The Ace of Base song “The Sign” might be about a neo-nazi seeking redemption. I know I risk sounding like Quentin Tarantino explaining what Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” is about, when saying that. And I’m not saying it’s true, it’s just a theory that’s been playing in my head for a while. But why?
The Sign is one of those nineties pop songs that seems simple enough. A girl sings that she she “saw the sign and it opened up her eyes” and she leaves the person who is suggested to be a bad influence on the main character. A lot of people assume “the sign” is just a metaphor for a red flag and that the main character in the song is getting out of a bad romantic relationship. The video for the song seems to support this with romantic imagery. But is it a romantic song?
It’s well documented that Ace of Base member Ulf Ekberg made some unfortunate choices in his youth, by sympathising with anti-immigration groups and even playing in a neo-nazi band. He has stated publicly he had regrets that and closed that book of his past. And I believe him, because I think The Sign is actually about him, realizing he had hung out with the wrong friends and saying goodbye to them. Just look at the lyrics:
- “I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me, I’m so glad” could be about closing that book on the dark past.
- “How can a person like me care for you? I, why do I bother, when you’re not the one for me?” Apparently a friend or some one he looked up to drew him into this, but now he realises that that person never really cared for him.
- “Is enough enough?” “Full is Full” is often a term used by anti-immigration groups to imply the country is full. Is enough enough could be a play on words, by throwing the racist words back at the racist.
- “I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes” He got a hint and he realised what he was doing.
- “Life is demanding without understanding“. Instead of understanding for the main character, this could be understanding for immigrants/other people and that it’s too demanding to hate on people all the time.
- “No one’s gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong. But where do you belong?” Note that this is aimed at “you”, not “I”. No one is going to put you in the spotlight where you (think you) belong. But does this other person belong there. The question mark seems to say: No, I doubt you do.
If you re-listen to the song with that in mind, you’re listening to a completely and much more sinister song, albeit with a very happy ending still. There is however a really strong argument to be made that this is totally not about Ekberg’s bad youth: he didn’t write these lyrics (let alone sing them). His band mate Jonas ‘Joker’ Berggren wrote it. Of course it could still be he wrote it about Ekberg, but there’s also this line in the song (and this is where the theories get really crazy):
- “I, under the pale moon, for so many years I wondered who you are“. Could be simply about wondering what makes his friend tick. But this could also be a very direct reference to a quote of The Joker in the first Batman film : “Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?” The Joker from the film asks this before he shoots some ‘his prey’. As a joke. And the guy who wrote The Sign has ‘Joker’ as a nick name.
Errr … what? Obviously, this is where I must stop making theories. So what do you think? Is the song just a silly pop song about happy departure from a bad ex-lover and is this just digging to deep into a simple song?
Comments
12 responses to “Is The Sign by Ace of Base about a neo-nazi?”
But wouldn’t the symbol used be a swastika, or even a Klan hoodie instead of an Egyptian ankh?
Good point! But “the sign” he saw obviously wouldn’t be a swastika, cause “the sign” led him away from that life. Plus I don’t think you could get away with that kind of symbols in a 90’s pop music video.
The video addresses a superficially attractive robot which is denied autonomy in an artificial paradigm, making observation of the video itself an intensely chaffing form of nihilistic self-abuse. There is no resolution for the robot as she simply saw a sign and it does not mean anything because ‘the sign’ is a brass Ankh existing only in a MTV video that many tweens probably missed seeing back in the 90’s when it could have remotely been relevant. However, this notion is impossible too. In a better universe Ace of Base would not have existed in the first place.
The only question that ‘Ace of Base’ should raise in the mind of someone unfortunate to have been assaulted by it is how best to ignore it and anything resembling it so to live life free of molestation.
The only logical conclusion is that Ace of Base would’ve been better off for all of humankind if it had never existed in the first place. There is no value or meaning to the music video, it doesn’t even take the subject matter it presents to the viewer seriously, anyone that sees it can see it as a representation of a snapshot of hell.
Also, anyone can flash a bronze colored symbol or sign with no indication of who or what their actual intentions are. The symbol in the video is not one of hope but rather ambiguous, perhaps even malicious. The sign just appears from up above, nothing is said about its intention, it’s just there the robot singer doesn’t even seem to notice it.
Indulging the video in the first place seems to be the only meaning, if that had been possible I would not have had to listen to the horrid noise.
This song wasn’t even written by Ulf Ekberg… it was written by Jonas Berggren! Therefore, there’s no connection to Ekberg’s racist past.
I see it as a romantic song that is talking about someone who lacks some sort of empathy and understanding, but just like most human beings, in many cases we have the power to choose and come into the light (become “enlightened”, come closer to God, become wiser and more understanding, etc.). I almost picture an angel falling in love with a fallen angel, and this fallen angel does not make the choice to go into the light, so no one is going to drag this fallen angel up to get into the light where he belongs (but does he really belong to “the light” anymore?).
Very cool interpretation! I love creating crazy, deep interpretations for pop songs and blockbuster films as well, and this fits so nicely. For now on, I choose to believe in this interpretation, far-fetched and unlikey as it may seem ;)
Maybe it all makes more sense when you listen to the cover made by Death In Rome
It was the 90’s… I don’t think anything from the 90’s should be taken literally XD
Did Ekberg use Ace of Base’s success as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and erase his neo-Nazi past? I’m not sure, and part of me doubts it, but at press time, I can safely say I’ll never be able to enjoy “The Sign,” “Don’t Turn Around,” or “All That She Wants” in the same way, ever again.
It doesn’t make sense. Your interpretation needs grammar corrections, before I can believe it.
Dude! why should a racist Swedish band sing in English ?!
I’m with you on this but you aren’t thinking literally enough.
I think I’m a bit stoned an went a tad down the rabbit hole on this but that tune is defo shifty and ur man is defo a neo Nazi!
I’m not sure when the white supremacist group ‘the Base’ started, but ‘ace of Base’ may not refer to base tunes
‘I saw the sign’ could well be a swastika representing a new way of thinking, simply having his mind opened up by neo-nazism
‘Life was demanding without understanding’ dude now has purpose – he’s a neo-nazi.
‘I, I got a new life’: I’m now a Nazi!
‘You would hardly recognize me
I’m so glad’ I am literally wearing a Nazi uniform or metaphorically, I have a new ideology I’ a different person.
‘How can a person like me care for you? ‘ I don’t like Jews, gays, anyone who isn’t blond.
‘(Ah) Why do I bother
When you’re not the one for me
Is enough enough?’ I’m not going to tolerate anything liberal
‘No one’s gonna drag you up
To get into the light where you belong’ I had to work hard to get to get enlightened, or I’m now gods chosen, the supreme uber-mench.
‚But where do you belong?‘ you don’t belong in my country anyhow
‘Under the pale moon’ maybe just a shaved skin-head or a whites only statement
‘For so many years I’ve wondered who you are’ I have been wondering about those shifty shylocks
‘How could a person like you bring me joy’ you disgust me.
‘Under the pale moon
Where I see a lot of stars’ so yeah, I see too many Jewish here in my white country!
‘Is enough enough?’ Well, enough is enough, bring on the endlösung!
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
Life is demanding without understanding
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
No one’s gonna drag you up
To get into the light where you belong
But where do you belong?
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I saw the sign and it opened up my mind
And I am happy now
Living without you
I’ve left you, oh oh oh
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
No one’s gonna drag you up
To get into the light where you belong
I saw the sign, I saw the sign
I saw the sign
I saw the sign, I saw the sign
I saw the sign, I saw the sign
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign