"All That She Wants" is a song by Swedish group
Ace of Base
Ace of Base is a Swedish pop group formed in 1987, originally consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren, with Ulf Ekberg.
They achieved worldwide success following the release of their debut album, '' Happy Nation'', in 1992. L ...
. It was released in Scandinavia in August 1992, by
Mega Records
Mega Records was a Nashville, Tennessee-based music label founded in 1970 by former RCA Records executive Brad McCuen along with Harry E. Pratt. Its most successful recording artist was Sammi Smith who also recorded the label's first single. , as the second single from the group's first studio album, ''
Happy Nation
''Happy Nation'' is the debut studio album by the Swedish pop group Ace of Base. It was initially released in Denmark on 2 November 1992 by Mega Records. During the album's development, the group was significantly influenced by a Jamaican reg ...
'' (1992), and in the following year, it was released as the first single from the 1993 album ''
The Sign'' in North America. Produced by
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He was a member of the DJ collective SweMix and later co-founded the recording studio ...
with group members
Jonas Berggren
Jonas Petter Berggren (born 21 March 1967) is a Swedish musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, also known as Joker. He started writing songs when he was seven and continues to write for the band Ace of Base, which he is a founding me ...
and
Ulf Ekberg
Ulf Gunnar Ekberg (born 6 December 1970), also known as Buddha, is a Swedish musician, producer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the pop group Ace of Base, along with siblings Jonas Berggren, Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren.
Ca ...
, the drum beat was inspired by the
Kayo song "Another Mother". Berggren and Ekberg also wrote the lyrics.
"All That She Wants" is a
reggae-pop
Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae and/or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip-hop/rap, R&B, jazz, funk, soul, disco, electronic, and Latin music, amongst others.
Origin
Artists have been mixing reggae ...
song that describes a sexually promiscuous woman, with the word "baby" being
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
ous with "boyfriend".
The song was first recorded in 1991, but went through many revisions before it was officially released.
The song was a commercial success, reaching the top of the charts in many countries, including Denmark, Germany, the UK and Australia. It spent 13 weeks at the top of the Danish singles chart. The single was certified platinum in the United States, where it peaked at number two on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was one of the best-selling singles of that year. Its music video was directed by
Matt Broadley and filmed in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, Denmark.
In 2007, the song was re-recorded by the band as a three-piece with new lyrics in a first-person perspective, but was never officially released. This re-recording was leaked online in June 2016 in a collaboration version of the song that features new Ace of Base vocals alongside
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
's vocals from her own 2007 demo version.
Background
While the group's predecessor single, "
Wheel of Fortune", was a modest success, "All That She Wants" led Ace of Base to take off internationally. In 1991, the group produced a demo version of "All That She Wants", titled "Mr. Ace", which featured different lyrics,
Linn Berggren
Malin Sofia Katarina Berggren (born 31 October 1970) is a Swedish singer-songwriter, best known as a former member of the pop music band Ace of Base. Having been interested and involved in music since her childhood, she formed the band in 1987, ...
on lead vocals, and rap vocals performed by both Jonas and Ekberg. But they were not able to create the exact sound they were looking for, despite their attempts to get inspiration by listening to several other artists. After the release of the Swedish top 20 hit "Another Mother" by
Kayo, the band finally found the drum beat they were looking for.
Jonas and Ekberg contacted the producer of "Another Mother",
Denniz Pop
Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He was a member of the DJ collective SweMix and later co-founded the recording studio ...
, and sent him a demo tape featuring the song. Though Denniz was initially unimpressed with the song, the tape got stuck in the cassette tape player in his car. Because of this, he was forced to listen to it over and over again, which helped him decide to help produce the track.
Composition
Denniz Pop introduced many changes to the song. He was not fond of the rap vocals on the original demo, and these were subsequently replaced with short spoken word sections. A new second verse was also added. Though vocals were recorded by all four members for this version, Jenny's vocals were eventually cut on the final release.
The song was initially in a major key, but was changed to minor upon Linn's insistence.
Jenny Berggren
Jenny Cecilia Petrén (née Berggren; born 19 May 1972), professionally known as Jenny Berggren and Jenny from Ace of Base is a Swedish mezzo-soprano singer and former lead singer in the Swedish pop band Ace of Base. Since 1995, she has also bee ...
, sister to Linn and Jonas, explained that changing the key to minor allowed the song to portray a greater level of sadness and increased its relatability. Some of the other material on the ''Happy Nation'' album stemmed from "All That She Wants", leading the album to have a darker sound.
