The Early Years (1982-1989)

The Foundation: Experiences And Influences (1982 – 1987)

After his years abroad, Alexander Bard went back to Sweden and started his first music project – a band called BAARD, which featured him together with two female porn stars. They released one of the first synth-punk tunes ever („Life In A Goldfish Bowl“), but called it quits faster than it started. Then he moved on to study at the Stockholm School Of Economics, which led nowhere because instead of learning all about finances, he developed a character called Barbie. In the same vein as Boy George and Divine (only 50 times more tacky and provocative) he dressed up as a transvestite and performed singing useless Eurodisco tunes. The main thing was image, the music was secondary; controversy was self-evident.

Left: Alexander in the early 80s; Right: Jean-Pierre and Alexander painting the town red in between a Barbie gig

Even though longevity wasn’t written all over Barbie, it happened to be a relevant period in terms of establishing ties with various music producers and songwriters, particularly Tim Norell and Ola Håkansson. In collaboration with these two he formed Norell Oson Bard, a major production and songwriting force who, up to this day, count as Sweden’s answer to Stock Aitken and Waterman. Besides working their magic on most songs by Ola’s band Secret Service, the trio teamed up with the likes of Agnetha Fältskog (ABBA).and Barbados.

Camilla Thulin, a stylist and costume designer, who Alexander met in the boiling club scene of Stockholm, joined his pesonal roster. He started composing music for her runway shows and established contacts between her and artists in need of visual improvements. In return, she eventually introduced him to Jean-Pierre Barda, who served as a hair and make-up artist for her mannequins (one of whom was Michaela de la Cour) as well as a catwalk choreographer. Last but not least, Camilla Henemark (model and fashion agency owner) came on board after witnessing a performance by Barbie. She was so mesmerized by what she saw that she pulled out all the stops just to be part of the line-up in some way.

With new stage names, Jean-Pierre (Farouk) and Camilla (Katanga) officially joined the frenzy as „performance supporters“. A few months later, Alexander laid Barbie to rest.

Formation And Early Years (1987 – 1989)

Under the project name „Army of Lovers“ Alexander started experimenting with new ideas and fresh sound elements. Initially, he approached several DJs (among them Emil Hellman, with whom he already worked during the Barbie era) in order to get something going.

He ended up calling his former collaborators, Jean-Pierre Barda and Camilla Henemark, to give the project a visual form. To round it up, Camilla Thulin agreed to sustain an extravagant appearance for them – the Army of Lovers was born!

What’s In The Name?

The name „Army of Lovers“ is based on Rosa von Praunheim‘s (German filmmaker and gay activist) challenging documentary Armee der Liebenden oder Aufstand der Perversen (Army of Lovers or Revolt of the Perverts) from 1979. The movie examined segments of the gay rights movement in the USA.

Original movie poster: “Army of Lovers” by Rosa von Praunheim

When The Night Is Cold

Having signed a deal with Sonet Grammofon AB (Scandinavia’s leading independent record company at that time), Army of Lovers issued their first single „When The Night Is Cold“. It was evident that the team behind Secret Service was involved in the recording process of the single – especially the grand piano parts reeked of it.

The B-side of the 7 inch single („Shoot That Laserbeam“) was more indicative of the direction they were following – experimental club music. The 12 inch vinyl even abstained from the original version of both tracks and instead offered two dance-heavy remixes by Emil Hellman.

Although the song’s accompanying music video was kept pretty simple production-wise, it didn’t chip away at their outré appearance.

The video shows Camilla Thulin posing on a piano. This, along with the „featuring“ credits on the single’s back cover, is the only time she appears as a visible group member. From that point onwards, she’s been known as the „invisible member“.

Click to watch the “When The Night Is Cold” video

Ton Son Ton

Alexander’s ingrained passion for club music prompted him to launch his own dance label, Ton Son Ton. Based in London but controlled by Sonet Grammofon AB in Stockholm, it was the perfect melting pot for a wide range of influences. Among the earliest releases of the new-found label were „Electrica Salsa (Baba Baba)“ by Off, „La Machine À Danser“ by La Compagnie Créole and „Because I Got It Like That“ by The Jungle Brothers.

Love Me Like A Loaded Gun

Ton Son Ton’s first output by Army of Lovers was „Love Me Like A Loaded Gun“. The song and its supplementary remixes are seen as one of the band’s most sample heavy records.

„[...] What we did was basically melange music. We sampled sounds and we wrote very short lyrics. And it wasn’t pop music, it wasn’t club music – it was something in between.“ ( – Jean-Pierre Barda)

Within the framework of an event by i-D Magazine in August 1988, Army of Lovers made their debut live gig. Being held in Stockholm’s happening night club Melody and hosted by Britain’s leading pop culture publication, it provided the perfect setting for the group.
Apparently they made quite an impression on the attending crowd, which induced i-D to let Camilla grace the front page of their November issue. Not only did she become the first Afro-Swedish pop star to be featured on an international cover, but Army of Lovers were also branded as the forefront of the so-called „Nordik Beat“ movement, a collective term for the emerging Scandinavian electro pop-scene.

Left: La Camilla, the first Afro-Swedish pop star to grace an international magazine cover, Right: Alexander Bard and Camilla Thulin hanging out at the i-D event

During an appearance at one of Claes „Clabbe“ af Geijerstam‘s (legendary Swedish discjockey and TV personality) shows, Army of Lovers performed „Love Me Like A Loaded Gun“ for a second time in front of a live audience. The recording was shot in two takes and later used as a promotional video.

Click to watch the “Love Me Like A Loaded Gun” video

Baby’s Got A Neutron Bomb

Wild chants, gibberish talk and a thumbing house beat were the main ingredients of the third single, „Baby’s Got A Neutron Bomb“.

Ever since live footage from an archived local TV performance surfaced on the internet in late 2000, it has been treated as an actual video by the fans.
Despite their cult status, the clips for both „Baby’s Got A Neutron Bomb“ and its predecessor „Love Me Like A Loaded Gun“ were not considered as official outputs by the current label and hence shunned from all future video compilations.

Click to watch the “Baby’s Got A Neutron Bomb” video

Tales From Planet Coma

During the last quarter of 1989, in between putting together more Army of Lovers material, Alexander released a short-lived dance project under the name of COMA. The official catchphrase to describe its only single, „Tales From Planet Coma“, was “A fantastic voyage into the unknown”.

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Disco Extravaganza (1990-1991)
Crucified (The 20th Anniversary)
Obsession (The 20th Anniversary)