Nixon
"I Love You"
Recorded in 2000 by Roger Gunnarsson. Previously released on 7" single "I Will Never Leave You" on Strings of Nashville.

As for most of my more "famous" songs I can see why it happened to just them, and in some cases I even remember the songwriting moment with a thought of making an unusually good song. There are some songs though, that I also have that feeling for that has been completely ignored over the years. At least as far as I know.
In the spring of 1999 my girlfriend Anna was diagnosed with cancer, and in April 2000 she died in our apartment in Jönköping. Less than two weeks later I wrote this song about us, on a warm and sleepless night as I remember it. I couldn't play guitar because it would disturb the neighbours so I wrote a quick piece on the keyboard and wrote this lyric just about as quick as it takes to read it. Those were natural feelings about the situation and they just kept pouring out of me.
I didn't think much of the song when it was finished, it was more something I had to do that very moment, instead of writing a diary. But about a year later Daniel Andersson, who ran small label Strings of Nashville, wanted to release that very song as a single I felt it was too private so I insisted on making an EP where it could be more hidden as a second track or something. And it's been hidden there since then.
I remember when I was at a gig in Gothenburg 2002 an unknown girl walked up to me and told me how much she had been crying to that song, and that's probably the only mention I heard of it. It's never been released on CD och digitally elsewhere (the EP was on vinyl) so I thought it would be nice to have it here in the Nixon archives at last.
It's been 21 years since I wrote it, and I still remember the situation so well. I'm kind of impressed by the way I could find those words and melodies in that extremely special situation.


I LOVE YOU
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson 20000505

Autumn 98, moving in
I'd never been so much in love in my entire life
We had only been together for five months but in our hearts we knew that our love would last forever
I worked that autumn, while Anna was doing her last year at school
I love the food we used to make
The trips we used to go on
I love the flowers in the windows and the Saturday mornings in bed
I love you
I love you

You fell asleep in your wet hair
I'd always wanted to be there
when I laid there by your side

I miss your voice when I'm at home
I miss your thoughts when I'm watching TV
I want to spend my whole life with you, I wish there was a way
I promise I will visit your as often as I can
I love you
I miss the things that only you and me knew about
I miss the words we used
I miss you in my lap
I miss your voice
I love you
I love you
I love you

You fell asleep in your wet hair
I'd always wanted to be there
when I laid there by your side

The world was silent for a while
You turned around and kissed my smile
That August summer night

no title

I Love You [2000]

Nixon
"Without Me"
Unreleased track. Written and recorded in 2003

This one is recorded around the same time as the Snow Day EP, I remember it because I did it with Maria Petersson (later Maria Grum of The Garlands) and she also played the guitar solo on the "Snow Day" track. I think we did this one shortly after the EP, that's why it's not on it. It was written musically mainly by Maria, she came up with and played the guitars, and I wrote the melody above that.  

WITHOUT ME
W&M: Maria Petersson, Roger Gunnarsson 2003

If I held you up too long
I'm sorry but I am just happy
just to know someone that strong

Either way I'm still, available but I
know you want to see the world
Without me

You brought a big smile to my face
I'm just so happy to know someone as beautiful these days

Either way I'm still, slowing down your life
I know you got a change of plans
Without me

Without Me [2003]

Pushy Parents
"Etienne"
Unreleased track. Demo 2011

Right after recording the first and only EP by Pushy Parents we continued to write and record songs for a second EP. Some of them were never more than sketches but some of them got at least half-finished. This is a song I wrote a few years earlier for another project that never happened, and I tried to turn it into a PP song.
I think this little indie ballad is quite nice in this very unfinished production. Amanda's beautiful first-take-guide-vocals turned out pretty cool with distortion, Daniel's jangly guitar is really colourful and me and Johan did the dirty production with a Solina String Ensemble machine that we found in the studio basement.
Unfortunately we had to give up the studio space before any of these songs were completely finished and the band/project faded away. 
This is however a pretty cool demo.

ETIENNE
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson 2010

At the porch, Fell asleep on your lawn, A bicycle ride
In a way I felt sorry for you when your daddy was gone
almost every night
And I tried to gather all my feeling about you

Etienne
The pieces that remain
We stayed up in your room, we could see the moon
and you told me about all the things you wanted to
Etienne
You loved the pouring rain
I followed you to your first day at school
Your jeans were worn out
There's no doubt that you would always be my friend, Etienne

Winter sun and the weekend begun
I walked up to your door
10 years old, getting lost in the snow
I had nowhere to go
Silently cold
Looked inside, all that's left was the drawing I gave you

Etienne
The pieces that remain
We stayed up in your room, we could see the moon
and you told me about all the things you wanted to
Etienne
You loved the pouring rain
I followed you to your first day at school
Your jeans were worn out
There's no doubt that you would always be my friend, Etienne

Etienne [2011]

Intellivision feat. Holly Dodson
"Robogirl"
Recorded in 2008 by Roger Gunnarsson and Thomas Johansson at Studio Mindbender, Halmstad. Holly's vocals recorded by herself in Toronto.

