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Happy Nation (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Happy Nation
| cover = Happynationsingle.jpg
| alt =
| caption = One of Scandinavian variants of 1993 European artwork
| type = single
| artist = Ace of Base
| album = Happy Nation/The Sign
| B-side = Remix
| released = 7 December 1992
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
*Europop
*reggae fusion
| length = 4:16
| label = Mega
| writer =
*Jonas Berggren
*Ulf Ekberg
| producer =
*Jonas Berggren
*Ulf Ekberg
| prev_title = All That She Wants
| prev_year = 1992
| next_title = Waiting for Magic
| next_year = 1993
| misc =
}}
"'Happy Nation'" is a song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base from their debut album with the same name (1992). It was first released in Scandinavia in 1992 and later released twice in the UK. The first appearance was in October 1993, when it peaked at number 42, it reentered the chart twelve months later at number 40.UK Singles Chart [https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Locked%20Out Official Charts Company] (Retrieved April 10, 2008) "Happy Nation" reached number-one on the singles charts of Denmark, Finland, France and Israel in 1993 and 1994. In 2008, the song was remade by Ace of Base for a remix kit.
"Happy Nation" is a mid-tempo dance-pop song with strong influences from reggae fusion and euro house. It was written by Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg and contains both English and Latin lyrics. The first verse is sung in Latin by Joker, and Linn Berggren sings the rest as the lead singer. The band has described the song, written as a response to reports of Ekberg's past associations with neo-Nazi skinheads, as an "anti-fascist song and a hymn to life". Ekberg has also said the song is a response to "everybody talking about how bad everything is! ... I think [the] best thing is to see [the] positive."
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis complimented the song as "stellar". Annie Zaleski from 'The A.V. Club' noted that it takes influence from "taut techno". 'Fort Worth Examiner' wrote that it "provides a positive mindset for how we should relate to and live with one another.""Positive songs for positive thinking". 'Fort Worth Examiner'. November 20, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2020. Swedish newspaper 'Gteborgsposten' stated that the reggae-rhythms from "All That She Wants" also "shows up" in the song, but "most of the sound is taken from European synth-based music.""ACE OF BASE Happy Nation". 'Gteborgsposten'. January 27, 1993. Chuck Eddy from 'LA Weekly' declared it "the record's saddest-sounding song".Eddy, Chuck (April 21, 1994). "Music Reviews: Ace of Base The Sign". p. 83. 'LA Weekly'. Andrew Balkin from 'Kingston Informer' said that "the Aces go downbeat" on "Happy Nation" and "Wheel of Fortune", adding further that both songs "have a soul/dance feel about them and wouldn't be out of place on the dance floor, or setting the mood in a smoky club."Balkin, Andrew. (July 23, 1993). "LEISURE CENTRE: Balkin talkin'". page 20. 'Kingston Informer'. Retrieved March 27, 2020. In another article, the newspaper described it as "a luvvly bubbly song"."Ace of Cookies". 'Kingston Informer'. October 7, 1994. page 22. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
Music writer James Masterton viewed it as "another piece of darkly brilliant dub reggae" in his weekly UK chart commentary. Mario Tarradell from 'Miami Herald' stated, "Just try to shake the irresistible hook of All That She Wants and Happy Nation: you won't succeed."Tarradell, Mario (January 5, 1994). "Album Reviews: Ace of Base, 'The Sign'". p. 40. 'Miami Herald'. When it was released for the second time in the UK, Alan Jones from 'Music Week' rated it three out of five, deeming it as a "fairly unambitious regga plod" that "will inevitably do better this time around, but it will still be one of their smaller hits." James Hamilton from the magazine's 'RM' Dance Update viewed it as a "rumbling Boney M-ish 0-95.9bpm lurcher". A reviewer from 'People Magazine' wrote that the tune "prove Ace of Base to be more substantive than a mere ABBA clone." Bob Waliszewski of 'Plugged In' said that it "promotes brotherhood". Chuck Campbell from 'Scripps Howard News Service' called it a "reggae-paced" number.Campbell, Chuck (February 22, 1994). "NEW RELEASES: ACE OF BASE, CRASH TEST DUMMIES, SHONEN KNIFE". 'Scripps Howard News Service'. Retrieved March 24, 2020. Edna Gundersen from 'USA Today' described it as a "cheery tune".Gundersen, Edna. (April 6, 1994). "Ace of Base: `The Sign' spells success". 'USA Today'. Retrieved March 24, 2020. 'The Vindicator' stated that "the blend of melody and rhythm" in a song like "Happy Nation" "is all but irresistible".
Chart performance
"Happy Nation" was quite successful on the charts in Europe. Although not as big as "All That She Wants", the song managed to make some impact, reaching number-one in Denmark, Finland, France and Israel. Additionally, it was a Top 10 hit in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. In the UK, it only reached the Top 40, in its second run on the UK Singles Chart, on October 9, 1994. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Happy Nation" peaked at number 39 in May 1993. Outside Europe, the single made it to number-one also in Israel, number 22 in New Zealand and number 80 in Australia. It was awarded with a gold record in Germany with 250,000 singles sold and a silver record in France, after 125,000 units were sold.
Music video
The accompanying music video of "Happy Nation" was directed by Swedish-based director Matt Broadley, who also directed the music video of "All That She Wants". It was shot in Gothenburg in January 1993.[http://www.saguaro.se/aceofbase.shtml Ace of Base gallery]
Synopsis
The video begins with a lit candle, the flame of which blowing to the side. During Joker's verse, he sings flanked on both sides by a candelabrum, with Linn's face and different ancient symbols and pictures moving in the background. These images include the peace symbol, runic inscriptions, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Indigenous Australian art, the Buddha, the Zodiac signs, the yin yang symbol, the Crucifixion of Jesus, Al-Fatiha, and the book 'The Origin of Species' by Charles Darwin. After Joker's verse, the rest of the video focuses on Linn singing. She is mostly seen standing, but at one point she is seen sitting at a long wooden table, appearing to be deep in thought. At other times, Jenny Berggren appears singing with Linn for a moment even though like in All That She Wants she didn't provided any vocals for this song . The background images continue to appear during this part, along with scenes of Buddha typing on a stationary computer, Jenny reading from an old book, Joker singing the background vocals, and other short clips featuring the band members. Old movie footage is also shown during Linn's section, such as an atomic bomb exploding, people walking, and a tree falling down. When the music fades out, the lit candle shown at the start of the video is blown out.The video reached 80 million views as of August 2022 on YouTube.Track listings
* '7" single'
# "Happy Nation" (Radio Edit) 3:32
# "Happy Nation" (Album Version) 4:11
* 'CD single - UK'
# "Happy Nation" (Radio Edit) 3:32
# "Happy Nation" (12 inch Version) 6:39
# "Happy Nation" (Album Version) 4:11
* 'CD maxi'
# "Happy Nation" (Gold Zone Club Mix)
# "Happy Nation" (Gold Zone 7" Edit)
# "Happy Nation" (Gold Dub Edit)
# "Happy Nation" (Moody Gold Mix)
Charts and sales
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Personnel
* Vocals Linn Berggren
* Latin Choir by Jonas Berggren
* Backing Vocals by John Ballard
* Written by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg
* Produced by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg
* Recorded at Tuff Studios
Release history
Other recordings
During the 6th series of 'S mycket bttre' in 2015, Niklas Strmstedt performed the song in Swedish as "Lyckolandet", with lyrics against racism and xenophobia.
References
Buy Happy Nation (song) now from Amazon
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