Happy Nation (song)

"Happy Nation" is a song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base from their debut album with the same name. It was first released in Scandinavia in 1992 and later released twice in the UK. The first appearance was in October 1993, when it peaked at number 42, it reentered the chart twelve months later at number 40.[1] "Happy Nation" reached number-one on the singles charts of Denmark, Finland, France and Israel in 1993 and 1994. In 2008 the song was remade by Ace of Base for a remix kit.

"Happy Nation"
One of Scandinavian variants of 1993 European artwork
Single by Ace of Base
from the album Happy Nation/The Sign
B-side"Remix"
Released7 December 1992
Genre
Length4:16
LabelMega
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jonas Berggren
  • Ulf Ekberg
Ace of Base singles chronology
"All That She Wants"
(1992)		 "Happy Nation"
(1992)		 "Waiting for Magic"
(1993)
Music video
"Happy Nation" on YouTube
"Happy Nation (Moody Gold Remix)" on YouTube

"Happy Nation" is a mid-tempo dance-pop song with strong influences from reggae fusion and euro house. It was written by Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg and contains both English and Latin lyrics. The first verse is sung in Latin by Joker, and Linn Berggren sings the rest as the lead singer. Ace of Base has described the song as a "anti-fascist song and a hymn to life".[2]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis said the song is "stellar" in his review.[3] Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club noted that it takes influence from "taut techno".[4] Fort Worth Examiner wrote that "Happy Nation" "provides a positive mindset for how we should relate to and live with one another."[5] Swedish newspaper Göteborgsposten stated that the reggae-rhythms from "All That She Wants" also "shows up" in the song, but "most of the sound is taken from European synth-based music."[6] Andrew Balkin from Kingston Informer said that "the Aces go downbeat" on "Happy Nation" and "Wheel of Fortune". He added that both songs "have a soul/dance feel about them and wouldn't be out of place on the dance floor, or setting the mood in a smoky club."[7] In another article, Kingston Informer described it as "a luvvly bubbly song".[8] People stated that the tune "prove Ace of Base to be more substantive than a mere ABBA clone."[9] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In noted that it "promotes brotherhood".[10] Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service called it a "reggae-paced" number.[11] Edna Gundersen from USA Today described it as a "cheery tune".[12] The Vindicator wrote that "the blend of melody and rhythm" in a song like "Happy Nation" "is all but irresistible".[13]

Chart performance

"Happy Nation" was quite successful on the charts in Europe. Although not as big as "All That She Wants", the song managed to make some impact, reaching number-one in Denmark, Finland and France and Israel. Additionally, it went to the Top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. In the UK, it only reached the Top 40, in its second run on the UK Singles Chart, on October 9, 1994.[14] On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Happy Nation" also reached the Top 10, peaking at number 8. Outside Europe, the single went to number-one also in Israel, number 22 in New Zealand and number 80 in Australia. It was awarded with a gold record in Germany with 250,000 singles sold and a silver record in France, after 125,000 units were sold.

Music video

The music video of "Happy Nation" was directed by Matt Broadley, who also directed the music video of "All That She Wants".[15] The video was shot in Gothenburg in January 1993.[16] The video begins with a lit candle, the flame of which blowing to the side. During Joker's verse, he sings flanked on both sides by a candelabrum, with Linn's face and different ancient symbols and pictures moving in the background. These images include the peace symbol, runic inscriptions, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Indigenous Australian art, the Buddha, the Zodiac signs, the yin yang symbol, the Crucifixion of Jesus, Al-Fatiha, and the book The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. After Joker's verse, the rest of the video focuses on Linn singing. She is mostly seen standing, but at one point she is seen sitting at a long wooden table, appearing to be deep in thought. At other times, Jenny Berggren appears singing with Linn for a moment even though like in All That She Wants she didn't provided any vocals for this song . The background images continue to appear during this part, along with scenes of Buddha typing on a stationary computer, Jenny reading from an old book, Joker singing the background vocals, and other short clips featuring the band members. Old movie footage is also shown during Linn's section, such as an atomic bomb exploding, people walking, and a tree falling down. When the music fades out, the lit candle shown at the start of the video is blown out. It was uploaded to YouTube in October 2010, and in August 2020, the video has got more than 52,6 million views.[17]

