I knew you'd love this one - the strings, the vocals, the lyrics, the... everything! It's utterly beautiful and one of the best songs they've ever done.
Yea this is a bittersweet one for me. Ironically their music grows and evolves just like life. Since I was 10 years old I was hooked and in love with A-Ha. They touch a chord in the soul almost every time and remind us of both the beauty and fragile lives we live. Amazing as always my friend! Thanks
Absolute masterpiece that would have worked perfectly as a Bond movie score! By the way, the last high-pitch tune is a theremin (instrument) and not Morten singing 😅 (although I’m quite certain he could have done it as well)
Oh I see! And I know about theremins, certainly! (I'm quite fond of Nodame Cantabile, and it features a character who plays the theremin). But you're right, if anyone could imitate that sound, it would be Morten!
Oboe, pan flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, thrombone, harmonica, omnichord, harpsichord, celesta, etc... and theremin!!! It's the A-HA that I love, it has great musical surprises in store for us over time... 🥰🎼🎶
The trumpets do something to me in this one, like the things that used to be odd half hidden or bold electronica are now strings. Grieg is my classical composer and I first heard a-ha’s evocation of the north in Scoundrel Days, and now, with time, it’s like they’re returning home.
Oh man! You mentioned that about Grieg before, and it reminds me that I still haven't reacted to his Peer Gynt. I have that on CD somewhere, need to find it and start that journey. Also I love the poetic understanding of your comment. Thanks for sharing. :)
Beautiful piece of music that takes you back in time. Pål's parents took him and his sister to concerts with the Oslo Philharmonic when he was a child, and that influence increasingly shines through in his music. Over the years, a-ha has collaborated with the orchestra, among other things they brought them over for the concert in the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2010. They also considered bringing them to Northern Norway for the True North album, but since Magne has been Chairman of The festivals in Bergen for a period he knew well the Arctic Philharmonic, which is based in the north. He knew they were capable, and the band signed them to True North.
Thanks Matt!!! Love your A-ha videos. I’m 49 and I’ve been an A-ha fan since I was 14. I was at their concert last year in Brussels and in 2019 in Germany. Pure moments of happiness and magic. Continue to bring us joy with your A-ha videos. Take care 🇧🇪 ❤🇳🇴
Majestic innit. Pal wrote it for a woman to sing originally and yes, it's about a relationship where people are masking their true feelings to the point where the question of whether it's worth continuing has to be asked. The gender swap is interesting as it makes the make-up even more of a metaphor for a mask.
In the music video for this song, Morten Harket gets murdered and burried in the ground by two woman ... It's the second time Morten has had to play a corps in an A-ha video. The other one is the video for the song Velvet. The other guys in A-ha are really trying to get ridd of Morten .... They are funny that way ...
Well truthfully in Velvet, they are all corpses. I guess Magne and Pål wanted in on the fun there?😂 You are right about Under the Makeup though. It is suspicious 🤔🙃
@@UGLYP1G I first saw that video after I watched “A-ha the movie”. I picture Magne from the spaceship as it takes off laughing an evil laugh…”Ha! ALWAYS getting the better hotel rooms, bigger gifts, special treatment! What are you going to do now, pretty boy?! “😂
WARNING ; This comment contains active traits of therapeutic exposition. This songs came at a time that i was separating from my wife. It hit hard. The first verse is poetic and cutting at the same time. So me and my son (13 at the time) trying to figure a new relationship with each other without a third person in the house and with my son feeling it was my fault for the break up/down (truth be told we both make huge, clanging mistakes over a period of years). Anyway, the song was like someone had looked inside my head and wrote it to music. Not the first time a-ha had done that. The strings, the brass, the swirls, tone of Morten's voice. Very personal to me and for that reason i don't listen to it often but I have high regard for this song.
