The video of this had them as astronauts landing on the moon, with morten then experience it a hallucination and being left stranded the moon as Paul and mags leave him behind, the astronaut suits they wore are the exact ones used in the movie Apollo 13 as worn by Tom hanks , Kevin bacon and the late great bill paxton
morning Matt, Minor Earth, Major Sky - By the summer of 1998 it had been just over 4 years since the band had honoured their last tour etc and all 3 band members were doing their own thing be it musical, artistic, environmental. Although a comeback had been hinted nothing really came of it. It wasn’t until they were asked to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize concert as Aha in 2000 that got the ball rolling again and even after that performance they still couldn’t decide on reforming. What made them get back together was the response from the audience. They weren’t expecting it. Morten said There was nothing to indicate we would reform we were all to busy with other things but the response from the audience had such a warmth, a feeling of them reaching out to us, like an attempt to make contact. Minor earth Major sky charted at no.27 in the uk and no.1 in norway and germany. I quite like it though it took a while to get used to. I was just happy they were back. take care 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴🇺🇸
Every a-ha fan watching this video knowing Matt is close to hearing summer moved on and knowing his mind will be blown 😁😁😁😁, honestly Matt we can’t hype up that song enough, if someone has the Audio file for the live version from the how can I sleep with your voice in my head live album, then I’d strongly suggest reacting to that before continuing with the minor earth major sky album.
They came back with this and it blew me away….and they opened their first concert back in their home city Oslo after 7 years absence with it. What a way to make a re-entry….the space analogy is not thrown in idly, because the official video which accompanied the release of the single version of this track depicted the three of them as US Astronauts on a moon landing! Here’s a link to the live Homecoming video in Vallhall, Oslo in 2021. ruclips.net/video/gLiLADO5rOw/видео.html
Up until recently, I felt that a-ha had three somewhat distinct eras to their music. The first three albums they were primarily a synth band with a better than most understanding on how to structure a tune. The fourth and fifth album they took that ability to write epic feeling tracks and used some more conventional rock to hard rock sensibilities to achieve that aim. Starting with "Minor Earth Major Sky" they embraced their synth band status again and brought with it what they learned during the rock based era. Until "True North" came out, I thought that was it for overall tonal shifts, but now I realize that starting with "Cast in Steel" in 2015 they have shifted slightly into a fourth era, something more akin to classic standards, that are a little less synth driven but also not hard rock. It took hearing "True North" to know that wasn't just a choice for the "Cast in Steel" album. As far as the song, "Minor Earth Major Sky" I've never had an idea as to what the song is about, but two things occurred to me about the title. The first is that their are major and minor elements in music and the second is that sometimes in astronomy there is also minor and major, like Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. And now that I'm thinking about it in astrology and other divination there are major and minor arcana, but I never got a sense of that from the song. You should go watch the music video to "Minor Earth Major Sky." I think it's a shorter edit of the song, but the video definitely has a space theme and I feel it's one of their best videos.
I never bothered doing a ranking of my favourite songs, but I can say this is among my favourites from the 2000s (in the a-ha catalogue). When you were talking about the "cinematic part" and how grandiose it feels, I remembered being on a plane once, years ago (flying to Oslo, I believe), listening to a-ha, and suddenly this song came on... WOW. It was an amazing experience. Looking out of the window and seeing those tiny things on the ground, and the clouds, and the vastness of the sky, and having Morten's voice in my ears singing "Minor earth... major sky". ❤ Just imagine that.
@@ahabutterfly I forgot to say i was going to see a-ha live in Oslo; or it may have been on the flight to Paris see a-ha live. 😁 I hope you fulfil your dream, some day. 🤞
Ah, the legendary return of a-ha. I got into the band in 1999, collecting and listening to all their fabulous albums, never expecting that the very next year they would return with an epic synth based masterpiece. For me the stand out track is I WISH I CARED...
Such a masterpiece of a song in every way. Blare it in the car when I am driving. Heard it a million times, but still make loud pleasure sounds to it. 😂 Like right when Morten gets ready to belt out, I say “You go Morten! Yeah!” Then always complementing Magne out loud . I must be a hoot to other drivers. 😂 My niece was with me one day and I think I was listening to Scoundrel Days and making those sounds. She looked at me weird and I laughed. I said “Don’t mind me, I just really love their music”. She laughed and said “okay….”😂
a-ha's latest video "True North" has just been released. You still have a long way to go before you get to the north. And it's a pleasure to take this trip with you . 🇨🇵
Since you mentioned Depeche Mode. A-ha has made a cover of A Question of Lust. The also have made cover versions of # 9 Dream by John Lennon, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye by Soft Cell and The Killing Moon, featuring Ian McCulloch from Echo & The Bunnymen. Bowling Green was written by a-ha's early manager, Terry Slater. The Everly Brothers originally performed it. A-ha performed it as a tribute to Terry Slater who was present at what was supposed to be their farewell concert in Oslo in 2010.