The final version of the song evolved into a dark fusion of
dub-
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
with pop which became the band's trademark sound. Sheet music for the song shows the key of
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major.
The C natural minor scale is:
Cha ...
(with the first verse in the key of
C major
C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...
) and a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 94 beats per minute in
common time signature, with vocals spanning from G
3 to C
5. Jenny noted that it was about "a woman who is always leaving and that is because the woman is not whole in herself."
Jonas stated that the song "is about a girl I knew a long time ago, but I didn't
ealize thatwhen I did the lyrics."
Release
Following its release on 31 August 1992, "All That She Wants" quickly climbed to number one on the Danish chart while "Wheel of Fortune" was still sitting at number two. The song became a commercial success, reaching the top of the charts in at least thirteen countries worldwide. It was certified platinum in the United States, after peaking at number two on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. Keen to rush out an album for the Christmas market,
Mega Records
Mega Records was a Nashville, Tennessee-based music label founded in 1970 by former RCA Records executive Brad McCuen along with Harry E. Pratt. Its most successful recording artist was Sammi Smith who also recorded the label's first single. pressed the band for an album and it was hastily recorded, mixed, and released within a few weeks. Denniz Pop would go on to co-produce all officially released versions of the song that were available at the time, notably a more uptempo version of the song, dubbed the "Madness Version". This version features entirely different vocals and more spoken-word sections. Ace of Base would later collaborate with Denniz Pop on "
The Sign" and multiple tracks on the band's sophomore release, ''
The Bridge The Bridge may refer to:
Art, entertainment and media Art
* ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US
* Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists
* ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...
''.
In 2014, the original demo version of the song was released as a bonus track called "Mister Ace (Demo 1991)" on the remastered version of the album ''The Sign''.
Reception
Critical reception
American reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
editor
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
said that it is easy to see why the song was a hit: "the beat is relentless and the
hooks are incessantly catchy". Thomas Ginsberg from ''
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
'' noted its "unique sound". A writer for ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news.
Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...
'' called it Ace of Base's "finest, loneliest hit".
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...
from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' wrote that the group "wears its
ABBA
ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
influences proudly on this shuffling,
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
-splashed ditty." He added, "Factor in curious and vague lyrics, and you have a left-of-center offering that may entice quirky minds, but will probably leave most scratching their heads." Dave Sholin from the ''
Gavin Report
The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...
'' commented, "The last time a new act from Sweden came on this strong it was
Roxette
Roxette is a Swedish pop rock duo originally consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, both of whom were already established musicians in Sweden prior to the band's formation. Fredriksson had released a number of successful solo albums, ...
with '
The Look
"The Look" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). It became an international hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. It t ...
'. Since we got hold of the import several months ago, the word about this release has spread. Not every song that reaches #1 in the U.K. like this one did succeeds in America, but they all would if they were this hot. Can't imagine it would take more than one listen to be convinced."
Chuck Eddy
Chuck Eddy (born November 26, 1960) is an American music journalist.
Life and career
Chuck Eddy was born in Detroit, Michigan. After starting his journalism career with ''The Village Voice'' and ''Creem'', where he published one of the first nati ...
from ''
LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...
'' stated, "As far as I can remember, 'All That She Wants' by Ace of Base is the only hit single ever to talk about a lady who uses men for stud service so that she can become an unwed mother." He added that it "has the frostbit feel of ABBA's
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
s about working women", and noted 'how she warns "''She's gonna getcha''" in a demonic
Eurodisco
Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is a genre of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the middle 1970s, incorporating elements of pop music, pop and rock music, rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco ...
catwoman voice.'
Fred Shuster from ''
Los Angeles Daily News
The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California, after the unrelated ''Los Angeles Times'', and the flagship newspaper of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado ...
'' said it is a "supremely catchy pop confection with a bouncy reggae-inspired bass line and a chorus that lodges itself in the brain with deadly precision." Dennis Hunt from ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote that it has "a strong European
pop-synth feel, cruising on reggae undercurrents and mined with some deadly hooks." Mario Tarradell from the ''
Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by McClatchy, The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward County, Fl ...
'' stated, "Just try to shake the irresistible hook of 'All That She Wants' and '
Happy Nation
''Happy Nation'' is the debut studio album by the Swedish pop group Ace of Base. It was initially released in Denmark on 2 November 1992 by Mega Records. During the album's development, the group was significantly influenced by a Jamaican reg ...
