Review: Best-Selling Pop Music Album "the Sign" by Swedish Pop Music Band Ace of Base

There are albums in a band’s history that stand the test of time and are classics even to this day. The Sign by the popular Swedish pop music band Ace of Base is one such example. The album features the lineup of sisters Jenny and Malin “Linn” Berggren, their brother Jonas Berggren, and Ulf “Buddha” Ekberg. This album was the band’s very first release and contains many hit songs. The album was released in 1993 and is called Happy Nation in Europe. The album is a quick 45 minutes in length and contains, pop, techno, and electronic elements. Here is a review of this famous and best-selling album.

Here is a review of this famous and best-selling album. The Sign the album and song set in motion what was to become one of the best and most commercially successful pop music groups of all time.

The first track called “All That She Wants” was an absolute hit once it hit the airwaves on the radio. This one is extremely popular and has gotten lots of plays on radio stations over the years. This one is average at best. It does take a lot of getting used to. Of all the songs in The Sign, All That She Wants may be the most recognizable song because of the constant airplay that it received on the radio back in the early 1990s. “Don’t Turn Around” is a cover song originally written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. This one is a classic and features a small rap vocal section by Ulf Ekberg which adds a different yet awesome feel to the song. The song is about the difficulty of letting someone go because the relationship isn’t working out. Breakups are always painful, sometimes for both people involved. There are longer versions of this song on different CD’s.

"Living in Danger” is about a person living his or her life and making their own decisions in a world where there is so much deceit and lies. The song’s other message is to not trust a stranger. Does that sound familiar? “Dancer in a Daydream” has a techno and pop music feel with great sound. This was always one of my favorites when I was a teenager. Of the first six songs in this outstanding album, "Young and Proud" may be the only musical blemish.

The second half of this album begins with “Wheel of Fortune” followed by a fast, upbeat song called “Waiting For Magic.” That song contains vocals by Jenny as well as some other interesting vocals. The whole song is fast, exciting, and upbeat. “Happy Nation” starts off with some Latin lyrics before the band switches to English. The song talks about wanting peace in the world and making sure that we have a world where everyone is interested in the good of others. “Voulez Vous Danser” is a French song title but most of the lyrics are in English. This one features a good vocal set by Linn and Jenny. It also contains some weird sounds but it is a great song. To conclude this album we have “My Mind” and “All That She Wants”. This second version of the song is a little different from the first one and it is not one that I usually listen to. More than 27 years later, The Sign is an album that all pop music fans should not forget. This album put Ace of Base on the road to stardom and major success for the band.

Looking back at The Sign in 2021 is it Ace of Base’s best album? This is a tough call because “The Bridge” was a very solid album as well. The Sign was such a massive commercial success that the album ranked #1 on the US Billboard 200 music charts. It also ranked #1 in the Argentinian, Canadian, and Japanese musical charts which is one of the most impressive finishes for any pop music album ever.

. So the strongest songs in The Sign are:

• Don't Turn Around
• The Sign
• Living in Danger
• Dancer in a Daydream
• Voulez Vous Danser
• Waiting for Magic