When you get around to the music videos you'll enjoy the video for Minor Earth Major Sky, a very well made video with the band on the Moon! Gives a very similar vibe to The Martian movie, with Morten being accidentally left behind!
After I watched “A-ha the Movie”, I saw this video for the first time. I had to laugh at your “accidentally”. I think Magne and Pål were fantasizing about really doing that.😂😂😂😂
Amen! Not only is he listening, he is actually appreciating the songs and getting philosophical about it. No fluff. No going on about how hot Morten is. My head is exploding! I hardly ever see this! It is so refreshing and I crave this kind of conversation about A-ha. ❤
Great song great vibe but needs a guitar solo like the live version. As Matt pointed out it has a great bass line. The music video gives me a great feeling of perspective and scale of things. Great video... and really fun to see the guys playing a part in it rather than looking wistfully into the distance.
Happy you have reached the Minor Earth Major Sky album. I'm sort of glad the Memorial Beach album has ended. I didn't think I'd say that. The whole album had a depressing undertone for me (Cold As Stone is still a stunning track). I don't dislike any of them, but perhaps me getting older changes my view. I think your reactions to the albums one after another has made me consider them more. As a few people have commented, I also can't wait for you to hear 'Summer Moved On' - a-ha's and Morten's 'piece de resistance'!
Great reaction and interpretation of this masterpiece. The contrasts that the title suggests are there, also in the music, and they manage to convey how small we humans are in our encounter with the universe. The narrator probably feels even less, he tries and tries, but no one notices him. I wonder if there is also a heaven-earth aspect in the text seen from a religious perspective - "I don't even think God can see me" with the words "I can't see me here in outer space / It's so hard to leave a trace". The melancholy is there, and the music suits it perfectly.
I truly love reading your comments. Really good perspectives. I love to blare this song as I drive around enjoying the beauty of Oregon, the coast, the mountains, the pine forests…they just seem to go so well together. This song always takes me away. Quite a few do for sure.
I really love this album! It’s good to see you continue your A-ha journey Matt! I think some songs will be unforgettable for you like maybe Manhattan Skyline, I think it will be the same for Summer Moved On 😁…this song is among my top 3 of their wonderful career. Cheers Matt 🤗
Cheers, David! And you're like the fourth person to mention "Summer Moved On" in the comments here, so clearly that is a special tune. Looking forward to it!
@@mattsnider2667 Summer Moved On is a landmark, it was the first song they performed together after the long pause and the first single (I think) of their comeback album. And it has that extra feature some have mentioned. But, to tone down your expectations, I for one don't place this song among my favourites. 😁 It is not that I don't like it, but it doesn't come close to the songs I love most.
You should check out the video to this single. Pål is wearing a spacesuit that was worn by one of the main actors in Apollo 13 and had to stuff the shoulders with his baby’s diapers because it was too big! It’s a great video, maybe somebody gets left behind who in real life is apparently, notoriously always late….
Pal released solo stuff with the band Savoy and released music too and Mags went the artistic way with artwork but also released music. hopefully you’ll take a listen to them too you can find them on spotify. Pal’s son True August has an EP out too. 😘
Yeah, Savoy had some great tracks. Definitely a continuation of the heavier stuff heard on Memorial Beach. I think Lackluster Me, Whalebone, Reasons To Stay Indoors and Unsound are all great tracks...
Yes, that is a good song. Recorded for the Paralympics back in 1994 and not featured on any album until a latter Singles compilation, so often overlooked
Hey there! Yes, apologies, but that song wasn't in the folder I've been given access to, or at least not that I saw. So I would like to react to it but can't do it yet.
Hey there! I'm not sure how to do subtitles, but I'll look into that to see if I can activate them. And at the very end of my videos, I usually say something like, "Thanks for listening and watching. Other than that, I'll see you next time. Peace!" And if you ever have a question about something specific I said, feel free to ask (just give me a time-code in the question). Cheers!
