Army Of Lovers was a Swedish dance music group founded in 1987. They were famous for their controversial appearance, their music videos (some of which were banned by MTV), directed by Fredrik Boklund and their costumes, created by Camilla Thulin. Their name alludes to a documentary (blank">IMDb entry) about _Rosa von Praunheim, which in turn alludes to the Theban Band.
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 with the group in all of its incarnations. Barda often wore the most outrageous or revealing outfits. There is also some controversy as to whether or not he played any instrument in the band.
Army Of Lovers had over 20 top 10 hits on the Eurochart, the biggest being "Crucified", which was one of the biggest selling European singles of 1991. It also stayed at #1 on the Eurochart for 8 weeks. Both "Obsession" and "Sexual Revolution", also reached the top spot of the Eurocharts. while their presence in the US and the UK was limited to repeated club chart successes. They released five studio albums, made over 20 high-camp music videos, and became very successful across Eastern Europe, before Bard disbanded the group to concentrate on his new group Vacuum in 1996. The band reformed shortly in 2000. They also joined forces again in July 2007 for a one-show at G-A-Y in London. La Camilla, the singer on the first number of hit singles, was replaced by an inflatable doll (Alexander referred to the doll after the show: "Didn't you think La Camilla lost a lot of weight?"), while Alexander, Dominika and Jean-Pierre were present. The latter, asked after the show about a possible reunion, stated that there's none in the foreseeable future and that their work is a "jewel in time" that won't be repeated.
Army Of Lovers have earned a widespread iconic status in the gay culture, often referred to as a perfect example of the postmodern take on the ideals of camp. They made a "one-day-reunion" for a big show, organized by Moscow's radio Retro FM in Russia.
