"The Big L." is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. Written by Per Gessle, it was released on 26 August 1991 by EMI as the third single from their third studio album, Joyride (1991). The song became a top ten hit in Belgium, Ireland and Sweden, and was the highest-charting single released from Joyride in France. It also reached the top twenty in a number of other countries, including Australia, Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Despite a US radio mix of the song appearing on CD versions of the single, it was never released as a single in North America.
| "The Big L." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Roxette | ||||
| from the album Joyride | ||||
| B-side | "One Is Such a Lonely Number" (demo) | |||
| Released | 26 August 1991 | |||
| Recorded | June 1990 | |||
| Studio | EMI (Stockholm, Sweden) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:29 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Per Gessle | |||
| Producer(s) | Clarence Öfwerman | |||
| Roxette singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Big L." on YouTube | ||||
Critical reception
Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal stated that "they can still bang out a decent tune."[1] AllMusic editor Bryan Buss wrote in his review of Joyride, that "The Big L." follows in the successful vein Gessle and Fredriksson mined with "The Look".[2] Swedish Expressen called it a "peppery pop song adorned with details from old rock 'n' roll".[3] I Dag described it as "classic pop that could just as well be Gyllene Tider in the 90s".[4] Kim Såtvedt from Norwegian Laagendalsposten named it a "useful up-tempo song".[5] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote that the song is "again proof of Per Gessle's knack for writing pleasant pop underpinned by rocking beats. The casual but economic production further adds to the song's power."[6]
Formats and track listings
All songs were written and composed by Per Gessle.
- Cassette and 7-inch single (Europe 1364347 · UK EM204)
- "The Big L." – 4:29
- "One Is Such a Lonely Number" (Demo, September 1987) – 3:33
- 12-inch single (Europe 1364346)
- "The Big L." (The Bigger, The Better Mix) – 6:17
- "The Big L." – 4:29
- "One Is Such a Lonely Number" (Demo) – 3:33
- CD single (Europe 1364342)
- "The Big L." – 4:29
- "One Is Such a Lonely Number" (Demo) – 3:33
- "The Big L." (The Bigger, The Better Mix) – 6:17
- "The Big L." (US Mix) – 4:35
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Rox Box/Roxette 86–06.[7]
Studios
- Recorded in June 1990 at EMI Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Mixed at EMI Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
Musicians
- Marie Fredriksson – lead vocals, background vocals
- Per Gessle – lead vocals, background vocals, mixing
- Anders Herrlin – programming, engineering
- Jonas Isacsson – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, harmonica
- Clarence Öfwerman – keyboards, programming, production, mixing
- Staffan Öfwerman – background vocals
- Alar Suurna – mixing, engineering
Charts
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 26 August 1991 |
| EMI | [20] |
| Japan | 16 October 1991 | Mini-CD | [26] |