"Don't Turn Around" | |
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Song by Tina Turner | |
A-side | "Typical Male" |
Released | August 1986 |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 4:19 |
Label | Capitol |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) | |
Audio video | |
"Don't Turn Around" (2022 remaster) on YouTube |
"Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by American singer Tina Turner and released as the B-side to her 1986 hit single "Typical Male". It has since been included on Turner's compilation album The Collected Recordings: Sixties to Nineties (1994), as well as featuring in the Tina musical since 2018.
The song has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Luther Ingram in 1987, Aswad in 1988, Bonnie Tyler in 1988, Eyes in 1990, Neil Diamond in 1991, Ace of Base in 1993, and Albert Hammond in 2010.
"Don't Turn Around" | ||||
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Single by Aswad | ||||
from the album Distant Thunder | ||||
B-side | "Woman" | |||
Released | February 10, 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Genre | Reggae fusion | |||
Length | 6:56 | |||
Label |
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Producer(s) | Chris Porter | |||
Aswad singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Don't Turn Around" on YouTube |
British reggae group Aswad heard Luther Ingram's version and released a cover version on February 10, 1988. This version samples a verse from the Righteous Brothers' 1964 single "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", as well as elements of the song closely resembling that of Erma Franklin's 1967 single "Piece of My Heart". The song was released as the first single from their eleventh album, Distant Thunder (1988), and went to number one on the UK Singles Chart in March 1988. [1] It also reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the US that same year.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [19] | Silver | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Don't Turn Around" | ||||
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Single by Ace of Base | ||||
from the album Happy Nation (U.S. version) and The Sign | ||||
B-side |
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Released | March 14, 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1993 | |||
Studio | Tuffs, Gothenburg, Sweden | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Ace of Base singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Don't Turn Around" on YouTube |
In 1993, Swedish pop group Ace of Base recorded a minor-key version of "Don't Turn Around" for their US debut album, The Sign (1993). The song was the follow-up to their successful single, "The Sign", and was also included on the re-release of Happy Nation the same year. Their version was released in March 1994 by Arista and Mega, reaching number one in Canada, number four in the US and number five in the UK. It was the third most popular song in the United States in the summer of 1994. [21] Its music video was directed by Matt Broadley and filmed in Florida.
I thought it was too much in major. We thought, 'If [Arista] really wants us to do it, why not?' The lyrics were good. We thought if we can transform it a bit into minor, in the chorus and so on, it could be OK.
—Jonas Berggren talking to Billboard about the song. [22]
After the huge success of the band's European debut album, Happy Nation , American label Arista wanted to release it with some new tracks for the US market. They suggested that Ace of Base should make a cover on British reggae group Aswad's 1988 version of "Don't Turn Around". It was recorded and produced at Tuff Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.
This version by the band would also contain a rap segment made by band member Ulf Ekberg.
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that with singles like "All That She Wants", "The Sign", and "Don't Turn Around", "it's easy to see why they were hits – the beat is relentless and the hooks are incessantly catchy." [23] In a retrospective review, Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club felt that Ace of Base gave the song "a brisk, breezy vibe that verges on tropical". [24] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the Swedish pop phenomenon "will, once again, blaze up the Hot 100 with its slick, lightweight reading of a tune popularized by Aswad." He added that here, "thin but inoffensive vocals are laid over the kind of synth-smart pop/reggae arrangement that top 40 programmers regularly subscribe to." [25] Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box commented, "Can these Swedish hitmakers make it three-for-three? You can bet on it, with the release of the next single from the quartet's smash The Sign , a song made popular in reggae circles by Aswad. Will follow the likes of Big Mountain, etc., up the charts with its easy-listening, synth-flavored mix of reggae and lightweight dance." He also deemed it a "potential summertime smash", adding, "One has to wonder. "What's in the water over at Arista?!"". [26] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly remarked that "the jauntily forlorn" song is "preeminent Europop, all brassy hooks, rushing beats, and exuberant singing that brings to mind Swedish cheerleaders in an ABBA cabaret." [27]
Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report noted that "for their third time at the plate this sensational pop foursome is about take a trip around the bases with what is another surefire home run!" [28] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "Ace of Base's version borrows from the Aswad arrangement but transform it still further from being the simple pop song it was originally into a mournful ballad, dark and mysterious. Whether it is as big as past hits is open to question but it gets my vote for simply daring to reinterpret the track so drastically. Are you listening Big Mountain?" [29] Ian Gittins from Melody Maker said, "Ace of Base half-want to be slick, Culture Beat-style Eurocheese, half-want to be Abba, and find a surprisingly pleasing halfway house." [30] Mario Tarradell from Miami Herald described it as "innocuous". [31] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it four out of five, adding, "The Aswad chart-topper is stripped of much of its melody, and given a heavily percussive workover in order to fit the Ace of Base mould. Fans of their sound will heartily approve, and another Top 10 hit seems inevitable." [32] The Network Forty praised the song as "another bonafide smash" and "pure pop". [33] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In (publication) found that "Don't Turn Around" and "The Sign" "demonstrate strength in the wake of romantic rejection." [34] The Rolling Stone Album Guide described it as "a funky Diane Warren song". [35] Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service called it a "reggae-paced" number. [36]
"Don't Turn Around" was a huge hit around the world and remains one of Ace of Base's more successful songs to date. It reached number one on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada, and both the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and the Cash Box Top 100. In Europe, it made it to the top ten in Austria (8), Denmark (4), Finland (3), Germany (6), Iceland (10), Ireland (8), the Netherlands (7), Scotland (8), and the UK, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number seven in April 1994. In the UK, "Don't Turn Around" reached number five in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on June 19, 1994. [37] Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Belgium (13), France (17), Sweden (11), and Switzerland (14). Outside Europe, the single also peaked at number two on the RPM Dance/Urban chart, number three in Israel, number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, number eight in New Zealand and number 19 in Australia.
