Don't Turn Around

{{Infobox song

| name = Don't Turn Around

| cover = Aswad don't turn.jpg

| border = yes

| alt =

| caption =

| type = single

| artist = Aswad

| album = Distant Thunder

| B-side = Woman

| released = {{Start date|1988|2|10}}

| recorded = 1987

| genre = Reggae fusion

| length = {{Duration|m=6|s=56}}

| label =

• Mango
• Island

| producer = Chris Porter

| prev_title = Hooked on You

| prev_year = 1987

| next_title = Give a Little Love

| next_year = 1988

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|xhkNb3XXats|"Don't Turn Around"}}}}

}}

British reggae group Aswad heard Luther Ingram's version and released a cover version on February 10, 1988. This version samples a verse from the Righteous Brothers' 1964 single "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", as well as elements of the song closely resembling that of Erma Franklin's 1967 single "Piece of My Heart". The song was released as the first single from their eleventh album, Distant Thunder (1988), and went to number one on the UK Singles Chart in March 1988.{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 486}} It also peaked at number one for two consecutive weeks in New Zealand in June 1988. It also reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the US that same year.

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{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Don't Turn Around|artist=Aswad|type=single|award=Silver|relyear=1988|certyear=1988|id=1913-1323-1|access-date=May 1, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Don't Turn Around

| cover = Ace of Base - Don't Turn Around.jpg

| caption = Scandinavian CD single; artwork also used on other European releases with different title layouts

| type = single

| artist = Ace of Base

| album = Happy Nation {{noitalic|(U.S. version) and}} The Sign

| B-side =

• "Young and Proud" (EU)
• "Dancer in a Daydream" (NA)

| released = March 14, 1994

| recorded = 1993

| studio = Tuffs, Gothenburg, Sweden

| genre =

• Reggae fusion
• synth-pop{{cite book|last=Durchholz|first=Daniel|chapter= Ace of Base|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=du Lac|editor-first2=Josh|editor-last3=McFarlin|editor-first3=Jim|date=January 1, 1998|title=MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Detroit|page=5}}
• Eurodisco

| length = 3:50

| label =

• Arista (US & Japan)
• Mega (Europe)

| writer =

• Albert Hammond
• Diane Warren
• (rap segment by Ulf Ekberg)

| producer =

• Tommy Ekman
• Per Adebratt

| prev_title = The Sign

| prev_year = 1993

| next_title = Living in Danger

| next_year = 1994

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|B_gs4gCyGKs|"Don't Turn Around"}}}}

}}

In 1993, Swedish pop group Ace of Base recorded a minor-key version of "Don't Turn Around" for their US debut album, The Sign (1993). The song, produced by Tommy Ekman and Per Adebratt, was the follow-up to the group's successful single, "The Sign", and was also included on the re-release of Happy Nation the same year. Their version was released in March 1994 by Arista and Mega Records, reaching number one in Canada, number four in the US and number five in the UK. It was the third most popular song in the United States in the summer of 1994.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/513524/summer-songs-1985-present-top-10-tunes-each-summer-listen|title=Summer Songs 1958-2015: The Top 10 Tunes of Each Summer|date=May 8, 2016|magazine=Billboard|access-date=September 26, 2016}} Its accompanying music video, directed by Matt Broadley and filmed in Florida, received heavy rotation on music television channels in both Europe and the US. "Don't Turn Around" was nominated in the category for Best Cover at the 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards.

{{quote box|width=30%|align=left|quote=I thought it was too much in major. We thought, 'If [Arista] really wants us to do it, why not?' The lyrics were good. We thought if we can transform it a bit into minor, in the chorus and so on, it could be OK.|source= —Jonas Berggren talking to Billboard about the song.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6502291/ace-of-base-hidden-gems-jonas-berggren|title=Ace of Base Founder Discusses 'New' Album, Shares the Stories Behind the Band's 5 Biggest Hits|publisher=billboard.com|access-date=2018-02-19}}}}

After the huge success of the band's European debut album, Happy Nation, American label Arista wanted to release it with some new tracks for the US market. They suggested that Ace of Base should make a cover on British reggae group Aswad's 1988 version of "Don't Turn Around". It was recorded and produced at Tuff Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by Tommy Ekman and Per Adebratt.

This version by the band would also contain a rap segment made and written by band member Ulf Ekberg.

