''The Sign'' is a 1993 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as the band's debut album in North America and some Latin American countries by

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 ...

. ''The Sign'' contains songs from Ace of Base's debut album, '' Happy Nation'' (1992) and the new songs " Don't Turn Around", " The Sign", and "

Living in Danger "Living in Danger" is a song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in October 1994 by Arista and Mega as the seventh and final single from the group's debut album, '' Happy Nation (U.S. version)'' and fourth single from their Am ...

" as well as revised versions of "Voulez-Vous Danser" and "

Waiting for Magic "Waiting for Magic" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group Ace of Base from their debut album, ''Happy Nation'' (1992). It was released in Scandinavia in April 1993 as the fourth single from the album. The song reached number one in Israel, and ...

". ''The Sign'' is listed among the Top 100 Best-selling Albums of All Time by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), with sales in excess of 21 million copies. The album itself earned Arista Records 42 million USD, and was nominated for ''Best Pop Album'' at the 1995

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. ''The Sign'' was ranked top three on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 26 consecutive weeks. The album, and the single of the same name, are the only single or album by a Swedish act to rank number one on ''Billboard''s annual overall Year-End lists.

Background

The album was intended to be released in the US on 26 October 1993 as '' Happy Nation''. However, their label,

, delayed the album in order for the band to add two radio-friendly singles. The two additional tracks were: "The Sign" and "Living in Danger". The album was eventually released on 23 November 1993. To coincide with the release of ''The Sign'', ''Happy Nation'' was re-released in Europe, Mexico, and Australia as ''Happy Nation (U.S. Version)''. These releases featured the new tracks and revised versions included on ''The Sign'', as well the new track "Hear Me Calling" and a remix of " Happy Nation".

Commercial performance

''The Sign'' is listed among the Top 100 Best-selling Albums of All Time by the

(RIAA), with sales in excess of 21 million copies. The album itself earned Arista Records 42 million USD, and was nominated for ''Best Pop Album'' at the 1995

Track listing

;Notes * signifies rap lyrics * signifies pre-production

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Video album

Some songs from the album were also released as an Ace of Base video collection released in the summer of 1994 on VHS video in North America.

Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

editions appeared in Japan as well.

# ''All That She Wants'' # ''The Sign'' # ''Don't Turn Around'' Studio Documentary # ''Don't Turn Around'' # ''Living In Danger'' Studio Documentary # ''Happy Nation'' # ''Wheel of Fortune''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sign, The Ace of Base albums 1993 albums Arista Records albums Edel-Mega Records albums