Back in 2007 or so I did a few songs over the internet with Holly Dodson in Toronto, Canada. We found each other's music on Myspace and started talking about doing music together almost instantly. My dad got a bit starstruck about the fact that Holly's dad was in 70s band Stampeders, which he had a few records with.
As with most of my collaborations the excitement of writing new songs is stronger than the will to finish them, but here is one that got kind of finished. Originally a song by me and Thomas written for the second Intellivision album that never happened, but things really came together when we re-recorded it with Holly.
Musically it's pretty much what we did with Intellivision, euroesque 80's pop with inspiration from i.e. Secret Service and ELO. So the space theme of the lyrics came quite naturally. I stole the idea from one of my 80s favs "Clouds Across the Moon" by Rah Band, with an earth/space love affair spiced up with some jealousy.
Holly Dodson later found well-earned success with the electropop combo Parallels. Still active and still great: https://iloveparallels.squarespace.com/

ROBOGIRL
Sung by Holly Dodson
Recorded and Produced by Intellivision in 2008
Words and Music by Roger Gunnarsson, Thomas Johansson & Holly Dodson

I send a message to your telephone
they said you weren't at home
Today I wish that you were close to me

But you're in outer space
and I can't see your face
I guess you are nowhere around today

I think of you 
I don't know what to do
There are no answers to be found

Robogirl
Why did you take my love away?
I didn't know there was love in outer space

Robogirl
Why can't I get my boy to stay?
He's talking to me
but with you on his mind

We had a conversation late one night
and I was feeling alright that day
Although we're talking really personally

She was there with you
Really close to you
and she could hear every word I said

When are you coming back?
I'm really losing track
We really miss you here at ground control

Robogirl
Why did you take my love away?
I didn't know there was love in outer space

Robogirl
Why can't I get my boy to stay?
He's talking to me
but with you on his mind

Maybe you should be thinking
Old love never rusts
What's on your mind?
What's on your mind?

Robogirl [2008]

Intellivision
"Set My Heart On Fire"
Recorded and written by Roger Gunnarsson and Thomas Johansson in 2006 at Studio Mindbender, Halmstad

After the Intellivision album back in 2005 me and Thomas started writing on new songs rightaway, planning for a second album or at least a new EP. Those songs were never released but some of them later surfaced rewritten for other projects (such as Leaderboard).
Here's one no one heard though. We usually used a weird voice pitch processor for the vocals on the Intellivision tracks, and same thing here, but the lead vox were dubbed by Tua Sandman (of Happy Birthdays and Nixon fame!) on this track.
Take notice of the bridge melody (around 0.43) and the resemblance of the hook melody from "Rollercoaster" by Dolly Style (Melodifestivalen 2016)!!


SET MY HEART ON FIRE
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson & Thomas Johansson

I saw you standing in the corner where I used to meet you every night
So many memories of us to keep, so many reasons to know why

Why did we go insane?
How come you don't want to see my face anymore
I'm living on my own
I'm not alone, but I still need your company more
More and more and more and more

Set my heart on fire
Take me in your arms and bring me home
I don't want to know what's on your mind
and as long as you're not gone I will be home
You left me in the rain, on fire
Leave me in  the rain, desire
Love me once again

Why did we go insane?
How come you don't want to see my face anymore
I'm living on my own
I'm not alone, but I still need your company more
More and more and more and more

Set my heart on fire
Take me in your arms and bring me home
I don't want to know what's on your mind
and as long as you're not gone I will be home
You left me in the rain, on fire
Leave me in  the rain, desire
Love me once again

Set My Heart On Fire [2006]

Sally Shapiro & Nixon
"Alice" (demo version)
Written and recorded in August 2010 by Johan Agebjörn, Roger Gunnarsson and Le Prix.
Published by Universal Music Publishing

In August 2010 I teamed up with Johan Agebjörn and Le Prix to write and record for Johan's forthcoming solo album, "Casablanca Nights". Me and Johan A had already been writing a few songs together for that album, but we needed a few more and wanted a duet for Sally Shapiro to sing.
We took a few hours in the studio and came up with this demo. Johan had already done most of the instrumentals, so what we did really was the melodies and lyrics. We recorded a brief version in the studio with me singing the male bits and leaving out the rest for Sally to sing later.
My bits were replaced (all according to plan) by Fred Ventura, an italo disco hero that Johan managed to track down and convince to join the duet. It was released both as an album track and a 12" on Flashback Records (FIN).
I had only written the first part of the lyric when we recorded this, so the first verse was just copied out on the second, but apart from that, I think this early demo sound quite similar to the final result. Since I'm singing on this demo I thought it was fun to put it up here anyway

ALICE
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson, Johan Agebjörn, Johan Emmoth, Fred Bonaventura

I could have promised you
I could have stayed in touch for just another day
I could have lied to you
but I just smiled and tried to walk the other way

Wait til you see this new illusion that I have of things being easy
Have I been thinking all too much of what we had
Am I still dreaming?

Alice, I should have tried
when the city was still mine
I need you to be true
and a chance to talk this through

"Oh not tonight, I'm not alright
can you call some other time?
Is it okay, if we say
that we meet another day?"


Alice [2010]

Happy Birthdays
"About This Summer"
Written, recorded and performed by Tua Sandman and Roger Gunnarsson in early 2001.

My original idea for Happy Birthdays was to be an indiepop version of a 60s girlgroup, so I kind of wrote the songs in a 'brill building' fashion and then recorded them very indiepoppish. And Tua's voice was the perfect blend between the indiepop nonchalance and girlgroup-esque innocent. So for our first recording session in early 2001 I had prepared 8-10 songs that were all girlgroup pastiches, both in words and music. 
This is one of those that we recorded but never used anywhere. A good example of the pastiches I was into at the time. Classic 60s chords with a lyric about a lost summer romance.
Later on we dropped that 60s direction and went in a more indiepop/twee direction. Our most popular songs, "Every Week" and "I'm Still Not As Happy...", were both part of that early girlgroup session though.