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that with singles like "All That She Wants", "The Sign", and "Don't Turn Around", "it's easy to see why they were hits – the beat is relentless and the hooks are incessantly catchy."{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-sign-mw0000620925|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|title=Ace of Base - The Sign|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=February 15, 2020|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}} In a retrospective review, Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club felt that Ace of Base gave the song "a brisk, breezy vibe that verges on tropical".{{cite web|author=Zaleski, Annie|title=Good timing turned Ace Of Base's The Sign into the luckiest hit of the '90s|work=The A.V. Club|date=February 19, 2018|access-date=April 6, 2020|url=https://www.avclub.com/good-timing-turned-ace-of-base-s-the-sign-into-the-luck-1823004434|author-link=Annie Zaleski}} Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote that the Swedish pop phenomenon "will, once again, blaze up the Hot 100 with its slick, lightweight reading of a tune popularized by Aswad." He added that here, "thin but inoffensive vocals are laid over the kind of synth-smart pop/reggae arrangement that top 40 programmers regularly subscribe to."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1994/BB-1994-05-07.pdf|first=Larry|last=Flick|title=Single Reviews|magazine=Billboard|date=May 7, 1994|access-date=January 23, 2018|author-link=Larry Flick}} Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box commented, "Can these Swedish hitmakers make it three-for-three? You can bet on it, with the release of the next single from the quartet's smash The Sign, a song made popular in reggae circles by Aswad. Will follow the likes of Big Mountain, etc., up the charts with its easy-listening, synth-flavored mix of reggae and lightweight dance." He also deemed it a "potential summertime smash", adding, "One has to wonder. "What's in the water over at Arista?!"".{{cite magazine|first=Troy J.|last=Augusto|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/90s/1994/CB-1994-05-14.pdf|title=Pop Singles: Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|date=May 14, 1994|page=7|access-date=February 19, 2018}} David Browne from Entertainment Weekly remarked that "the jauntily forlorn" song is "preeminent Europop, all brassy hooks, rushing beats, and exuberant singing that brings to mind Swedish cheerleaders in an ABBA cabaret."{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/06/16/several-90s-bands-release-new-compilations/|first=David|last=Browne|title=Several 90's bands release new compilations|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=June 16, 2000|access-date=February 26, 2020|author-link=David Browne (journalist)}}

Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report noted that "for their third time at the plate this sensational pop foursome is about take a trip around the bases with what is another surefire home run!"{{cite magazine|first= Dave |last= Sholin |title= Gavin Picks > Singles |magazine= Gavin Report |issue= 2002 |date= April 29, 1994 |page= 70 |access-date= April 16, 2018 |url= http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Gavin-Report/90/94/Gavin-1994-04-29.pdf}} In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "Ace of Base's version borrows from the Aswad arrangement but transform it still further from being the simple pop song it was originally into a mournful ballad, dark and mysterious. Whether it is as big as past hits is open to question but it gets my vote for simply daring to reinterpret the track so drastically. Are you listening Big Mountain?"{{cite web|last=Masterton|first=James|title=Week Ending June 11th 1994|url=https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1994/week-ending-june-11th-1994|website=Chart Watch UK|date=June 5, 1994|access-date=September 15, 2021|author-link=James Masterton}} Ian Gittins from Melody Maker said, "Ace of Base half-want to be slick, Culture Beat-style Eurocheese, half-want to be Abba, and find a surprisingly pleasing halfway house."{{cite magazine|first=Ian|last=Gittins|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53169586818/|title=Singles|magazine=Melody Maker|date=June 4, 1994|page=33|access-date=September 7, 2023}} Mario Tarradell from Miami Herald described it as "innocuous".Tarradell, Mario (January 5, 1994). "Album Reviews: Ace of Base, The Sign". p. 40. Miami Herald. Alan Jones from Music Week gave it a score of four out of five, adding, "The Aswad chart-topper is stripped of much of its melody, and given a heavily percussive workover in order to fit the Ace of Base mould. Fans of their sound will heartily approve, and another Top 10 hit seems inevitable."{{cite magazine|first= Alan |last= Jones |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-06-11.pdf |title= Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles |magazine= Music Week |date= June 11, 1994 |page= 16 |access-date= April 17, 2021}} The Network Forty praised the song as "another bonafide smash" and "pure pop".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Network-40/94/Network-40-1994-05-06.pdf|title=Mainstream: Music Meeting|magazine=The Network Forty|date=May 6, 1994|page=22|access-date=March 29, 2020}} Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In (publication) found that "Don't Turn Around" and "The Sign" "demonstrate strength in the wake of romantic rejection."{{cite web|url=https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/aceofbase-thesign/|title=The Sign – Plugged In Online Album Reviews|author=Waliszewski, Bob|work=Plugged In (publication)|publisher=Focus on the Family|access-date=March 21, 2020}} The Rolling Stone Album Guide described it as "a funky Diane Warren song".{{cite book| last = Brackett | first = Nathan |author2= Christian Hoard | title = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 2004 | location = New York City, New York | page = [https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/4 4] | isbn = 0-7432-0169-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac| url-access = registration }} Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service called it a "reggae-paced" number.Campbell, Chuck (February 22, 1994). "New Releases: Ace Of Base, Crash Test Dummies, Shonen Knife". Scripps Howard News Service.

