The Sign by Ace of Base

Album: The Sign / Happy Nation (1993)

Charted: 2 1

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Songfacts®:

"The Sign," from the album of the same name in the US, tells the story of a man and a woman in a complicated relationship. Both of them wonder where their relationship is headed, and the man leaves for a while to ponder the problem. The answer to their problem is left to the listeners to decide on an ending.

In the video, we see this story in action. Ace Of Base singer Jenny Berggren plays the woman in question. The man is played by an unknown actor. He leaves Jenny for a moment and hands her a rose. Jenny seems to take an interest, however a light shines on Jenny and she leaves to the light, leaving the rose behind. The music video shows Jenny with her brother, Jonas, and her sister, Linn, and a friend, Ulf, telling the story about this relationship. The video ends with Linn finishing the song, Jenny clears a tear from her face, and an ankh appears. >>
Suggestion credit:
Margaret - Worcester, MA
This spent 14 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart, the most for any song to date. It also spent six nonconsecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This was the #1 song of 1994 according to Billboard magazine's year-end charts. It was also Arista Record's most successful Billboard chart single in the label's history, selling over nine million copies in America.
This was produced by Swedish hitmaker Denniz Pop from his Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, where many of America's hottest pop acts of the '90s were born. Pop's protege Max Martin wrote Scandinavian smashes for Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and 'N Sync, but he caught his first glimpse of genius on "The Sign."

Martin recalled in an interview with Sweden's Di Weekend: "Dagge (Denniz Pop) dared to think big. He dared to think bigger than Sweden, he had a very unrestricted and free way of looking at things. I hadn't encountered that before. I might have read about such people, but I had never met anyone like that myself. The first day I sneaked into the studio, they were busy mixing 'The Sign' with Ace of Base. A song that would later become a number one hit in the US. The energy around that. To be so close to the fire."

Comments: 5

Vad from San Franciscoace of base "life is demanding without understanding" line is melodically ripped off from ABBAs backing hook for song 'one of us'. i belive ABBA sings "one of us is shaking with a heart that's breaking"
KathleenOne of my favourite songs from my fave 90's band. :)
Chuck from LaTwo guys two girls from Sweden are not the only similarity between ABBA and Ace of Bass.They pretty much copied or ripped off or borrowed from ABBA. I Saw the Sign and One of Us , are too similar to deny they were doing some borrowing . Listen to both back to back and tell me I'm wrong.
Shawn N from Green BayI thought for sure this band was put together by a producer who was trying to replicate ABBA, so strong is the ABBA vibe here. Come to find out that the band is actually three siblings and a fourth. Still, the ABBA similarities are undeniable - Swedish, two attractive female leads, one blond and one brunette, two guys behind them, the NAME - Ace of Base. And all that is a GOOD thing, considering ABBA is one of the most successful pop bands of all time. Anyway, loved this video from the first time I ever saw. The sisters are stunning and talented. The song itself has grown on me through the years. The beginning of the 90s was still music gold (it would take at least a half decade before the glory of the 80s would disappear entirely and the music industry would take a decided turn towards the dumpster), and this song and video are about as 90s as they get.
Scooter from Harrisburg, PaActually, "The Sign" spent only six weeks at #1 (not 14) - the weeks of March 12, 19 , 26 and April 2, and then again in the weeks of May 7 and 14. R Kelly's "Bump and Grind" knocked them out of the top spot from the weeks of April 9 to April 30. (Source: Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top 10 Singles Charts 1955 - 2000) editor's note: this is true of the Hot 100 - the fact refers to a different chart, the Pop Songs radio airplay, also called the Mainstream Top 40

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