ABOUT THIS SUMMER
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson 2000

The weather forecast said it would rain today
It never did but I see rain anyway
I've never been this far from sunshine before
It's autumn now and it's hard to ignore

We were meant to be 
but I'm afraid you are out of my life
Out of my life
Will I see you?
Will you see me?
I remember everything about this summer

It took a while til I got to know your name
The summer's gone now and you're far away
I'd be so happy for just another day
You say you like me and that's not so strange

You are just like me
but I'm afraid you are out of my life
Out of my life
Will I see you?
Will you see me?
I remember everything about this summer

You said you'll write but I'm not sure you will
Will I see you?
Will you see me?
I remember everything about this summer


About This Summer [2001]

Nixon
"Friendship vs Love"
Recorded by Roger Gunnarsson on 4-track tape recorder in 1996

Another one from those endless tapes of 4-track recording I did in the mid 90s. For a while there I wrote new songs almost every day, and some of them were re-written and re-recorded lots of times over the years too. I know there are a few different takes on this one, and I think I recorded it for the "Only Ugly People Smoke" album but took it away for some reason.
This was never a favourite back then and it's not today either, but over the years it's become such a perfect memory for that period. And the perfect symbol for that bedsitter period (aka the helium years). I wrote so many songs that sounded like this back then, and since it was never redone properly I don't have any newer memories of it. 

FRIENDSHIP VS LOVE
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson 1995

How come I worry far too much?
How come I always feel too much
every time you're sad

How come I do expect the worst?
How come I look for more than words 
in everything you say

I love you in my special way

I could say that I love you a hundred million times
Oh my friend, I adore you

Does she like me or is she kind?
She is always on my mind
I wish I was on hers

We have grown to more than friends
They say that friendship never ends
but I will go too far

She is my very special star

I could say that I love you a hundred million times
Oh my friend, I adore you

I want to be special but what can I do to impress on her?
If she doesn't love me at all I would look like a fool

Friendship vs Love [1996]

Demo for Lia Pamina
"Silent Nights"
Written and recorded by Roger Gunnarsson in 2014

After releasing the Lia Pamina EP on Elefant I started writing new songs for and with her. We decided to leave the dancepop direction from "How Come I" and go for some kind of indiepop/60s style. I wrote a few songs that we sent back and forth in emails trying to come up with demos for a future EP. Unforunately this came in a period when I was too stressed up by other things so the EP kind of dried out without ever being made, but here is one of the demos I made for that EP. My version, that is. There is a version with Lia Pamina too, that may come up here in the future.
Lia survived my quitting very well though, she has a full album coming out on Elefant in October 2016. Sounds very promising from what I've heard!!

SILENT NIGHTS
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson 2014

Oh, let's think it over
You want to know now 
We could start over again but
I fear it somehow

I'm can't say I'm still all that nervous
It's more that I'm scared
Scared of what I do, and don't
of what is ahead

Cry, cry on a silent night
Lie, lie to keep the fear inside
Oh, I hear the door
slamming once more

I hate to pretend I'm not jealous
but I have the right
It's just that I still wanna know
where you went last night

So what's with your silent phonecalls?
They made me feel small
and when you hug me and say
I imagined it all

Cry, cry on a silent night
Lie, lie to keep the fear inside
Oh, I hear the door
slamming once more

Days are turning into months and years
I'm getting good at hiding tears
Oh so alone
Oh so much untold

Silent Nights [2014]

Demo
"Sommar i Bilen"
Written and recorded by Roger Gunnarsson and Thomas Johansson in 2009.
Vocals by Thomas Johansson

First upload in Swedish here, but I'll write this in English anyway. Between Intellivision and Leaderboard, me and Thomas kind of lost direction of our music but not in a bad way really. Instead of writing and recording for a special purpose we just wrote songs very randomly, trying out new genres and we also did a few (not very successful) attempts to pitch song via my publishing deal too.
But most of all it was fun writing songs that didn't have to fit in anywhere. For example this one in Swedish. Just a quirky pop tune in a very Swedish 90s formula.

SOMMAR I BILEN
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson & Thomas Johansson 2009

Kontoret är varmt och för trångt
En sista kopp kaffe sen åker jag hem
Snart är jag ute en sväng med dig

Jag har längtat så
Jag har packat, skakat filten, tankat 50 liter,
och snart är jag i bilen med dig

Sommar i bilen, har blivit vår grej

Du ber att få köra ett tag
jag somnar från kartan, du ber om förslag
Jag kan väl få köra igen men nej

Vi kan stanna nu
det är dags att sluta ratta,kanske övernatta
och ta en paus från bilen med dig

Sommar i bilen, har blivit vår grej 

Gomorron älskling. vakna min vän
Regnet det öser vi flyter iväg

Rädda maten, ta korgen med dig
frukost i bilen, har blivit vår grej

Sommarväder, är du min vän?
16 i solen, och mulet igen
Motorvägar, raster och nej
Sommar i bilen är inte vår grej

Sommar i Bilen [2009]

Dune
"Blue Boy"
Dune: Annika Rolandsson, Roger Gunnarsson, Carl-Magnus Jonsson
Demo recorded and produced by Thomas Johansson at Studio Mindbender, Halmstad.

As I wrote previously, Dune was my first band that made it onto a record. The debut was maybe not super-impressive because it was on a compilation on my own label, Dorian Records, that I ran for a few years in the 90s.
Dune was originally me and Annika Rolandsson. I was 21 and she was 19. I wrote the songs and she sang them. To have a decent demo I asked my friend Carl-Magnus to play the guitar and he joined the "band". We never rehearsed or anything like that. We just wrote songs and recorded them on my 4-track with a drum machine.
Then we decided to do a proper demo, and I asked my friend and longtime music companion Thomas Johansson to record us in his studio. We recorded three songs in November 1995 and in december we did our first and only demo cassette. We were too lazy to send it to record labels but at least we did a few copies for some magazines who used to review tapes from indie bands (Sound Affects, Pop and some local papers). Neither of them wrote anything at all about Dune, but a label from Eskilstuna called H.Lime Records did for some reason have our demo and asked us to have one of the songs from the demo on their upcoming compilation CD, "A Twist of Lime". They wanted "Blue Boy", a song heavily inspired by two of my favourite bands at the time, The Smiths and The Sundays. My original demo was very Morrissey-esque.