I’m sorry that this song reminds you now of such a painful time in your life. Music, especially the emotionally intelligent and intense songs of a-ha with their ability to get inside your head and heart, can really affect you deeply. I trust things have got better now for you and your son, and that time the great healer has lessened the bad memories. Yes it’s a great song, just probably not one you care to listen to too often. 🤗
@@mattsnider2667 I think a few of us have shared personal stories now and it's thanks to a-ha for making those feeling audible and artistic (however painful) and in this particular setting ? Shout out to you Matt for a place to come and listen again to these songs that we might have written off or just not thought about too much. As much as you say daily that you appreciate us for coming along for your a-ha journey... We appreciate you for taking the time to have an a-ha journey. Best i can do here is to hit a thumbs up button. It doesn't do justice, Best wishes James. (i'm not really called Unhandy)
@@UnhandyCandy280 Haha, cheers, James. Much appreciated, and indeed, biggest thanks to a-ha! Also you have no idea how happy it makes me that you've joined me (and Kim!) for The Master riffs. I love that campy little show, and it makes me happy you're onboard for the journey. :)
@@marjoriemcbride6557 I probably should have followed up on that. Sorry. Yes, things are considerably better now but it was years of tears and self reflection to find a place that allows normality. Funny enough it was Depeche mode that got me through the darkest time and then a-ha again that lifted me out of it.
This was the first single after the official breakup, the first new a-ha song in 5 years (if I am counting correctly), so it was a big thing at the time and it didn't disappoint. ☺ There was some division among fans, however. Some fans didn't feel it was right that they were coming back after the huge farewell tour only a few years earlier, and many didn't think this new single sounded like a-ha. I was on the other camp, among those who were overjoyed with the unexpected comeback and welcomed a different sound. And Morten's voice was as beautiful as ever, and so powerful! It seems, indeed, his voice has more power on this album than on the previous ones, but it may be my impression. 🤔 I think the single version highlighted the strings/ orchestral layer even more, maybe a bit too much, but it was full-blown and certainly blew me away. 😁 At least that is how I remember it. I am aware that my appreciation of this album may be coloured by that joy of having new a-ha music, but I feel this is my favourite album from the post-2000 a-ha era (or rather, it was, because today that place belongs to True North, the latest one ❤). Though I don't like a few songs in it and even strongly dislike one of them. 😅 I have said this before, I know. 😁 Ah, there are also some very particular and special reasons that made us even more fond of a few songs, but unfortunately you won't get it (when you hear them) because you lack the context / history behind them. Of course the a-ha family will let you know about it all when the songs come, but you won't get that special feeling yourself.) P. S. I really like the way the song begins with "This is how it ends", like a paradox, and the way Morten sings it so assertively. It's like it begins with a full stop, both lyrically and in tone.
Next up is ‘The Wake’. It’s one of my later a-ha favourites. For me it’s almost too good. It makes me smile, sigh, bop, feel all warm inside; the lot! Reminds me of ‘old’ A-ha. Perfection!
It’s a great 21st century a-ha song…with lots of strings…an indication of a future direction their music, a more mature a-ha now heading into middle age, would probably take. There’s a story that this song was being considered as a second James Bond theme…for Quantum of Solace, the Writing On The Wall from Sam Smith got it. The video made to promote this single release certainly had all the 007 elements, including two top European actresses Sophie Grabol & Frida Farrell and was filmed simulating them bumping-off Morten in a forest in Scandinavia somewhere…very redolent of a Bond scene. I really love this song…it’s better that the Sam Smith one. But of course I would say that…wouldn’t I? 😂😁
Hi Matt, under the make-up written by Pal Waaktaar -Savoy. According to Pal the writing of this ballad marked a rare occasion where the lyrics were written first, and it concerns a relationship that has ostensibly weathered over time. It was originally recorded for Pal’s other solo project Waaktaar and Zoe and was performed live by Savoy. Pal felt that Morten’s vocal interpretation while written in a different key would give the song a more romantic vibe. The song has a strong emotional content from the lyrics to the strings arrangement everything jells and makes it impossible to dislike . The song sticks in your head from the opening line to the melody changes. Looking forward to your comments Matt. Take care 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴🇺🇸
Duas curiosidades sobre o clip. No início, há ao longe, um som de bateria de samba, e fogo de artifício. E , mais uma vez, o personagem de Morten se vê em problemas... Linda canção!
![Shnootz - Reaction Video (a-ha - Move to Memphis [Ending on a High Note])](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jfzu-YoTUD8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Shnootz - Reaction Video (a-ha - Move to Memphis [Ending on a High Note])](/img/tr.png)
I knew you'd love this one - the strings, the vocals, the lyrics, the... everything!
It's utterly beautiful and one of the best songs they've ever done.
Brilliant song!
Yea this is a bittersweet one for me. Ironically their music grows and evolves just like life.
