Whatever happened to Ace of Base?

[@simeontodorov1984]

Just to be clear, Ace Of Base were much more successful than anyone wants to admit. They basically had a number one or a top 5 hit with every album they released with the original line up (incl. an unexpected number 1 from their greatest hits) before streaming. Da Capo sold more than 100k with just a few performances with half the band - at the time when CDs had started to fade out and pirating was huge. Their sound helped shape the sound of the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and numerous other artists, not to mention that probably every other family in Eastern Europe had a bootleg cassette/CD of theirs. To this day they enter different charts around the world, including accolades for airplay/streaming and yet, they are somehow neglected. The reason Ace Of Base are stupidly considered as artists who couldn't replicate their initial success is the fact that their debut album sold 20+ mln copies (how do you top that???) and neither of them wanted or knew how to be a superstar. As Linn said in an interview once, "I wanted to sing, I never wanted to be a singer."

[@jonnyharvey]

yes Clive Davis said that in his book - people don't realise that Happy Nation sold about 25m copies. People seem to always be shocked when they hear that.

[@g__e__o]

Ace of Base was the first group that I was madly fan about. They were really important in my teenage years and I think I owe them my ability to speak and write in English. After them it was The Corrs.

[@alannaramone3821]

Man I'm normally a metal and punk girl...but I've always loved ACE OF BASE!!!!!!!

[@fanstastic83]

Happy nation was my first cassette ever. I can't believe The bridge flopped all around the world, it's a pop masterpiece.

[@jonnyharvey]

Yes a lot of fans say it was a much better album

[@g__e__o]

I remember watching Beautiful Life everywhere in Brazil, lol.

[@Marc-zi5cq]

It did not flop. It sold over 5 million, it only sold poorly compared the phenomenal success of their debut but selling 5 million and then some wasn't all that bad- Their third album sold 3 million as well.

[@Right_Direction_]

Close to 7 million total world wide sales, I don't think The Bridge was a flop, neither was Flowers, they both also had big hits off them as well. They were burnt out by the time they got to promoting The Bridge and by the time they got to Flowers Linn pretty much was refusing to participate in anything, even getting into it with the director of Cruel Summer because she didn't want any close ups and only would work a few hours one day, something she continued to do until she was finally able to leave properly once Da Capo got released.

[@scottlee1024]

"The Sign" was the first cassette I bought (yes my car had a cassette player) for my first car when I first started driving and got my first job. Great memories! 😎❤️

[@jonnyharvey]

getting your first car is the best - the freedom!! And you had a great soundtrack to go with it 😃

[@alienmoosestudios]

Thanks for sharing this information. I have always been a fan of their first 2 albums. Love the original Ace of Base!!! 😍🤩

[@ahra8820]

All their songs told a story , great band with an individual sound . They also released the Hidden gems album in 2015 ( with previously unreleased tracks) and their final single release "Would you believe" Still listen to their work today

[@imangenerous3321]

I missed Malin & all the group very much. Love them from IRAN. In my idea, now the world needs Linn more than 90's There is so many wars and bad news in the world now and Linn can help people by her art, magic voice, kind heart and peaceful message (in my imaginations, i see Malin Berggren as UN Ambassador for Peace) 💐 what a beautiful wish 🙏

[@ahra8820]

Have you heard her songs Lapponia and sharp shooter?

[@albertos.h2540]

Linn puede hacer mucho mejores cosas, fuera de la ONU. Si se extraña mucho su voz y carisma único. 💙😢

[@Mr.Reckless]

In my opinion, I think that stalker played a huge part of Lin leaving the group. Lin, was my favorite singer out of the Ace Of Base group. I wish Lin and her family the best.

[@BJ-lw3vz__Björn_sweden]

Thats right she is terrified of cameras since then. I assume they wanted personal evolution and individual development, there were not always time or possibility with some commercial involvment and contractors, which makes tension within and from outside. There was a lot of stalkers, some said to kill to make their wish come true, even Ulf said this. Jenny were a lot tougher and started work directly, even if it maybe hurt later. Living a fantasy life there many are in love with you for the wrong reason, and sleep deprivation is not worth it. I think all of them wanted to produce music, but not all be in the frontline travelling life, it´s also a moral decision. Linn still sings a little in choirs but not wan't the world fame scene or people filming through her windows. Jenny performs shows and have a book, check it out, but it dont tell you all negativities for a reason. All 4 have contributed to most of their lyrics, so you can probably find some of the hard trues in some of them, together with a superior sense of rhythm, unique sound thats made them epic.

