Äntligen – Marie Fredrikssons bästa 1984–2000

The album contains every single released by Fredriksson since her 1984 debut album, Het vind, with the exception of three: Het vind's title track, "Silver i din hand" from 1985's Den sjunde vågen, and the limited edition single "Ber bara en gång" from 1996's I en tid som vår. Also excluded is her collaboration with former ABBA vocalist Anni-Frid Lyngstad, "Alla mina bästa år", which was taken from Frida's album Djupa andetag (1996) and released as a single in 1997.[1]

The record contains two previously unreleased recordings, both of which were released as singles. "Äntligen" was issued as the lead single, and became a top forty hit in Sweden.[2] A remixed version of the song, re-titled "Solen gick ner över stan", was also included on the album.[1] The remaining song, "Det som var nu" – a duet with singer-songwriter Patrik Isaksson – was released in Sweden as the second single, where it peaked at number 59.[3] The latter is a Swedish re-recording of a track originally demoed in the late 1990s for Roxette's 1999 album Have a Nice Day.[1] The original English demo of the track, titled "Always the Last to Know", subsequently leaked onto the internet in 2002 when a former member of EMI staff sold a bootleg CD at a Dutch record fair.[4]

The record was a major commercial success in Fredriksson's native country, debuting at number one and spending a total of eight non-consecutive weeks at the top spot. It went on to spend over a year on the album chart there.[5] It was the second best-selling album of 2000 in the country, behind 1, a greatest hits compilation by The Beatles,[6] and was also the 87th best-selling album of 2001.[7] The album was eventually certified triple platinum by the Swedish Recording Industry Association for shipments of almost 250,000 units.[8] It was also a success in neighbouring Norway, peaking at number six,[9] and was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments of over 25,000 units in Norway.[10]

The success of the album led Fredriksson to perform a series of 18 concerts throughout Sweden, her first solo concerts since 1992. Äntligen – Sommarturné, a two-disc box set containing a live album and a DVD of her 10 August 2000 performance at Stockholm's Maritime Museum, was released on 24 November.[1]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Äntligen – Marie Fredrikssons bästa 1984–2000.[11]

• Recorded at EMI Studios in Stockholm and Studio Vinden in Djursholm, Sweden between March 1984 and February 2000.
• All songs produced by Lars-Göran "Lasse" Lindbom, except tracks 1, 2, 15, 16 and 17 produced by Marie Fredriksson and Mikael Bolyos; track 11 produced by Fredriksson, Anders Herrlin and Per "Pelle" Andersson; tracks 12, 13 and 14 produced by Fredriksson and Herrlin.
• Mastered by Åsa Winzell at Polar Mastering in Stockholm.

Additional musicians