Headlines for music and entertainment websites and ezines were aflutter with the announcement that Swedish Pop Band ABBA would be releasing their first new album in over 39 years. Why is this such a big deal? Between 1970 and 1983, the band would release 48 singles. 13 of those singles would go into the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 and 1976's "Dancing Queen" would go all the way to #1. To increase exposure and popularity in the next generation most of their hits were featured in the popular Broadway musical and movie "Mama Mia!". A new ABBA album could be huge if they follow their recipe for success.
There have been few bands to achieve the magnitude of fandom like the band ABBA, much less rare are the bands that hail from ABBA's native Sweden. There have, however, been bands from Sweden to enter the foray of pop music and achieve success. Roxette, would come along in the 80s and challenge ABBA's reign as the most popular band from the land that brought us IKEA. (This nation sure likes to use capital letters a lot too!!!) But Roxette didn't have quite the staying power of ABBA (nor a musical and all-star cast of a movie to promulgate their music...) And then another band from Sweden came along in the 90s to once again challenge ABBA's stronghold from the Ice Hotel of popular music...
Formed in 1990, Ace of Base hit the airwaves with their debut album, Happy Nation in 1992. While very popular in their homeland, the album wasn't very quick to catch on globally until their single "All That She Wants" began getting airplay. "All That She Wants" would peak at the #2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and catapult Ace of Base into the pop music spotlight. The siblings Berggren and Ulf Ekberg had already begun working on a new album when Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records, who had signed Ace of Base, decided that sales of Happy Nation were lagging behind expectations. He instructed the band to add their new music to Happy Nation and retitle it The Sign after the next expected single to be released.
The Sign was released on November 23, 1993. Upon its release, it remained in the top 3 of the Billboard 200 album chart for the next 26 weeks. The instantaneous comparisons to ABBA began as Ace of Base were thrust into the ears of most radio listeners around the world. The rest as they say is history, well at least as close as you can get with music...
The song, as so many of those chronicled here at Tuesday's Musical Notes, is about the inner workings of a relationship. However, instead of getting back together, "The Sign" shows the lady leaving the relationship after reflection of what she has gone through results in an "A-ha" moment where she realizes this guy is not the right one..."...I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign.."
"The Sign" was a fantastic follow-up to "All That She Wants" for Ace of Base. It supplied the continuity of singles in the top 10 for the band that is required for any musical group to stay relevant for very long. "The Sign" is one of those rare singles that hit the #1 spot on the singles chart at the same time as the album from which it came hit #1 on the album chart. Not many bands can say they achieved this kind of performance. It also topped the year-end chart in 1994 as well as received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
As it goes so many times with popular music movies and books, it just so happens that "The Sign" is not critically acclaimed. Consumable entertainment achieves some modicum of success despite someone who may or may not really know what they are talking about writing a review that describes it as "incessantly catchy" or having "dinky synths, impish dance beats, and miniaturized vocals". I don't know about you, but I'll take sales in excess of 2,000,000 over critical acclaim any day. It seems that critics just can't help themselves when someone makes the claim..." I saw the sign..."
Way before Ace of Base began seeing signs, there was a group of men in the Old Testament who received their own share of criticism for the signs they were revealing to the people. God had called these men to provide specific messages to a people who had given up on their distinct and peculiar relationship with the Creator of the universe. Many folks know these men as the prophets of the Old Testament.
Here's where I would normally put a focal passage of Scripture. Today we suggest that you take a week or so and read from Isaiah through Malachi in a translation of your choosing. Or you can read it in the order listed below in the same manner. If you like to read online click on this link and follow the directions to the books of the Prophets in the Old Testament. Biblegateway.com
The Prophetical books of the Old Testament can be kind of confusing, especially if you are like me and love to read about events in the order by which they happened. A cursory glance at many Bibles, regardless of translation, will have the books attributed to the prophets in an order that begins with Isaiah and ends with Malachi. The chronological order looks more like this:
As you can see, many of the prophets were contemporaries in the chronology as well as the message they were conveying to the nations of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom). As an aside, we find it very interesting that the book of Jonah is listed as the first book in chronology. This means that Assyria, the land that would conquer Israel (the Northern Kingdom), had a huge revival and turning to Yahweh, the One True God, about 100 years prior to the devasting invasion that they perpetrated on Israel. Interesting how quickly a nation can slide from "God we love You and will serve only You" to "Who's God?"
So what were the messages from God that these prophets were telling Israel and Judah that were so unpopular? God instructed the Prophets to detail the signs of the destruction of both of these kingdoms due to the breaking of the covenants that had been established with Abraham and Moses only a little more than 900 years prior. Because of the falling away from God and turning to the idols of the land, Israel and Judah would be taken captive and cease to exist for many years. The prophets were very blunt regarding the conditions that would exist during the subsequent invasions and carrying away of the people. To make matters worse, many of the prophets had a direct line to the leadership (kings) of their day. They weren't prophesying to the man on the street most of the time, they were telling the kings that THE King had gotten His fill of their idolatry and was about to allow actions to be taken to return them back to Himself. The prophets foretold the captivity of the people for their national sins and the eventual burning of the temple in Jerusalem. It was too late for a "turn or burn" message for them, judgement was about to fall.
In the last couple of weeks, we have chronicled some of the kings in which the prophets attempted to get the message across. If you remember, none of the kings in Israel were good kings, but a few in Judah listened to the prophets of their time and were good kings. Here is another chart to give you an idea of which prophet went with which king.
The kings did receive messages that were not all devastation and destruction. False prophets existed in the time of Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others. The "happy, happy, joy, joy" messages from these false prophets were much easier for the kings to hear. So many similarities to the times in which we live that we don't even have time to start...
Within all of this doom and gloom that the prophets spoke about, there was a glimmer of hope that was infused in their messages as well. The hope of a restoration for a remnant and a new leader that would set them free and sit on the throne of David forever. In some instances, this hope is all that even the prophets would hold on to as they awaited the captivity, famine, pestilence, and destruction to come. More on this hope next week. Same time, same channel!!!
Reading the Old Testament Prophets is difficult, however, there are so many significant lessons that can and will resonate with us if we take the time to read through their messages. If we take the time and see the signs, our eyes will be opened to God's mercy and grace. If we take the time and see the signs, we will turn from the idolatry that WE perpetrate against God and turn to Him as He waits for us. If we take the time and see the signs, we no longer are able to hear the false prophets that preach the ultimate in fake news and feed ears that are itching. Perhaps our lives could even be less demanding as we gain in understanding because with the background of a reggae, Europop backbeat we open up our eyes and see the signs...
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Serving You,
randy
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