': you won't succeed." Jim Farber from the ''
New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' named it "the weirdest song on the radio now", adding that it "revives the dinky-sounding synths of early '80s
new wave, smelts it to an improbable reggae beat, then plops on vocals by a woman whose grasp of English barely exceeds the phonetic." He concluded with that the song "could easily end up the 'Maneater' of the '90s."
Neil Strauss
Neil Darrow Strauss (born March 9, 1969), also known by the pen names Style and Chris Powles, is an American author and journalist. His book ''The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists'', describes his experiences in the seducti ...
from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called it a "reggae-infused dance-floor sleeper" that "tells of a troubled woman's search for romantic fulfillment in one-night-stands." Steve Dougherty from ''
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...
'' deemed it a "hummable
ndreggae-flavored" tune. A reviewer from ''
Press-Telegram
The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, L ...
'' stated that it's "packed with unforgettable hooks." ''
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' noted that the "
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...
-style keyboard whistle marks the welfare-state cautionary tale 'All That She Wants'. Chuck Campbell from ''
Scripps Howard News Service
The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by E. W. Scripps, Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a ...
'' called it "a lilting dance song about a woman seeking a steady stream of boyfriends", noting that it "had remarkable staying power on the charts".
European reception
Irish ''
Evening Herald
''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Ev ...
'' described the song as "pure pop Esperanto. Simple, sublime and subversive. The weirdest record since
Boney M
Boney M. is a German reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary song ...
's '
Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
'. A reviewer from ''
Göteborgs-Posten
(), abbreviated GP, is a major Swedish language, Swedish-language daily newspaper published in Gothenburg, Sweden.
History and profile
was first published in 1813, but ceased publication in 1822. It re-appeared in 1850. Publication seven day ...
'' said it "smells a little like
Dr. Alban with its reggae". Ben Thompson from ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' wrote, "The first No 1 from Sweden since
Abba
ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
. Who said pop was dead?" Kim Såtvedt from Norwegian ''
Laagendalsposten
''Laagendalsposten'' (lit. The ''Lågendal Post'') is a regional newspaper for Kongsberg and the Numedal, in Buskerud, Norway. Its main office is in Kongsberg. The newspaper is printed in 10.500 copies and has about 50,000 readers.
''Laagendalspos ...
'' felt that "All That She Wants" "holds magic". In his weekly UK chart commentary,
James Masterton
James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...
said, "Ace Of Base doing a
Sub Sub
Sub Sub were an English dance music, dance act from Handforth, Cheshire composed of Jimi Goodwin and twin brothers Andy Williams (Doves), Andy and Jez Williams.
The threesome met at school in 1985 and became regulars at The Haçienda while co ...
if you like and making a stirring chart debut by being not only the current trendy dance hit but also a damn good pop tune and receiving a bucketload of radio airplay as a result." He also declared it as a "perfectly crafted piece of
dub-reggae".
Simon Price
Simon Price (born 25 September 1967) is a British music journalist and author. He is known for his weekly review section in ''The Independent on Sunday'' and his books ''Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers)'' and ''Curepedia: An ...
from ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' felt the "lilting plinky-plink reggae" of the track "is pure 1979." He added, "The first 10 times I heard 'All That She Wants', it was the greatest record on earth, a ''City Limits''-reading radical lesbian's attack on our conveyor-belt, Baby Machine culture." After it had reached number-one in Denmark in 1992, ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' declared the song as "another great example of a band which has successfully drawn the pop reggae card."
Sylvia Patterson
Sylvia Patterson (born 8 March 1965) is a Scottish author and music journalist. A former contributor to ''Smash Hits'' and the ''NME'', she is the author of the memoirs ''I'm Not With The Band'' (2016) and ''Same Old Girl'' (2023).
Life
Patterson ...
from ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'' viewed it as "unfeasibly catchy".
Commercial performance
"All That She Wants" reached the number-one position in thirteen countries: Australia (3 weeks),
Austria (6 weeks),
Belgium (2 weeks),
Canada (2 weeks), Denmark (13 weeks),
["All That She Wants" spent 13 weeks at number one on the Danish singles chart from October 1992 to January 1993.
* Week 1:
* Week 2:
* Week 3:
* Week 4:
* Week 5:
* Week 6:
* Week 7:
* Week 8:
* Week 9:
* Week 10:
* Week 11/12:
* Week 13: ] Germany (8 weeks),
Greece (10 weeks),
["All That She Wants" spent 10 weeks at number one on the Greek singles chart from May to July 1993.
