"Happy Nation" is a song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base from their debut album with the same name. It was first released in Scandinavia in 1992 and later released twice in the UK. The first appearance was in October 1993, when it peaked at number 42, it reentered the chart twelve months later at number 40. "Happy Nation" reached number-one on the singles charts of Denmark, Finland, France and Israel in 1993 and 1994. In 2008 the song was remade by Ace of Base for a remix kit. "Happy Nation" is a mid-tempo dance-pop song with strong influences from reggae fusion and euro house. It was written by Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg and contains both English and Latin lyrics. The first verse is sung in Latin by Joker, and Linn Berggren sings the rest as the lead singer. Ace of Base has described the song as a "anti-fascist song and a hymn to life".
Critical reception
editor Jose F. Promis noted the song as "stellar" in his review. Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club said the song takes influence from "taut techno". Fort Worth Examiner wrote that "Happy Nation" "provides a positive mindset for how we should relate to and live with one another. "For the people for the good. For mankind brotherhood."" Göteborgsposten commented that the reggae-rhythms from "All That She Wants" also "shows up" in the song, but "most of the sound is taken from European synth-based music." Andrew Balkin from Kingston Informer noted that "the Aces go downbeat" on "Happy Nation" and "Wheel of Fortune". He added 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." In another article, Kingston Informer described it as "a luvvly bubbly song". Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In said that the song "promotes brotherhood". Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service called it as a "reggae-paced" number. Edna Gundersen from USA Today noted it as a "cheery tune". The Vindicator wrote in their review of The Sign, that "the blend of melody and rhythm" in a song like "Happy Nation" "is all but irresistible".
Music video
The music video of "Happy Nation" was directed by Matt Broadley, who also directed the music video of "All That She Wants". The video was shot in Gothenburg in January 1993. The video begins with a lit candle, the flame of which blowing to the side. During Joker's verse, he sings flanked on both sides by a candelabrum, with Linn's face and different ancient symbols and pictures moving in the background. These images include the peace symbol, runic inscriptions, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Indigenous Australian art, the Buddha, the Zodiac signs, the yin yang symbol, the Crucifixion of Jesus, Al-Fatiha, and the book The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. After Joker's verse, the rest of the video focuses on Linn singing. She is mostly seen standing, but at one point she is seen sitting at a long wooden table, appearing to be deep in thought. At other times, Jenny Berggren appears singing with Linn for a moment. The background images continue to appear during this part, along with scenes of Buddha typing on a stationary computer, Jenny reading from an old book, Joker singing the background vocals, and other short clips featuring the band members. Old movie footage is also shown during Linn's section, such as an atomic bomb exploding, people walking, and a tree falling down. When the music fades out, the lit candle shown at the start of the video is blown out.