[@Right_Direction_]

Not many artists have a career as long as theirs was. Diminishing album sales or not, nobody can sustain selling 20 million copies an album. The Bridge sold 7 million world wide, Flowers just under 5 million world wide, hardly flop albums, both of which contained platinum hits from them across Europe. Life is a Flower was also the biggest selling single across Europe in 1998 and a top 5 selling year end (number 61) single in the UK, it was absolutely massive. In terms also of Jenny leaving, she didn't exactly leave, she was forced out by the boys at the record companies request to bring in a new co lead singer which Jenny refused, so they simply replaced her and what fans they had left deserted them with the new members also being let go quietly a year or so later. Linn now works as a school teacher.

[@jonnyharvey]

Is that true? Is Linn really a school teacher now?

[@Right_Direction_]

@@jonnyharvey Acording to Jonas yes, she's a school teacher now is married with children, she isn't blonde anymore and nobody knows who she is where she teaches.

[@anthonyagudo208]

Really?

[@ephraimgarrett4727]

​@@Right_Direction_ Good for her for being able to drop out of sight and have a normal life.

[@Right_Direction_]

@Ephraim Garrett I agree. I know fans miss her a lot and felt she was Ace Of Base, but have to respect her wishes to walk away and live a normal life. Jenny did a fantastic job when Linn stepped back and stepped out, yet gets very little to no praise, which is a shame.

[@CaptainLeSpark]

Great vid. God dammit they were good. What a band. What a legacy. For a moment in time they really did rule the world.

[@jonnyharvey]

Thank you 😀

[@Winnipegger100]

As a huge ABBA fan, I thought at the time that they were the ABBA of the 90's but they made huge catchy pop songs. I didn't become a fan till their 2nd album The Bridge. A shame they won't reunite but they have 4 albums + 1 (minus Jenny & Lin) to relisten to. A box set of their albums has been released & next month a box set of their singles will be out. Their music will live on even if they decide to never reunite. But never say never...ABBA fans never believed they would reunite and do what they are currently doing now.

[@BASSER81]

They had better follow up albums but they didn’t perform as well. Which is a shame. They created a unique sound and I particularly respect the in house writing as opposed to many other acts who don’t have any involvement.

[@jonnyharvey]

Yeah people say the follow-up albums were better but they didn’t have the big hit singles.

[@BASSER81]

@@jonnyharvey I think they did have the singles. The 2nd album need two explosive singles and I think Beautiful Life was one of them. The 3rd album was filled with singles but they’d lost their identity, took too long in between each album. If you play Always Have, Always Will, Life is a flower or Cruel Summer people know the songs but don’t know it’s ace of base!

[@JoleneDaviesITKWJ]

@@BASSER81 Totally agree! The albums were great but they just were tired and not interested in promoting and Linn wasn't fully invested I believe. They definitely had single potential on both albums, they are great! Such ear candy!

[@petedall]

loved this, keep them coming, so glad i found your channel

[@jonnyharvey]

Thank you so much 😀🙏

[@JKPippa]

I absolutely love Ace of Base. The Bridge was one of the very first CDs I bought, and I know so many of their songs by heart still to this day. The latest album is absolute trash, but everything from Happy Nation to Da Capo is gold.

[@lo_souza]

@9:21 Well... "Alejandro" (2009) was co-written and co-produced by Nadir Khayat (also known as RedOne). RedOne co-wrote and produced songs of Lady Gaga's "The Fame/Fame Monster" like "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "Bad Romance" and others... RedOne was a Moroccan who immigrated to Sweden and cites ABBA, Europe, and Roxette as his main influences. ✌

[@jonnyharvey]

Yes good point. I’m sure he was influenced by them. And Don’t turn Around was a big hit in the States

[@jamesb821]

Great video, many thanks

[@riverAmazonNZ]

Happy Nation the album is on permanent rotation in my listening

[@jonnyharvey]

I still think there are a number of pop classics on that album. IMHO they still stand up today 😀