BLUE BOY
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson 1995

Johnny stays inside
making plans for none
Got no place to hide
things are no longer fun

Trying to be loved
but no one tries to love him
Always thinking of
Will things be better when life is over and I still wonder?

How was I to know?
How was I to love?
How was I to show?
How was I to care for?
Now I don't need anyone, cause nobody needs me

Trying not to smoke
Trying not to smell
He has the greatest joke
but no one left to tell

Dying to be loved
but no one tries to love him
Always thinking of
Will things be better when life is over and I still wonder?

How was I to know?
How was I to love?
How was I to show?
How was I to care for?
Now I don't need anyone!

Blue Boy [1995]

Demo
"Natur Natur"
Demo recorded and produced by Roger Gunnarsson and Patrik Lindgren in 2009.
Vocals by Patrik Lindgren.

Another one with Patrik Lindgren here, and another one in Swedish. Sorry foreign readers but I'm writing this in Swedish as well.
Natur Natur var ytterligare ett roligt projekt med Patrik Lindgren som aldrig blev mer än demo som få hörde. Vi hade en idé här, att sätta ihop en tonårsduo som skulle heta Natur Natur och göra lite eftertänksam tonårspop. En röst för pluggisarna snarare än festfolket. Vi skrev den här låten om gymnasiala prestationskrav och sen rann det väl ut i sanden. Lite synd för jag gillar fortfarande idén och låten blev rätt tjusig.
Bandnamnet var väl nån slags variant av Duran Duran, Talk Talk och den typen av namn. I detta fallet passade det ju även på låten.

NATUR NATUR
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson & Patrik Lindgren 2009

Jag är sen till lektionen igen
börjar bli en vana
Tappar motivationen varenda dag
det är svårt att förklara

Pappa vill att jag ska bli läkare
men det är inget han kan räkna med
Har fått axla hans drömmar och stora ting förväntas av mig

Ser livet passera förbi och jag går
Natur Natur
Det är komplicerat och svårt att veta hur
Jag går Natur Natur

Mamma vill att jag ska bli mäklare
och köpt en avacerad räknare
Jag vet inte vad jag står för
Någon kunde frågat mig

Ser livet passera förbi och jag går
Natur Natur
Det är komplicerat och svårt att veta hur jag ska orka mera
Jag går Natur Natur
Kan bättre! Prestera!
Så svårt att veta hur
Jag går Natur Natur

Jag är sen till lektionen igen
Tappar motivationen igen
Tappar koncentrationen igen

Ser livet passera förbi och jag går
Natur Natur
Det är komplicerat och svårt att veta hur jag ska orka mera
Jag går Natur Natur
Kan bättre! Prestera!
Så svårt att veta hur
Jag går Natur Natur

Natur Natur [2009]

Intellivision
"Commando Rap"
Written, recorded and produced by Roger Gunnarsson and Thomas Johansson in Studio Mindbender, Halmstad in 1999.

Here's an odd oldie! Made by me and Thomas in an afternoon or so back in 1999. We were both avid Commodore 64 users in the 80s so when he found some authentic SID samples we couldn't keep our hands from doing something with that. It ended up in this, eh, rap track based on our attempt to recreate the soundtrack for the C64 game Commando. I think we came quite close to the C64 original soundwise. Of course, Thomas is the technical mastermind behind this. I'm the hot rapper.
This was by the way the first time we used the band name Intellivision for our music. As with most of our songs the fun bit is the most important, and I remember this being a lot of fun making. most of all the rap part. I'm the one making that classy C&C Music Factory-esque rap. 
Since this song was never meant to be released, it contains a very unauthorized usage of Rob Hubbard's original music for Commando. Rob, if you read this (why would he?): Thank you for the Music!

COMMANDO RAP
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson, Thomas Johansson & Rob Hubbard

They say I'm stuck in the past
coz I like to play games like 'Last Ninja'
and 'Boulder Dash'
They say all my games are trash
They say 'Quake'
I said 'Wizard of War'
'Red Alert', I don't know what it's there for
'Doom' or 'Gran Turismo'
Throw them all away as I take Commando

They say the graphics are lame
but I say 'Hey, the quality is in the game'
But the memory's slow
and the CPU's low
and it's all gonna make you blow!
Shoot 'em up
Unlimited lives are gonna take me to the top
Sega or Nintendo?
Throw it all away as I take Commando

They say I'm stuck in the past
coz I like to play games like 'Last Ninja'
and 'Boulder Dash'
They say all my games are trash
They say 'Quake'
I said 'Wizard of War'
'Red Alert', I don't know what it's there for
'Doom' or 'Gran Turismo'
Throw them all away as I take Commando

Commando Rap [1999]

Nixon
"Teardrop Collector"
Demo recorded on 4-track tape porta studio in 1996.

This song was the first track on the first Nixon album, "Only Ugly People Smoke", in 2000, but the song was way older. I recorded this first version on my Fostex 4-tracker back in 1996. The tape have seen better days, but I think this version captures the spirit pretty well from when I was in my early twenties and wrote and recorded 4-5 songs every week. 

