Almost Unreal

Album: Super Mario Bros. soundtrack (1993)
Charted: 7 94
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This pop-rock ballad was the lead single from the soundtrack to the 1993 movie Super Mario Bros., but it was actually written for a different movie. Per Gessle of Roxette was asked to write a song for the fantasy film Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as a trio of witches (which explains the lyrics, "I love when you do that hocus pocus to me"). But at the last minute, the producers decided to go with a track by the R&B group En Vogue – then ditched them in favor of Sarah Jessica Parker singing the central song "Come Little Children."
  • When Roxette was dropped from Hocus Pocus, Gessle rewrote the lyrics to the title tune and renamed it "Sweet Emotions," but didn't like it. He went back to the original demo and just removed most of the references to the movie and called it "Almost Unreal," making it suitable for Super Mario Bros. That movie, starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as the popular Nintendo game heroes Mario and Luigi, was a huge flop. The Roxette song, however, reached the Top 10 in the UK.
  • Marie Fredriksson, the duo's primary vocalist, was nine months pregnant when she recorded this at Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden.
  • The duo discussed this track in the liner notes of their 1995 greatest hits compilation, Don't Bore Us, Get To The Chorus! Fredriksson said it's "not one of our most inspired moments," while Gessle added, "I still like the song, in a way... but if you wanted to make a parody of Roxette, it would probably sound something like this."

Comments: 1

  • Chris from UkMy favorite Roxette song!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."