a-ha - Take On Me | REVIEW
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 19 мар 2024
- Follow Views From The 502 on social media:
• / viewsft502
• / viewsft502
• / viewsft502
For donations:
• www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...
For branding, sponsorship, and other promotions:
• Email us at viewsfromthe502podcast@gmail.com
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER
• Copyright disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
Here is the video link: • a-ha - Take On Me (Off...
Credit: @aha
Theme Music: @MattCherne
#aha #takeonme 
Видеоклипы
![Darren Waller - Who Knew (Her Perspective) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GytDjB8u6bM/mqdefault.jpg)
People need to remember, the early 80s, music videos were original, revolutionary, and authentic..
This song was one of the biggest 80s of the decade..
And you had to hit the notes without auto-tunes...
@@stirbjoernwesterhever6223 That's it!U had to SING and prove yourself.
This was all done by hand. . . It was one of the most revolutionary videos of its time.
The video used a pencil-sketch animation and live-action combination called rotoscoping, in which the live-action footage is traced using a frame-by-frame process to give the characters realistic movements. Approximately 3,000 frames were rotoscoped, which took 16 weeks to complete.
I was going to say the same thing. Rotoscoping can also be found in several movies: Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings from 78, Scanner Darkly, Cool World off the the top of my head.
It has to be the best music video of the 80’s. So creative, it’s always fun to see again
Thank you for explaining it so well. I fully understand now.
This blew us away back in 84! I had a toddler and MTV was my entertainment. I couldn't wait for this to come on MTV.
An unbeatable classic with its main vocal part sung by a divine lead singer that's Morten.
If there's anyone else out there that would like the guys to do a video for Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do For Love," please hit the "Like" (thumbs up graphic) button below. Even if the guys can't get to it during the marathon, hopefully the song will receive enough support for the guys to notice and there will be a video posted shortly after the marathon. Thanks to all for reading this message and for any support that it receives. Let's keep this marathon going and set up ourselves for more great music in the future! 😀
Cool voice guys! And the horn’s and bass are very nice!🤘🔥
Thanks for the reply and support, Brent. I couldn't agree with you more. The vocals are top notch soul and the musical arrangement is flat out great. I was waiting to save this note if the song did get a video, but what fascinates me to no end is the "urban musical legend" that apparently the only reason why the song was written, recorded, and included on the album was due to a disagreement between Bobby Caldwell and the small record label that was distributing his work. From what I've read, the album was supposedly completed (or near complete) and Caldwell informed the label which songs he thought should be the singles. By some accounts, the label executives did not agree with Caldwell's choices and they went so far as to state that he didn't have any songs on the album that they felt were suitable hit material. So, they asked Caldwell to write another song that could be a single and perhaps gain some traction on the radio. Following what he was asked to do, Caldwell seemingly went back into the studio, quickly wrote a song, recorded it, and turned it over to the label. The executives reportedly loved this new song and agreed it should be the primary single and the album was finished. As you may have suspected, that song was "What You Won't Do For Love." In my view, it's not just one of the best "one hit wonders" ever, but I feel the argument could be made (depending on people's musical tastes) it could be one of the best songs of the 1970s. My personal opinion is that it may be one of the best songs of the pop/soul era, but that is my take. Regardless, the circumstances seem to indicate that if not for the record executives pushing Caldwell, we may not have got access to such a timeless classic. Thanks again for the reply and your support.
Also like to hear Gino Vanelli, I just wanna stop.
ruclips.net/video/5FH1_QDvZJs/видео.htmlsi=j2g36zlpsrPQENbZ
Thanks for the reply and the support, Lori. It will definitely be up to the guys to determine if Gino Vannelli is appropriate to be included in the "one hit wonder" marathon or when they're back to their regular format. From what I could tell, it looks like Gino Vannelli may have had a top #25 song ("People Gotta Move"), a top #10 song ("Living Inside Myself"), and a top #5 song ("I Just Wanna Stop") in America. Even if the song isn't included in the marathon, I still hope the guys give it serious consideration in the future. I recalled the comedian/actor Eugene Levy doing a sketch years ago where he played Gino Vannelli on the classic TV Show "SCTV." I've included the link to that sketch above. Thanks again for the reply and the support.
