# Aquarium (Aqua album)

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Entertainment Weekly | C |
| Music Week | |
| NME | 1/10 |
| Smash Hits | |
| Village Voice | |
Aquarium is the debut studio album by Danish band Aqua, released on 26 March 1997. The album is best known for including the globally successful single "Barbie Girl", which went on to become a widely recognizable hit around the world, as well as the popular track “Lollipop (Candyman)”. The album also featured the songs "Doctor Jones" and "Turn Back Time". In early 1997, the release of Aquarium was initially preceded by the singles "Roses Are Red" and "My Oh My", which was released a second time in 1998.
The album's third (and most popular) single, "Barbie Girl", brought the group to international attention after reaching number one across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, among other territories. The song later peaked at number 7 in the United States, at the end of 1997. Its success helped the album reach number one in both the group's home countries, and make the top 10 in the UK and US. While not selling as highly as "Barbie Girl", the album's fourth single, "Doctor Jones", was released in late 1997 and became a number one hit in Australia and the UK. "Turn Back Time" would later give the group their third consecutive number-one single in the UK, despite reaching only number 16 in their native Denmark. The record's final single, "Good Morning Sunshine", was notably more low-key than the band's previous dance-pop, uptempo releases; the song failed to chart highly, only being released in select regions and, like the earlier "Lollipop (Candyman)", was the group's third and final song to chart in the US. The album has sold 14 million copies worldwide.

## Chart performance

Aquarium debuted at number one in Denmark. As of August 2001, the album had sold 430,000 copies in Denmark. It is the third best-selling album in Denmark to date, only beaten by Danish recording artist Kim Larsen's 1983 album Midt om natten and his 1986 album Forklædt som voksen. The album debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and later peaked at number seven. It would spend a total of 50 weeks on the album sales chart, and sold 1.7 million copies in 1997. On 4 March 1999, the album was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of three million units, becoming the most successful Eurodance album in the US since Ace of Base's The Sign (1993). Aquarium has been certified four times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipments of four million copies inside Europe.

## Personnel

Credits adapted from album liner notes.

## Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Aquarium :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | 6× Platinum | 420,000$^^$ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) | Gold | 25,000$^*$ |
| Belgium (BEA) | Platinum | 50,000$^*$ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Diamond | 1,083,000 |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | 14× Platinum | 430,000 |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat) | 2× Platinum | 72,757 |
| France (SNEP) | Platinum | 300,000$^*$ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Gold | 250,000$^^$ |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) | Platinum | 20,000$^*$ |
| India | — | 330,000 |
| Italy | — | 700,000 |
| Japan (RIAJ) | Platinum | 200,000$^^$ |
| Korea | — | 58,000 |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Platinum | 15,000$^^$ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | 4× Platinum | 200,000$^*$ |
| Portugal | — | 75,000 |
| Singapore | — | 75,000 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 5× Platinum | 500,000$^^$ |
| Sweden (GLF) | 5× Platinum | 400,000$^^$ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | Gold | 25,000$^^$ |
| Thailand | — | 150,000 |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 565,000 |
| United States (RIAA) | 3× Platinum | 4,000,000 |
| Summaries |||
| Asia Pacific | — | 3,000,000 |
| Europe (IFPI) | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000$^*$ |
| Latin America | — | 400,000 |
| Worldwide | — | 14,000,000 |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

Release formats for Aquarium :
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
| Denmark | 26 March 1997 | CD | MCA Universal |
| Norway | May 1997 | CD | MCA Universal |
| Sweden | May 1997 | CD | MCA Universal |
| Netherlands | 1 September 1997 | CD | Universal |
| United States | 9 September 1997 | CD | Universal |
| Europe | 22 April 2017 | LP | Universal |