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Wheel of Fortune (Ace of Base song)

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"Wheel of Fortune"
Artwork for original release
Single by Ace of Base
from the album Happy Nation and The Sign
B-side"My Mind"
Released29 June 1992
Recorded1991[1]
StudioStudio Decibel
Genre
Length3:54
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jonas Berggren
  • Ulf Ekberg
  • T.O.E.C.
Ace of Base singles chronology
"Wheel of Fortune"
(1992) 		"All That She Wants"
(1992)
Unspeakable
(2002)
Wheel of Fortune 2009
(2009)
All for You
(2010)
Music video
"Ace of Base - Wheel of Fortune (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

"Wheel of Fortune" is a song by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as their first single from the debut album, Happy Nation (1992). The song was first serviced to Danish radio in early 1992, through Mega Records, but failed to pick up much support. When re-promoted for a third time and released in stores on 29 June 1992, it entered the official Danish singles chart at number six, before later peaking at number two. It wasn't released elsewhere in Europe until 1993, following the success of their second single, "All That She Wants".

"Wheel of Fortune" is a reggae flavoured dance-pop song written by bandmembers Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg. It was recorded in Studio Decibel in Stockholm, Sweden for a budget of SEK 30,000, and did not enter the charts when it was released for the first time. It was the third re-release of the single that entered the charts after radio stations and clubs started to play it. The song peaked at number-one in Norway, and was a top-10 hit in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Its music video was directed by Viking Nielson.

Critical reception

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AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis complimented the song as "stellar".[2] In a retrospective review, Nikola Nedeljkovic Gøttsche from Danish Dagbladet Information remarked its "immediate melodic pop appeal and the combination of dancefloor pop and the fashionable warm reggae".[3] Upon the release, Swedish Göteborgsposten described it as a "dance-song with some "Bad Boys" (Inner Circle) and Dr. Alban rhythms, but with more pop direction." The reviewer complimented Linn Berggren's voice, adding that it "makes me think of Angel for a while".[4] Andrew Balkin from Kingston Informer noted that "the Aces go downbeat" on "Wheel of Fortune" and "Happy Nation", stating that both songs "have a soul/dance feel about them and wouldn't be out of place on the dance floor, or setting the mood in a smoky club."[5] Liverpool Echo wrote that it is "cannily close" to "All That She Wants", with "its reggae-ish beat and just as catchy."[6]

In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton described it as "poppy dub-reggae",[7] while Pan-European magazine Music & Media described it as "oriental-tinged".[8] Alan Jones from Music Week gave the single four out of five, writing that the group "return with another subdued reggae singalong that also suggests Opus's "Live is Life" hit. Fewer of the commercially-pleasing devices that exemplified "All That She Wants" mean it will be a smaller hit though another Top 10 placing seems likely."[9] Eric Torres from Pitchfork felt the band were "essentially nailing their formula on the first go: enthusiastic synth melodies, weaving percussive rhythms, and the Berggren sisters’ swooping voices. Yet it also contains a melancholic undercurrent that pulls at the corners of their best songs. That bittersweetness is their irresistible, maudlin draw, one that would become key to Ace of Base’s massive appeal."[10] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update deemed it "another Boney M-ish inane non sequiturs filled Swedish pop lurcher".[11] Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service named it a "reggae-paced" number.[12]

Chart performance

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The single entered the Danish charts at number six on the chart dated 10 July 1992. It would go on to peak at number two in October, with the follow-up single "All That She Wants" overtaking it at number one. In the United Kingdom, "Wheel of Fortune" was released as the second single and it reached number 20 in its second week at the UK Singles Chart, on 29 August 1993.[13] On the Music Week Dance Singles chart, it reached number 13 same week.[14] It was a number-one hit in Norway for four weeks,[15] and a number-two hit in Denmark and the Netherlands.[16] Additionally, the song entered the top 10 also in Austria (6),[17] Belgium (5),[18] Germany (4),[19] Spain (6),[20] and Switzerland (5),[21] while it was a top-20 hit in Finland (15), Iceland (11) and Ireland (18).[22][23][24] On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Wheel of Fortune" reached the top 5, peaking at number five. It earned a gold record in Germany, with a sale of 250,000 singles and spending a total of 26 weeks within the German Singles Chart.