Before getting this album of the ground there were problems. Morten had financial conditions that needed to be met before a note would ever be sung. During the bands first run Pal and Mags were making the higher income due to songwriting etc and this time Morten felt he was the reason aha were successful he brought people to the band because he was more attractive etc he should be compensated. He said he wasn’t interested into going back to selling his body to earn money for the other two so a deal was worked out. To me personally this irked me I love AHA and have done since 2985 but it wasn’t Morten that brought me to the group it was Pal for his songwriting skills and Mags for his music and sense of humour. I enjoy Morten as a vocalist that’s all not his looks cause looks fade. Talent doesn’t . I found this out by reading the AHA down the tracks book by barry page. I have to admit it made me dislike Morten for a while after reading that. Finally Minor earth Major sky is a play on the scandinavian way of life , of everything being in a minor key according to Mags. Take care Matt and i’ll catch you on the next track Little Black heart. 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴🇺🇸
I don't think I ever heard that explanation, that the song reflects Scandinavian society and our way of living our lives, but it really made me laugh. Magne is on to something, and he, who is himself a bubbly and outgoing type, would perhaps find himself more at home in America or in some South Sea country. Life up here in the north can probably seem miserable, and when people who are natives themselves see it that way, you can only imagine how it can affect people who come from the outside. Having said that, we know how to enjoy the little things. How else would we survive?
The video of this had them as astronauts landing on the moon, with morten then experience it a hallucination and being left stranded the moon as Paul and mags leave him behind, the astronaut suits they wore are the exact ones used in the movie Apollo 13 as worn by Tom hanks , Kevin bacon and the late great bill paxton
morning Matt, Minor Earth, Major Sky - By the summer of 1998 it had been just over 4 years since the band had honoured their last tour etc and all 3 band members were doing their own thing be it musical, artistic, environmental. Although a comeback had been hinted nothing really came of it. It wasn’t until they were asked to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize concert as Aha in 2000 that got the ball rolling again and even after that performance they still couldn’t decide on reforming. What made them get back together was the response from the audience. They weren’t expecting it. Morten said There was nothing to indicate we would reform we were all to busy with other things but the response from the audience had such a warmth, a feeling of them reaching out to us, like an attempt to make contact. Minor earth Major sky charted at no.27 in the uk and no.1 in norway and germany. I quite like it though it took a while to get used to. I was just happy they were back. take care 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴🇺🇸
Love this album. Can't wait for you to hear Summer Moved On 😊
Every a-ha fan watching this video knowing Matt is close to hearing summer moved on and knowing his mind will be blown 😁😁😁😁, honestly Matt we can’t hype up that song enough, if someone has the Audio file for the live version from the how can I sleep with your voice in my head live album, then I’d strongly suggest reacting to that before continuing with the minor earth major sky album.
As good as the studio recording is, I think it misses something that the live versions don't...
They came back with this and it blew me away….and they opened their first concert back in their home city Oslo after 7 years absence with it. What a way to make a re-entry….the space analogy is not thrown in idly, because the official video which accompanied the release of the single version of this track depicted the three of them as US Astronauts on a moon landing! Here’s a link to the live Homecoming video in Vallhall, Oslo in 2021. ruclips.net/video/gLiLADO5rOw/видео.html
Up until recently, I felt that a-ha had three somewhat distinct eras to their music. The first three albums they were primarily a synth band with a better than most understanding on how to structure a tune. The fourth and fifth album they took that ability to write epic feeling tracks and used some more conventional rock to hard rock sensibilities to achieve that aim. Starting with "Minor Earth Major Sky" they embraced their synth band status again and brought with it what they learned during the rock based era. Until "True North" came out, I thought that was it for overall tonal shifts, but now I realize that starting with "Cast in Steel" in 2015 they have shifted slightly into a fourth era, something more akin to classic standards, that are a little less synth driven but also not hard rock. It took hearing "True North" to know that wasn't just a choice for the "Cast in Steel" album.
As far as the song, "Minor Earth Major Sky" I've never had an idea as to what the song is about, but two things occurred to me about the title. The first is that their are major and minor elements in music and the second is that sometimes in astronomy there is also minor and major, like Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. And now that I'm thinking about it in astrology and other divination there are major and minor arcana, but I never got a sense of that from the song.
You should go watch the music video to "Minor Earth Major Sky." I think it's a shorter edit of the song, but the video definitely has a space theme and I feel it's one of their best videos.
I never bothered doing a ranking of my favourite songs, but I can say this is among my favourites from the 2000s (in the a-ha catalogue). When you were talking about the "cinematic part" and how grandiose it feels, I remembered being on a plane once, years ago (flying to Oslo, I believe), listening to a-ha, and suddenly this song came on... WOW. It was an amazing experience. Looking out of the window and seeing those tiny things on the ground, and the clouds, and the vastness of the sky, and having Morten's voice in my ears singing "Minor earth... major sky". ❤ Just imagine that.
it's interesting ! I always told myself that the day I go to Norway, I will listen to a-ha on the plane. My dream !
