As a newly licensed car driver, I feel uniquely qualified to test out Ace of Base songs on the road. You have probably been driving and listening for years, but this is a new experience for me. Sure, it was fun rolling down the street on a moped while singing "Cruel Summer", but the car drivers were starting to look at me funny. I wondered when one was going to pick up their cell phone and dial the local psychiatric unit. Although, I'm not quite sure what was more likely to get me locked up. Would it be because I was singing wildly to myself or because I was singing Ace of Base songs?

No matter. Now I have a car. A big, gas guzzling car. Ok, it's not your typical American behemoth weighing a little less than a fully grown elephant. It's not a truck or an SUV or, God forbid, a Hummer. Although, I think I'm the only one in Texas without one of the three. But I do have a Ford Mustang made in a very good year - 1992. So, since the car is made in 1992, I feel I must start with another much loved product from the same year - the Happy Nation cd. The original. Not the reworked version. Not the American album. But the dance ball cover cd.

I slide into the seat, which, thanks to my height, is about half an arm's length away from the steering wheel. If I ever hit something, the airbag would break my face. But I think happy thoughts like, "I might not have a face left, but I'll still be able to hear the music!"

I queue up the first track and I'm out driving at last. Open road. Big sky. Even bigger air conditioner. If you think I'm rolling down the windows and cranking up the music for all to hear, you're cracked. This is Texas. I'd spontaneously combust in a matter of seconds if I rolled down that window. It's frickin' hot! So, the windows stay up. I push my air conditioner to the limit and forget about global warming, pollution and inconvenient truths. I can't be bothered by all that. I have Ace of Base CDs to listen to.

The "Happy Nation" cd is a lesson in fun. I'm not driving. I'm "drancing".That's when you attempt to dance while you're driving. You know how it goes. Move yourself a fraction to the right, then a bit to the left, as much as your seatbelt will allow. Bob your head up and down to the beat. Your hands are steady on the wheel, but the rest of you looks like it's having a spasm.

I stop at a red light, singing as wildly as possible while clapping my hands to the beat, "Waiting for magic for me and you! Oh, kiss me baby! Wake me up!" The guy in the SUV beside me looks down and contemplates the scene. I hope he can't read lips because he's way too old to be putting those lyrics into action. I suddenly realize this singing may get me a pass to the psych ward too. So, I'm a bit relieved when I switch to the second cd, "The Bridge".

"The Bridge" calms me down. Thanks to the random button on the cd player, ballads pop up one after the other. My dance spasms have stopped and, suddenly, I've become a more responsible driver. No more "drancing", just mellow driving. I feel so grown up. "The gas station on the left raised its prices again", I mentally note as "Angel Eyes" fades out. I think to myself, "good thing I stopped yesterday and filled up my tank".

My cd switches gears. I'm now treated to "Strange Ways" and "Just 'N' Image". And that's really why I'm happy I filled up the tank. Linn's songs make me want to rev the engine. I think she created these songs while she was driving because they're perfect for this activity. The beat, the melody, the lyrics. They scream DRIVE! And that's what I do. The fast lane for me please. I'm breaking laws, but I don't care because I'm listening to the greatest driving songs ever. I already have my excuse ready. "Hello Mr. Police Officer. I was listening to "Just 'N' Image and that's why I flew past you at three times the legal speed limit." I am certain he would understand and let me go with just a warning. All too soon, a red light cuts short my fun. I slow down, look in my rearview mirror, and cannot believe what I see. A van pulls up behind me and its white hood contains one bold, blue word in block lettering - Malin. Yes, that's right. My jaw drops and I fumble with my camera phone, but the light turns and I never get my image.

The Malin moment was a bit eerie. The van was there for a few minutes and then it was nowhere to be found. I decide that's as good a sign as any to switch CDs. So, it's time for "Flowers". The music transports me back to my younger days. Sweet sweet summertime, unbeatable vacations and puppy love romances. I even roll down the windows when "Cruel Summer" comes on. Sweat pours down my back in a matter of seconds, but I'm feeling the spirit of the song. "This heat has got right out of hand!", I wail and almost believe the woman in the car beside me is nodding in agreement. I take a tight turn while contemplating the album and its place in the Ace of Base pantheon of sound. It has to be the most "American" of all the albums. The work is an ode to fun, frolicking and the pursuit of happiness. The sounds hark back to classic American ditties and the material is straight out of a high school movie. Maybe that's why I love it so much. It's naive and fresh. You believe you can achieve anything after listening to the album.

All this contemplation makes me work up an appetite. I finish the album full of summer lovin', symphonic strings and Motown music, then search for a bite to eat. It's off to McDonalds because I am a sucker for their fries and all this thought about the American way of life makes me want to take part. I convince myself that I'm pursuing happiness by ordering the fries. The Super size fries. They make me happiest.

From sunny and relaxed to dour and depressed. It's not what happened to me after I ate all that fatty, greasy food. That's the switch from "Flowers" to "Da Capo". My driving style changes to turtle mode. I'm no longer reminiscing about fun and happiness. I'm thinking about life and its difficulties. The young guy behind me hates my depressed speed, so he whips in front of me, nearly scraping my front bumper and I think to myself, "This juvenile is not the key to the end. He's the key to getting my car totaled. Jerk." But "Beautiful Morning" redeems me with its overpowering choir of voices pleading that there is hope for tomorrow.

Listening to "Da Capo" is like reading someone's journal entries. The person is encountering daily difficulties, yet tries to convince themselves everything will turn out well in the end. The songs seem hopeful on the surface, but a deeper look at the lyrics reveals a darker tone. The band has written a lot of these "mostly positive with a hint of negative" songs; "Beautiful Life", "Happy Nation", "Life is a Flower". But this CD follows the hope/despair pattern more fully than any other release to date.

My long drive winds down and I play one last song again. "Da Capo" may be dark but it is fun to drive to. A booming bass and steady beat marks it as one of the greatest driving songs. This final hurrah caps off my inaugural celebration of "Ace of Base drive 2008." I pull into my parking spot, A3 ( A fitting letter/number combo for an Acer these days). As I switch off the ignition, I wonder about the new album. What new adventures will it hold? Will it make me want to party, be mellow, think retro or contemplate life? How will it fare in the driving test? I don't know yet. But I do know one thing. My car and cd player will be ready when it's time to find out.

Stats:

_________________

CDs: HN dance ball, TB Euro, F, DC

Miles/KM driven: 138/222

Money spent on fuel: $21.72

Strange looks: 8

Hummer sightings: 2

Photo caption: I finally found the Malin van! It's the same one I saw in my mirror. I was walking across the apartment complex to get my mail a couple of days ago and it was in the parking lot. The driver has obviously moved in and now I see Malin every day. (Notice it says Raymond too!)

/ Sara


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