The Sign (song)
| The Sign | |
|---|---|
| Ace of Base | |
| publication | October 29, 1993 |
| length | 3:11 |
| Genre (s) | Pop , dance , reggae |
| Author (s) | Jonas Berggren |
| Producer (s) | Douglas Carr, Jonas Berggren, Denniz PoP |
| album | Happy Nation / The Sign |
The Sign is a pop song by the Swedish group Ace of Base from 1993, which became another chart hit for the band. Music and text are by Jonas Berggren , producers were Douglas Carr, Jonas Berggren and Denniz PoP .
Publication and Success
The song was released in Germany in October 1993, while it wasn't released in the US and UK until February 1994. The track became a worldwide hit and was released from the album Happy Nation , which was sold in the USA under the name The Sign .
After a few weeks, the single The Sign reached number two in the British charts, number one in Germany and Austria and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for six interrupted weeks . The Sign became the first number one hit for Ace of Base in the US. It was also the first single after Men at Works Down Under from 1982, which reached number one several times.
The song also reached number one on the US annual charts in 1994. The song was listed at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs , the top-ranked song from 1958 to 2008.
Music video
Mathias Julin directed the music video. It shows the group singing in front of large picture overlays, a flag is waved. The “sign” is represented as a digitized, golden and rotating ankh with a Djed pillar inside .
In addition, a story of a man and a woman is told in individual scenes, in which they sit on two chairs next to each other until the man leaves. He comes back with a rose, which he gives to the woman and which she also accepts. The two hold hands briefly. However, a light shines in the woman's face, she is pulled away. The rose falls on the chair that remains behind.
Re-use
The song was covered by The Mountain Goats . It was also used in an episode of American Dad , the last of the fifth season.
Contributors
- Singing - Linn Berggren, Jenny Berggren and Jonas Berggren
- Background vocals - Jenny Berggren, Linn Berggren, Jonas Berggren and Douglas Carr
- Songwriting - Jonas Berggren
- Production - Denniz Pop, Douglas Carr and Jonas Berggren
- Recorded at Cheiron Studios
Charts and sales figures
Charts
|
|
Awards for music sales
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
||
 Germany (BVMI)
|
 platinum
|
500,000 |
 New Zealand (RMNZ)
|
platinum
|
15,000 |
 Austria (IFPI)
|
 gold
|
25,000 |
 United States (RIAA)
|
platinum
|
1,000,000 |
 United Kingdom (BPI)
|
gold
|
400,000 |
| All in all |
2 × gold 3 × platinum |
1,940,000 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ release date
- ↑ release date UK
- ↑ Release dates
- ^ The Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary, The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (60-51) ( Memento of September 13, 2008 on the Internet Archive ), Billboard.com
- ↑ a b c d e f Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US SE
- ↑ a b c d annual charts: DE AT CH US
- ↑ Geoff Mayfield: 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the' 90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s . Billboard . December 25, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ German certifications, database . Music industry. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ↑ NZ Music Charts . Recorded Music New Zealand Limited. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ Austrian certifications, database . Ifpi. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ↑ US certifications . Riaa. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ↑ UK certifications, database . Bpi. Retrieved April 17, 2010.