You got my thumbs up. I've suggested this one myself
Mortens face when he breaks through to the real world and looks at her.... 🔥🔥🔥 You best believe us 80s girls were hot for him... 😏 This is hands down the greatest video ever made. I am prepared to fight anyone who says different!!!! 😁👍 This was unlike anything we'd ever seen before. Even all these years later it beats anything current!!! You should react to Hunting High And Low as well...
I was a 13 year old girl when I first saw this video on MTV. I was amazed, and not just because I was crushing on the singer. The animation was fantastic and has held up well over the years.
Morten still hits the high note live to this day.
The acoustic version is amazing
Ele tem uma voz maravilhosa !😍
you are the first reaction I have seen that has appreciated this video to the level it should be appreciated!! Thanks you!!
For us old timers, the last sequence with him banging off the walls was inspired by the movie Altered States starring William Hurt.
Exactly right
bill was really hurt in that
“The Sun always shines on tv “ - another favourite by A-ha.
I saw a recent video of these guys from about a year ago, dude can STILL hit that note. Crazy....
You need to check out the unplugged version. It's beautiful, and Morten still kills the vocals...even that high note.
You can't really imagine what a fascinating era the '80s was for us who lived it real time.Felt like the whole universe was excited and happy.
My favorite music video. The comic book story I think is supposed to be Speed Racer-esque (an anime from the late '60s that was popular in America). There were always villains showing up to do no good with wrenches.
'The Sun Always Shines On TV,' 'The Living Daylights' (from a James Bond movie), and 'Crying In the Rain' are good a-ha songs.
This was one of my sisters favorite songs. She's an artist, so I'm pretty sure it was the music video that blew her away. The concept and production hit the mark. For 80's technology, it's simply amazing.
Love this song. Brings back good memories from the '80's.
The famous synth line was written by magne when he was only 14 years old
This video took 6 months to make. All the drawings were done by hand. The song/video has 1.9 Billion views so, yes, it's Timeless. Lol. This Never gets old and I still, being 2024, haven't ever seen a video quite like this. Talent is Talent!!
Love, love, love this song. Love this group.
Yeah. And this is hardly a one-hit wonder. If Wikipedia is to be trusted: "They have sold more than 100 million units, albums and singles combined."
Hard to believe that this song is 40 years old.
How on God's green earth does this man hit those high notes!?!?!? I'm thinking tight trousers. Anyway, clearly an awesome song. Thanks for another great song choice, Boys.
Morten had a 5 octave range, his low range is also brilliant, I even prefer his lower register.
One of the coolest videos ever and it still holds up today.
This is my all-time favorite video. And with the technology that was around at the time, it makes it even more outstanding. Love the song too. I also love their song "The Living Daylights" from the James Bond movie.
Yup! The production technique is called rotoscope and it's been around for 100 years. Of course this was considered next level in the 1980's! We loved seeing this video on MTV, it just never got old! Also, they say Morten can still hit that high note!!
I didn't realize what a good singer Morten Harket is until I listened to some of his other work. Check out 'Summer Moved On', specifically his live version in Oslo from a ways back. He holds a note for close to 20 seconds in that song. Really amazing.
I think the bad guys were the ones they were racing against at the start of the video. Maybe mad because they lost the race? Still one of the very best videos of the 80. And I think at the very end Morten was trying to break out of the comic book to get back to her. That's why he was still pushing against the walls - not realizing he was already out. Have you guys done the video for Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Ritchie? Another incredibly innovative and super fun video to watch for it's time. They are literally all dancing on the ceiling. The song itself is fantastic as well. Cheers from Ontario, Canada :)
I prefer '' Hunting High and Low '' musically as well as vocally ❤
Amazing song!
Sun Always Shines On Tv for me. ❤
This Beat Goes On / Switchin' to Glide by The Kings!
This was one of the first videos I saw on MTV in the 80’s and never forgot it.
Great reaction video. Aha had plenty of hits in Europe. They were REALLY good and very popular. This video is amazing and way ahead of its time and there is a whole story about how this song progressed. I would recommend 'The Sun always shines on tv',it has very deep lyrics and wonderful melodies. It was a great pleasure to hear this song again. I love the diverse nature of your reaction videos, you guys are always reacting to very different songs.