* Week 1:
* Week 2:
* Week 3:
* Week 4:
* Week 5:
* Week 6:
* Week 7:
* Week 8:
* Week 9:
* Week 10: ] Iceland, Israel, Italy (9 weeks),
["All That She Wants" spent 9 weeks at number one on the Italian '']Musica e dischi
() was the oldest and longest-running music industry publication in Italy.
In 1961, ''Billboard'' defined the publication as the "Italian record bible".
History
It was founded in October 1945 in Milan, Italy, on the initiative of the journalis ...
'' singles chart from June to September 1993.
* Week 1:
* Week 2:
* Week 3:
* Week 4:
* Week 5:
* Week 6:
* Week 7:
* Week 8:
* Week 9: Spain (2 weeks),
["All That She Wants" spent 2 weeks at number one on the Spanish singles chart in May and August 1993.
* Week 1:
* Week 2: ] Switzerland (2 weeks),
and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked in its third week at the
UK Singles Chart, on 16 May 1993.
It spent three weeks at the top position on the chart after debuting as number five. The song peaked at top three positions in most other places where it was released. "All That She Wants" peaked at number two on the
Eurochart Hot 100
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
in June,
being held off the top position by
Snow
Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...
's "
Informer
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...
". The song was a very successful radio hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the US ''Billboard''
Top 40 Mainstream
Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...
chart.
On the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and
''Cash Box'' Top 100, it peaked at number two and three, behind
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
and
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
.
On the Canadian ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines.
One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
'' Dance/Urban chart, it peaked at number one for 4 weeks.
"All That She Wants" was listed at number nine on the ''Billboard'' 1994 year-end charts and at number 70 on the 1990s decade-end charts. In Germany, the song was the best-selling single of 1993.
It sold 604,000 copies in the United Kingdom in 1993. According to
Mega Records
Mega Records was a Nashville, Tennessee-based music label founded in 1970 by former RCA Records executive Brad McCuen along with Harry E. Pratt. Its most successful recording artist was Sammi Smith who also recorded the label's first single. , the single sold 3.7 million copies worldwide as of May 1998.
Retrospective response
In 2018,
Annie Zaleski
Annie Zaleski is a ''New York Times'' best-selling author and music historian.
Career
Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The Guardian and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio w ...
from ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' wrote, "The song—which can be read as either a celebration of a woman who enjoys one-night stands, or a warning to her potential suitors—is a catchy marvel of simplicity. A glacial synth hum and strolling
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
rhythm provide propulsion, while the occasional saxophone curlicue and mysterious whistle give it intrigue, as well as a hint of melancholy." A writer for ''
Birmingham Evening Mail
The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country and ''Birmingham Live'' online) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England, but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of ...
'' described it as a "happy uplifting reggae-influenced" song.
Matt Stopera
Matt Stopera is a senior editor at BuzzFeed. He is best known for an article he wrote in 2015 about a Chinese man who had received Stopera's stolen cell phone and posted dozens of photos of an orange tree which appeared on his iPhone's photo strea ...
and Brian Galindo from ''
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...
'' named it "the best Ace of Base song. End of story. No contest." Nikola Nedeljkovic Gøttsche from ''
Dagbladet Information
''Information'' (), full name: ''Dagbladet Information'' (), is a Danish newspaper published Monday through Saturday.
History and profile
''Dagbladet Information'' was established and published by the Danish resistance movement in 1943 during ...
'' noted in their retrospective review of ''
The Sign'', that "the song about the promiscuous man-hunter who only wants one more lover, with its mysterious flute melodies, progressive reggae pulse and instantly obsessive
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in whic ...
, became a marker in the nineties popular musical landscape." Tom Ewing of ''
Freaky Trigger
''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...
'' wrote that "All That She Wants" is "so startling that you imagined a whole style around it. The sound of "All That She Wants" is disarmingly simple – high, clear, piping synths over a basic
skank – but also quite perfect. It's a cooling sound, it makes the rest of pop sound busy and overheated. As the song so poetically puts it, "''It's not a day for work – it's a day for catching time''". Bob Waliszewski of ''
Plugged In
''Plugged In'' is a 1994 album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. The album is the last completely new studio album released by Edmunds to feature vocals.
On ''Plugged In'', Edmunds returned to the "one man band" approach of his early solo ...
