Peak
1
Weeks
41
Score
9,660
Chart Year
1994
The accompanying music video for "The Sign" is directed by Mathias Julien and was shot on Filmhuset in Stockholm in November 1993. The opening of the video is a homage to Depeche Mode's 1990 song "Enjoy the Silence".[citation needed] It features the Ace of Base members singing amidst romantic and joyful images; "The Sign" was depicted as a computer generated ankh and a djed. Amid the images is a little story of a man and woman (played by Jenny Berggren) sitting side by side until the man leaves, seemingly abandoning the woman. However, he comes back with a rose and offers it to the woman. The woman graciously accepts and takes his hand. However, a bright light shines in the woman's face, drawing her away, abandoning the man and dropping the rose on the chair. As of August 2022, it has over 101 million views on YouTube.
"The Sign," from the album of the same name in the US, tells the story of a man and a woman in a complicated relationship. Both of them wonder where their relationship is headed, and the man leaves for a while to ponder the problem. The answer to their problem is left to the listeners to decide on an ending. In the video, we see this story in action. Ace Of Base singer Jenny Berggren plays the woman in question. The man is played by an unknown actor. He leaves Jenny for a moment and hands her a rose. Jenny seems to take an interest, however a light shines on Jenny and she leaves to the light, leaving the rose behind. The music video shows Jenny with her brother, Jonas, and her sister, Linn, and a friend, Ulf, telling the story about this relationship. The video ends with Linn finishing the song, Jenny clears a tear from her face, and an ankh appears. >> This spent 14 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Pop Songs radio airplay chart, the most for any song to date. It also spent six nonconsecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was the #1 song of 1994 according to Billboard magazine's year-end charts. It was also Arista Record's most successful Billboard chart single in the label's history, selling over nine million copies in America. This was produced by Swedish hitmaker Denniz Pop from his Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, where many of America's hottest pop acts of the '90s were born. Pop's protege Max Martin wrote Scandinavian smashes for Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and 'N Sync, but he caught his first glimpse of genius on "The Sign." Martin recalled in an interview with Sweden's Di Weekend: "Dagge (Denniz Pop) dared to think big. He dared to think bigger than Sweden, he had a very unrestricted and free way of looking at things. I hadn't encountered that before. I might have read about such people, but I had never met anyone like that myself. The first day I sneaked into the studio, they were busy mixing 'The Sign' with Ace of Base. A song that would later become a number one hit in the US. The energy around that. To be so close to the fire."
I saw the sign yeahya! I got a new life You would hardly recognize me I'm so glad How can a person like me care for you? Why do I bother When you're not the one for me? Oo-oo oo oo-oo Is enough, enough? I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign Life is demanding without understanding I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign No-one's gonna drag you up To get into the light where you belong But where do you belong? Under the pale moon For so many years, I've wondered Who you are How could a person like you bring me joy? Under the pale moon Where I see a lot of stars Oo-oo oo oo-oo Is enough, enough? I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign Life is demanding without understanding I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign No-one's gonna drag you up To get into the light where you belong But where do you belong? Oh, oh, oh-oh I saw the sign and it opened up my mind And I am happy now livin' without you I've left you Oh, oh, oh-oh I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign No-one's gonna drag you up To get into the light where you belong I saw the sign, I saw the sign I saw the sign I saw the sign, I saw the sign I saw the sign, I saw the sign I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 1, 1994 | 68 | 58 |
| 2 | Jan 8, 1994 | 64 | 62 |
| 3 | Jan 15, 1994 | 46 | 80 |
| 4 | Jan 22, 1994 | 29 | 97 |
| 5 | Jan 29, 1994 | 16 | 110 |
| 6 | Feb 5, 1994 | 5 | 121 |
| 7 | Feb 12, 1994 | 5 | 121 |
| 8 | Feb 19, 1994 | 3 | 123 |
| 9 | Feb 26, 1994 | 2 | 124 |
| 10 | Mar 5, 1994 | 2 | 124 |
| 11 | Mar 12, 1994 | 1 | 125 |
| 12 | Mar 19, 1994 | 1 | 125 |
| 13 | Mar 26, 1994 | 1 | 125 |
| 14 | Apr 2, 1994 | 1 | 125 |
| 15 | Apr 9, 1994 | 2 | 124 |
| 16 | Apr 16, 1994 | 2 | 124 |
| 17 | Apr 23, 1994 | 2 | 124 |
| 18 | Apr 30, 1994 | 2 | 124 |
| 19 | May 7, 1994 | 1 | 125 |
| 20 | May 14, 1994 | 1 | 125 |