Track listings
CD single - UK
  1. "Happy Nation" (radio edit) — 3:32
  2. "Happy Nation" (12 inch version) — 6:39
  3. "Happy Nation" (album version) — 4:11
CD maxi
  1. "Happy Nation" (gold zone club mix)
  2. "Happy Nation" (gold zone 7" edit)
  3. "Happy Nation" (gold dub edit)
  4. "Happy Nation" (moody gold mix)
7" single
  1. "Happy Nation" (radio edit) — 3:32
  2. "Happy Nation" (album version) — 4:11

Personnel
  • Vocals Linn Berggren
  • Latin Choir by Jonas Berggren
  • Backing Vocals by John Ballard
  • Written by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg
  • Produced by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg
  • Recorded at Tuff Studios

Release history
Region Date Label
Denmark 7 December 1992 Mega
United Kingdom 1 November 1993 London Records 90
United Kingdom (re-issue) 3 October 1994 London Records 90

Charts and sales

Other recordings

During the 6th series of Så mycket bättre, Niklas Strömstedt performed the song in Swedish as "Lyckolandet".

References
  1. UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  2. "A good 'Sign' for the Ace of Base quartet". The Hour. July 13, 1994. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  3. "Ace of Base - Singles of the 90s". AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  4. Zaleski, Annie (February 19, 2018). "Good timing turned Ace Of Base's The Sign into the luckiest hit of the '90s". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  5. "Positive songs for positive thinking". Fort Worth Examiner. November 20, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  6. "ACE OF BASE Happy Nation". Göteborgsposten. January 27, 1993.
  7. Balkin, Andrew. (July 23, 1993). "LEISURE CENTRE: Balkin talkin'". page 20. Kingston Informer. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  8. "Ace of Cookies". Kingston Informer. October 7, 1994. page 22. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  9. "Picks and Pans Review: The Sign". People. February 28, 1994. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  10. Waliszewski, Bob. "The Sign – Plugged In Online Album Reviews". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  11. Campbell, Chuck (February 22, 1994). "NEW RELEASES: ACE OF BASE, CRASH TEST DUMMIES, SHONEN KNIFE". Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  12. Gundersen, Edna. (April 6, 1994). "Ace of Base: `The Sign' spells success". USA Today. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  13. "ON THE RECORD/What's hot in tapes & discs". The Vindicator. February 13, 1994. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 09 October 1994 - 15 October 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  15. "Credits - Matt Broadley". mattbroadley.com. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  16. Ace of Base gallery
  17. "Ace of Base - Happy Nation (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  18. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles – Week Ending 20 Mar 1994". ARIA. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  19. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  20. "Austriancharts.at – Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  22. "Music & Media: Denmark Top-10" (PDF). Music & Media (1993-01-16). Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  23. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 21. 22 May 1993. p. 27. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  24. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  25. "Lescharts.com – Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in French). Les classement single.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Ace of Base – Happy Nation". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  27. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (14.10.1993 - 20.10.1993)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  28. Israel Top-30: 3 weeks at No. 1 (02.03.1993, 09.03.1993 & 16.03.1993)
  29. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Ace of Base" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  30. "Dutchcharts.nl – Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  31. "Norwegiancharts.com – Ace of Base – Happy Nation". VG-lista.
  32. "Charts.nz – Ace of Base – Happy Nation". Top 40 Singles.
  33. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  34. "Swedishcharts.com – Ace of Base – Happy Nation". Singles Top 100.
  35. "Swisscharts.com – Ace of Base – Happy Nation". Swiss Singles Chart.
  36. https://fatherandy2.proboards.com/board/6/airplay-chart-archive
  37. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  38. "1993 YEAR-END SALES CHARTS" (PDF). Music & Media (1993-12-18, page 15). Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  39. "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  40. "Single top 100 over 1993" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  41. "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
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  43. "French single certifications – Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  44. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ace of Base; 'Happy Nation')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
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