Rotoscoping has been around since the early 1900s. It was used extensively by Max Fleischer (the creator) and Disney. Amazing. Thanks for reacting to this one.
There is a video on RUclips that goes over all of the technical details and resources in the making of this video.
Yeah! When the drums drop down to that cut-time feel - that's when a great song takes off into an ultimate groove.
This story continues (for a short time) at the beginning of their video The Sun Always Shines on TV.
Great song!!
The whole album is so good.
i occasionally use that phrase "the sun always shines on tv" in conversation - not too many get it
@@tuijakarttunen9164my cousin just loves this album.
@@chriscornelius2518 I have it on vinyl. Can`t wait to get my stereo system working again, it has been in boxes for years because of moving around. It`s gonna sound awesome.
Hi thanks for reacting to A-HA. In 1985 three young guys from Oslo, Norway asked the world to give them a chance by releasing Take On Me and 39 years later im still a huge fan and they are still around and recording even in their 60’s and Morten the bands singer can still hit the high notes. They have released 11 albums and every A-HA song is different they are always evolving. Take On Me is done using Rotescope where two artists were brought in and made 10,000 drawings and placed on top of live action. The band have two guinness world records the first for the longest note held during a live performance called Summer Moved On this song came later in their career so i suggest checking it out. The other world record was for the largest crowd ever at a concert in Brazil. The have so many classic songs to choose from it’s hard for me to pick a fave one because my list keeps changing. I was 16 when i first became an A-HA fan and i’m 54 now. I was lucky to be a teenager in the 80’s. Take care 😘🏴 ❤️🇳🇴❤️A-HA FOREVER❤️🇳🇴❤️
Fun song!! Try “Play that funky Music” by Wild Cherry! Crazy vocals and beat!!🤘🔥
Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding - Elton John
Vertigo / Relight My Fire - Dan Hartman
Vertigo/Relight My Fire and Instant Replay by Dan Hartman 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Another good one from the mid eighties is Corey Hart "Sun Glasses at Night".
Fun fact the keyboard hook for take on me was written when Mags the keyboard player was 13 years old. The song back then was called the juicy fruit song. 😘🏴
My Jr. year of high school. I'd get up to get ready for school, turn on MTV, and see this video or Dire Strait's "Walk of Life" or Glenn Frey's "You Belong To The City" or Heart's "Never" or one of many others. What a great time to be alive!
Pop Music at its finest.👌❤️
This was a whole new visual experience.......for us. The fellow does a beautiful unplugged rendition of this. We were all mesmerized
I had a huge crush on the lead singer. The music was good but the video was incredible. I was still in high school.
Aww- this takes me back to when MTV first started- they were one of the first and best vids!
Video won an award. One of my favorite!
Given the available technology at the time, the video for this song is still off the chart. Closing in on 2 billion views as well.
The sequence where the singer is slamming from side to side in the hallway is a reenactment from Altered States starring William Hurt and Blair Brown. This video, that movie and another movie, Brainstorm are fused together in my mind forever. They all appeared around the same time and had science fiction themes. I was so certain that it was Brainstorm and not Altered States that had the special effects that I bought the dvd. Now I own both movies. Science fiction used to be so much more than CGI
Great song and video
You pretty much nailed their names
The guys names are (in English) Paul, Morten and Mags.
MTV named this as the number one video of the eighties. If memory serves Thriller was number two.
Thriller was always number 1 in those countdowns they did, but maybe later they may have changed it. I remember the top 100, 200, and 500 videos of all time. We would record the videos.
This is one of the greatest videos ever made, and the song is terrific too! And when a video is better than the song and the song is no slouch, that says something. We all did lose our minds when this came out. Then again, MTV blew our minds a lot at its peak back then.
Morten Harket is still one of the top 3 voices on my list! ❤ Him and Freddie Mercury are always fighting for 2nd and 3rd place in my heart. 😂🤣
Hunting High And Low is such a great album. ❤
This was one of the most innovative videos of the time. So, so clever, and the song is super-catchy.
Man I miss 24 hr all day everyday MTV videos...80s music was so fun ❤great time to be a teen 😊
You really should react to more A-ha, they are legends. His voice is incredible! They’ve been making music until very recently (any A-ha fan will know it’s impossible to know if there will be anymore releases). They have crossed many genres of music in their time.
