Don't Turn Around

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Don't Turn Around (disambiguation).

"Don't Turn Around"
Song by Tina Turner
A-side"Typical Male"
ReleasedAugust 1986
GenreRock
Length4:19
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by American singer Tina Turner and released as the B-side to her 1986 hit single "Typical Male". It has since been included on Turner's compilation album The Collected Recordings: Sixties to Nineties (1994), as well as featuring in the Tina musical since 2018.

The song has been

Aswad in 1988, Bonnie Tyler in 1988, Eyes in 1990, Neil Diamond in 1991, Ace of Base
in 1993, and Albert Hammond in 2010.

Aswad version

"Don't Turn Around"
Aswad
from the album Distant Thunder
B-side"Woman"
ReleasedFebruary 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)
Recorded1987
GenreReggae fusion
Length6:56
Label
Aswad
singles chronology
"Hooked on You"
(1987) 		"Don't Turn Around"
(1988) 		"Give a Little Love"
(1988)
Official video
" Don't Turn Around" on
YouTube

British

UK Singles Chart in March 1988.[1] It also reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
in the US that same year.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Ace of Base version

"Don't Turn Around"
Scandinavian CD single; artwork also used on other European releases with different title layouts
Single by Ace of Base
from the album Happy Nation (U.S. version) and The Sign
B-side
  • "Young and Proud" (EU)
  • "Dancer in a Daydream" (NA)
ReleasedMarch 14, 1994
Recorded1993
StudioTuffs, Gothenburg, Sweden
Genre
Length3:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ace of Base singles chronology
"The Sign"
(1993) 		"Don't Turn Around"
(1994) 		"Living in Danger"
(1994)
Music video
"Don't Turn Around" on
YouTube

In 1993, Swedish pop group

minor-key version of "Don't Turn Around" for their US debut album, The Sign (1993). The song was the follow-up to their 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, 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.[21] Its music video was directed by Matt Broadley and filmed in Florida
.

Background and recording

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.

—Jonas Berggren talking to Billboard about the song.[22]

After the huge success of the band's European debut album,

group Aswad
's 1988 version of "Don't Turn Around". It was recorded and produced at Tuff Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.

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

Critical reception

top 40 programmers regularly subscribe to."[25] 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?!"".[26] 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."[27]

Dave Sholin from the

Scripps Howard News Service called it a "reggae-paced" number.[36]

Chart performance

"Don't Turn Around" was a huge hit around the world and remains one of Ace of Base's more successful songs to date. It reached number one on the

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.

Airplay

"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.[38]

Impact and legacy

Rolling Stone listed "Don't Turn Around" at number 16 in their "20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1990s" list in July 2014.[39]

Several reviewers have noted that "Don't Turn Around" might have inspired

Idolator in their ranking 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?"[41]

In 2019, Billboard placed it at number 168 in their ranking of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s".[42]

In 2021, BuzzFeed ranked the song at number 22 in their list of "The 50 Best '90s Songs of Summer".[43]

Music video

Ace of Base filmed a music video for the song, directed by Swedish-based director

MTV Europe[45] and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA.[46] Broadley had previously directed the music videos for "All That She Wants" and "Happy Nation". As of August 2023, "Don't Turn Around" had generated more than 36 million views on YouTube
.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

  • 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

Release history

Region Date Label
Europe March 14, 1994 Mega, PolyGram
United States April 19, 1994 Arista
United Kingdom May 30, 1994[47] London
Japan July 6, 1994[48] Arista

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Don't Turn Around"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[93] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[94] Gold 5,000*
United States (RIAA)[96] Gold 500,000[95]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other notable cover versions

References

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External links

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