@@ahabutterfly I forgot to say i was going to see a-ha live in Oslo; or it may have been on the flight to Paris see a-ha live. 😁 I hope you fulfil your dream, some day. 🤞
A rare combination of majestic and groove
I think the song is about just simply unable to express themselves, shyness, it’s a minor earth, the narrator and, a major sky, a big scary universe
Ah, the legendary return of a-ha. I got into the band in 1999, collecting and listening to all their fabulous albums, never expecting that the very next year they would return with an epic synth based masterpiece. For me the stand out track is I WISH I CARED...
I wish I cared is so beautiful, and the performance on the Vallhall concert with Anneli Drecker is very charming.
@@ahkkariq7406 Yeah, love it.
Yes, totally agree - great soaring vocals from Morten.
You were so lucky! ☺
Such a masterpiece of a song in every way. Blare it in the car when I am driving. Heard it a million times, but still make loud pleasure sounds to it. 😂
Like right when Morten gets ready to belt out, I say “You go Morten! Yeah!” Then always complementing Magne out loud . I must be a hoot to other drivers. 😂
My niece was with me one day and I think I was listening to Scoundrel Days and making those sounds. She looked at me weird and I laughed. I said “Don’t mind me, I just really love their music”. She laughed and said “okay….”😂
a-ha's latest video "True North" has just been released. You still have a long way to go before you get to the north.
And it's a pleasure to take this trip with you . 🇨🇵
Since you mentioned Depeche Mode. A-ha has made a cover of A Question of Lust.
The also have made cover versions of # 9 Dream by John Lennon,
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye by Soft Cell and
The Killing Moon, featuring Ian McCulloch from Echo & The Bunnymen.
Bowling Green was written by a-ha's early manager, Terry Slater. The Everly Brothers originally performed it. A-ha performed it as a tribute to Terry Slater who was present at what was supposed to be their farewell concert in Oslo in 2010.
They have done many different arrangements of this live. On the life lines tour it was an out and out driving heavy guitar version
I Love this comeback track.This album is in my top 5 Aha albums.Sounded like A-ha 'now and then' combined.
When you get around to the music videos you'll enjoy the video for Minor Earth Major Sky, a very well made video with the band on the Moon! Gives a very similar vibe to The Martian movie, with Morten being accidentally left behind!
Inspirado no filme russo "Solaris", de Andrey Tarkowski. Acho que nem os três sabem disto.
After I watched “A-ha the Movie”, I saw this video for the first time. I had to laugh at your “accidentally”. I think Magne and Pål were fantasizing about really doing that.😂😂😂😂
Thanks for all of these a-ha reactions man. Lots of people just listen/react to Take On Me, they are missing out big time. Thank you!
Amen! Not only is he listening, he is actually appreciating the songs and getting philosophical about it. No fluff. No going on about how hot Morten is. My head is exploding! I hardly ever see this! It is so refreshing and I crave this kind of conversation about A-ha. ❤
Great song great vibe but needs a guitar solo like the live version. As Matt pointed out it has a great bass line. The music video gives me a great feeling of perspective and scale of things. Great video... and really fun to see the guys playing a part in it rather than looking wistfully into the distance.
Happy you have reached the Minor Earth Major Sky album. I'm sort of glad the Memorial Beach album has ended. I didn't think I'd say that. The whole album had a depressing undertone for me (Cold As Stone is still a stunning track). I don't dislike any of them, but perhaps me getting older changes my view. I think your reactions to the albums one after another has made me consider them more. As a few people have commented, I also can't wait for you to hear 'Summer Moved On' - a-ha's and Morten's 'piece de resistance'!
You are fantastic! You go on listening to more albums! I thought you would stop after four...
Thanks so much! Really enjoying this.
😊🎶❤🇳🇴
Great reaction and interpretation of this masterpiece. The contrasts that the title suggests are there, also in the music, and they manage to convey how small we humans are in our encounter with the universe. The narrator probably feels even less, he tries and tries, but no one notices him. I wonder if there is also a heaven-earth aspect in the text seen from a religious perspective - "I don't even think God can see me" with the words "I can't see me here in outer space / It's so hard to leave a trace". The melancholy is there, and the music suits it perfectly.
I truly love reading your comments. Really good perspectives.
I love to blare this song as I drive around enjoying the beauty of Oregon, the coast, the mountains, the pine forests…they just seem to go so well together. This song always takes me away. Quite a few do for sure.
