Artist: Roger Gunnarsson
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Hometown: Halmstad, Sweden

Craft: Songwriter, Hitmaker, Music Composition, Text Composition, Instruments, Vocals, Music Production, Sound Experiments, Professional Knob Fiddling etc

Genres: Pop, Melodic Pop, Indie Music, Indie Pop, Twee Pop, Bubblegum Pop, Jangle Pop, Lo-Fi Pop, Power Pop, Dream Pop, Synthpop, Electropop, Europop, Italo Pop, Italo Disco, Eurodisco, Indietronica etc

Bands: Nixon, Pushy Parents, The Garlands, Cloetta Paris, Free Loan Investments, Happy Birthdays, Leaderboard, Intellivision, Chart Music, Dune, Natur Natur, Kitten Poker, Novelle, Roders, etc

Collaborations: Tua Sandman, Amanda Aldervall, Christin Wolderth, Sally Shapiro, Johan Agebjörn, Thomas Johansson, Johan Emmoth, Daniel Jansson, Patrik Lindgren, Anna Isaksson, Henrik Påhle, Annika Rolandsson, Carl-Magnus Jonsson etc

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nixonarchives

https://soundcloud.com/rauhart comments this list: Yes, sometimes I like collecting, compiling and listing odd things. Music is one thing. It´s kind of meditative. A way to be able to organize something in comparison to real life which normally is more difficult to grasp. (Hoppas jag inte trampat på några tår eller nått iochmed denna lista eller länkarna nedan. Jag är svag för melodisk pop helt enkelt och gillar att sammanställa udda saker ibland.)

Another old Roger list by me on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/user/rauhart/playlist/0z4WBjRltGTfJj91T1IOIj

Discogs:
https://www.discogs.com/artist/494790-Roger-Gunnarsson

OLD INTERVIEWS:

2013-11-15 Guest at Swedish podcast DJ 50 SPÄNN
http://dj50spann.se/?p=32

2001 January - Nöjesguiden
http://ng.se/artiklar/anorak-och-handklapp

MISCELLANEOUS FUN:

Roger talking about Italo-disco on swedish radio(first 20 minutes):
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt/543073?programid=4796

Music Video for Pushy Parents - Secret Secret
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSAL-PZPnEg

Music Video for Chart Music - When you lied
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY6LXhCoBio&feature=youtu.be

Nixon Live 2005 Athens, Greece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiO9PvxvVDY

Free Loan Investments Live 2002
https://youtu.be/Uiw0n3GmjAQ
https://youtu.be/yDZ9OhbU_uE

Music Video for Nixon - Hospital
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAvYtVL4aYY

Roders!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7V3_iLEn6FFADwFVVnH3zA

Fabulous Friends Records:
https://www.discogs.com/label/95612-Fabulous-Friends-Records
Fabulously old homepage!
http://fabulousfriends.tripod.com/

Old blog about second hand records:
http://skivtoppen.blogspot.se/

2006 Bloggen Musik enligt Jerry - Sågning av livespelning på Pop Dakar
"Nä Nixon, in i lådan igen." (Kunde inte låta bli, hehehh!)
http://musikenligtjerry.blogspot.se/2006/09/popdakar.html

Roger Gunnarsson Projects

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]

Nixon
"Her Dreams"
Recorded and written in 2005

There are quite few unreleased Nixon songs. At least fully completed ones. I have never been super picky when it comes to what could be released and not, so every time someone wanted a song for compilation etc I have send over something unreleased.
This song has never been released though, but it was up on the Nixon Myspace page for a while ten years ago. It was written and recorded around christmas 2005, and I borrowed a drum machine for this one since the Yamaha keyboard I had used before that suddenly stopped working.
But apart from the drum sound this is pretty much Nixon by the book for ya. 
And yes, there is a sound glitch around 0.30 but I afraid there's nothing I can do about this. This is recorded on a 4-tracker and the original is deleted ages ago.

HER DREAMS
Words and Music: Roger Gunnarsson 20051227

I was too silent when I met her
Pushed every sentence on til later
I felt so happy when I did make her smile
I wish that moment could have lasted a while
but then again we were alone, I couldn't talk but then she

Told me her dreams
and it felt like I had a part
I was so in love
She told me her name
but I already already knew that
since long ago

How did you know about my name then?
I guess I must have heard it elsewhere
I touched her hand when we were outdoors that night
I said I'm sorry but she said she was fine
I couldn't help it but I started to believe and then she

Told me her dreams
and it felt like I had a part
I was so in love
She told me her name
but I already already knew that
since long ago

Winter came
and suddenly we faded away
Love couldn't make me change

Her Dreams [2005]

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]

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.

Without Me [2003]

Nixon Archives