"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 song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base from their debut album with the same name (1992). It was first released in Scandinavia in December 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. Its music video was directed by Matt Broadley. In 2008, the song was remade by Ace of Base for a remix kit.

"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. The band has described the song, written as a response to reports of Ekberg's past associations with neo-Nazi skinheads, as an "anti-fascist song and a hymn to life".[2] Ekberg has also said the song is a response to "everybody talking about how bad everything is! ... I think [the] best thing is to see [the] positive."[3]

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 the number-one position in Denmark, Finland, France and Israel. It peaked within the top 5 in Lithuania (3), the Netherlands (5) and in the group's native Sweden, where it hit number four. Additionally, the single was a top 10 hit in Austria (6), Belgium (8), Germany (7) and Norway (6). In Iceland, it reached the top 20 (14), while in Italy and Switzerland, it was a top 30 hit (21 and 23). In the UK, it only reached the top 40, in its second run on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 40 on October 9, 1994.[4] On the Eurochart Hot 100, which was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries, "Happy Nation" charted at number 39 in May 1993. Outside Europe, the single made it to number-one in Israel, number 22 in New Zealand and number 80 in Australia. It did not chart in the US.

"Happy Nation" 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.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis complimented the song as "stellar".[5] In an retrospective review, Annie Zaleski of American online newspaper The A.V. Club noted that it takes influence from "taut techno".[6] Fort Worth Examiner felt that it "provides a positive mindset for how we should relate to and live with one another."[7] Swedish 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."[8] Chuck Eddy from LA Weekly declared it "the record's saddest-sounding song".[9] Andrew Balkin from Kingston Informer said that "the Aces go downbeat" on "Happy Nation" and "Wheel of Fortune", adding further 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."[10] In another article, the newspaper described it as "a luvvly bubbly song".[11] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton viewed it as "another piece of darkly brilliant dub reggae".[12] Mario Tarradell from Miami Herald stated, "Just try to shake the irresistible hook of "All That She Wants" and "Happy Nation": you won't succeed."[13]

When the single was released for the second time in the UK, Alan Jones from Music Week rated it three out of five, deeming it as a "fairly unambitious regga plod" that "will inevitably do better this time around, but it will still be one of their smaller hits."[14] A reviewer from People Magazine felt that the tune "prove Ace of Base to be more substantive than a mere ABBA clone."[15] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In remarked that it "promotes brotherhood".[16] James Hamilton from the RM Dance Update viewed it as a "rumbling Boney M-ish 0-95.9bpm lurcher".[17] Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service called it a "reggae-paced" number.[18] Sylvia Patterson from Smash Hits gave it two out of five. She added, "Much moodier than the unfeasibly catchy "All That She Wants" thing, thank goodness, this is sort of like R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People" if it was by The Beloved, if you see what I mean. A pan-global religo-spook reverie with warbly Indian bits on and some whistling."[19] Edna Gundersen from USA Today complimented it as a "cheery tune".[20] The Vindicator stated that "the blend of melody and rhythm" in a song like "Happy Nation" "is all but irresistible".[21]

Music video

The accompanying music video of "Happy Nation" was directed by Swedish-based director Matt Broadley, who had previously directed the video of "All That She Wants".[22] It was shot in Gothenburg, Sweden in January 1993.[23] The video was later published on Ace of Base's official YouTube channel in 2010 and had generated more than 100 million views as of August 2023.[24]

Synopsis

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 provide 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.[24]

Track listings

  • 7" single
  1. "Happy Nation" (Radio Edit) — 3:32
  2. "Happy Nation" (Album Version) — 4:11
  • 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)

Charts and sales

Personnel

  • Vocals by 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

Other recordings

During the 6th series of Så mycket bättre in 2015, Niklas Strömstedt performed the song in Swedish as "Lyckolandet", with lyrics against racism and xenophobia.[55]

References

  1. 1 2 UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  2. ↑ Capozzoli, Michael (July 13, 1994). "A good 'Sign' for the Ace of Base quartet". The Hour. Norwalk, Connecticut. p. 21. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ Ace of Base (1994). The Sign: The Home Video (videotape). 6 West Home Video. At time 20:24. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 09 October 1994 - 15 October 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  5. ↑ Promis, Jose F. "Ace of Base - Singles of the 90s". AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Positive songs for positive thinking". Fort Worth Examiner. November 20, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Ace Of Base Happy Nation". Göteborgsposten. January 27, 1993.
  9. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (April 21, 1994). "Music Reviews: Ace of Base – The Sign". p. 83. LA Weekly.
  10. ↑ Balkin, Andrew. (July 23, 1993). "Leisure Centre: Balkin talkin'". page 20. Kingston Informer.
  11. ↑ "Ace of Cookies". Kingston Informer. October 7, 1994. page 22.
  12. ↑ Masterton, James (October 9, 1994). "Week Ending October 15th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  13. ↑ Tarradell, Mario (January 5, 1994). "Album Reviews: Ace of Base, The Sign". p. 40. Miami Herald.
  14. ↑ Jones, Alan (September 10, 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 20. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: The Sign". People. February 28, 1994. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  16. ↑ Waliszewski, Bob. "The Sign – Plugged In Online Album Reviews". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  17. ↑ Hamilton, James (October 1, 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 10. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  18. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (February 22, 1994). "New Releases: Ace Of Base, Crash Test Dummies, Shonen Knife". Scripps Howard News Service.
  19. ↑ Patterson, Sylvia (June 23, 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 51. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  20. ↑ Gundersen, Edna. (April 6, 1994). "Ace of Base: `The Sign' spells success". USA Today.
  21. ↑ "On The Record/What's Hot In Tapes & Discs". The Vindicator. February 13, 1994. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Credits - Matt Broadley". mattbroadley.com. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  23. ↑ Ace of Base gallery
  24. 1 2 "Ace of Base - Happy Nation (Official Music Video)". YouTube. October 17, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  25. ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles – Week Ending 20 Mar 1994". ARIA. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  26. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  27. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  28. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  29. ↑ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. 1993-01-16. p. 16. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  30. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 21. 22 May 1993. p. 27. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  31. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  32. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in French). Les classement single.
  33. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  34. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (14.10.1993 - 20.10.1993)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  35. ↑ 3 weeks at No. 1 (2 March 1993, 9 March 1993 & 16 March 1993)
  36. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-05-29. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Ace Of Base".
  37. ↑ "M-1 TOP 40". M-1.fm. 1993-09-19. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-30. See LW column.
  38. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Ace of Base" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  39. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  40. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation". VG-lista.
  41. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation". Top 40 Singles.
  42. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  43. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation". Singles Top 100.
  44. ↑ "Ace of Base – Happy Nation". Swiss Singles Chart.
  45. ↑ "Oops, there was an error! | Haven".
  46. ↑ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1993-11-06. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  47. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  48. ↑ "1993 YEAR-END SALES CHARTS" (PDF). Music & Media. 1993-12-18. p. 15. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  49. ↑ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  50. ↑ "Single top 100 over 1993" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  51. ↑ "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  52. ↑ 1994 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived 2011-08-20 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
  53. ↑ "French single certifications – Ace of Base – Happy Nation" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  54. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ace of Base; 'Happy Nation')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  55. ↑ "Strömstedt hyllas för Lyckolandet". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 9 November 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
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