[@juanariquelmecutillas4095]

Es de agradecer que Jonas reconozca que Linn ya quería dejar la banda en 1993 antes del gran éxito y que empezase a dejarla gradualmente con el segundo álbum,Linn estuvo algunos años más por los ruegos de su hermano que sospechaba que sin ella los fans dejarían de seguir al grupo,así ocurrió lamentablemente para los tres miembros restantes.Sorprende que Jenny nunca cuente la verdad del ataque con el cuchillo de la fanática obsesionada con Linn,jamás la he escuchado contar lo que quería esa fan alemana de verdad,se sabe por el juicio donde habló la fan y los padres de ellos,cuando se aclara que solo estaba interesada en ver a Linn se comprende mejor porque Linn se sentía culpable de poner en riesgo la vida de su familia y eso fue demasiado duro para ella que era muy sensible.

[@leightonbate7516]

This is a really great channel,the 2nd album was under promoted and the lead single should have been Never gonna say i'm sorry which was withdrawn here in the UK plus the uk was all about britpop and indie groups which made AOB seem slightly cheesy..

[@jonnyharvey]

thank you 😀

[@marmadukewinterbotham2599]

Thanks. A very good workman-like step through AOB's story. Hunter S Thompson: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.”

[@jonnyharvey]

Thanks for your feedback & the quote. Yes I imagine the music industry in its heyday was ruthless & cut-throat. Not for the faint-hearted.

[@m3vt2seffn]

That song it's a beautiful life oh oh oh remind me of that movie night at the Roxbury

[@kachaat]

5:17 it was Ulf's radio interview in 2020, not Jonas

[@jonnyharvey]

Are you sure? Cause I check these things countless times. I will go & check again

[@oobrocks]

Is Malin = Lin??

[@jonnyharvey]

Yes I think so. And her sister was Jenni

[@AceCorr]

Yes. Linn = Malin, Ulf= Buddah, Jonas= Joker. Jenny has no nickname. How come you don't already know this? Are you a new fan?

[@jonnyharvey]

@@AceCorr well yes I am

[@jonnyharvey]

I hadn't heard a thing about them in 20 years until I made the video

[@oobrocks]

I wish I was perfect as “macho man”

[@starshine3248]

After Pitch Perfect movie, I saw the sign got stuck in my head

[@jonnyharvey]

I love their version of the song

[@jorger5777]

The reason for not sustaining their success is simple: Linn's departure.

[@jonnyharvey]

It must have been one of the key factors

[@juanariquelmecutillas4095]

No entiendo la razón por la que se enfadan muchos seguidores cuando se dan las cifras de ventas de los álbum de AOB,el primero vendió muchísimo más que todos los otros juntos,y no solo en USA como algunos dicen,vendió mucho más en todo el mundo,hasta el punto que aquí en Europa desde hace años se considera a AOB un grupo ONE HIT WONDER,y eso sí me molesta ya que de su primer álbum tuvieron varios singles muy famosos en todo el mundo,pero solo consideran gran éxito a la canción All that she wants.

[@Mrparangos3]

Lol and what about "the sign"?, beautiful life", cruel summer, happy nation, etc.

[@hejiranyc]

I like your content, but for God's sake, do something about the audio on your clips. The level is so low that I can hardly hear anything.

[@jonnyharvey]

Hi - I double/treble check the audio before I upload a video & it is always fine on my laptop but yes you’re right, the levels should’ve been higher on the earlier videos. And my Rode mic is playing up even when I use the exact same settings & set-up/location. Excuses, excuses. Apologies - I will look into it again.

[@cometzcriticz9933]

Guess i'll subscribe

[@jonnyharvey]

😀

[@ahmzazaa]

You forgot “I’m never gonna say I’m sorry”

[@jonnyharvey]

Yes technically it was the third single - it was never released in the UK so I’ve always thought of it as a two single album

[@Matuteilcapo]

Lady Gaga is their eternal Homage Act! That's how she will remember, an Homage Act. LOL

[@jonnyharvey]

Is she? I can only think of one song she did which sounded similar?

[@philfitnesspt6139]

Sorry but your incorrect Jenny didn't leave the band they replaced her with 2 new girl's which obviously upset her especially with her brother doing jt!! That's why she won't reform and I don't blame her!