Prior to the official release of the song, a live version of the song entered the charts at number two in Brazilian radio station Emboabas FM on 3 December 2007.[25] The song entered the Radio Aachen chart in Germany at number 26 on 15 December 2007.[26] It also entered the Euro WebCharts at number five in the last week of 2007 and eventually reached number one.[27]

Music video

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1992 version

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The original version's music video for "Wheel of Fortune" was directed by Viking Nielson and features all four original members. In a 2018 interview, Ulf Ekberg told that they had $1000 to shoot the video.[28]

It begins with Linn singing. A woman is sitting in a chair on the middle of what appears to be a wheel of fortune. Then several other characters appear along the video. Like a boxing blonde, a little girl playing with an hourglass, a bride in a wedding dress, an angel playing with a golden ball and an older couple. Sometimes the woman in the chair also appears with a man or with the older couple. All of the video's characters are standing on a rotating platform, and the video's margin tilts from side to side.[29] In between, we see the four members of Ace of Base performing standing together in a circle with their backs against each other. Linn sometimes sings in the chair on the wheel. Other times she appears with Jenny. Joker and Buddha are seen playing on different instruments, such as keyboard, drum, and trumpet. Occasionally, a clock turns in the background. The video was later made available on Ace of Base's official YouTube channel in 2010, and had generated more than 37 million views as of August 2023.[30]

2009 version

[edit]

The 2009 re-recording was the first and only single released by the band as a trio. For this version, the label decided not to shoot a video for the song. However, a promo video was published on 21 October 2008 on the band's official website. Similar to their 1998 single "Always Have Always Will", the video completely consists of live footage from their Redefined tour and video footage from a photoshoot. The edit used in the video is a combination of the radio and album versions, lasting at 3:15 minutes.[31]

Track listings

[edit]

Personnel

[edit]
  • Vocals by Linn Berggren
  • Written by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg
  • Produced by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg, T.O.E.C.
  • Recorded at Studios Decibel

Charts and certifications

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Release history

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Release history and formats for "Wheel of Fortune"
Region Date Label
Denmark 29 June 1992 Mega
Sweden 1 February 1993 Mega
United Kingdom 16 August 1993 London

References

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  1. ^ "Ace of Base".
  2. ^ Promis, Jose F. "Ace of Base - Singles of the 90s". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. ^ Nedeljkovic Gøttsche, Nikola (23 November 2018). "'The Sign' fylder 25 år – vi genanmelder Ace of Bases popklassiker". Dagbladet Information (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Wheel Of Fortune". Göteborgsposten. 24 March 1992.
  5. ^ Balkin, Andrew. (23 July 1993). "Leisure Centre: Balkin talkin'". page 20. Kingston Informer.
  6. ^ "Singles". Liverpool Echo. 6 August 1993. page 29.
  7. ^ Masterton, James (22 August 1993). "Week Ending August 28th 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Ace Of Base Draws the Reggae Card" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 43. 24 October 1992. p. 11. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  9. ^ Jones, Alan (7 August 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  10. ^ Eric Torres (12 November 2023). "Ace of Base — The Sign". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  11. ^ Hamilton, James (31 July 1993). "Djdirectory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 2. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. ^ Campbell, Chuck (22 February 1994). "New Releases: Ace Of Base, Crash Test Dummies, Shonen Knife". Scripps Howard News Service.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 75 29 August 1993 - 04 September 1993". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 28 August 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Ace of Base – Wheel of Fortune". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – Ace of Base" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Ace of Base – Wheel of Fortune" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Ace Of Base – Wheel Of Fortune" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Ace of Base – Wheel of Fortune" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  20. ^ a b Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. ^ a b "Ace of Base – Wheel of Fortune". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  22. ^ a b Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  23. ^ a b "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (04.06.1993 - 10.06.1993)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  24. ^ a b Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
  25. ^ Ace Of Base Returns, Wheel of Fortune topping the charts! Archived 28 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 3 December 2007
  26. ^ Radio Aachen, Aus Aachen - für Aachen, Retrieved on 17 December 2007.
  27. ^ Euro WebCharts, your europe, your music. music charts for all over europe, Retrieved on 31 December 2007.
  28. ^ "When Ace of Base rode the wheel of fortune". The Times of India. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  29. ^ Søndergaard Larsen, Nanna (23 November 2018). "Levende lys, hænder og roser: Symbolikken hos Ace of Base er tom, og det hele er pragtfuldt". Dagbladet Information. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Ace of Base - Wheel of Fortune (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  31. ^ "Ace of Base – official website". Aceofbase.com (in German). Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  32. ^ Musik-Charts durchsuchen
  33. ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 32. 7 August 1993. p. 13. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  34. ^ "Ace of Base – Wheel of Fortune" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  35. ^ "Ace of Base – Wheel of Fortune" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Ace of Base – Wheel of Fortune". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  37. ^ UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
  38. ^ "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 11 September 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  39. ^ 1993 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved 10 August 2008)
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  41. ^ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  42. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  43. ^ "Single top 100 over 1993" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  44. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  45. ^ 1993 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved 10 August 2008)
  46. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ace of Base; 'Wheel of Fortune')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
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