Sticking with the first album, definitely Hunting High and Low needs a listen, Train of Thought too.
Agree. Add Scoundrel Days too among others!
Love Scoundrel Days!
Yes, the key boardist of the band was actually playing these notes on the keyboard, LOL! Yes, they used thousands of hand drawn panels to do this rotoscope production. We didn't give a crap about trees back then!
The sore losers of the motorcycle race, (at the beginning of the video), were chasing the Hero to bust his a__. The Hero helps the girl escape and turns to face the bad guys then the girl pulls him out of the comic which was a great physical struggle for the guy, (we don't know why, but it was), and the story ends happily! Also, a lot of people don't catch the waitress throwing away the newspaper with the comic strip almost causing the Hero to die or badly injured by the bad guys. She, the waitress was ticked off because the girl "skipped" without paying the ticket for the cup of coffee proving people were jerks even in the 80's, LOL. Just joking...we were always cool, LOL!! You see how many hundreds of times we've seen this video on MTV!
Not only did he play the notes on the keyboard, he created the famous riff when he was 14 years old.
@@ahkkariq7406 You are absolutely right! I read that before!!
Normally I'm a rocker and wouldn't like music like this, but I do and the video is super creative! I saw it when it debuted in October of 1985 on MTV, I was 20.
ruclips.net/video/tJDlmRSFMP4/видео.htmlsi=-4jVmKT_vRvbTMGL
ruclips.net/video/tJDlmRSFMP4/видео.htmlsi=-4jVmKT_vRvbTMGL
ruclips.net/video/f7RwDnZI7Tw/видео.htmlsi=EMbdzlKbQRNzaS8g
This may not be a fair assessment or completely accurate, but my thought is that this song may have benefited most by having such a unique music video for the time that got massive airplay in America on, as the above poster mentioned, MTV. In digging into some research, it appears that a-Ha's American record label, apparently so impressed by the creativity of the music video, decided to release the video before the single or album was available for fans in America to buy. This seemingly created such a high demand, due to the popularity of the song and corresponding video, that the song rocketed to #1 on 2 different charts in Amerca. Ultimately, the song would reach the top spot in over 10 different countries and the Euopean Hot 100 singles. Furthermore, the song would peak at #2 in nearly 5 other countries. To show the overwhelming popularity of the song, the worst that it peaked was inside the top #15 in the charts available for that time. The true lasting legacy of the song is not just the creativity of the video, but the fact that the song has been sampled in nearly 70 other tunes and it is documented that the song has been covered more than 125 times. There appears to be multiple country and reggae covers of the song, several jazz/blues covers, a fascinating mariachi cover (which is the first above link that Ryan might truly enjoy due to the horns having such a presence in that version), a few classical covers (a classical version is the second above link), and a cover from Weezer, perhaps the best known group or artist in America to cover the song so far (the third above link is to that version). There's no question that the video's ingenuity, the band's musical abilities, and its American record company's decision to launch the video before consumers could purchase the song continued the evolution of music videos after "Take On Me," along with how artists/bands approached videos, and business decisions made by record companies as it related to music videos as important promotional resources for songs/albums (which was beginning to be understood from the enormous success of Michael Jackson's epic "Thriller" album a few years earlier and the groundbreaking videos produced for it). It is extremely rare that a "one hit wonder" could change the music landscape so much, but the argument could be made that is true with a-Ha's "Take On Me."😂
@@user-lq4qe7pj9s I didn't know any of that, just what I mentioned! Thank you for letting me know!
