Waiting for Magic explained

Waiting for Magic
Cover:	Waiting for Magic (Ace of Base single - cover art).jpg
Caption:	Single cover
Type:	single
Artist:	Ace of Base
Album:	Happy Nation/The Sign
Released:	12 April 1993
Recorded:	1992
Genre:	Dance-pop eurodance techno
Length:	5:14 (Album version) 3:31 (Radio edit)
Label:	Mega
Producer:	Buddha; Joker
Prev Title:	Happy Nation
Prev Year:	1992
Next Title:	The Sign
Next Year:	1993

"Waiting for Magic" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group Ace of Base from their debut album, Happy Nation (1992). It was released in Scandinavia in April 1993 as the fourth single from the album. The song reached number one in Israel, and the top-10 in both Denmark and Finland. The original version of the song appears only on the original release of Happy Nation. On the album's re-release and The Sign (1993), it was replaced with its remix. No music video was produced for "Waiting for Magic", but it was promoted through a number of live performances, including one at the Miss Universe Denmark pageant.^[1]

Lyrics

Snow White is used as an allegory in this song for waiting for "the prince" to come ("Kiss me baby, I am Snow White sleeping in my coffin waiting for you").

Critical reception

Chuck Eddy from LA Weekly said that the song "is sung by a sleeping beauty waiting "in a coffin" to be kissed and awakened".^[2] Kim Såtvedt from Norwegian newspaper Laagendalsposten stated that it "has something of the magic" that "All That She Wants" "holds".^[3] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote that here, "the Swedish chartbusters drop the conventional reggae beat in favour of a more modern dance cadence. The sing-along factor has remained intact though."^[4] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty described the song as "dance-oriented and radio-friendly".^[5] Scandipop called it a "gem" in their retrospective review of Happy Nation.^[6] A reviewer from Sputnikmusic noted "an upbeat piano identifying the chord progression that then moves to follow a catchy ascending vocal melody", and concluded that Ace of Base "clearly chose to put some effort into this one."^[7]

Track listing

• Sweden Maxi-CD

1. "Waiting for Magic" (Radio Version) – 3:31
2. "Waiting for Magic" (Total Remix 12") – 6:34
3. "Waiting for Magic" (Total Remix 7") – 3:51
4. "Waiting for Magic" (Album Version) – 5:14

Personnel

• Vocals by Linn Berggren, Jenny Berggren, Jonas Berggren, and Ulf Ekberg
• Written by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg
• Produced by Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg
• Total Remix by Ulf Ekberg and Stonestream
• Recorded at Tuff Studios

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Denmark (IFPI)	2
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[8]	84
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[9]	5

Notes and References

1. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Ace of Base - Waiting for the Magic, Live at Miss Universe Denmark 1993, 720p . YouTube.
2. [Chuck Eddy|Eddy, Chuck]
3. News: Kim . Såtvedt . Plater . . 54 . 1993-03-18 . 7 . 2020-10-07 . no.
4. New Releases. Music & Media. 1993-06-12. 11. 2018-02-05.
5. Wendi. Cermak. Crossover: Music Meeting. The Network Forty. 1994-01-14. 32. 2020-03-27.
6. Web site: Ace of Base: 25 years of 'Happy Nation'. Scandipop. 2018-06-07. 2020-04-06.
7. Web site: Ace of Base - The Sign. Sputnikmusic. 2007-10-28. 2020-04-06.
8. Eurochart Hot 100. 1993-05-08. 2021-10-09. Music & Media.
9. Book: Pennanen, Timo . 2006 . Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 . fi . 1st . Tammi . 978-951-1-21053-5 . Helsinki.