''The Bridge'' is the second
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by Swedish
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
group
Ace of Base. It was composed during 1994 and 1995, and released in Europe on 30 October 1995. It is the only Ace of Base album to feature sizable contributions of writing, production, vocals, and harmonies by all four band members, each having an important part in its creation.
The album was preceded by the singles "
Beautiful Life" and "
Lucky Love
"Lucky Love" is a 1995 song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base. It is taken from their second album, '' The Bridge'' (1995). The song became their fifth worldwide single, and was the first single from the album to be released in Europe; the a ...
", which had varied levels of success. Both songs reached the top of the US ''Billboard''
Hot Dance Club Play
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart and "Beautiful Life" peaked at number 15 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, "Lucky Love" reaching number 30. Following the release of the album, "
Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" was released as the third and final single from the album but failed to gain recognition due to a lack of promotion.
Background and composition
On January 1, 1994, ''
The Sign'' album and single hit number 1 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. Inspired by the band's success, Jonas penned the first song of what would become ''The Bridge'' while returning from vacation in the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
. The song was "Beautiful Life". Jonas hoped to incorporate gospel elements into the song, which was composed retaining the band's original club-friendly beat.
Because the band was still promoting their previous album, work on ''The Bridge'' was infrequent during much of 1994. In April 1994, an obsessed German fan broke into the Berggren family home and threatened both Jenny and her parents at knifepoint. Jenny would later use this experience as a source of inspiration in writing and composing the track "Ravine" for ''The Bridge''.
For the album, Jonas and Ulf each separately composed a half-dozen songs. Instead of working together, as they had done on their previous album, Jonas and Ulf produced separately with different producers. Jonas' songs were recorded mainly at
Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios () was a recording studio located in the Kungsholmen district of Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa, it was famous for being the place where popular music acts of the late 1990s/early 2000s such a ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, while Ulf's tracks were created at Tuff Studios in
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
. Ulf continued to work with John Ballard and StoneStream (Björn Stenstrom). In Stockholm, Jonas worked with producer
and vocalist
Jeanette Söderholm.
He also worked with
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He co-founded the recording studio Cheiron Studios in Stockholm in 1992.
Life and car ...
who had previously collaborated with the band on the hits "
All That She Wants
"All That She Wants" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in Scandinavia in 1992 as the second single from their first studio album, ''Happy Nation'' (1992), and in the following year, it was released as the first single from ...
" and
The Sign".
For the first time, Jenny and Linn also composed and produced songs. Their tracks were recorded mainly at Tuff Studios. Jenny mainly wrote and composed her pieces and relinquished production duties. Linn, on the other hand, took an active role in both writing and production and received production credits on the album. Linn worked with producers Zal and Radiant as well as previous collaborators Tommy Ekman and Per Adebratt. Although Linn would continue to receive writing credits on the band's later release, ''
Da Capo
Da capo (, also , ) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). It is often abbreviated as D.C. The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is an ...
'', ''The Bridge'' is the only Ace of Base album which features production from her. "Lapponia", a track produced by Linn which was submitted and rejected for inclusion on ''The Bridge'', would later be re-submitted for the band's following album, where it was yet again rejected.
By the turn of the year, the band had recorded enough demos to present to their three major record companies. Ulf and Jenny appeared on
VH1's ''Lift Ticket to Ride'' and mentioned the band's new recordings.
Despite having writing and production credits on three tracks on ''The Bridge'', Linn expressed dissatisfaction with the album. Douglass Carr of StoneStream believed the album should have been more successful, stating "The album had some really potential hits on it
ndthe singles should have been bigger than it was". Claes Cornelius of Mega Records thought the album was "a better record" and "more varied" than their first album but also noted that ''The Bridge'' had less commercial appeal.
[
]
Singles
"Lucky Love
"Lucky Love" is a 1995 song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base. It is taken from their second album, '' The Bridge'' (1995). The song became their fifth worldwide single, and was the first single from the album to be released in Europe; the a ...
" was released as the first single from the album in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
on 2 October 1995. The song was a success, reaching the top twenty in thirteen countries and the number one spot in Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. The accompanying music video was directed by Rocky Schenck
Rocky Schenck (born April 18, 1955) is an American photographer and music video director. Schenck has photographed several album covers and has written and directed numerous music videos and short films. He has shot fashion, editorial and portra ...