Thanks for the reply, Karl. Even though I was somewhat younger than you when the video hit MTV, I can still recall my reaction and that of others around me being that the video was something special. Even though by the mid-1980s, videos were becoming more sophisticated (the "Thriller" videos truly setting the bar as I mentioned in my previous post), the argument could be made that "Take On Me" was in its own league at the time. To lend more credence to the video's significance, there was an article posted online by Medium in 2018 of "The 20 Greatest Videos of the 1980s." "Take on Me" placed 4th, only behind videos from musical heavyweights Janet Jackson, Peter Gabriel, and Michael Jackson. It should also be noted that "Thriller," which took the top slot overall, was the only 1 of the 3 videos that was produced before "Take On Me." Of course, any type of rankings system of videos has to largely be based on subjectivity (1 person could love a video and another dislike it), but there is tangible evidence (as included in my previous message) that there were shifts in the music video landscape due to "Take on Me." Yet, I do not want to short the song itself. Whether a person liked the song or not (Personally, it's not one of my favorite tunes of the 1980s but I certainly don't dislike it), the tune is quite catchy and that is a key component to the video's success. If the video had been innovative and the song not hold the audience's interest in the video, most people may have watched the video, thought it was creative, and didn't give the song a second thought. However, as indicated in my last post, the chart success for the song simply cannot be disputed. I don't have factual evidence to back this next statement, but it may be a very difficult chore to find a "one hit wonder" in America that was so popular around the world. I'm still astounded by the fact that the WORST peak chart position internationally for the song was still inside the top #15. That is not just fully due to a ground breaking video, but also speaks to music fans' interest in the song. I'm glad my post may have been able to help. Thanks again for the reply.
@user-lq4qe7pj9s I just spent about an hour writing something back to you and hit the discard button by mistake! At some point I'll rewrite it! Ughh!
Thanks for the reply, Karl. No worries on the lost response. I had something similar happen to me not long ago. I spent a significant amount of time putting together a post and I somehow backed out of the RUclips app, losing everything. I'm not the most tech savvy person in the world and it would be helpful if RUclips could have an auto-save feature at certain intervals as posts are typed, like Microsoft Word or other programs. One other thing that really bothers me about the app is that it seems like RUclips blocks any non-RUclips links that I try to include in a post. Like I wrote before, it may just be my lack of tech skills, but there's been many other extremely relevant videos or webites (like the "20 Greatest Music Videos of the 1980s" article that I brought up in my last post) that I've wanted to include. When I was trying to include them at first, I'd get the message that the post was added or whatever. Then, when I would go back, the post didn't appear at all. After that happened about 4 or 5 times, I realized I should only try posting links from RUclips and if there was info that I wanted to relay from a website, I would have to summarize and type it up (which adds on a significant amount of time to posting). Anyways, I only mention all of this to let you know that you're not the only one and in case any of my comments "tripped" the RUclips algorithms to pass along my message to "RUclips HQ." 😂
Close to 2 Billion views. Check out the videos offered at the end of this video. The making of this classic.
A few years back the producers of this video went back and cleaned up the sound efx. They also cleaned up the original video so the video and audio sound much better than the original.
Yes always loved this song!
I still lose my mind when I hear this song and watch this video. all of it works in such an incredible way. one of the classic music videos ever. it never fails to excite and delight me. thanks for posting. love your channel. I've liked and subscribed.
IMO the song that defines the 80s
Yes for that year anyway
It's very hard to see, but she cries when she sees he's dead and her tear brings him to life and into the real world.
Yeah that's right. It was very good part of the video.
A-ah did a cover song from the Everly Brothers, Crying in the rain on the Count Down show. So beautifully done. One of the best cover songs I think. And his voice oh my.... what a pure, smooth effortless voice he has. So close to Steve P. voice. Top of my list. What Beautiful vocals. Check it out!
There is a video on the making of the Take on Me video on the a-ha channel to celebrate 40 years since its release. It explains how it was all done - fascinating stuff. All three a-ha members are prolific musicians - they have solo careers and 11 very successful a-ha albums. So saying they are one-hit wonders is unfortunately VERY inaccurate - maybe in the US - because they weren't promoted correctly after Take On Me - but the rest of the world... very different story.
Morten still holds the world record for holding the longest recorded note for their 2000 song "Summer moved on" - even live - many times over. They have an MTV unplugged session where you can see a completely stripped back version of Take On Me. They are one of the best bands I have ever seen live - and their songs are complex and challenging - which makes that even more impressive.
I would delve into this rabbit hole if I was you! The follow-up to Take On Me was "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." and "Train of Thought" (the latter of which also has animation in it). Hunting high and low the song itself is absolutely beautiful and also have a ground-breaking video to go with it.
Later in their careers they did some amazing rock songs - a-ha is not bound to a genre. They grew and changed with the times.
