" (Electric Dance Remix) – 5:27
  4. "Spending My Time" (Electric Dance Remix/Instrumental) – 5:27
  1. "Spending My Time" – 4:39
  2. "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" – 4:49
  3. "Spending My Time" (Electric Dance Remix) – 5:27
  4. "Listen to Your Heart" (7-inch Edit) – 4:06

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Ballad Hits.[24]

Studios

  • Recorded in July 1990 at EMI Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
  • Mixed at EMI Studios

Musicians

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Spending My Time"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Sweden 30 October 1991 7-inch vinyl EMI [38]
United Kingdom 11 November 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [44]

"Un Día Sin Ti" (1996)

"Un Día Sin Ti"
Single by Roxette
from the album Baladas en Español
B-side"Timida" ("Vulnerable")
Released29 October 1996 (1996-10-29)
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
  • Per Gessle
  • Mats Persson
  • Luis G. Escolar
Producer(s)Clarence Öfwerman
Roxette singles chronology
"She Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
(1996)		 "Un Día Sin Ti"
(1996)		 "No Sé Si Es Amor"
(1997)
Music video
"Un día sin ti" on YouTube

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. This album was only released in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking territories. A translated version of "Spending My Time", titled "Un Día Sin Ti" ("A Day Without You"), was released in November 1996 as the album's lead single.

Music video

A new music video was filmed for this version of the song. It was created by Jonas Åkerlund, who would go on to direct a total of twelve music videos for the duo. It features close-up shots of Marie singing and Per playing guitar, interspersed with clips of a woman descending into alcoholism, and suggestively sniffing a table counter.[15]

Track listings

All music was composed by Per Gessle and Mats Persson. Lyrics were written by Gessle. Spanish lyrics were written by Luis G. Escolar.

  • CD single (EU 8652672)
  1. "Un Día Sin Ti" ("Spending My Time") – 4:39
  2. "Tímida" ("Vulnerable") – 4:44

Charts

Chart performance for "Un Día Sin Ti"
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Spain (AFYVE)[37] 20
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[45] 10

References

  1. ↑ Buss, Bryan. "Roxette - Joyride". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  2. ↑ Flick, Larry (19 October 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "ROXETTE: Joyride". Expressen. 26 March 1991.
  4. ↑ Sholin, Dave (11 October 1991). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1877. p. 60. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "ROXETTE Joyride". Göteborgsposten. 26 March 1991.
  6. ↑ Såtvedt, Kim (6 June 1991). "Plater". Laagendalsposten (in Norwegian). No. 105. p. 7. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Spotlight: Roxette" (PDF). Music & Media. 30 March 1991. p. 13. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Veevers, Brendon (12 December 2013). "TOP 10 ROXETTE BALLADS". Renowned for Sound. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  9. ↑ J.D. Considine (27 June 1991). "Roxette: Joyride: Music Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  10. ↑ Sawyer, Miranda (16 October 1991). "Review: Singles". Smash Hits. p. 41. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Roxette Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Digital booklet". Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus (liner notes). Roxette. Stockholm, Sweden: EMI Records. 1995. 7243 836203 2 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ Charlie Amter (4 July 2011). "EMI Sets U.S. Release for New Roxette Album". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2036." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  15. 1 2 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)
  16. ↑ "Spending My Time" (Swedish 7" single). Roxette. EMI. 1991. 1364117.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ↑ "Spending My Time" (German 7" single). Roxette. EMI. 1991. 1C 006-13 6411 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ↑ "Spending My Time" (US cassette single). Roxette. EMI. 1991. 4KM-50366.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ↑ "Spending My Time" (Canadian cassette single). Roxette. Capitol Records. 1991. 4KM 73169.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ↑ "Spending My Time" (UK 7" single). Roxette. EMI. 1991. EM 215.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ "Spending My Time" (12" single). Roxette. EMI. 1991. 1364116.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ↑ "Spending My Time" (European CD maxi single). Roxette. EMI. 1991. 1364112.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ↑ "Spending My Time" (UK CD maxi single). Roxette. EMI. 1991. CDEM 215.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ Lindström, Sven (2002). The Ballad Hits (CD liner notes). Roxette. Capitol Records. 72435 42798-2 9.
  25. ↑ "Roxette – Spending My Time". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  26. ↑ "Roxette – Spending My Time" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  27. ↑ "Roxette – Spending My Time" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  28. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2049." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  29. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 49. 7 December 1991. p. 33. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  30. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  31. ↑ "Roxette – Spending My Time" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  32. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Spending My Time". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  33. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 21 July 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Spending my time" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  34. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 48, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  35. ↑ "Roxette – Spending My Time" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  36. ↑ "Roxette – Spending My Time". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  37. 1 2 Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  38. 1 2 "Roxette – Spending My Time". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  39. ↑ "Roxette – Spending My Time". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  40. ↑ "Roxette: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  41. ↑ "Roxette Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  42. ↑ "The RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary tracks of 1992". RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. 19 December 1992. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  43. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  44. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 9 November 1991. p. 21.
  45. ↑ "Roxette Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
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