"Don't Turn Around" was a huge hit around the world and remains one of Ace of Base's more successful songs. It reached number one on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada, and both the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and the Cash Box Top 100. In Europe, it made it to the top ten in Austria (8), Denmark (4), Finland (3), Germany (6), Iceland (10), Ireland (8), the Netherlands (7), Scotland (8), and the UK, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number seven in April 1994, in its 13th week on the chart.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-07-02.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=27|date=April 9, 1994|page=17|access-date=February 27, 2018}} In the UK, "Don't Turn Around" reached number five in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on June 19, 1994.{{cite web|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 19 June 1994 - 25 June 1994|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19940619/7501/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=September 15, 2020}} Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Belgium (13), France (17), Sweden (11), and Switzerland (14). Outside Europe, the single also peaked at number two on the RPM Dance/Urban chart, number three in Israel, number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, number eight in New Zealand and number 19 in Australia.

"Don't Turn Around" earned a Gold certification in Germany, New Zealand and the United States with a sales of 250,000, 5,000 and 500,000 singles, respectively.

"Don't Turn Around" entered the European airplay chart Border Breakers at number 20 on April 2, 1994, due to crossover airplay in Central Europe and peaked at number one twice, first on June 4, followed by July 23. Both times it held on to the top spot for two weeks. Together with "The Sign", "Don't Turn Around" monopolised either the number one or two spot on Border Breakers for 36 weeks.{{cite magazine|first=Karen|last=Holt|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-11-19.pdf|title=Border Breakers: Monitoring The Impact Of Euro Talent|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=47|date=November 19, 1994|page=20|access-date=April 2, 2018}} On the European Adult Contemporary Radio chart, it peaked at number 10 in May 1994.{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-05-21.pdf|title=Adult Contemporary Europe Top 25|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=21|date=May 21, 1994|page=30|access-date=May 28, 2023}}

"Don't Turn Around" received a nomination in the category for Best Cover at the 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany, but lost to Gun's cover of "Word Up!".{{cite magazine|first=Dominic|last=Pride|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1994/BB-1994-11-05.pdf#page=6|title=Brandenburg Gate Setting For First MTV Euro Awards|magazine=Billboard|date=November 5, 1994|page=22|access-date=June 3, 2025}}

In 2014, Rolling Stone ranked it number 16 in their "20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1990s" list.{{cite magazine|title=20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1990s|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=July 23, 2014|access-date=October 9, 2018|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-biggest-songs-of-the-summer-the-1990s-13619/16-ace-of-base-dont-turn-around-216241/}}

Several reviewers have noted that "Don't Turn Around" might have inspired Lady Gaga for her 2010 hit single "Alejandro". Lindsey Fortier from Billboard magazine compared "Alejandro" to "Don't Turn Around" in her review of Gaga's single.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1069470/lady-gaga-alejandro|title=New Releases: Lady Gaga "Alejandro"|date=May 1, 2010|access-date=October 4, 2018|magazine=Billboard|last=Fortier|first=Lindsay|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925234635/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1069470/lady-gaga-alejandro|archive-date=September 25, 2015}} In 2014, when "Don't Turn Around" was ranked number 16 by Idolator in their list of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994", they wrote: "From its spoken-word intro to its insanely catchy pan flute hook, the song encapsulates everything perfect about pop of that era. I can't be the only one who thinks Lady Gaga was inspired by this immortal classic for her own single, "Alejandro," can I?"{{cite web|url=https://www.idolator.com/7569924/50-best-pop-singles-1994-interview-ace-of-base-tlc-lisa-loeb-real-mccoy-haddaway/3|title=The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1994 (Featuring New Interviews With Ace Of Base, TLC, Lisa Loeb, Real McCoy & Haddaway)|date=November 20, 2014 |publisher=idolator.com|access-date=October 4, 2018}}

In 2019, Billboard magazine ranked it at number 168 in their list of "Billboard{{'}}s Top Songs of the '90s".{{cite magazine|first=|last=|title=Greatest of All Time: Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s|magazine=Billboard|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-billboards-top-songs-90s/|date=2019|access-date=April 20, 2022}}

In 2021, BuzzFeed ranked the song number 22 in their list of "The 50 Best '90s Songs of Summer".{{cite web |first1=Matt|last1=Stopera|first2=Brian|last2=Galindo|title=The 50 Best '90s Songs Of Summer|publisher=BuzzFeed |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/1990s-songs-of-summer|date=June 29, 2021|access-date=August 23, 2021|author-link=Matt Stopera}}