TEARDROP COLLECTOR
Words & Music: Roger Gunnarsson

A hundred million tears have dried on my favourite shirt
For every time your boyfriend says goodbye,
I'm supposed to feel how it hurts

And every word I say means everything when you're down
But when you're happy again now,
you don't want me around

At times I meet you when I'm down
but you don't know how I feel
Because you never ever ask me when my smile suddenly disappears

And every word I say means everything when you're down
But when you're happy again now,
you don't want me around

I don't want your love anymore
You had your chance before

And every word I say means everything when you're down
But when you're happy again now,
you don't want me around

Teardrop Collector [1996]

Cloetta Paris
"Who Would Want Me If You Leave Me"
Early test snippet of a song written for the second Cloetta Paris-album that never came out. Recorded by Cloetta Paris and Roger Gunnarsson in 2009.

As I wrote earlier when posting unreleased Cloetta Paris song "Passion Games", we started writing and recording new songs immediately after releasing the "Secret Eyes" album in 2008.
Very few of them were ever finished, most of them was just song ideas and snippets with a verse+chorus and then nothing more. This is one of those but worth posting anyway since it later was rewritten by me and Johan Agebjörn for the third Sally Shapiro album, then titled "What Can I Do". 
http://open.spotify.com/track/2Xye1yOHnex1kbPJn54opj

Actually what you hear is what I did to that Sally Shapiro song. Johan liked our demo and did a completely new take on the production as well as finishing up with new parts.

WHO WOULD WANT ME IF YOU LEAVE ME
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson 20090216

At the station, four minutes too late
Caught up in reading, you don't mind to wait
Something I was supposed to have brought
Said I was sorry, don't know what you got

Oh I don't know for sure if I'm in love no more
You brought out the best in me
I feel no chemistry

Who would want me if you leave me?
What can I do?
Would you call me if you need me?
I want to go home
You say nothing's wrong

Who Would Want Me If You Leave Me [2009]

Cloetta Paris
"You and Me By the Stereo (demo)"
Demo version recorded by Cloetta Paris and Roger Gunnarsson 2008.

Back in the early 00's a had been chatting a lot online with Giordano Trivellato, an italian guy I bumped into by coincidence on P2P file sharing program Soulseek. Back then I didn't know he was musically active, but then I found out that he was in a band called Milky, who I actually had been listening a lot to.
We decided to try and make some music together, and since he liked the Cloetta Paris album, I thought that would be a good act to work together on.
This song was the first new one we wrote and recorded after releasing the album in 2008, and we made this demo (very much based on the same sound as the album) and Giordano got to the files to do a new production in Italy. This ended up in a digital single that kind of drowned.
Anyway, here's the demo and in a way the original version. 

YOU AND ME BY THE STEREO
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson

Your tired eyes, October skies
as days go by I dream a thousand miles away
I wish that I wanted to try
but you see

I know I should get away
but there's you and me by the stereo
At times I don't wanna stay
then there's you and me by the stereo

I hardly knew someone like you
but now I realise it's time to go somewhere
where I can breathe
no one knows me
Well you see...

I know I should get away
but there's you and me by the stereo
At times I don't wanna stay
then there's you and me by the stereo

You and Me By the Stereo [2008]

Shy Lips
"Geek Girl"
Recorded by Helena Eitrem and Roger Gunnarsson on 4-track, 2003.

Here's one that happened really fast. Me and Helena, who was my girlfriend for many years, wrote and recorded this one in a few hours as I remember it. She came up with the geek girl theme and the lyrics, and I wrote a melody and then we finished it together. Once it was done we came up with a silly band name and put it up on Soulseek (classic P2P for indiepopsters). A few days later we heard a DJ play it in Stockholm. The song title contributed quite a lot to its 'instant download-status' those few days, I think.
After that nothing happened. We never wrote another song, we never heard a DJ play it again. Internet is transient.
But it was fun hearing it again after so many years. I guess you can spot some influences from Dear Nora, a band from Portland that both me and Helena listened a lot to in the early 00's.

GEEK GIRL
Words: Helena Eitrem
Music: Roger Gunnarsson

I'm sitting on the last row in school bus
You're always at front row
Looking at your pale neck in math class
Where did your summer go?

I hope seats and things will change

Geek girl
Where did you go after the show, and when the film ends?
Geek girl
What do you do when you're not at school or doing homework
Who is the boy in your mind?
Or is it a girl you will find when you move from this town
Away

Amelie, Rebecca and Enid
Our only common friends
We both met them at the film club
the story never ends

I know things will change one day

Geek girl
Where did you go after the show, and when the film ends?
Geek girl
What do you do when you're not at school or doing homework
Who is the boy in your mind?
Or is it a girl you will find when you move from this town
Away

Geek Girl [2003]

Cloetta Paris
"I Won't Let You Down"
Unreleased song recorded by Cloetta Paris, Roger Gunnarsson and Johan Emmoth in 2009.

It seems like we had almost a second album of songs with Cloetta Paris finished after all, because I keep finding these demos in forgotten folders all the time. This one was originally written by me, and then completely rearranged by Johan Emmoth and me (mostly him) and then used as a pitch song at Universal when things stopped happening with Cloetta Paris.
One of those songs I hardly even remembered myself.

I WON'T LET YOU DOWN
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson

Here I am, the radio tells me it's night time
I don't care
In my room the night is so beautiful
street light fills my soul

But after all I feel like left in the dark
It could be worse I know
But after holding you, the kiss in the park
I really want to go

I won't let you down
I'll leave without a sound
I need you alone for a start
just don't break my heart

Sleeping in, I'm tired of watching the sunrise on my own
I don't know I really like to be alone a few days more

I saw a movie last night on TV, did you see it too?
It made me think a lot about you and me
I started missing you

I won't let you down
I'll leave without a sound
I need you alone for a start
just don't break my heart

I Won't Let You Down [2009]

Demo for Cloetta Paris
"Hey Romeo"
Demo recorded by Roger Gunnarsson during Christmas 2008

No time for diving into the archives lately but just a found a few songs that will be uploaded shortly.

