Army of Lovers is a Swedish dance music group which formed in 1987, and has had a number of hits in Europe throughout the 1990s with songs such as "Crucified", which was number one on the Eurochart for eight consecutive weeks. It remains their best known song internationally.
The name of the band alludes to a documentary Armee der Liebenden oder Revolte der Perversen about the German gay rights activist Rosa von Praunheim, the title of which in turn alludes to the Theban Band.
Army of Lovers reformed with Alexander Bard, Camilla Henemark and Jean-Pierre Barda in late 2012 to enter the...read moreArmy of Lovers is a Swedish dance music group which formed in 1987, and has had a number of hits in Europe throughout the 1990s with songs such as "Crucified", which was number one on the Eurochart for eight consecutive weeks. It remains their best known song internationally.
The name of the band alludes to a documentary Armee der Liebenden oder Revolte der Perversen about the German gay rights activist Rosa von Praunheim, the title of which in turn alludes to the Theban Band.
Army of Lovers reformed with Alexander Bard, Camilla Henemark and Jean-Pierre Barda in late 2012 to enter the Melodifestivalen 2013 with the song "Rockin' the ride" in hopes of representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö. They failed to progress to the final and a few days later issued a press release to announce that Henemark will be replaced by former member Dominika Peczynski for the remainder of their on-going reunion.
History edit:
The founding members, who had all worked together in a band called Barbie, were Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and Camilla Henemark (aka La Camilla).
Army of Lovers had many Top 10 hits on the Eurochart, the biggest being "Crucified", which was one of the biggest selling European singles of 1991, and stayed at #1 on the Eurochart for eight consecutive weeks. Their total album sales were seven million copies worldwide.
While Alexander Bard was the "brain" behind the band, Jean-Pierre Barda was the lead vocalist on hits such as "Crucified" and "Israelism". Bard and Barda were the only two band members who were present throughout all of the band's various line-ups. When La Camilla left the band in 1991, she was replaced by Michaela Dornonville de la Cour. In 1993, Dominika Peczynski joined, making the band a four-piece. In 1995, Dornoville de la Cour left and Henemark returned.
Although both "Obsession" and "Ride The Bullet" reached the top spot of the Eurocharts, their presence in the US and the UK was limited to club chart successes (though "Crucified" reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1992).
Next album, The Gods of Earth and Heaven was never published in the US due to its suggestive lyrical content. Record company Giant wanted the group to make a clean American version for US market, but they refused to make any modifications to the album. Giant reacted by abolishing their recording contact. The single received radio airplay in several European countries. A controversial single "Israelism" topped charts in Israel despite of being subject for criticism.
By this point, they had released five studio albums, made over twenty music videos, and they became successful across Eastern Europe before Bard disbanded the group to concentrate on his new group Vacuum in 1996.
The band reformed briefly in 2001. They also joined forces again in 2007 for two shows, one at G-A-Y in London and one in Moscow. Bard, Peczyniski and Barda were present, but Henemark was replaced by an inflatable doll.
During their time together, Army Of Lovers became famous for their outlandish visual appearance (many of their costumes were created by Camilla Thulin), and their high camp music videos directed by Fredrik Boklund (some of which were banned by MTV).
Two members of Army Of Lovers (La Camilla and Dominika) reunited in June 2011 with the release of new single "Don't Try to Steal My Limelight", on which they are guests, by Swedish drag artist and blogger Miss Inga. The three formed the Happy Hoes and later released a second single entitled "We Rule the World". Happy Hoes performed at Pride 2012.
Army of Lovers reformed with Alexander Bard, Camilla Henemark and Jean-Pierre Barda in late 2012 to enter the Melodifestivalen 2013 with the song "Rockin' the Ride", in hopes of representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö. Their entry did not reach the finals of the Melodifestivalen. Only some days after their performance Alexander Bard explained to the press, that Camilla Henemark was kicked out once again and that Dominika Peczynski returned. A new best-of-compilation, with four new songs, called Big Battle Of Egos was announced for release on March 27, 2013, to be followed by a single and video called Signed On My Tattoo, a duet between Army Of Lovers and fellow Swedes Gravitonas.
Members edit:
Alexander Bard,
Jean-Pierre Barda,
Camilla Henemark,
Michaela Dornonville de la Cour,
Dominika Peczynskiread less
/cover.jpg "Array - Things We Do For Love (Instrumentals)")
