amy hef’s new single… There are some songs that not only endure but defy the test of time. Some classics shape culture and the way we relate to sound and memory, a simple chorus can trigger so much in the deepest and most intimate levels, more often than not, without us even realising it. Roxette’s 1987 single “It Must Have Been Love” is most definitely one of them. The song has taken many forms over the past almost-forty years, always reflecting its time and being reintroduced with various degrees of success.
Rising Canadian singer and songwriter Amy Hef just released her own version of “It Must Have Been Love” in a collaboration with Swedish producer Alex Alexander. And, once again, the iconic song was completely transformed. Like a bolt of lightning, Amy’s rendition of the Pretty Woman-famed track spins it in its own head with crisp production and stunning electro rock dynamics. The power ballad now stands amidst urgent guitars filled with indie punk attitude, swirling walls of synths, and unmistakable passion.
Amy is no stranger to making other people’s songs her own, as masterfully illustrated by her 2022 cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas”. On “It Must Have Been Love”, however, things feel different. Amy sounds angrier and more intense here than in anything we’ve heard from her so far, including her originals. She is powerful, raw and refreshingly authentic as she grasps through the decades-old melodies and hangs on to them for dear life in a breath-taking reiteration of the beloved pop tune.
This kind of reimagining can only come from pure admiration, as Amy herself states: “I’ve been told for years that I remind people of Roxette — the look, the attitude, the vibe. So this cover is a long time coming”, she comments before concluding saying how Marie Fredriksson was such a big inspiration that she named her own daugher Marie. There is so much love and vehemency infused onto the track it is hard not to listen to it on repeat.
Amy’s unfiltered vocal delivery is a battle cry capable of motivating even the laziest of the listeners, breathing both fire and compassion into every word. By leaning into the darker shades of 80s-inspired rock the Calgary-based artist sounds confident and oozes personality, bringing an exciting new life to the track. The new “It Must Have Been Love” is stacked with many layers of richly textured soundscapes that remain faithful to the original while atomically reconfigurating everything about it. She has never done anything like this and this type of in-your-face production suits her incredibly well, at least just as much as her previous pop rock with a country twang.
The only bad thing about this cover is that it ends way too soon; Amy and Alex’s version condenses the four-minute track into a passionate plea that doesn’t even hit the two-and-a-half mark. But by the time the legendary chorus hits, it truly is over now: Amy’s done it and it’s pure wall-punching-kicking-and-screaming catharsis. Between whispers on pillows and lonely winter imagery, it really was love all along and it was good – but never to be lost. It’s been for almost four decades and the legacy of “It Must Have Been Love” is reignited once again.
STREAM “IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE” NOW!
Amy is powerful, raw and refreshingly authentic as she grasps through the decades-old melodies and hangs on to them for dear life in a breath-taking reiteration of the beloved pop tune.
Stream on Spotify NOW!
"It Must Have Been Love" by Amy Hef
open.spotify.com/track/7dguQe…
— Jpgchief (@jpgchief.bsky.social) 18 de agosto de 2025, 9:20
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the center didn’t hold