Here's another one of those that I had completely forgotten about. Written and recorded during the busy days of Cloetta Paris' brief fame during 2008. We had just released the album and was writing new songs for us all the time. This one was never even recorded with Cloetta's vocals, I wonder if she ever even heard it. I just found this old CDR and thought it was kind of catchy.

Never made a full version of it, so this one is just the same verse + chorus twice.

HEY ROMEO
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson 20081227

I was ok but then one day
I thought about what was mine

I had to work every Sunday
to get my bills paid on time

My conversations got dry
I don't want to pretend
I was hoping you to save me my friend
 
Hey there,  Romeo
I'm sorry to see you go
Stay here and dim the light
I'm dancing for free tonight
But, I hate to tell you but it doesn't seem right for me
I got a feeling that you shaded the light for me
Hey there, Romeo
Glad I don't need you though

Hey Romeo [2008]

Slottsteatern
"Blått och Kallt"
Written and Recorded by Roger Gunnarsson and Daniel Jansson prior to Swedish election of 2014

Me and Daniel continued to write songs together after the end of Pushy Parents, and this one had been musically ready for a while, but I never got around to write lyrics for it. Then I got the idea of writing a lyric in Swedish, we had an election coming up in the Sweden at the time, and I thought it would be fun to have a political lyric - in Swedish.

BLÅTT OCH KALLT
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson, Daniel Jansson 20140807

Köp en tröja barnen sytt
Skjut upp skatten, köp nåt nytt

Glöm inte bort att allt är du
finns inget sen, finns bara nu

Hjälp oss, hjälp oss
från vart det bär
Dom säljer, dom säljer
allt vi ärvt

 Blått och kallt
 Jag sluter mina ögon och glömmer allt
 Blått och kallt

Fostra sonen till charmör
och en ung entreprenör

Finns det nåt som gör dig glad
bakom din Instagram-fasad

Dela, dela vem du är 
Jag följde ditt flöde men du var inte där

 Blått och kallt
 Jag sluter mina ögon och glömmer allt
 Blått och kallt

Blått och Kallt [2014]

Cloetta Paris & Nixon
"Rod Stewart Medley"
Recorded in 2008

Doing the Cloetta Paris album back in 2008 was a nice mix between almost overly creative songwriting and silly ideas. The latter ended up in a lot of unfinished songs that sounded a lot better when we made them than the day after. It also ended up in a lot of unreleased cover versions of 80s songs.

We had an idea of doing tweeish disco versions of songs that originally were very masculine. One of the first one we did was a version of the motivational rock classic "St Elmo's Fire" for our Myspace page. Here's another silly one in the same vein. A medley of three Rod Stewart singles from the 80s. Recorded as a duet between Cloetta and me.

There are a few more unreleased covers with Cloetta and I might upload more here in the future. I just have to find them in my vaults.

TONIGHT I'M YOURS
W&M: Jim Cregan, Kevin Savigar, Rod Stewart

YOUNG TURKS
W&M: Carmine Appice, Duane Hitchings, Kevin Savigar, Rod Stewart

WHAT AM I GONNA DO (I'M SO IN LOVE WITH YOU)
W&M: Jay Davis, Tony Brock, Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart Medley [2008]

Demo
"Our Time Has Come"
Recorded in 2010. Only one verse + chorus

Here's one I did for a special purpose. I got a request from a publisher to write a Pride Anthem for a Swedish band to consider. I don't know how many songwriters they asked, but they didn't pick mine anyway. Maybe due to this very sketchy and unfinished demo.
I decided to go for the 'cheering up' side of gay pop lyricism. This was also shortly after the american "it gets better"-clip was viral, so I guess I was influenced by that as well.
Anyway, speculative pop in a way I was never confident in doing. I like the melodies quite a bit though.

OUR TIME HAS COME
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson

Dear sister
I wrote some words to calm you
You know her
She didn't mean to hurt you

I stood there
I heard the lies about me
I know you
You're just as smart and happy

You see I made it all though this
all by myself
I've had a lot of bad reason
to never help

(Sister please
stand close to me cause)

Now, our time has come
There is a way right through this
and it will be fun

Life has just begun
We better not fade out now
We'll stay in the sun

Well in the long run it's a better way to end the day

Our Time Has Come [2010]

Demo
"Jackie Jackie"
Recorded in 2006 by Roger Gunnarsson.

Following the unexpected success of the Sally Shapiro cover version of Nixon's "Anorak Christmas" and "He Keeps Me Alive", they asked me to write something exclusively for them for their next album.
I did a few very generic italo-sounding pop songs before I realised I have to do something completely different. So I came up with this idea of a narrative verse and shining euro-esque chorus.
This is my first (and only) demo I did for Sally on this one. Later Johan Agebjörn slowed it down, added some parts and turned it into a beautiful italo ballad.

JACKIE JACKIE
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson

I thought so much about you that day
It was a perfect day but I couldn't enjoy it without you
I wish it didn't mean so much when I grabbed you by the hand
Sometimes I think too much about things
I think I give you too much time?
But it feels like I want to give you something back for everything you mean to me.
I want to give you something back for everything you mean to me.

 Jackie Jackie, spend this winter with me
 Oh, Jackie Jackie I just can't make up your mind
 Tonight tonight we fly
 Jackie Jackie, I still wait by the phone
 Oh, Jackie Jackie I don't wanna be alone
 So come along with me tonight

Why do I always end up in situations that are bad for me?
How come I don't fall in love with normal people?
And why doesn't anyone normal fall in love with me?
I don't think I'm that strange
Do you think I'm strange?
I don't intend to be
It's just that things very easily gets complicated around me.
It's just that things very easily gets complicated around me.

