"Turn Back Time" is a song by Danish

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

group

Aqua Aqua is the Latin word for water. It is used in many words which relate to water, such as aquatic life. In English, it may also refer to: Arts * Aqua (color), a greenish-blue color Business * Aqua (skyscraper), an 82-story residential skysc ...

, released as their seventh single overall, and the sixth from their debut album, ''

Aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

'' (1997). The song was also included on the soundtrack for the 1998 film ''

Sliding Doors A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually horizontal to a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a space in the parallel w ...

'', starring

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

, and was released across the world throughout 1998, starting with the United States in January. The track possesses less of a bubble pop sound than Aqua's other releases; it is slow-paced and shows the full range of

Lene Nystrøm Lene Grawford Nystrøm (born 2 October 1973) is a Norwegian musician and singer-songwriter who is the female lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian Eurodance group Aqua. Life and career 1973–1994: Early life Nystrøm was born in Tønsberg ...

's vocals but maintains the Aqua sound. In Japan, "Turn Back Time" was released along with " My Oh My". "Turn Back Time" was successful on the charts on several countries, becoming Aqua's third consecutive number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' concluded that "here's what will likely be the third successful single from the Euro-dance act's massive album, "''

''"." He added, "It is, by far, the most credible pop offering from the set, with its shuffling faux-

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

beat and sax lines. Everything about this track is surprisingly reserved-including the lead vocals, which are dramatically toned down from a

kewpie-doll Kewpie is a brand of dolls and figurines that were conceived as comic strip characters by cartoonist Rose O'Neill. The illustrated cartoons, appearing as baby cupid characters, began to gain popularity after the publication of O'Neill's comi ...

squeak to a quasi-soulful belt." An editor from '' Daily Record'' wrote, "At first I couldn't believe this was Aqua - a mature, soul-searching ballad from the makers of

Barbie Girl "Barbie Girl" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released in April 1997 as the third single from the group's debut studio album, ''Aquarium'' (1997). The song was written by Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, René Dif, and Le ...

and

Doctor Jones "Doctor Jones" is a song by Danish dance-pop group Aqua. Released as the band's fourth single overall, it was the follow-up to their most successful song "Barbie Girl" in many regions. "Doctor Jones" ended the assumptions that Aqua would be a on ...

. No plastic pop and twee lyrics. They can pluck guitars and the singer has a beautiful voice". ''

Dayton Daily News The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...

s reviewer noted the "mellow, trip-hoppy beats" of the song. Sarah Davis from ''

Dotmusic ''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...

'' said that the singer's tones on the song "bear an uncanny resemblance" to the "

Material Girl "Material Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her second studio album, '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). It was released on November 30, 1984, by the Sire label as the second single from ''Like a Virgin''. It also appears slightly ...

" by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

. She added that the ballad is "relying less on

Euro-pop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

cliches than their previous two singles, it shows that Aqua can write songs which move beyond the cartoon world of their stylists." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'' felt that it " astime to take it

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

, and this standout track from ''Aquarium'' contains all the elements necessary to quickly float to the top. More than a handful of PDs and MDs consider this ballad to have Number One potential. This is an impressive display of the Danish group's versatility."

Chart performance

"Turn Back Time" was successful on the charts on several continents, although it didn't reach the same level of success as "

" and "

". However, in Europe, it peaked at number-one in both Scotland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single, as their third number-one single, went straight to the top in its first week at the

, on May 10, 1998. In Hungary, it reached number two, being held off the top spot by

Ákos Ákos is a Hungarian name. Today, it is mainly a masculine given name. It may refer to: Middle Ages * Ákos (clan), a medieval Hungarian clan ** Ákos (chronicler) (d. after 1273) ** Ernye Ákos (d. after 1275) Given name * Ákos Buzsáky, ...

