Another really good songwriter is Per Gessle. In the US, he’s known for his work as part of Roxette. They achieved moderate success in the US but they are pretty well known internationally. The other half of Roxette – Marie Fredriksson, was a dynamo and force to be reckoned with. While she didn’t write songs, she was the perfect complement to Gessle and brought his vision to life. She passed of brain cancer at a relatively young age. I was fortunate to see them live in Boston when she was still alive but also when she was dealing with her illness.

Gessle’d work is very melodic but his English lyrics can be clunky due to language barrier. Still endearing and empowering.

His real gems are his native Swedish songs, especially as part of his original band Gyllene Tider. There are quite a few albums available on Amazon Music. The live ones are good. When you look up the translations, some are absolutely poetic and gorgeous.