Glad you enjoyed! 🌹🕊
On the same album, there is another song where they use the same technique ( I think I heard that the animation they use was the inspiration for TOM). The song is Train of Thought and you can appreciate Morten's lower register with some operatic notes too. Also, The Sun always shines on TV video has some of the same animation at the start, and the song is a favorite. All three videos are directed by Steve Barron.
Top 3 synth lines...
Take On Me
The Final Countdown
Axel F
ruclips.net/video/5Nvxv2R01po/видео.htmlsi=eTwnfv3Zsz19ToDo
Thanks for the post. Definitely some fine choices. However, it is impossible for me to read about or hear "The Final Countdown" and not think of Will Arnett as magician "GOB Bluth" in the incredibly funny TV show "Arrested Development." I've included a link above to a video titled "Gob's Final Countdown Compilation." Just too brilliant. 😂
ruclips.net/video/OLqD8u3eFeM/видео.htmlsi=5mwAmIT776_Wa5IM
ruclips.net/video/z3hl4wkBl1k/видео.htmlsi=Kfq5-1BydTS8fRgv
ruclips.net/video/GtVOqNi6iTY/видео.htmlsi=4kkr22KG5NI4cq5h
ruclips.net/video/9qRcCm7-T1U/видео.htmlsi=q2ZIkp044yNy-lbs
ruclips.net/video/WyLvc0-s_0Q/видео.htmlsi=GxRmw0uPWWWjm1KX
ruclips.net/video/FJXxn23x-xs/видео.htmlsi=PrFHGXeObvJoXVNl
As a post script, I have to add in my favorite synth lines of all time (this is just my opinion):
1) Stevie Wonder, "Superstition" (The clavinet is what helps gives the song a great deal of funk, but this was Stevie really starting to getting into incorporating the Moog synthesizer in his music; The top link above is to the instrumental version of the song)
2) Genesis, "No Reply At All" (In my view, this song is so musically unique and incorporates so many different types of instruments. From Phil Collins' drumming, the incredible inclusion of the Phenix horns (the horns section for Earth, Wind, & Fire), and Mike Rutherford's bass, which largely functions as a lead guitar given how it just don't stay on the same line for a fill or part of the whole song. If all of that wasn't enough, Tony Banks' synth and grand piano work is really the "glue" that holds together this strange musical construction. This song showed so many different instruments and genres can be very successfully included in the same song; The instrumental version is the second link above)
3) Pink Floyd, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (This landmark song best known as a tribute to former band leader Syd Barrett, Richard Wright's contributions to the "classic" Pink Floyd era should not be underestimated. Not only did he write the music for this song, but his synth playing gave it the mournful sound that permeates the tune. It truly has the musical and lyrical messages of tragically losing a friend that hadn't died. The third link above is to the instrumental version of the song)
4) Tears for Fears, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (Perhaps one of the most recognizable synth riffs for anyone that listened to music in the 1980s, the members of Tears for Fears have been quoted as saying that the guitar part was the most difficult to figure out. My take is that it's because the synth line was already a classic. The instrumental version of this song is the fourth link above)
5) Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (The breakthrough hit for one of the most successful bands that put out less than 10 studio albums in the 1980s and 1990s. An interesting aspect of this song is that both Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are playing synthesizers in the song. The fifth link above is to the instrumental version of the song)
*Honorable Mention: Journey, "Ask The Lonely" (Certainly not one of Journey's plethora of iconic hits with great synth lines, Jonathan Cain's keyboards "jump" out of the speakers from moment one in the song, keeping the uptempo pace that fit the skill sets of the other band members so well. It should not be a shock that there is documentation that this song was sampled at least five times from 2008 to 2013 alone. The instrumental version is the sixth link above)
Those are my picks. If anyone else wants to share their lists, please feel free to reply. 😀
Love this song!
they have so much more than this ,check out there other stuff,the sun always shines on tv
Simply put, A-ha is one of the best pop bands ever, especially out of the US, consistently outputting one tremendous (and successful) album after another ((arguably with the exception of 1993 "Memorial Beach", which ironically was their most American-sounding album )), and then they took a 7-8 years hiatus, and reinvented themselves with current(as of 2000) pop-rock with the wonderful "Minor earth, major sky" in 2000, and then they returned to their sound with 2002 "Lifelines" and they continued ever since...So, not a one-hit wonder, not even close.