"Don't Turn Around" earned a Gold certification in Germany, New Zealand and the United States with a sales of 250,000, 5,000 and 500,000 singles, respectively.
"Don't Turn Around" entered the European airplay chart Border Breakers at number 20 on April 2, 1994, due to crossover airplay in Central Europe and peaked at number one twice, first on June 4, followed by July 23. Both times it held on to the top spot for two weeks. Together with "The Sign", "Don't Turn Around" monopolised either the number one or two spot on Border Breakers for 36 weeks. [38]
Rolling Stone listed "Don't Turn Around" at number 16 in their "20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1990s" list in July 2014. [39]
Several reviewers have noted that "Don't Turn Around" might have inspired Lady Gaga for her 2010 hit single "Alejandro". Lindsey Fortier from Billboard compared "Alejandro" to "Don't Turn Around" in her review of Gaga's single. [40] In 2014, when "Don't Turn Around" was ranked number 16 by Idolator in their ranking of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994", they wrote: "From its spoken-word intro to its insanely catchy pan flute hook, the song encapsulates everything perfect about pop of that era. I can't be the only one who thinks Lady Gaga was inspired by this immortal classic for her own single, "Alejandro," can I?" [41]
In 2019, Billboard placed it at number 168 in their ranking of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s". [42]
In 2021, BuzzFeed ranked the song at number 22 in their list of "The 50 Best '90s Songs of Summer". [43]
Ace of Base filmed a music video for the song, directed by Swedish-based director Matt Broadley, showing scenes of a couple leaving each other intertwined with scenes of the band on the beach and in a beach house. It was shot in Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida, in December 1993. [44] The lighthouse in the video is located in Bill Bags Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, one of Miami's barrier islands. Some parts of the video are in black-and-white, but the scenes with Ace of Base members are in color. The video begins with the group performing inside the beach house. Toward the end, all four members walk along the shore. It received heavy rotation on MTV Europe [45] and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA. [46] Broadley had previously directed the music videos for "All That She Wants" and "Happy Nation". As of August 2023, "Don't Turn Around" had generated more than 36 million views on YouTube.
CD 1:
| CD 2:
|
Region | Date | Label |
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Europe | March 14, 1994 | Mega, PolyGram |
United States | April 19, 1994 | Arista |
United Kingdom | May 30, 1994 [47] | London |
Japan | July 6, 1994 [48] | Arista |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Germany (BVMI) [93] | Gold | 250,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [94] | Gold | 5,000* |
United States (RIAA) [95] | Gold | 500,000 [96] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Ace of Base is a Swedish pop group, formed in 1987, originally consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren, with Ulf Ekberg.
"Cruel Summer" is a song by English girl group Bananarama. It was written by Bananarama and Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, and produced by Jolley and Swain. Released in 1983, it was initially a stand-alone single but was subsequently included on their self-titled second album a year later. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart in 1983 and the group appeared on the BBC's Top of the Pops that summer, and after its inclusion in the 1984 film The Karate Kid, it reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The Bridge is the second album by Swedish pop music group Ace of Base. It was composed during 1994 and 1995, and released in Europe on 30 October 1995. It is the only Ace of Base album to feature sizable writing, production, vocal, and harmony contributions by all four band members.
