I think you know Ace of Base, but maybe you don’t know these awesome 90s facts about ‘em: the Swedish pop group started out as three siblings—Jonas Berggren, Linn Berggren, and Jenny Berggren . . . and their friend Ulf Ekberg. However, while Ulf was only a friend, he was a key founding member of the band and he formulated their crew name while suffering a stupor, watching MTV, and listening to the sweet serenity of rock and roll Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades.” Now that you’re enlightened (a bit) on European music, how many of their songs can you recognize? I bet at least five, and I’ll even rank them in terms of distinguishability. So, starting from the least identifiable . . .
#5. “Don’t Turn Around”
A happy melody it will always be. Maybe not the message, but it is similarly a positive impact for younger women: finding the inner strength to leave uncomfortable relationships behind so one can progress to new ones. Additionally, nostalgia was acknowledged as a predominant influence towards contemporary artists in the 2010’s, such as Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. A funny thing, by the way, is the comparison between Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” and this song. Just give it a listen, and the compatibility of tunes is quite familiar.
#4. “All That She Wants”
I particularly recall a TikTok trend with this song just a moment ago, though I can’t exactly lay my finger on how the two could possibly be related. For one thing, the song describes a heartbroken woman traipsing around different people in hopes of pleasure rather than a desire to settle down, which isn’t . . . bad, I suppose, since it is her choice. But the trend has to do with familial similarities. A little different for my taste, but it just goes to show, no matter how forgotten a band or song may be, they can be influential and apparently used in any context. Hey, as long as they have a fancy tune, right?
#3. “Beautiful Life”
Ooh, how could anyone forget such a vibey song? It’s always lingering, lurking around in a Spotify generated playlist of “how to start your dance party” music. It is addictive, polished, and downright upbeat. The “ABBA-esque” sound shows loudly in these vocals, and even Michael Jackson referred to it as the best song he’s heard in years! A song worthy of such praise must’ve been listened to a lot. Oh, that’s right, it was number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Like those words mean anything to most, but it counts.
#2. “Happy Nation”
I predict someone will give me a hard time for this ranking. “Beautiful Life” has surely been popular for a long while, and admittedly, I knew it way before “Happy Nation.” So why the ranking? Well, recently it has made its home in a multitude of meme-topic videos I view when I’m scrolling aimlessly through my device. It has made a huge social impact on the media after being a noticeably more haunting sound in comparison to their other beats, making it stand out grandly.
#1. “The Sign”
You can thank Pitch Perfect for its excellent introduction of Swedish pop into the movie industry, and it was sung brilliantly! If you have never seen nor heard of this film franchise, you’re missing out, but never mind that. Its irresistible, anthemic language, incorporated into its lyrics, emerges positively and clearly, most probably leading towards its smashing hit on the radio and the evolution of Europop.