'' found that the song "warns a young man about a woman out for a one-night stand ("''She's a hunter, you're the fox... beware of that flashing in her eyes''")." In 2023, Eric Torres from ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'' complimented it as "near-perfect". Pop Rescue praised it as "fantastic", remarking that "it's a simple uncluttered track, and it works perfectly." Christopher Smith from Talk About Pop Music viewed it as a "quirky number".
Accolades
(*) indicates the list is unordered.
Music video
A music video directed by Swedish director
Matt Broadley was produced in November 1992 to promote the single. Danish actress and singer-songwriter appears in the video as the title character. The video was filmed in Nielsen's apartment in Ryesgade in central
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
in one day, on a budget of $2000.
The video, shot in
sepia tone
In photography, toning is a method of altering the color of black-and-white photographs. In analog photography, it is a chemical process carried out on metal salt-based prints, such as silver prints, iron-based prints ( cyanotype or Van Dyke ...
, depicts the band members performing in a cramped apartment, interlaced with shots of a woman getting ready to go out. She goes to a bar where she meets a man. They talk and then she takes him home to her. Though Jenny has no vocals in the song, she
lip sync
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...
s the vocals during the chorus. Ulf Ekberg noted, "The video is also an explanation for the song, because in the song you don't know if she found a guy or not, but
he video showsa happy ending."
The band discovered Nielsen's apartment just by chance as they shared the same manager. She told in an interview, "They just came up to my apartment to pick something up, but when they saw it, they were absolutely determined that the video should be shot right there. After all, I had a grand piano and a black and white checkered floor, so it was just a perfect location."
Nanna Søndergaard Larsen from Danish ''
Dagbladet Information
''Information'' (), full name: ''Dagbladet Information'' (), is a Danish newspaper published Monday through Saturday.
History and profile
''Dagbladet Information'' was established and published by the Danish resistance movement in 1943 during ...
'' remarked in her analyze of the video, "The apartment is not only full of a mixed assortment of furniture and mannequins, but also the four members of the band are seated at tables, in armchairs, on windowsills all around the small living room."
Ekberg later said that
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
pushed the song as they "loved the video because it was so clean."
Being known as an actress only in Denmark, Nielsen's appearance in the video led her to being recognized all over the world. Nielsen mentioned an incident while she was shopping in New York, "I was walking around looking at shoes in a shoe store when a woman grabbed me and said "oh my God, you're the girl from the video".
Track listings
*;United Kingdom CD single
#"All That She Wants" (Radio Edit)
#"All That She Wants" (12" Version)
#"All That She Wants" (Banghra Version)
#"All That She Wants" (Madness Version)
*;United States CD single
#"All That She Wants" – 3:31
#"All That She Wants" (Extended Single/Dub Version) – 7:56
#"All That She Wants" (Banghra Version) – 4:15
#"All That She Wants" (12" Version) – 4:46
*;Australian CD single
#"All That She Wants" (Radio Edit)
#"Fashion Party"
*;All That She Wants (Remixed) – Standard Digital Download
#All That She Wants (Funkstar De Luxe Cook 'n' Curry Remix) – 3:27
#All That She Wants (We Are Legends Remix) – 6:18
#All That She Wants (Bali Bandits Remix) – 4:00
#All That She Wants (Joeysuki Remix) – 4:51
#All That She Wants (Andalo Remix) – 3:24
#All That She Wants (House of Titans Remix) – 3:55
#All That She Wants (Marc MacRowland Remix) – 6:01
#All That She Wants (Funkstar De Luxe Cook 'n' Curry Remix Extended) – 4:52
#All That She Wants (Bali Bandits Remix Extended) – 6:01
#All That She Wants (Andalo Remix Extended) – 5:41
*;All That She Wants (Remixed) –
Beatport
Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards disk jockey, DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that ...
Edition Digital Download
#All That She Wants (We Are Legends Remix) – 6:18
#All That She Wants (Joeysuki Remix) – 4:51
#All That She Wants (House of Titans Remix) – 3:55
#All That She Wants (Marc MacRowland Remix) – 6:01
#All That She Wants (Funkstar De Luxe Cook 'n' Curry Remix Extended) – 4:52
#All That She Wants (Bali Bandits Remix Extended) – 6:01
#All That She Wants (Andalo Remix Extended) – 5:41
#All That She Wants (Bali Bandits Remix Extended Instrumental) – 6:00
#All That She Wants (Andalo Remix Extended Instrumental) – 5:41
Release history
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications and sales
Cover versions and samples
An Italian band Age of Bass covered the song in 1993. Its close resemblance to the original Ace of Base version and the original band's name caused Mega Records alongside
Polygram to prompt the rendition's record label Discomagic Italy into pulling the release from commercial markets. The rendition would later appear in a compilation release by
Edel Records
Edel SE & Co. KGaA is a German independent media company based in Hamburg. As a label and publishing group, it also operates marketing and sales for artists and smaller music labels. The repertoire of the Edel labels includes dance, rock and po ...