@@shelld1261 Thank you for your nice comments. I enjoy reading yours as well.
I thought they came back strong with this album, in fact I’ve enjoyed all their subsequent albums too; some really great songs and sounds.
Adore their second chapter ❤
Headphones!
Oh! There are some cool dance mixes of this stuff too!
@@kaybailey-jones3740 This album is great to cruise Highway 101 around the Oregon coast. Perfect combination ❤
Yes! I love this album.
I really love this album!
It’s good to see you continue your A-ha journey Matt!
I think some songs will be unforgettable for you like maybe Manhattan Skyline, I think it will be the same for Summer Moved On 😁…this song is among my top 3 of their wonderful career.
Cheers Matt 🤗
Cheers, David! And you're like the fourth person to mention "Summer Moved On" in the comments here, so clearly that is a special tune. Looking forward to it!
It’s more than special Matt, this song in a way is really unique, you will understand why very soon 😁👍
@@mattsnider2667 Summer Moved On is a landmark, it was the first song they performed together after the long pause and the first single (I think) of their comeback album. And it has that extra feature some have mentioned. But, to tone down your expectations, I for one don't place this song among my favourites. 😁 It is not that I don't like it, but it doesn't come close to the songs I love most.
You should check out the video to this single. Pål is wearing a spacesuit that was worn by one of the main actors in Apollo 13 and had to stuff the shoulders with his baby’s diapers because it was too big! It’s a great video, maybe somebody gets left behind who in real life is apparently, notoriously always late….
Hahaha…after seeing “A-ha the Movie”, I just thought it was a fantasy for the other two to actually leave the third on the moon. 😂😂😂
Pal released solo stuff with the band Savoy and released music too and Mags went the artistic way with artwork but also released music. hopefully you’ll take a listen to them too you can find them on spotify. Pal’s son True August has an EP out too. 😘
Yeah, Savoy had some great tracks. Definitely a continuation of the heavier stuff heard on Memorial Beach. I think Lackluster Me, Whalebone, Reasons To Stay Indoors and Unsound are all great tracks...
I love Mags Past Perfect Future Tense album.
I got it wrong. I meant that you
listened to five albums... 😊
😊❤🎶🇳🇴
You forgot the song"Shapes That Go Together".
Yes, that is a good song. Recorded for the Paralympics back in 1994 and not featured on any album until a latter Singles compilation, so often overlooked
Hey there! Yes, apologies, but that song wasn't in the folder I've been given access to, or at least not that I saw. So I would like to react to it but can't do it yet.
YES,'SHAPES' is a good uptempo song reminiscent of early A ha.
As I am french , I try to understand your comments ... not so easy for me .
I'm curious to know what do you say at the very end of your videos ? 😅
Hey there! I'm not sure how to do subtitles, but I'll look into that to see if I can activate them. And at the very end of my videos, I usually say something like, "Thanks for listening and watching. Other than that, I'll see you next time. Peace!" And if you ever have a question about something specific I said, feel free to ask (just give me a time-code in the question). Cheers!
@@mattsnider2667 Thank you Matt ! I just was not sure about " peace " 😅
Before getting this album of the ground there were problems. Morten had financial conditions that needed to be met before a note would ever be sung. During the bands first run Pal and Mags were making the higher income due to songwriting etc and this time Morten felt he was the reason aha were successful he brought people to the band because he was more attractive etc he should be compensated. He said he wasn’t interested into going back to selling his body to earn money for the other two so a deal was worked out. To me personally this irked me I love AHA and have done since 2985 but it wasn’t Morten that brought me to the group it was Pal for his songwriting skills and Mags for his music and sense of humour. I enjoy Morten as a vocalist that’s all not his looks cause looks fade. Talent doesn’t . I found this out by reading the AHA down the tracks book by barry page. I have to admit it made me dislike Morten for a while after reading that. Finally Minor earth Major sky is a play on the scandinavian way of life , of everything being in a minor key according to Mags. Take care Matt and i’ll catch you on the next track Little Black heart. 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴🇺🇸
I don't think I ever heard that explanation, that the song reflects Scandinavian society and our way of living our lives, but it really made me laugh. Magne is on to something, and he, who is himself a bubbly and outgoing type, would perhaps find himself more at home in America or in some South Sea country. Life up here in the north can probably seem miserable, and when people who are natives themselves see it that way, you can only imagine how it can affect people who come from the outside. Having said that, we know how to enjoy the little things. How else would we survive?
Oh LBH what another good one!