Life Is a Flower

"Life Is a Flower" is a 1998 song by Swedish group Ace of Base, released as their first single from their album, Flowers. The song was released in the US with different lyrics, titled "Whenever You're Near Me", and in a different key. It peaked at number-one in Hungary and was a top-ten hit in Denmark, Finland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. "Life Is a Flower" was certified silver in the UK by the BPI. It is written by band member Jonas Berggren, who also told in an 2015 interview that it is his greatest Ace of Base song.[3]

"Life Is a Flower"
Single by Ace of Base
from the album Flowers
B-side"No Good Lover"
Released
  • 6 April 1998 (Europe)[1]
  • 13 July 1998 (UK)[2]
Recorded1997
Length3:47
LabelMega Records
Songwriter(s)Jonas "Joker" Berggren
Producer(s)
  • Jonas "Joker" Berggren
  • Per Adebratt
  • Tommy Ekman
Ace of Base singles chronology
"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry"
(1996)		 "Life Is a Flower"
(1998)		 "Cruel Summer"
(1998)
Music video
"Life Is a Flower" on YouTube

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Bryan Buss described the song as acoustic in his review.[4] Evening Herald called it a gem, adding that "more of the same can often be a good thing".[5] Swedish newspaper Expressen noted it as a "safe card".[6] Göteborgsposten wrote that it is "almost religiously positive".[7] Music & Media commented that "although the sound and style on the latest single remains unmistakably that of Ace Of Base, the Swedish outfit have still been able to reinvent themselves enough to stay relevant and keep pace with dance scene developments." Bernhard Hiller, head of music at AC/CHR outlet 104.6 RTL/Berlin said, "It is a great comeback for them. The good thing is that they have managed to change their sound while still sounding like Ace Of Base." He added, "Of course, this record is an absolute blessing for radio; we added it as soon as it got in, and currently we are playing it 15–20 times a week. At first audience response was less than overwhelming-but than again it is still early days; and besides, how can an audience like records when you don't allow the listeners to get to know the tracks?"[8]

"My favorite track from Ace Of Base is Life is a Flower. I think that song shows the pure essence of what we are as a band; summer vibes, twisted happy lyrics, poppy melodies, nice beats and a choir in the end. Perfect!"

—Jonas Berggren talking to Renowned for Sound about the song.[3]

Chart performance

"Life Is a Flower" was a major hit on the charts in Europe, peaking at number-one in Hungary. Additionally, it managed to reach the Top 10 also in Denmark, Finland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single went straight to number 5 in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on July 19, 1998.[9] It was also a Top 20 hit in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Switzerland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it hit number 19 in August 1998. In Iceland and the Netherlands, "Life Is a Flower" went into the Top 30. Outside Europe, it was a hit in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 29. It earned a gold record in the band's native Sweden, with a sale of 15,000 singles and a silver record in the UK, after 200,000 units were sold there.

Music video

Two music videos of "Life Is a Flower" were shot. The first one was not finished and has never been released. It was rejected by the record label, although they had invested a lot of money in it. Scenography didn't fit to the happy message of the song and it was found too dark and heavy. The second music video was officially released and is much more colourful and funny. Part of the storyboard was created by Jenny Berggren herself. Ace of Base also brought some elements of scenography on their own, like a washing machine. The video was uploaded to YouTube in January 2015. As of September 2020, it has got more than 5.2 million views.[10]

Track listings
  • CD single
  1. Life Is a Flower (Original Version) 3:45
  2. Life Is a Flower (Extended Version) 5:44
  • Maxi-single
  1. Life Is a Flower (Original Version) 3:45
  2. Life Is a Flower (Reggae Version) 3:32
  3. Life Is a Flower (Extended Version) 5:44
  4. Life Is a Flower (Soul Poets Night Club Mix) 5:20
  5. No Good Lover (Previously Unreleased) 3:54
  • UK CD 1
  1. Life Is a Flower (Original Version) 3:45
  2. Life Is a Flower (Extended Version) 5:44
  3. Life Is a Flower (Soul Poets' Night Club Mix) 5:20
  4. Life Is a Flower (Milk Inc. Long Edit)
  • UK CD 2
  1. Life Is a Flower 3:45
  2. The Sign
  3. All That She Wants

Official versions and remixes
  • Radio Edit
  • Absolom Remix
  • Absolom Short Edit
  • Extended Version
  • Milk Inc. Club Mix
  • Milk Inc. UHT Radio Mix
  • Milk Inc. Long Edit
  • Reggae Version
  • Soul Poets Night Club Mix
  • Sweetbox Remix

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "Austriancharts.at – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  2. "Singles – Releases for 13 July–19 July, 1998: 159" (PDF). Music Week. 11 July 1998. p. 23. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  3. "Interview: Ace of Base". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  4. "Ace of Base - Greatest Hits [Arista]". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. Evening Herald. 19 August 1998. p. 32. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  6. Expressen. 28 March 1998.
  7. Göteborgsposten. 12 June 1998.
  8. "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 14. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 19 July 1998 - 25 July 1998". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  10. "Ace of Base - Life Is a Flower (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  12. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 24. 13 June 1998. p. 13. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 33. 15 August 1998. p. 19. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  14. "Ace of Base: Life Is a Flower" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  15. "Lescharts.com – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  17. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 27. 4 July 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  18. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (11.06.1998 – 18.06.1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 12 June 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  19. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Life Is a Flower". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  20. "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 110 no. 27. 4 July 1998. p. 52. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 21, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  23. "Charts.nz – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower". VG-lista. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  25. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  26. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 28. 11 July 1998. p. 13. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  27. "Swedishcharts.com – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  29. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  30. http://scans.chartarchive.org/UK/1998/UK%20Charts%201998%20-%20Singles%20and%20albums.pdf
  31. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1998" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 51. 19 December 1998. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  32. "Årslista Singlar, 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  33. "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  34. "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  35. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  36. "British single certifications – Ace of Base – Life Is a Flower". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
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