Happy Nation is the debut studio album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base. It was initially released in Denmark on 2 November 1992 through Mega Records. During the album's development, the group was significantly influenced by a Jamaican reggae band that was recording in a nearby studio. 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. By 1998, Happy Nation/The Sign had sold approximately 21 million units, including 9 million in the U.S. alone. Happy Nation/The Sign remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Background and release In an interview with Music & Media magazine, Metronome Records managing director Albert Slendebroek remarked on the album:
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.
Critical reception 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".
Track listing
Notes signifies a co-producer signifies re-editing signifies rap lyrics signifies pre-production signifies a remixer
Release history 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
Charts
Weekly charts +Chart performance for Happy Nation Chart (1992–94) Peakposition Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) 2 French Albums (SNEP) Select "Ace of Base" from the drop-down menu and click "OK". 1 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) 1Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) 16Portuguese Albums (AFP) 1 +Chart performance for Happy Nation (U.S. Version) Chart (1994) Peakposition
Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for Happy Nation Chart (1993) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 8 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 20 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 3 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 3 Chart (1994) Position Australian Albums (ARIA) 80 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 17French Albums (SNEP) 2 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 7 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 1
+Year-end chart performance for Happy Nation (U.S. Version) Chart (1994) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 19 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 9
Certifications and sales
See also List of best-selling albums in France List of best-selling albums in Germany List of best-selling albums List of diamond-certified albums in Canada List of number-one albums of 1994 (U.S.) List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1990s
References