 Jackie Jackie, spend this winter with me
 Oh, Jackie Jackie I just can't make up your mind
 Tonight tonight we fly
 Jackie Jackie, I still wait by the phone
 Oh, Jackie Jackie I don't wanna be alone
 So come along with me tonight

Jackie Jackie [2006]

Pushy Parents
"Hold Me Tight Or Let Me Go"
First demo version, recorded in 2010 by Roger Gunnarsson and Amanda Aldervall.

Pushy Parents was such a great band and it suited me so well to be a part of it. Me and Amanda Aldervall usually wrote the songs to begin with. Then we took them to the studio for Johan Emmoth and Daniel Jansson to tear them into bits and pieces turn them into magic. Daniel played the guitars and Johan did the production.

Here's the first version of "Hold Me Tight Or Let Me Go", who later turned into a smokin' powerpop gem on the EP.

Final version:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7mzqioJJFIEYXfXgzrOJvx?si=FUUKjDg4R2C0u_AgVKYkVg

The song was mainly written by Amanda but I came up with some parts too.

HOLD ME TIGHT OR LET ME GO
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson & Amanda Aldervall (later also Johan Emmoth & Daniel Jansson)

Hold me tight or let me go
Half-heartedly I won’t know
If it’s the way we are when we’re together

Close the book and blow the light
You mistook me before the fight
For someone hesitant and easily pushed over

I hope you regret for some time
Making me sad not wondering why
No one should make you feel that way
There’s no excuse, no excuse

As I lay me down to sleep
I won’t think because it’ll make me weep
You will never feel content that’s it
So you’ll be sad and lonely everyday

There’s something going on
That makes us turning wrong
No one to hold you close
Keep you safe and sound
We had a chance

Hold me tight or let me go
Half-heartedly I won’t know
If it’s the way we are when we’re together

Close the book and blow the light

Hold Me Tight Or Let Me Go [2010]

Cloetta Paris
"Emergency" (demo snippet)
Recorded by Roger Gunnarsson, Johan Emmoth and Cloetta Paris in 2009.

Another one of those post-album songs with Cloetta Paris we started to write and record, but never finished. This one was an attempt of being slightly more modern than the album, but still with that 80s feeling to it of course.

Once again, I wrote the song and Johan came up with the production. 

EMERGENCY
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson

Tell me
I need a reason to stay here
Lead me all throught the night
make me happy

I hear the clock is ticking
My mind is clicking
I can't stay here alone

You know I tried not to but I did

I called you on the phone
Let's call it an emergency
I'm making a mistake
I'm making it again

I have no place to go
Let's call it an emergency
I know this could be wrong
I'm doing it again

Emergency [2009]

First demo
"Love On Ice"
Recorded by Roger Gunnarsson in 2016

Sometime in 2016 Johan Agebjörn contacted me when he got asked to write some italo disco-esque songs for a Swedish movie called "Videomannen" (Videoman). Writing italo-esque pop songs is a always a low hanging fruit for me, and also of course a complete joy, so did a few sketchy songs for Johan to consider.
He fell for this demo and eventually made it a bit slower as a duet between italo legend Ryan Paris and Sally Shapiro.
Here's my first demo (and all I did on that song), the rest was finished by Johan, Sally and Fabio (Ryan Paris).
As for the lyric I wanted to have that naive feeling of italo lyricism.

Here's the final version with Ryan Paris & Sally Shapiro
https://open.spotify.com/track/13ksXwP1Gj1QYjTfAUDN8v?si=4WaDZ7MPQve3yv0pruKzVw 

LOVE ON ICE
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson (later also Johan Agebjörn & Fabio Roscioli (Ryan Paris))

She's a star
Looks like an angel
Tearing my defenses apart

I'm just a fool
and she is a stranger
reaching all the way to my heart

I saw her standing there
on the TV screen
No one else around me could see

I feel insane
I just want to see her
but everyone around me just says...

Please stop it now because it's love on ice
She's gonna break your heart
Don't fall in love with a skater's eyes
It's gonna break your heart
Wo oh, it's gonna break your heart

Love On Ice [2016]

Demo
"Out of Love"
First demo recorded by Roger Gunnarsson in 2012

In 2012 me and Thomas were working on our first Leaderboard album, after having a few singles running on Swedish radio the past few years. I'm a huge fan av producer/songwriter Alan Tarney, and especially what he did with Cliff Richard in the late 70s/early 80s. I wanted to write a song in that style for Leaderboard and made this demo in August 2012.
Later me and Thomas re-recorded the song completely (except for reusing a few drum fills I did, hehe) for the Leaderboard album, and then we got extremely really lucky that we managed to find Bob Heatlie (here on Soundcloud actually) which is another favourite producer/songwriter of mine from the 80s. He wrote "Japanese Boy" for Aneka and "Cry Just a Little Bit" for Shakin' Stevens to name a few. He's also a saxophone player and delivered a fabulous solo for the final version. Top notch 80's style.
But that's another story, here's my first demo of the song.
Here's the final Leaderboard version:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5VTrXLS6AccKUw29tx7grc?si=mhpHDFmjQPyc_KFjK8cUkA

OUT OF LOVE
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson (later also Thomas Johansson)

Life is easy on a one way street
Got my money and some friends to meet
All my life might have been too easy

Guess I never thought too much about time
Must have been that I just filled my mind
with the things that I knew would please me

One thing maybe, that scares me now
that when I met you and I couldn't let it out

I'm out of love
I'm out of love
My hands could reach you, I can't let it out
I'm out of love
I'm out of love
My heart won't hear me, when I scream and shout

Well, my life is such a strange disease
Got my secrets and my memories
over all this is hard to relinquish

One thing maybe, that scares me now
that when I met you and I couldn't let it out

I'm out of love
I'm out of love
My hands could reach you, I can't let it out
I'm out of love
I'm out of love
My heart won't hear me, when I scream and shout

No easy way out
No easy way out, I know tears will roll

One thing maybe...