's "Ikon". "Turn Back Time" made it to the top 10 also in Ireland and Sweden, and was a top 20 hit in Austria, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as on the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, where it hit number 12 in May 1998. Outside Europe, it peaked at number two in New Zealand, number ten in Australia, number 14 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles chart in Canada and number 18 on the US ''

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

chart. Therefore, it was their second highest-charting hit in the US. The single earned a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

in Australia, New Zealand and Sweden, and a

silver record Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...

in the UK.

Retrospective response

Can't Stop the Pop declared it to be "their finest song by a country mile – and one of the best pop

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

of the ‘90s to boot." They also added it as "one of the biggest surprises of the ‘90s." Alex Young from ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'' said that the "slower paced song allows

Lene Lene is a feminine given name common in Denmark and Norway. People called Lene *Lene Alexandra, Norwegian singer * Lene Demsitz, Danish long jumper * Lene Elise Bergum, Norwegian actress * Lene Brøndum, Danish actress * Lene Espersen, Danish polit ...

's vocal range to shine." Tom Ewing of

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2000 ...

described it as a "cryptic, self-hating ballad about choices and dire consequences." He noted that Nystrøm "has a strong, torchy voice" and "can set a mood." He also added that "in half a verse she's established a lonely, withdrawn, guilty feeling she might push against in the rest of the song." Bob Waliszewski of ''

Plugged In Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations t ...

'' opined that it deal with "regrets over unfaithfulness with a desire for reconciliation". Pop Rescue said "Turn Back Time" is the best song of their career, adding that "here, Lene shows off her vocal range beautifully, and it's great to hear her pitched against the soft beats, piano, and gentle synths without some randomly thrown in 'eye-pee-eye-ohs. Perfect." Dave Fawbert from ''

ShortList A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates (sometimes via intermediate lists known as "long lists"). The length of short lists varie ...

'' described it as "one of the all-time great lost pop classics. No ifs, no buts, no irony, just a glorious, timeless piece of songwriting."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Turn Back Time" contained footage from ''

'', and was therefore a departure from the campy and humorous style by the group. There are two different edits of this video, one contains more clips from the film. In the video, the

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

of the lead singer

is chasing her in the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

. Much of the video was filmed on the abandoned platform 5 at

Holborn tube station Holborn ( ) is a London Underground station in Holborn, Central London, located at the junction of High Holborn and Kingsway. It is served by the Central and Piccadilly lines. On the Central line the station is between Tottenham Court Road ...

Track listings

* Scandinavian and European CD single, UK cassette single # "Turn Back Time" (original version) – 4:10 # "Turn Back Time" ( Love to Infinity's classic radio mix) – 3:17 * Scandinavian maxi-CD single # "Turn Back Time" (original version) – 4:08 # "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic radio mix) – 3:17 # "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic Paradise mix) – 7:25 * UK CD1 # "Turn Back Time" (original version) – 4:08 # "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic radio mix) – 3:20 # "Turn Back Time" (Metro Scuba club mix) – 6:34 # "Turn Back Time" (Master mix) – 5:13 # "Turn Back Time" (Thunderball mix) – 6:59 * UK CD2 # "Turn Back Time" (original version) – 4:08 # "Turn Back Time" (Metro radio edit) – 3:22 # "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic Paradise mix) – 7:29 # "Turn Back Time" (

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

video) * UK 12-inch single :A1. "Turn Back Time" (album version) :A2. "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic Paradise mix) :B1. "Turn Back Time" (Thunderball mix) :B2. "Turn Back Time" (Master mix) * Australian CD single # "Turn Back Time" (album version) – 4:09 # "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic radio mix) – 3:20 # "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic Paradise mix) – 7:25 # "Turn Back Time" (Metro Scuba club mix) – 6:34 * Japanese CD single # "Turn Back Time" (original version) # "Turn Back Time" (Love to Infinity's classic radio mix) # " My Oh My" (radio edit) # "My Oh My" (Spike, Clyde'N'Eightball club mix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Aqua (band) songs 1990s ballads 1998 singles Number-one singles in Scotland Pop ballads Songs written by Claus Norreen Songs written by Søren Rasted UK Singles Chart number-one singles