Happy Nation | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 November 1992 | |||
Recorded | January–May 1992 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:21 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Ace of Base chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Happy Nation | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
The Guardian | (favorable) [2] |
Music Week | [3] |
Happy Nation is the debut studio album by the Swedish pop group Ace of Base. It was initially released in Denmark on 2 November 1992 by Mega Records. During the album's development,the group was significantly influenced by a Jamaican reggae band that was recording in a nearby studio. [4] For its release in North America,Japan,and some Latin American countries,the album was retitled The Sign ,featuring a heavily revised track listing along with three new tracks. To coincide with this,Happy Nation was reissued with the new tracks in other territories under the title Happy Nation (U.S. Version). In 1995,Guinness Book of World Records recognized the LP as the best-selling debut studio effort in music history,with over 19 million copies sold worldwide. [5] By 1998,Happy Nation/The Sign had sold approximately 21 million units,including 9 million in the U.S. alone. [6] Happy Nation/The Sign remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.
In an interview with Music &Media magazine,Metronome Records managing director Albert Slendebroek remarked on the album:
Everything was being driven by grunge or techno, then suddenly these people arrived and did something which was completely different and happy and simple. I just think they write brilliant pop tunes and it hit a nerve at the time. (...) I think they've developed their own style. If you listen to the radio and you hear a record, you immediately recognise that it's Ace of Base.
— Albert Slendebroek, [7]
Following its initial release in Denmark in November 1992, Happy Nation was gradually released across Europe throughout 1993, starting in Norway in January, followed by Sweden and Germany in February, and then the UK in June. It was also released in Africa and Latin America, reaching the number one position in at least ten countries.
Happy Nation (U.S. Version) was released on 22 November 1993 to coincide with the album's launch in North America under the title The Sign . This edition featured the new tracks "The Sign", "Living in Danger", and a cover of Tina Turner's "Don't Turn Around", along with a remix of "Waiting for Magic" and a revised version of "Voulez-Vous Danser". It also included the new track "Hear Me Calling", which did not appear on The Sign. However, the songs "Münchhausen (Just Chaos)" and "Dimension of Depth" from the original album were removed. The updated version of the album was released in the UK on 14 March 1994 and climbed to number one on the UK Albums Chart on 26 June, surpassing the original release's peak position of number 21.
In 2016, Russian label Mirumir released an "Ultimate Edition" of the album on vinyl, containing the original track listing from the 1992 release, the additional tracks from The Sign/Happy Nation (U.S. Version) releases, and the iTunes bonuses from all three releases.
Alan Jones from Music Week described the album as a "diverse but largely dance-oriented" collection, noting that it includes "more gentle reggae stuff" alongside some techno and house elements. He felt that "nothing here compares favourably" with "All That She Wants", although he suggested that "if the right tracks are picked and remixed, there are more hits". [3]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Voulez-Vous Danser" |
|
| 3:17 | |
2. | "All That She Wants" |
|
|
| 3:30 |
3. | "Münchhausen (Just Chaos)" |
|
|
| 3:27 |
4. | "Happy Nation" |
|
|
| 4:11 |
5. | "Waiting for Magic" |
|
|
| 5:17 |
6. | "Fashion Party" | Joker | Joker | 4:10 | |
7. | "Wheel of Fortune" |
|
|
| 3:52 |
8. | "Dancer in a Daydream" |
|
|
| 3:37 |
9. | "My Mind" (mindless mix) |
|
|
| 4:09 |
10. | "Wheel of Fortune" (original club mix) |
|
|
| 3:58 |
11. | "Dimension of Depth" | N/A | Joker |
| 1:45 |
12. | "Young and Proud" |
|
|
| 3:54 |
13. | "All That She Wants" (Banghra version) |
|
|
| 4:14 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Moogoperator" |
|
| 3:31 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "All That She Wants" |
|
|
| 3:30 |
2. | "Don't Turn Around" |
|
| 3:48 | |
3. | "Young and Proud" |
|
|
| 3:56 |
4. | "The Sign" |
| Joker |
| 3:08 |
5. | "Living in Danger" |
|
|
| 3:41 |
6. | "Voulez-Vous Danser" |
|
|
| 3:17 |
7. | "Happy Nation" |
|
|
| 4:13 |
8. | "Hear Me Calling" |
| 3:48 | ||
9. | "Waiting for Magic" (total remix 7") |
|
|
| 3:50 |
10. | "Fashion Party" |
|
| Joker | 4:10 |
11. | "Wheel of Fortune" |
|
|
| 3:52 |
12. | "Dancer in a Daydream" |
|
|
| 3:37 |
13. | "My Mind" (mindless mix) |
|
|
| 4:08 |
14. | "All That She Wants" (Banghra version) |
|
|
| 4:14 |
15. | "Happy Nation" (Remix) |
|
| 3:45 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
16. | "Giving It Up" (Ace Version) | 3:29 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "All That She Wants" | 3:30 |
2. | "Happy Nation" | 4:11 |
3. | "Wheel of Fortune" (original club mix) | 3:58 |
4. | "Voulez-Vous Danser" | 3:17 |
5. | "Young and Proud" | 3:54 |
6. | "Dancer in a Daydream" | 3:37 |
7. | "Waiting for Magic" | 5:17 |
8. | "My Mind" (mindless mix) | 4:09 |
9. | "Fashion Party" | 4:10 |
10. | "All That She Wants" (Banghra version) | 4:14 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "All That She Wants" (Banghra version) | 4:14 |
Notes
Region | Date | Label |
---|---|---|
Denmark | 2 November 1992 | Mega |
Germany | 22 February 1993 | PolyGram |
United Kingdom | 7 June 1993 | London Records 90 |
Europe (re-issue) | 22 November 1993 | Mega / PolyGram |
United Kingdom (re-issue) | 14 March 1994 | London Records 90 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [41] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [42] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [43] | 2× Platinum | 160,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [44] | Gold | 82,715 [44] |
France (SNEP) [45] | Diamond | 1,000,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [46] | 3× Platinum | 1,500,000^ |
Korea | — | 700,000 [47] |
Netherlands (NVPI) [48] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Mexico | — | 500,000 [49] |
Malaysia | — | 200,000 [47] |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [50] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [51] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [52] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
Sweden | — | 50,000 [53] |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [54] Happy Nation (US version) | Platinum | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [55] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 21,000,000 [6] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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