. In the same year,
ZYX Music
ZYX Music GmbH & Co. KG is a German record label founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. It is one of the most successful German record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. Until 1992, the label was known as Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The label speci ...
released a rendition performed by the German band Box of Laces.
Swedish band
Grass Show
Grass Show (often written Grass~Show®) was a Britpop-inspired indie band from Sweden, active in the mid- to late-1990s. Originally called The Grass Show, the group released their first single "I Stole Your Girl Away" in Sweden. This was followed ...
covered the song on their 1997 debut album ''Something Smells Good in Stinkville''.
American singer
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
recorded her rendition of "All That She Wants", which sampled the chorus from the Ace of Base song for her 2007 album ''
Blackout
Blackout(s), black out, or The Blackout may refer to:
Loss of lighting or communication
* Power outage, a loss of electric power
* Blackout (broadcasting), a regulatory or contractual ban on the broadcasting of an event
* Blackout (fabric), a t ...
'', but it failed to make the final cut, among
other songs considered for the album. Spears' version features verses taken from her self-written poem "Remembrance of Who I Am", published on her official website in 2006. Ace of Base frontman
Ulf Ekberg
Ulf Gunnar Ekberg (born 6 December 1970), also known as Buddha, is a Swedish musician, producer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the pop group Ace of Base, along with siblings Jonas Berggren, Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren.
Ca ...
stated it was recorded in 2006 and never completed, while claiming it wasn't released due to the singer's hardships at the time. He praised her version, calling it "cool" and "very strong".
The demo
leaked onto the internet in 2008.
See also
*
List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s
The following lists the number one singles on the Australian Singles Chart, along with other substantial hits, during the 1990s in music, 1990s. The source for this decade is the ARIA Charts.
1990
Top 5 singles by Australian and New Zealand ...
*
List of number-one hits of 1993 (Austria)
*
List of ''Billboard'' Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of the 1990s
*
List of number-one singles of 1993 (Canada)
*
List of number-one hits of 1993 (Germany)
This is a list of the German ''Media Control'' Top100 Singles Chart number-ones of 1993.
Number-one hits by week
Notes
References
German Singles Chart Archives from 1956
{{Germanhits
Numb
Germany
1993
1993
The United Nations Ge ...
*
List of number-one hits of 1993 (Italy)
*
List of number-one singles of 1993 (Spain)
*
List of number-one singles of the 1990s (Switzerland)
This is a list of singles that reached number one on the Swiss Hitparade during the 1990s by week each reached the top of the chart.
Number-one singles
See also
*1990s in music
References
{{SwissNumber1s
Number-one singles
Switzerland
199 ...
*
List of RPM number-one dance singles of 1993
These are the ''RPM (magazine), RPM magazine'' Canadian Dance chart, Dance number one hits of 1993.
Chart history
See also
*1993 in Canadian music
*List of RPM number-one dance singles chart (Canada)
References
External links
* Read abou''RP ...
*
List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1990s
The UK Singles Chart is a record chart compiled on behalf of the British record industry. Until 1 February 1994, the chart was compiled each week by Gallup poll, Gallup – after this date, it was managed by Kantar Group, Millward Brown, wh ...
*
VRT Top 30 number-one hits of 1993
These hits topped the Ultratop 50 in the Flemish region of Belgium in 1993.
References
See also
*1993 in music
{{Ultratop 50 (Flemish)
1993 in Belgium
1993 record charts
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly ...
References
{{authority control
1991 songs
1992 singles
Ace of Base songs
Arista Records singles
Mega Records singles
Song recordings produced by Denniz Pop
Songs written by Jonas Berggren
Songs written by Ulf Ekberg
Number-one singles in Australia
Number-one singles in Austria
Number-one singles in Belgium
Number-one singles in Denmark
Number-one singles in Germany
Number-one singles in Greece
Number-one singles in Iceland
Number-one singles in Italy
Number-one singles in Spain
Number-one singles in Switzerland
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
UK singles chart number-one singles
Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles
Music videos directed by Matt Broadley
Songs about casual sex