[@jonnyharvey]

I made this video a while back. I took the info from reliable sources so I wouldn’t include it otherwise if I wasn’t sure. maybe that’s the truth but I never read that

[@philfitnesspt6139]

​​@@jonnyharvey if you look into it further Jenny was actually gearing up for new album the management wanted new singer the other 2 basically replaced her! She never wanted to quit. It's all clearly listed on her Wikipedia page here's link. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Berggren obviously your sources weren't very reliable as jenny has said many occasions she never quit she was pushed out.

[@philfitnesspt6139]

​@@jonnyharvey jenny kind of forgave her brother for the betral but she won't do music with him again and who can blame her?

[@ぽんぽこぽーん-w8r]

世界一のミュージシャン♪♪ (≧∇≦)b

[@kyachdistent1301]

Never ceases to amaze me the latent stupidity of people and the complete pretence of how to ignore how the music biz is run. Of course no follow-up works was going to sell as much as the debut, but let's leave sales for a minute. In artistic terms, "The Bridge" is SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER than its oversold predecessor, with far more intelligence and integrity going into the lyrics and song compositions, not a "let's get on the dance floor and screw the art". 1993 was a "welcome you in" from the music world, then "let's drop you 2 years later, you're not a priority any more". This is that old shit 80s adage and it hasn't gone anywhere FOR talent. Now the kinds of garbage you mention as 'influenced' by them is worse than insult-these nobodies rip from everything to make a plastic carer built on nothing more to whore themselves around in the usual madonna way as they've not talent to do anything else. And a hugely dumbed down audience is also to blame for that, hence AOB's 3rd album sounding like it was made by a committee, and as Jonas said he was ordered by his US label to do "happy songs"-i.e. something basic for the typical American taste that can only handle c/rap, country and power ballads. Yet typically they had UK success with this album "Flowers" and with 3 singles from it criminally doing better than either of the far better original releases from their best album, the creative high "The Bridge" just 3 years before. And now we came to several big deals you haven't mentioned: 1) The debut album was overrated and sold in such ridiculously abnormal quantities over its actual artistic worth that no follow-up album was going to match it. Yet if the debut had sold 5 million, would we really be having this conversation? 2) "The Bridge" which in your words was the "highly anticipated follow-up" STILL sold a whopping 5 million copies worldwide-and significantly, which you DON'T mention, it hit the Top 30 in the US, being certified Platinum and staying over half a year on the chart anyway, an even bigger shock considering it's generally considered all-round far superior credentials via most critics, because the US don't usually go for deep and intelligent, just basic and dancey. Of course the nastiest shock is how the UK treated the album. 3) Of COURSE the debut did better-and it had 6! 6! singles released off it in the UK alone, not even ABBA ever been allowed to get to 6 singles. And what helps promote albums and encourages sales figures? SINGLES do. Yet let's then scrutinise the 2nd album's promo job. And we find for the UK, that not even HALF the no. of singles are taken off the album?! Then how do you expect to sell it and for it to succeed like the 1st when stuff all promotion and singles are taken off. Hell the 3rd single 'Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry' didn't even get a promo video and the last 2 singles (5 in all potentially from the 2nd album) were only allowed to drip out as a promo copy in a few places months and months after the album and any tours for it had ended! 4) AOB managed to stretch chart success, diminishing or not to at least 5 years from their beginning. I might add, to, that your swipe at ABBA for not even managing a massive selling debut means less than nothing. In the 70s as you well know, NO EUROPEAN ACT was ever allowed or could ever hope to sell records annually outside their domestic market, so naturally no copies of ABBA's debut were released ANYWHERE outside Sweden and Norway. Nonetheless, 2 singles from their debut were making inroads into the US Top 100, but being on a limited label, copies ran out before demand could even be met! WELL THEN?! I might also add that AOB hit a deliberately clubby-techno sound that were the height of the early 90s when everyone was piling out that stuff, albeit in a usually simpler, less song-noteworthy form. ABBA themselves had their OWN sound and not a sound that the xenophobic and very narrow-minded US would ever encourage nor want. Plus no promotion or live shows equals no records. But by the 90s, promotion via clubs and video was much easier, plus ABBA had blasted apart the doors that kept all European acts out. So one could argue at least half that 21 million number you flash about was down to them and THEM alone! 5) The record industry is all about blandness and the simplification of music for the masses. It's all about an identikit product that similarly brain-washed cerebrally-challenged millions will enjoy without thinking. No way could AOB be a "continued success" and that would only mean turning rubbish and thank God they didn't. After a flirt with nearing the bad with their 3rd album, they went back almost to the start ("Da Capo" means "new beginning") but is thankfully far more like their 2nd album than their 1st, despite one track 'Down Under' being almost as appalling as their disgusting 'Donnie' song from the 3rd, and the pointlessly horrific 'Fashion Party' and 'My Mind' on the Europe cut of the debut. No such problems on the magnificent "The Bridge" masterpiece, which remains the only album with all 4 members contributing their own songs each, so don't know what Jonas chatting about as Malin still there in 1995. "Da Capo" was deliberately pushed out quietly in most places with sod all promotion or singles as in the record label's OWN WORDS: "They're not relevant any more". See, there you go. In this world to "sell" you must be relevant-i.e. crap as S/A/W and Madonna etc.