Take On Me Unplugged

8:54
The song actually didn't catch on until they made the video for it, then it went ballistic in popularity.
If you like Ah-Ha you will love Ten Sharp 'You'. A massive one hit wonder all over Europe. Give it a spin.
I remember the premier of this video on MTV. It was HUGE. All done by hand. Mind-blowing. The best part for me is the mirror spin
Check out the Sun Always Shines On TV. It's a follow up to this video and a hit song in itself.
My fav ah-ha song with it's mood, emotion and his extreme voice talents for me is 'Stay On These Roads'
Love this song and yeah the video blew my mind when I saw it, still does wow!
This song was accompanied by the quintessential 80s music video (if you see it you'll know why). Awesome band, incredible tune and recording. a-ha Walked away with many MTV awards back in MTV's heyday.
Oh my gosh...I love that song so much. I would sing it at karaoke. I hit the low and high notes. 😄. 😍. I have only one song on my channel. That I sang that shows I hit those notes. 😁
Always been on my playlist!
Do you think all subscribers of this channel listened to this song? Of course, there are 1 billion views on RUclips, 😂 in fact, this is a great achievement for the group/performer for a song from 1984, because videos of new musical releases and other obscenities usually take off on RUclips, this song was often played on MTV, the video was remembered forever. Like. 👍
Reaccionen a "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." de ellos, es excelente. Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷
I forgot to add in. Here is the unplugged version ruclips.net/video/-xKM3mGt2pE/видео.html Here is the link for the making of the video a-ha - The Making of Take On Me (Episode 1) : ruclips.net/video/wlTHJJX7QVU/видео.html a-ha - The Making of Take On Me (Episode 2) : ruclips.net/video/CcxLyGKw48s/видео.html Famous musicians make comments on the video & song too
"The Sun always shines on TV" is really a superior song.
Unique !
This song was initially named "The Juicy Fruit Song" and you can hear the earlier version here on youtube. The animation process of pencil-sketching each frame for the video took about 6 months to complete and is called "rotoscoping." Y'all definitely need to hit two other great songs by them.. "Hunting High And Low" and The Sun Always Shines On TV"
Morten was amazing singer
They have dozens of hits in Europe, but I can understand if it's the only one in the US... Lifelines are beautiful (with video), my favorite Aha, James Bond theme Living Daylights, or another good one Manhattan Skyline. Lots of songs in the catalogue.
I would love it if you reacted to A-ha’s “The Sun Always Shines on TV” and/or Steve Perry’s “Strung Out.”
It took them years of rewrites to get this song right. They knew it was great but it was missing something, and they finally nailed it. There is a documentary about the video and song. It’s really amazing. They’re still one of the hugest Norwegian bands to this day. Massive career, and definitely not a one-hit-wonder.
Now you need to react to the same song in the acoustic MTV live version from 2017 - amazing! Speaking of high notes try listen to another scandinavian band Dirty Loops and their song "Breakdown". The whole band is on another level and will surprise you - great band to react to... :-)
Remember the video being very popular.
The video used a pencil-sketch animation and live-action combination called rotoscoping, in which the live-action footage is traced using a frame-by-frame process to give the characters realistic movements. Approximately 3,000 frames were rotoscoped, which took 16 weeks to complete.[
Another good music video is You Might Think by The Cars
Anything by The Cars is a good choice! 👍 Moving In Stereo would be a great reaction song.
A-Ha is not a one hit wonder! They had more than a few hits in Canada and many more in Europe and South America. I did see them in concert in Toronto back in the mid 80's.
I think many dismissed them as a good looking boy band but they were far more, very creative and innovative.
Another great video inspired by this one is Gowan's A Criminal Mind. Lawrence Gowan now sings with Styx but was on his own back in the 80's. I don't know if it got much airplay outside of Canada but is a fantastic song (one of so many that didn't make it beyond Canadian borders...)
This song is so popular I’m sure the video’s been remastered many times.
MTV flashback!!
This was up there with Sledgehammer and video killed the radio star! 👍🏻
You guys should react to their follow up single to take on me, the sun always shines on tv, I promise you would love it !