Roxette, Part One: “The Look”

“You got the look, you got the look…”

The song was blasting down the Teens Wing of Ninth Kelsey as I made my way to my new room for the first time. It was the summer of 1989 and a time of transition for me.

Every time I hear “The Look” by Roxette, I am reminded of that time, when I was closing one chapter and about to open another.

What are you doing for summer?
The 1988-1989 school year was a tough one for me. I had been the floor coordinator on Fifth Kelsey in the student residence at the University of Alberta, and it had brought its fair share of stress.

There were times I really looked forward to not being a coordinator anymore, and times I loved it.

Being a coordinator meant I was also on the joint council of our students’ association. As the year ended, our student association was holding elections for executive positions, and I was convinced to run for vice-president of Kelsey Hall.

I won that election so, as the year ended, I was wrapping up my year as floor coordinator and becoming familiar with my new role as hall vice-president.

I was also trying to figure out what to do for the summer. I was never one to be too organized, and actually look for a job while I was still in school.

One thing I did know was that I was not going back to the farm.

The year before, when I went for my interview as part of the floor coordinator process, I mused about staying in Edmonton that summer and going to summer school. But I did end up going back to the farm.

Not this time. I did enroll in summer school and decided to stay in res for the summer.

It was the best decision I made.

Summer school
It was typical of my life. I actually missed the deadline to apply to live in res for the summer, but got in anyway.

That was because, while going to school, Housing and Food Services also hired me to be a summer residence life assistant. It was kind of like being a floor coordinator, but with way less responsibility, and way less pay. After all, there was only a handfulI of students scattered on the top of Kelsey Hall. I also did the mail week days for the students living in res.

I had my choice of rooms on Ninth Kelsey. Out of nostalgia, I took 910 Kelsey, because in my first year, I had lived with best friend Chris Vining in 1010 Kelsey Hall, and just loved the view. It was also right next to the bathroom, which was more entertaining than convenient.

So, after everyone moved off Fifth Kelsey, and I concluded my duties as a floor coordinator, I moved to 910 Kelsey.

“The Look”
I had accumulated a surprising amount of stuff over the course of the school year, so I threw the first load on this cart and dragged it into the elevator, pressed “9”, and headed to my new home.

The elevator doors hadn’t even opened yet and I could hear the music.

The wing door had been propped open so the music was streaming out. It was coming from the far end of the hall.

It was “The Look” by Roxette.

The source was the room of a guy named Trevor Holt. He had lived in Mackenzie Hall the preceding eight months. I had heard of him but never met him.

That would change over the next four months.

So much would change that summer, as I met knew people, experienced new things, and had an amazing summer that dovetailed nicely into my first year as a hall vice-president.

The song
“The Look” by Roxette was released in January of 1989 and became Rozette’s first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also number two in Canada.

Parting thoughts
The summer of 1989 is full of amazing stories, people and experiences. It is its own book really.

Whenever I hear “The Look”, it opens a door to all those great memories.

After all, "The Look" was playing to greet me when that door opened in the first place.