[@ahra8820]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 I absolutely love the Bridge and when anything is mentioned about that album I always state it's their best work, thanks for clearing a few things up and their music lives on in fan groups , the radio and the subsequent Hidden gems releases .

[@kyachdistent1301]

@@ahra8820 No problem and lovely to hear this from you. I was knocked out by "The Bridge", and sad to report that, at the time of its release (not that I bought their debut in 1993, I never did this kind of thing back then with more than a literal small handful of acts I always loved), I didn't notice "The Bridge", and I blame this almost entirely on the appalling mess the music scene had become by the 90s. And each year got progressively worse, but unlike 1993, things had moved on and Ace Of Base got sod all support from their label in the UK, who made the criminal mistake additionally of releasing sod all from the album. People are stupid-they dumbly look at stats and go: "6 singles from album one, 2 for the 2nd...oh dear" like that's a complete explanation or a benchmark of failure. When you're stuck on labels constantly looking to the next thing, especially if real artistic growth is involved, you'll always fail in that regard. Music was now a corporation for chugging out identikit crap for the easily pleased, and, while I'll never term AOB in such terms, their 3rd album "Flowers" was made almost entirely to try and cater for that audience, hence it's predictably their weakest album, though still ownable, but the writing artistry is virtually gone, especially on junk "ideas" like 'Cecilia', 'Tokyo Girl' & 'Captain Nemo' which I just about handle, but 'Donnie' is horrific. "Da Capo" was, thankfully, the final say on thing son their own terms and a close second to "The Bridge" in quality, but it still houses the wretched 'Down Under'. Thankfully there is another AOB release, isn't there, that collects a bunch of B-sides (but not all I suppose, as this usually happens). Hail to "The Bridge"! We know what we're talking about. Think I'll play it now! One of the best albums-if not THE best album of a dreadful year (aside from brill 80s artists carrying on their much-needed careers, but it still beats even those, as in the 90s, some of their creative fire had gone wayward, as the 90s was a time for boyband/grilband shite, c/rap and howling fishwife hags and dreary soul-sappy crap!

[@ahra8820]

@@kyachdistent1301 some of the unreleased stuff is good too. You can hear some of it on the 30th anniversary all that she wants boxet .

[@alexandrabecker9729]

You are so right! I agree with you in everything you said! They were practically destroyed by their labels! I still dream of new music from them! If ABBA could come back after 40 years, so can Ace of Base 🥰 I love „The Bridge“! I listen to it on a daily basis!

[@kyachdistent1301]

@@alexandrabecker9729 There's a long list of record labels guilty of this, and often the victims are women! Be proud of your staunch and amazing devotion to one of the best albums of the 90s full stop. A true artistic endeavour, unlike the clubby 1st, and an true example of what can happen the rare times a label allows you a little freedom!

[@omnipop4936]

The new ABBA? Please. 😂

[@jonnyharvey]

Well that’s what the media called them initially

[@VenturaIT]

The AOB girls were better singers than Abba, 99% of groups sound like garbage live, while AOB sound almost like in the studio... and have you heard their acapella, really good singers, which is RARE for pop music.