.
" Beautiful Life" was released as the album's first single in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
on 24 October 1995. It was released as the second single from the album in Europe on 20 November. The colorful music video for the song was directed by Richard Heslop. The video included computer-generated bubbles which whisked the band from place to place. Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
insisted that the bubbles be removed for the North American release. Both versions of the video were released in Europe. To support the release, the band appeared in Canada and Mexico and performed in several Latin America countries. "Beautiful Life" was a success in the United States, peaking at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100[''Allmusic'']
Ace of Base , Billboard Singles
and becoming their second single in a row to reach the number one spot on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart. The song went on to peak at number 3 in Canada and at number 15 in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
An acoustic version of "Lucky Love" was released as the album's second single in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
on 6 February 1996. This version was accompanied by a new music video shot in January in the Hampton Court House
Hampton Court House is a Grade II listed 18th-century building on the edge of Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, built the house in 1757. The estate is Grade II* listed on the ...
. This release was not as successful as their previous efforts and only reached number 30 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their first release to miss the top twenty. It did, however, manage to become the band's third and final number one hit in a row on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart. In Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the song peaked at number 6.
" Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" was released worldwide as the third and final single from the album. It was released in Europe on 11 March 1996 and in the United States on 30 July. The music video for the song was directed by Richard Heslop, who had previously directed the band's video for "Beautiful Life". Similar in composition to "Beautiful Life", the video includes computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
and mirror effects designed to make the video feel like a funhouse
A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fu ...
. Arista Records was dissatisfied with the piece and decided not to release a video to accompany the single release in North America. The song received little promotion and failed to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Though no further singles from the album were released, promotional releases of "My Déjà Vu" appeared in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
in late 1996. In 1998, Polydor released a limited-release single-track promotional disc of "Angel Eyes". This was the very last ''Bridge'' release, and was packaged with the Southeast Asia version of ''Flowers''.
Promotion
Ace of Base appeared at several concerts around the world during 1996, including their second-largest performance ever at Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...
, Chile, where the band performed in front of 20,000 fans. They also appeared in South-East Asia, where by some fan accounts, they performed poorly. At one point, lead singer Linn Linn may refer to:
People
* Linn (surname)
* Linn (given name)
* Linn da Quebrada, stage name of Brazilian singer, actress, screenwriter and television personality Lina Pereira dos Santos (born 1990)
Places Germany
* Linn (Gangkofen), a part ...
flew home. The band appeared the following year in April at the World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world's ...
, where they accepted the award for ''Best Selling Scandinavian Artists of 1996''. There, Jenny performed a solo, lip-synced rendition of "Ravine".
Critical reception
Upon its release, ''The Bridge'' received generally mixed reviews from music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. Many critics noted the departure in sound from their first album, with ''Q'' calling it "altogether bigger, deeper, darker, more accomplished effort than its rather half-baked predecessor" and ''Spin'' noting that the songs on ''The Bridge'' were "far more sophisticated than their pop pedigree would suggest." ''Music & Media'' stated that "there's no denying Ace Of Base knows how to write unassuming, catchy pop for the masses. Jim Farber of ''Entertainment Weekly'' believed the album had "more textured production" than ''The Sign''.
In contrast, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of ''AllMusic'' wrote that the album "sounds like the same record on the surface", but also noted that the album featured "an improved sense of songwriting" and "tightly constructed pop songs that are better written than they appear". Despite giving ''The Sign'' a higher rating in his review of the album, he noted that ''The Bridge'' had songs that were "overall better than the ones on ''The Sign''." Jean Rosenbluth of the ''Los Angeles Times'' was more critical in her review, noting that the "inscrutable liner notes are more entertaining" than the album itself.
Commercial performance
''The Bridge'' is certified platinum in the United States, where the album peaked at 29 and spent 29 weeks on the chart. 5 million copies of the album were sold worldwide.
Track listing
Release history
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Notes
References
*
www.riaa.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge, The
1995 albums
Ace of Base albums
Albums produced by Max Martin
Albums recorded at Cheiron Studios
Edel-Mega Records albums
Arista Records albums
hu:The Bridge