The Sign (song)

"The Sign"
European cover art. The North American cover art is a still from the music video (not pictured).
Single by Ace of Base
from the album The Sign / Happy Nation (U.S. Version)
B-side	"Young and Proud"
Released	1 November 1993
Recorded	1992
Studio	Cheiron (Stockholm, Sweden)
Genre	Techno-reggae Europop pop
Length	3:08
Label	Arista Mega
Songwriter(s)	Jonas Berggren
Producer(s)	Berggren Denniz Pop Douglas Carr
Ace of Base singles chronology
"Waiting for Magic" (1993) "The Sign" (1993) "Don't Turn Around" (1994)
Music video
"The Sign" on YouTube

"The Sign" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base from their first North American studio album, The Sign (1993), and their re-released debut studio album, Happy Nation (1992), titled Happy Nation (U.S. Version). The song was released by Arista and Mega as a single in Europe on 1 November 1993 and the US on 14 December 1993.^[1] It was written by band member Jonas Berggren, who also produced the song with Denniz Pop and Douglas Carr. "The Sign" is a techno-reggae, Europop, and pop ballad with lyrics describing a couple contemplating the state of their relationship.

"The Sign" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six non-consecutive weeks in the United States, which allowed Ace of Base to become the first Swedish group to simultaneously have a number one song and album on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 respectively. Consequently, the song was ranked as the number one song of 1994 on Billboard's year-end chart. It also reached number one in 14 countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand, and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Mathias Julien directed its music video which was filmed in Stockholm, Sweden. "The Sign" was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2023, Billboard magazine ranked it among the 500 best pop songs of all time.^[2]