Ace of base: the hottest group of the mid-90's

Ace of Base was the biggest pop sensation of the mid-90’s. Though their popularity is often thought of as being in the Americas, they started out in the European nations (they’re Swedish) and exploded there far before they released any singles over here. To date, they’ve released three albums and are multi-platinum for all of their work throughout the world.

The group is composed of brother and sisters, plus a family friend. Jonas Petter Berggren was born on March twenty-first, 1967, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Sisters Malin Sofia Katarina (Linn) and Jenny Cecilia were born on October thirty-first, 1970 and May nineteen, 1972, respectively. Their parents are Birgitta and Göran. The fourth member of the group is Ulf Gunnar Ekberg, born December sixth, 1970. His father was a national tennis team coach; as a result, Ulf often went to Denmark and still speaks Danish. As a youth, he was involved in local gangs. Upon meeting Jonas, however, he cleaned up his acts and became an advocator for anti-gangs and anti-violence.

Their first single was “Wheel of Fortune.” Their original record company did not want to continue working with the track or release it, so they sent a demo tape of it to Mega studios (because one of their favorite groups was signed with that company). Mega loved it and signed them on, immediately beginning to promote their single.

This song, like all of their songs (at least the earlier ones) was created using synthesizers and acoustic instruments. Jonas and Ulf took a liking to the synthesizers, and used various different ones to create the different sounds in their songs. After writing many songs, they realized that they would need vocalists. Not being able to find anything to their liking very easily or quickly, they decided to recruit Jonas’s two sisters, Jenny and Linn. All three Beggren children had taken music lessons while in school, and both girls sang in the church choirs frequently. This is how the quartet was born, and how they got to their first single, then their first album.

The album was called “Happy Nation,” and was released across Europe in the early 90’s. It was actually released three different times in Denmark, not receiving any recognition the first two times. The third time, it hit the charts and threw the group to national, then international stardom. They achieved several number one hits for songs on the album, such as “All That She Wants” (which was the first of their singles to go international). Denniz Pop was the first man to produce them internationally.

It was this song that Arista’s current president, Clive Davis, first heard. Previously, it had been thought that Ace of Base’s music was not “appropriate” for the Americas, and no record company would take them on. This changed when Davis was on vacation and heard the song. He signed the group to Arista records. They then recorded additional singles, and the album was released in the U.S. as “The Sign.” It was then re-released in Europe as “Happy Nation – U.S. Version,” with yet another additional track.

After receiving so many number one hits, as well as a multi-platinum debut (“Happy Nation” sold around 26 million copies), they were entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as “The best debut artists ever.” Also, Ulf and Jonas were hailed as brilliant and respected composers. Around this time, they began working in Mega studios, with several different mixing crews, on their second album.

Ace of Base was hailed as the group that brought back a waning genre, reggae. They were invited to celebrate Bob Marley’s death, an offer which they unfortunately had to decline. Also, later, they were finally accepted in Stockholm (because there is a bit of competition between it and Gothenburg, and the fact that they were from Gothenburg, it was hard for Stockholm to acknowledge them) when they were invited to perform at the Crown Princess Victoria’s birthday party, which they happily did.

As far as fame, the group was relatively unaffected. Some inquiries were made as to Ulf’s past, and a rumor circulated that the group was going to break up, which was not true. There was one incident where a deranged German woman broke into the Beggren’s home and threatened Jenny and her parents with a machete. There were some minor injuries, but the woman was apprehended by the police relatively quickly. Both Jenny and Linn still sing in the church choir, and Jenny spends two weeks every summer helping Christian children in a Swedish summer camp.

The second album was “The Bridge,” which featured more acoustic instruments. Jenny and Linn did a bit more composing, and Jenny began to handle some of the more lead vocals. For example, she composed and sang “Ravine.” The single “Lucky Love” (acoustic version) was broadcast all over the world, premiering at the Gothenburg World Games. The album, in 1998, had sold five million copies.

Afterwards, a third album was planned for release sometime in 1998. In Europe, it was released as “Flowers,” but in the U.S., it was titled “Cruel Summer,” after their remix of Banarama’s 1980’s hit. On the European version (which we in America, of course, have not heard), there is, presumably, a song entitled “Life is a Flower” (which is one of their known singles). On the U.S. version, a remix of the same music was used to create “Whenever You’re Near Me.”

Today, both Jonas and Ulf do quite a bit of composing, sometimes for groups other than Ace of Base. They’ve sold well over 30 million albums total.

Their inspiration is often taken from ABBA as well as Simon and Garfunkel. In their song, “Cecilia,” for example, which appears on “Cruel Summer,” they specifically mention Simon and Garfunkel. The original song (also titled “Cecelia”) is about a girl who sleeps around a lot. Ace of Base’s “follow-up” song is about how many hearts Cecelia broke, including those of both Simon and Garfunkel.

As far as ABBA, many songs have the same title (such as “Voulez-Vous” and “Angel Eyes”). They also have similar music styles, as far as the instruments they use, the rhythms they use, the harmonies, and the vocals. In pictures, they even look quite similar. Their lyrics (particularly in songs with the same title) are written in similar styles, even though they don’t directly coincide.

Ace of Base is a smash hit throughout the world with all three of their multi-platinum albums. They’ve been hailed as an incredibly talented group that is very involved in the writing, recording, and producing of all their albums. Their incredible talent and dedication has earned them a rightful place among the world’s greatest groups. Their legacy will live on.