Gessle and Marie Fredriksson had been friends for a few years before they came together as Roxette in 1986. After the success of their first hit "Neverending Love", which was written by Gessle, they quickly recorded "Pearls of Passion" using material which was originally intended for Per's third solo album. Roxette went on to achieve four U.S. #1's and two #2's, with their albums "Look Sharp!" and "Joyride" attaining platinum status in a number of countries. After Roxette's early nineties success, Per released a demo compilation album in 1992, "På väg, 1982–86". After the release of "Crash! Boom! Bang!" and subsequent world tour, Roxette took a break.