The Sign (song)

"The Sign"
Single by Ace of Base
from the album Happy Nation/The Sign
B-side Remix
Released 1993 (Sweden)
January 1994 (United Kingdom)
February 21, 1994 (United States)
Format CD single, CD maxi, 7" single
Recorded 1993
Genre Pop, europop, dance-pop, reggae fusion
Length Single version 3:11
Album version 3:08
Label Arista Records
Writer(s) Jonas Berggren
Certification Platinum (USA), Platinum (NZ), Platinum (Germany), Gold (UK), Gold (Austria)
Ace of Base singles chronology
"Waiting for Magic"
(1993)		 "The Sign"
(1994)		 "Don't Turn Around"
(1994)
Alternative covers
U.S. Cover

"The Sign" is a 1993 dance-pop song by the Swedish band Ace of Base. The song was an international hit, reaching Number two in the United Kingdom and spending six non-consecutive weeks as number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. It appeared on the band's album Happy Nation (entitled The Sign in North America.)

The song was the #1 song of 1994 according to Billboard magazine's year-end charts. The song was ranked at #51 on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs for the first 50 years of the Hot 100 chart.[1]

The song has been covered by The Mountain Goats, and was also heavily featured in the fifth season finale of American Dad!, "Great Space Roaster".

At the beginning of the song, one of the band members (a male) says, "Shock!" [1] Possibly, he meant to say, "F--- you!", but he's saying "Shock!" instead of the "f" word. One of the members also says, "Shock!" near the end, before the final refrain.

Contents

Music video

The music video of the song features the pop group singing amidst romantic and frolic images; "The Sign" was depicted as an ankh (also known as key of life) and a djed (ancient Egyptian symbol representing stability). The music video is directed by Mathias Julin.

Amid the images is a little story of a man and woman sitting side by side until the man leaves, seemingly abandoning the woman. However, he comes back with a rose and offers it to the woman. The woman graciously accepts and takes his hand. However, a bright light shines in the woman's face, drawing her away, abandoning the man and dropping the rose on the chair.

There are two versions of the music video of "The Sign", edited in different ways with some different images. For example in video 1, it ends with Jenny standing in red dress before a ankh appears in fire. Video 2 ends with a black/white picture of all 4 members of Ace of Base before the ankh appears in fire.

"The Sign" has been widely interpreted as chronicling a woman's journey from a dysfunctional relationship to the convent. As reflected in the music video, she turns from the man to the light before her, having seen the sign that opened up her eyes and brought her into the "light where [she] belong[ed]."

Mathias Julin also directed music videos by Inner Circle: "Sweat" (1992) and "Games People Play" (1994).

Track listings

CD single – Australia
  1. "The Sign" – 3:11
  2. "The Sign" (Long Version) – 4:43
CD single – Germany
  1. "The Sign" (The Remix) – 5:40
  2. "The Sign" (Ultimix) – 6:49
  3. "The Sign" (Dub Version) – 5:10
CD single – Japan
  1. "The Sign" – 3:11
  2. "Young And Proud" – 3:56
CD single – UK
  1. "The Sign" – 3:11
  2. "The Sign" (Long Version) – 4:43
  3. "The Sign" (Dub Version) – 5:10
CD single – U.S.
  1. "The Sign" (Ultimix) – 6:49
  2. "The Sign" – 3:11
  3. "Young And Proud" – 3:56
  4. "Happy Nation" (12" Version) – 6:40
CD maxi – France
  1. "The Sign" (Radio Edit) – 3:09
  2. "The Sign" (Long Version) – 4:43
  3. "The Sign" (Dub Version) – 5:10
7" single – France
  1. "The Sign" (Radio Edit) – 3:09
  2. "The Sign" (Long Version) – 4:43

Official versions

On several of the bands compilation albums, an error occurred with "The Sign", cutting one second from the beginning.

Personnel

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1993/94) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[2] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[2] 3
Canadian Singles Chart 1
Dutch Top 40[3] 3
French SNEP Singles Chart[2] 5
German Singles Chart[4] 1
Irish Singles Chart[5] 2
Italian Singles Chart 4
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[2] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[2] 5
Spanish Singles Chart 1
Swiss Singles Chart[2] 4
Swedish Singles Chart[2] 2
UK Singles Chart[6] 2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] 1
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[7] 1
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40[7] 4
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[7] 2

End of year charts

End of year chart (1994) Position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[8] 5
Dutch Top 40[3] 23
French Singles Chart[9] 17
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] 1

End of decade charts

Chart (1990–1999) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 11

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified[12]
Austria[13] Gold February 21, 1994 15,000
Germany[14] Platinum 1994 500,000
UK[15] Gold April 1, 1994 400,000
U.S.[16] Platinum April 6, 1994 1,000,000

Chart successions

Preceded by
"The Power of Love" by Celine Dion		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
12 March 1994 – 2 April 1994
7 May 1994 – 14 May 1994		 Succeeded by
"Bump n' Grind" by R. Kelly (1st time), "I Swear" by All-4-One (second time)
Australia ARIA Singles Chart
number-one single
30 April 1994 – 21 May 1994		 Succeeded by
"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by Prince
Preceded by
"Gangsta Lean" by DRS
"Can't Get Enough" by Supergroove		 New Zealand RIANZ number-one single
24 April 1994 – 15 May 1994 (4 weeks)
29 May 1994 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"Can't Get Enough" by Supergroove
"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by Prince

References

  1. ^ The Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary, The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (60–51), Billboard.com
  2. ^ a b c d e f g ""The Sign", in various singles charts". Lescharts. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Ace+Of+Base&titel=The+Sign&cat=s. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  3. ^ a b "Single top 100 over 1994" (in Dutch) (pdf). Top40. http://www.top40.nl/pdf/Top%20100/top%20100%20-%201994.pdf. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  4. ^ "Ace of Base singles, German Singles Chart" (in German). musicline. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Ace+of+Base/single. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  5. ^ "Irish Singles Chart, database". Irishcharts. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  6. ^ ""The Sign", UK Singles Chart". Chartstats. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=21650. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  7. ^ a b c d "Ace of Base, Billboard charts". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p43297. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  8. ^ 1994 Australian Singles Chart Aria.com.au (Retrieved 18 July 2009)
  9. ^ 1994 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
  10. ^ "1994: Year-End USA Charts (Singles)". Billboard.com. http://top40-charts.com/features/YearEnd/yearend1994.php. Retrieved 2009-06-12.  (archived by Top40-Charts.com)
  11. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 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. http://books.google.co.kr/books?id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&lr&rview=1&pg=RA1-PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved October 15, 2010. 
  12. ^ "Certification for every country in the world" (pdf). IFPI. http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/certification-award-levels.pdf. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  13. ^ "Austrian certifications, database". Ifpi. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  14. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('The Sign')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=The+Sign&strInterpret=&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  15. ^ "UK certifications, database". Bpi. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
  16. ^ "U.S. certifications". Riaa. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=ACE%20OF%20BASE&format=SINGLE&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 17 April 2010. 
Ace of Base
Studio albums
Compilations
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