Ace of Base filmed a music video for the song, directed by Swedish-based director Matt Broadley, showing scenes of a couple leaving each other intertwined with exterior scenes of the band on the beach and interior scenes filmed in a house in Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida, in December 1993.{{Cite web|url=http://www.saguaro.se/aceofbase.shtml|title=ace of base|publisher=www.saguaro.se}} The lighthouse in the video is located in Bill Bags Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, one of Miami's barrier islands. Some parts of the video are in black-and-white, but the scenes with Ace of Base members are in sepia color. The video begins with the group performing inside a sun-soaked red great room in a 1910 era mansion in Coconut Grove. The outdoor scenes were filmed on a beach in key biscayne. The brunette also descends a staircase in the house, that is not on the beach, it is in coconut Grove, and toward the end, all four members walk along the shore. It received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA.{{cite magazine|title=Station Reports > MTV Europe/London|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-05-14.pdf|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=20|date=May 14, 1994|page=22|accessdate=December 18, 2022}}{{cite magazine|title=Station Reports > VIVA TV/Cologne|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-05-14.pdf|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=20|date=May 14, 1994|page=22|accessdate=December 18, 2022}} Broadley had previously directed the music videos for "All That She Wants" and "Happy Nation". As of May 2025, "Don't Turn Around" had generated more than 45 million views on YouTube.

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{{col-2}}

• UK CD single

1. "Don't Turn Around" (The 7" Aswad Mix)
2. "Don't Turn Around" (Stretch Version)
3. "Young and Proud"

• German 4-track CD

1. "Don't Turn Around" (Radio Groove Mix)
2. "Don't Turn Around" (The Aswad Mix)
3. "Don't Turn Around" (Groove Mix Extended)
4. "Happy Nation" (Moody Gold Mix)

• European 2-CD set

CD 1:

1. "Don't Turn Around"
2. "Don't Turn Around" (Stretch Version)
3. "Young and Proud"

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CD 2:

1. "Don't Turn Around" (The 7" Aswad Mix)
2. "Don't Turn Around" (Turned Out Eurodub)
3. "Don't Turn Around" (Groove Mix Extended)
4. "Happy Nation" (Moody Gold Mix)

• Digital download (The Remixes EP, 2009)

1. "Don't Turn Around"
2. "Don't Turn Around" (2009)
3. "Don't Turn Around" (Stretch Version)
4. "Don't Turn Around" (The 7" Aswad Mix)
5. "Don't Turn Around" (Turned Out Eurodub)
6. "Don't Turn Around" (Groove Mix Extended)

{{col-end}}

• Vocals by Linn Berggren, Jenny Berggren, and Ulf Ekberg
• Backing Vocals by Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren
• Written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren
• Produced by Tommy Ekman and Per Adebratt
• Recorded and produced at Tuff Studios, Gothenburg
• Mixed at Park Studios, Stockholm

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Don't Turn Around"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|title=Don't Turn Around|artist=Ace of Base|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=1994|access-date=February 28, 2015}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=Don't Turn Around|artist=Ace of Base|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1994|id=1994-09-09|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|certyear=1994}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Don't Turn Around|artist=Ace Of Base|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=1994|access-date=February 28, 2015|salesamount=500,000|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uAsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57|title=Best-Selling Records of 1994|magazine=Billboard|publisher=BPI Communications|date=January 21, 1995|access-date=May 5, 2015|page=57|issn=0006-2510|volume=107|number=3}}}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

• Soul singer Luther Ingram's version rose to No. 55 on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1987.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/luther-ingram/chart-history/bsi/ | title=Luther Ingram | magazine=Billboard }}
• In 1992, Neil Diamond recorded a version of "Don't Turn Around", which made the Top 20 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and Top 10 AC in Canada.{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2073&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2073.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2073|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=March 7, 1992 |access-date=January 24, 2021}}
• In 2010, Albert Hammond, co-writer of the song, recorded the song for his album Legend.

{{Reflist}}

• {{YouTube|pqSdIXGFTXY|Bonnie Tyler – "Don't Turn Around"}}

{{Albert Hammond}}

{{Tina Turner}}

{{Aswad}}

{{Bonnie Tyler songs}}

{{Ace of Base}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1986 songs

Category:1988 singles

Category:1994 singles

Category:Tina Turner songs

Category:Aswad (band) songs

Category:Ace of Base songs

Category:Bonnie Tyler songs

Category:Lonnie Gordon songs

Category:Neil Diamond songs

Category:Songs about heartache

Category:Songs written by Diane Warren

Category:Songs written by Albert Hammond

Category:Song recordings produced by Bob Clearmountain

Category:Song recordings produced by Denniz Pop

Category:Cashbox number-one singles

Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Music videos directed by Matt Broadley

Category:Mango Records singles

Category:Island Records singles

Category:Arista Records singles

Category:Mega Records singles

Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles