The Sign (album)

The Sign is a 1993 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as the band's debut album in North America, Japan, and some Latin American countries by Arista Records. The Sign contains songs from Ace of Base's debut album, Happy Nation (1992) and the new songs "Don't Turn Around", "The Sign", and "Living in Danger" as well as revised versions of "Voulez-Vous Danser" and "Waiting for Magic".

This article is about the album. For its title track, see The Sign (song).
See also: Happy Nation

The Sign
Studio album by
Ace of Base
Released23 November 1993
Recorded1992–93
GenrePop
Length45:24
LabelArista
Producer
Ace of Base chronology
Happy Nation
(1992)		 The Sign
(1993)		 The Bridge
(1995)
Singles from The Sign
  1. "All That She Wants"
    Released: 24 August 1992
  2. "The Sign"
    Released: 14 December 1993
  3. "Don't Turn Around"
    Released: 19 April 1994
  4. "Living in Danger"
    Released: 4 October 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Robert Christgau[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

The Sign is listed among the Top 100 Best-selling Albums of All Time by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales in excess of 21 million copies. The album itself earned Arista Records 42 million USD, and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 1995 Grammy Awards. The Sign was ranked top three on the Billboard 200 chart for 26 consecutive weeks. The album, and the single of the same name, are the only single or album by a Swedish act to rank number one on Billboard's annual overall Year-End lists.[citation needed]

Background

The album was intended to be released in the US on 26 October 1993 as Happy Nation. However, their label, Arista Records, delayed the album in order for the band to add two radio-friendly singles.[4] The album was eventually released on 23 November 1993. To coincide with the release of The Sign, Happy Nation was re-released in Europe, Mexico, and Australia as Happy Nation (U.S. Version). These releases featured the new tracks and revised versions included on The Sign, as well the new track "Hear Me Calling" and a remix of "Happy Nation".

Commercial performance

The Sign is listed among the Top 100 Best-selling Albums of All Time by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[5] with sales in excess of 21 million copies.[6] The album itself earned Arista Records 42 million USD,[7] and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 1995 Grammy Awards. The Sign was ranked top three on the Billboard 200 chart for 26 consecutive weeks. The album, and the single of the same name, are the only single or album by a Swedish act to rank number one on Billboard's annual overall Year-End lists.

Track listing
The Sign – Standard version
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."All That She Wants"
  • Joker
  • Buddha
3:30
2."Don't Turn Around"
  • Hammond
  • Warren
  • Per Adebratt
  • Tommy Ekman
3:48
3."Young and Proud"
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Joker
  • Buddha
3:54
4."The Sign"
  • Joker
  • Joker
  • Denniz Pop
  • Douglas Carr
  • Joker
  • Buddha[b]
3:08
5."Living in Danger"
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Ekman
  • Adebratt
  • T.O.E.C.[b]
3:44
6."Dancer in a Daydream"
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Joker
  • Buddha
3:39
7."Wheel of Fortune"
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • T.O.E.C.
3:54
8."Waiting for Magic" (Total remix 7")
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Buddha
  • Stonestream
3:49
9."Happy Nation"
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Joker
  • Buddha
4:13
10."Voulez-Vous Danser"
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • T.O.E.C.
  • Joker
  • Buddha
3:21
11."My Mind" (Mindless mix)
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Joker
  • Buddha
4:10
12."All That She Wants" (Banghra version)
  • Joker
  • Buddha[a]
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Joker
  • Buddha
  • Denniz Pop
4:14
The Sign – Remastered version (bonus track)[8]
No.TitleLength
13."Mr. Ace" (demo 1991)3:21
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies rap lyrics
  • ^[b] signifies pre-production

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1993) Peak
position
Argentinian Albums Chart 1
Canadian Albums Chart 1
Japanese Albums Chart 1
US Billboard 200[9] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1994) Position
US Billboard 200[10] 1

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina — 300,000[11]
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[12] Gold 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Diamond 1,000,000^
Chile — 60,000[14]
Mexico — 300,000[15]
South Korea — 500,000[16]
United States (RIAA)[17] 9× Platinum 9,000,000^
Summaries
Scandinavia — 900,000[18]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

The Sign
Video by
Ace of Base
Released1994 (1994)
Genrepop

Video album

Some songs from the album were also released as an Ace of Base video collection released in the summer of 1994 on VHS video in North America. Laserdisc editions appeared in Japan as well.

Contents
  1. All That She Wants
  2. The Sign
  3. Don't Turn Around Studio Documentary
  4. Don't Turn Around
  5. Living In Danger Studio Documentary
  6. Happy Nation
  7. Wheel of Fortune

References
  1. Christgau, Robert. "The Sign". Robert Christgau.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1977. ISBN 9780857125958.
  3. Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 4. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. Mayfield, Geoff; Atwood, Brett (6 November 1993). "Popular Risings - Shuffling The Deck" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105 no. 45. p. 31. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  5. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - November 03, 2010". riaa.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  6. Ferro, Charles (30 May 1998). "Ace Of Base Sprouts 'Flowers'". Billboard. p. 70. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  7. Seabrook, John (2015). The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-3932-4192-1.
  8. https://itunes.apple.com/se/album/the-sign/id947405452
  9. "Ace Of Base Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  10. Geoff Mayfield (25 December 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  11. "Argentina". 10 December 1994. p. 68. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  12. "Brazilian album certifications – Ace of Base – The Sign" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  13. "Canadian album certifications – Ace of Base – The Sign". Music Canada.
  14. "Chile". Billboard. 10 December 1994. p. 70. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  15. Lannert, John (26 November 1994). "Viva Mexico!". Billboard. p. 73. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  16. Levin, Mike (20 August 1994). "Southeast Asia - multi media marketing" (PDF). American Radio History (Billboard Archive). p. 50. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  17. "American album certifications – Ace of Base – The Sign". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  18. Straton, Sally (4 November 1995). "Radio Plays Key Role in New Ace of Base Album" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 14. Retrieved 8 February 2021 – via World Radio History.
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