Almost 40 years after its release, Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” has finally been granted entry to YouTube’s Billion Views Club.
The official music video crosses the threshold this week, and is the Swedish pop duo’s first to do so. Originally released in 1987, “It Must Have Been Love” features clips from the romcom Pretty Woman, after a version of the song appeared on its official soundtrack and was heard in a pivotal emotional moment near the end of the movie.
When Pretty Woman opened in cinemas in 1990, movie-goers fans fell hard for Roxette’s power ballad, and for late singer Marie Fredriksson’s powerhouse vocals.
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It’s a transcendent vocal performance from Fredriksson, one that that strikes the perfect balance of melodrama and restraint.
In the United States, the single logged two weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and logged 25 weeks on the chart. It’s one of four Roxette leaders in the United States, and the only cut to land multiple weeks at No. 1. Across the Atlantic, the single peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, and stayed in the frame for 14 weeks.
During her lifetime, Fredriksson enjoyed 12 appearances on the Hot 100 with Roxette, and three titles on the Billboard 200. Fredriksson was diagnosed with a severe brain tumor in 2002, and received aggressive treatment that took its toll, reportedly leaving her nearly blind in one eye and with limited hearing. She returned to the stage for a Roxette comeback tour in 2009, but called time on live performances in 2016, on doctors’ advice. The talented artist died in 2019 following a 17-year long battle with cancer.
Roxette is currently touring Europe for the Live – Back Again! 2026 tour, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their debut album, with a lineup featuring founder and main songwriter Per Gessle and Swedish star Lena Philipsson taking on female lead vocals.
Watch the official music video for “It Must Have Been Love” below.
