B-side "Fashion Party" Genre Dance-pop
reggae-pop | Released 1992 Length 3:30 | |
 | ||
Format CD
maxi single
7"
12"
cassette Recorded August 1992
SweMix Studios
Stockholm, Sweden | ||
"All That She Wants" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in 1992 as the second single from their first studio album, Happy Nation. The following year, it was released as the first single from The Sign in North America. Produced by Denniz Pop, Jonas Berggren, and Ulf Ekberg, the song was inspired by the Kayo song "Another Mother".
Contents
"All That She Wants" is a reggae-pop song which describes a sexually promiscuous woman, with the word "baby" being synonymous to "boyfriend". The song was first recorded in 1991, but went through many renditions before it was officially released.
The song was a commercial success, reaching the top of the charts in many countries, including Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The single was certified platinum in the United States, where it peaked at number two, behind Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)". The single sold over 1 million copies in 1993 in the United States alone, and became one of the best-selling singles of that year. On 7 July 2014, the single was re-released with new remixes as a digital EP.
Background
While their predecessor single, "Wheel of Fortune", was a modest success, "All That She Wants," led Ace of Base to take off internationally. After hearing Swedish top 20 hit "Another Mother" by Kayo, the band decided that was exactly the sound they wanted to create. A demo version of "All That She Wants", titled "Mr. Ace", was produced in 1991 and featured different lyrics and rap vocals.
The song was initially in major key, but was changed to minor upon Linn Berggren's insistence. Jonas and Ulf contacted the producer of "Another Mother", Denniz PoP, and sent him this demo. The tape got stuck in the cassette tape player in his car, so he listened to it over and over again, which helped him decide to help produce the track. Denniz introduced many changes to the song. Denniz 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 final version of the song evolved into a dark fusion of dub-reggae with pop which became the band's trademark sound. Denniz 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.
Following its release in October 1992, the song quickly climbed to number one on the Danish chart while "Wheel of Fortune" was still sitting at number two. Keen to rush out an album for the Christmas market, Mega Records pressed the band for an album and it was hastily recorded, mixed, and released within a few weeks.
Commercial performance
"All That She Wants" reached the number one position in ten countries and peaked at top three positions in most other places where it was released. It was released as the band's first single from The Sign in the United States, where it peaked at number two and was certified platinum. The song was a very successful radio hit in the United States, sustaining the number one position on the US Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart for nine consecutive weeks.
"All That She Wants" was listed at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts and at number 70 on the 1990s decade-end charts. In Germany, the song was the best-selling single of 1993.
Music video
A music video directed by Matt Broadley was produced to promote the single. The video had a very low budget, and was filmed in one day with only two takes. The music video was meant to serve as an explanation for the song. It depicts the band members performing in a cramped apartment, interlaced with shots of a woman getting ready to go out. The video has a brown monochromatic filter.