"The Sign" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base from their first North American studio album, The Sign (1993), and their re-released debut studio album, Happy Nation (1992), titled Happy Nation . The song was released by Arista and Mega as a single in Europe on 1 November 1993 and the US on 14 December 1993. It was written by band member Jonas Berggren, who also produced the song with Denniz Pop and Douglas Carr. "The Sign" is a techno-reggae, Europop, and pop ballad with lyrics describing a couple contemplating the state of their relationship.
"Endless Love" is a song written by Lionel Richie and originally recorded as a duet between Richie and singer/actress Diana Ross. In this ballad, the singers declare their "endless love" for one another. It was covered by Luther Vandross with R&B-pop singer Mariah Carey, and also by country music singer Shania Twain. Richie's friend Kenny Rogers also recorded the song. Billboard has named the original version as the greatest song duet of all time.
Originally written for Annie Lennox, "Everytime It Rains" is the fourth single released from Swedish band Ace of Base's album Flowers in the UK, featured on a re-release of the album. The song was written by Rick Nowels, Billy Steinberg and Maria Vidal. The single peaked at number 22 in the UK in April 1999.
"Lucky Love" is a 1995 song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base. It is taken from their second album, The Bridge (1995). The song became their fifth worldwide single, and was the first single from the album to be released in Europe; the acoustic version of the song was the second single in the United States and Canada. "Lucky Love" also became the group's first number-one hit in Sweden and it also peaked at number-one in Finland. The single peaked within the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Israel, Spain, and Zimbabwe. The song's lyrics describe the feeling of being a teenager in love and never forgetting that feeling.
"Beautiful Life" is a song by Swedish band Ace of Base, released on October 20, 1995 from their second album, The Bridge (1995). In North America, it was the first single released from the album; in Europe, it followed "Lucky Love" as the second single. Co-written by band member Jonas Berggren and produced by him with Denniz Pop and Max Martin, the single reached number 15 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in December 1995. It reached number one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart and Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked "Beautiful Life" number 51 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s.
"Turn the Beat Around" is a disco song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, and performed by American actress and singer Vicki Sue Robinson in 1976, originally appearing on her debut album, Never Gonna Let You Go (1976). Released as a single, the song went to #10 on the Billboard pop charts, and #73 on the Billboard soul chart. The song earned Robinson a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The track also went to number one on the Billboard disco chart for four weeks. "Turn the Beat Around" is considered a disco classic and is featured on many compilation albums.
"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" is a song by Swedish band Ace of Base, released as a single on 11 March 1996. It was the third single taken from the band's second album, The Bridge (1995). In Europe, the song peaked at number six in Hungary, number 12 in Denmark and number 17 in Finland. In the US, it reached number six on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. And in Canada, it peaked at number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.
"All That She Wants" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in Scandinavia in August 1992 by Mega Records as the second single from the group's first studio album, Happy Nation (1992), and in the following year, it was released as the first single from the 1993 album The Sign in North America. Produced by Denniz Pop with group members Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg, the drum beat was inspired by the Kayo song "Another Mother". Berggren and Ekberg also wrote the lyrics.
"Typical Male" is a song recorded by American singer Tina Turner. It was written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle and produced by the former for Turner's studio album Break Every Rule (1986).
"How Long" is the debut single by the English band Ace, from their 1974 debut album, Five-A-Side. It reached No. 3 on both the US and Canadian charts, and No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee, released by The Rocket Record Company on 25 June 1976. It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. John and Taupin originally intended to record the song with Dusty Springfield, but ultimately withdrew the offer; Springfield's partner Sue Cameron later said this was because she was too ill at the time.
"Wheel of Fortune" is a song by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as their first single from the debut album, Happy Nation (1992). The song was first serviced to Danish radio in early 1992, through Mega Records, but failed to pick up much support. When re-promoted for a third time and released in stores on 29 June 1992, it entered the official Danish singles chart at number six, before later peaking at number two. It wasn't released elsewhere in Europe until 1993, following the success of their second single, "All That She Wants".
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"Living in Danger" is a song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in October 1994 by Arista and Mega as the seventh and final single from the group's debut album, Happy Nation and fourth single from their American debut release, The Sign (1993). Written by bandmembers Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg, the single peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in December 1994. On the US Cash Box Top 100, it peaked at number ten. The single later reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1995. Its music video was directed by Matt Broadley and filmed in Stockholm, Sweden. Ace of Base performed the song on the first ever MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin, Germany in 1994. Q Magazine included "Living in Danger" in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003.
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The Sign is a 1993 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as the band's debut album in North America 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".
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