I'm out of love...

Out Of Love [2012]

Garlands
"Continue" (Demo version)
Recorded 2011. Produced by Garlands + Roger. Mixed by Woodie Taylor

Since Garlands went from a duo with me and Christin to a full band doing gigs (without me) there was a period where I was still involved with the recording and production. In 2011 we did our first 7" on UK label Big Pink Cake called "You Never Notice Me".
The b-side was this shoegazey pop track that me and Christin recorded this demo version of along with parts of the band. Our home recordings was mixed by Woodie Taylor in London. Me and Woodie met when I toured with Free Loan Investments and he played drums for Comet Gain. He was also the drummer for Morrissey on Vauxhall and I. Me and Christin decided to ask him for the mixing bit because he had recently been producing the band Veronica Falls, which we liked.
Unfortunately the band opinion on this version was kind of split so we decided not to use it, and instead go for a new version that later got on the 7".
But I kind of like this rough, blurry version of the song, so at least I can post it here. Actually it's one of my fav Garlands tunes too. The music written in like 30 mins by me and Christin, the lyrics written by me later on (as I remember it, at least)

CONTINUE
W&M: Roger Gunnarsson & Christin Wolderth

I never promised you to stay up late
I never promised you to wait
but I do know that I don't say that
You can't play the lover's part
before you shoot that arrow in my heart

You never needed someone else my dear
You never needed to be near
but I do sometimes and I felt that I
suddenly just needed more
than standing waiting there outside your door

I walk on and continue
I wear my hardened heart
I didn't want to grow apart
I need that little corner of your heart

I didn't want to grow apart
I need that little corner of your heart

WT Mix

Continue [2011]

Demo
"Snow Day" (Universal version)
Recorded in 2009 by Roger Gunnarsson

This is quite funny one I think. As I wrote before I became a writer for Universal in 2008, following the "success" of Sally Shapiro covering some of my Nixon songs. I did my best to deliver songs to various artists and projects but it was a frame that didn't fit me very well. 
So I took the advice from the A&R who said that I was at my best when I wrote songs with no purpose. Like the Nixon covers Sally did. So I did a few attempts to cover my own songs in more...commercial manners. This piano ballad version of Snow Day is ridiculous I know, and nothing ever happened to it, but it's fun to me at least because it reminds of a really weird period in my songwriting life.

SNOW DAY
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson 2003

I've been thinking about quitting
Applauses don't rock my world anymore
and maybe I've had my last encore

I've had the fear of dying
Afraid of never growing old
Afraid of getting old too soon

But you made my grey skies so wonderfully blue
I think I know you like no one else does
There's nothing better than the chemistry between us

It was a Snow Day
and I got carried away by your beautiful eyes
It was a Snow Day
and the snow reflected the gas station lights
(Think of the times when you're lonely and blue)
It was a Snow Day
I only thought about you

Sometimes I think about leaving
Dreaming of doing something new
There must be hundred things to do

When you took my hand on that first winter's day
I think I'll frame this moment in time
I stay in love and I will never change my mind

It was a Snow Day
and I got carried away by your beautiful eyes
It was a Snow Day
and the snow reflected the gas station lights
(Think of the times when you're lonely and blue)
It was a Snow Day
I only thought about you

Snow Day (Universal Version)[2009]

Pre-Nixon
"Marilyn Sleeps Tonight"
Written and recorded 1994 by Roger Gunnarsson 

In the mid 90s I was trying to form a band. Eventually I succeeded to form a few but mostly I was just writing songs planlessly all the time. In 1994 I had no real recording equipment so I recorded all my songs/ideas with a microphone to the compact stereo in my boys room.

I just found a tape from back then, containing dozens and dozens of songs and (mostly) ideas of choruses, verses etc. I few of them were a little more finished than other, they seem to have written lyrics for instance, so I decided to put a few up here, just for fun.

Here's some sort of pop called "Marilyn Sleeps Tonights" recorded sometime late 1994, I think. The fun bit here - for all you Nixon analysts out there - is that I reused bits of the verse (especially the second one) as a middle-eight for the Nixon song "Dear Someone" a few years later.

Marilyn Sleeps Tonight [1994]

Pre-Nixon
"Stop the Train"
Written and recorded 1994 by Roger Gunnarsson 

In the mid 90s I was trying to form a band. Eventually I succeeded to form a few but mostly I was just writing songs planlessly all the time. In 1994 I had no real recording equipment so I recorded all my songs/ideas with a microphone to the compact stereo in my boys room.

I just found a tape from back then, containing dozens and dozens of songs and (mostly) ideas of choruses, verses etc. I few of them were a little more finished than other, they seem to have written lyrics for instance, so I decided to put a few up here, just for fun.

Here's some kind of ballad called "Stop the Train". I remember being inspired by Teenage Fanclub a lot back then, and that might have been the case here. You might recall the melody line from Oasis "Don't Look Back in Anger", but this one is recorded 1994, at least one year prior to the Oasis song, so I'm completely innocent, hehe.

Stop the Train [1994]

Here's where I put up songs that never happened elsewhere. Songs recorded from the 90s to 10s. Some unreleased Nixon tracks, some demos made for others, some songs that just didn't get finished.

Nixon Archives

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