Since I was 10 years old I was hooked and in love with A-Ha. They touch a chord in the soul almost every time and remind us of both the beauty and fragile lives we live.
Amazing as always my friend! Thanks
Absolute masterpiece that would have worked perfectly as a Bond movie score! By the way, the last high-pitch tune is a theremin (instrument) and not Morten singing 😅 (although I’m quite certain he could have done it as well)
Oh I see! And I know about theremins, certainly! (I'm quite fond of Nodame Cantabile, and it features a character who plays the theremin). But you're right, if anyone could imitate that sound, it would be Morten!
Oboe, pan flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, thrombone, harmonica, omnichord, harpsichord, celesta, etc... and theremin!!! It's the A-HA that I love, it has great musical surprises in store for us over time...
🥰🎼🎶
Next is The wake,masterpieces!
The trumpets do something to me in this one, like the things that used to be odd half hidden or bold electronica are now strings. Grieg is my classical composer and I first heard a-ha’s evocation of the north in Scoundrel Days, and now, with time, it’s like they’re returning home.
Oh man! You mentioned that about Grieg before, and it reminds me that I still haven't reacted to his Peer Gynt. I have that on CD somewhere, need to find it and start that journey.
Also I love the poetic understanding of your comment. Thanks for sharing. :)
The amazing thing is this is Morten’s vocal performances 30 years after take on me hit the charts
The best tune for a James Bond movie, without a doubt.🤗
This album was really a nice surprise when it was released! So unexpected and once again they delighted us musically.... and vocally of course.
Beautiful piece of music that takes you back in time. Pål's parents took him and his sister to concerts with the Oslo Philharmonic when he was a child, and that influence increasingly shines through in his music. Over the years, a-ha has collaborated with the orchestra, among other things they brought them over for the concert in the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2010. They also considered bringing them to Northern Norway for the True North album, but since Magne has been Chairman of The festivals in Bergen for a period he knew well the Arctic Philharmonic, which is based in the north. He knew they were capable, and the band signed them to True North.
And btw, if you are going to react to Grieg, you might want to choose some performance from Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra if it is available to you.
Great video accompanying this single, once again a-ha delving into the (Touchy) subject of women terminating their men...
Thanks Matt!!! Love your A-ha videos. I’m 49 and I’ve been an A-ha fan since I was 14. I was at their concert last year in Brussels and in 2019 in Germany. Pure moments of happiness and magic. Continue to bring us joy with your A-ha videos. Take care 🇧🇪 ❤🇳🇴
Thank you, really appreciate that! And cheers for sharing, I bet that concert was amazing. :)
Majestic innit. Pal wrote it for a woman to sing originally and yes, it's about a relationship where people are masking their true feelings to the point where the question of whether it's worth continuing has to be asked. The gender swap is interesting as it makes the make-up even more of a metaphor for a mask.
Innit ? God bless you sir.
Zoë Gnecco was supposed to sing it (info from a person very close to her). Not sure if she recorded it as demo or not, though.
@@gosiazone According to the book I have Pal recorded a version with her and she also performed it with his band Savoy.
@@MarkSatchwillArt Yep, I was at the Savoy concert where she appeared as a special guest and performed this song.
In the music video for this song, Morten Harket gets murdered and burried in the ground by two woman ... It's the second time Morten has had to play a corps in an A-ha video. The other one is the video for the song Velvet. The other guys in A-ha are really trying to get ridd of Morten .... They are funny that way ...
Don't forget the time they left him stranded on the moon...
😅
By the way, Morten also is trying to get ridd of him self, remember the video to Brother 😂
Well truthfully in Velvet, they are all corpses. I guess Magne and Pål wanted in on the fun there?😂 You are right about Under the Makeup though. It is suspicious 🤔🙃
@@UGLYP1G I first saw that video after I watched “A-ha the movie”. I picture Magne from the spaceship as it takes off laughing an evil laugh…”Ha! ALWAYS getting the better hotel rooms, bigger gifts, special treatment! What are you going to do now, pretty boy?! “😂
@@ElanurMH Yes, and they are all corpses in Velvet. What are with these three nuts? 🤔🤷🏻♀️😂
Bellissima canzone❤️
WARNING ; This comment contains active traits of therapeutic exposition.
This songs came at a time that i was separating from my wife. It hit hard. The first verse is poetic and cutting at the same time. So me and my son (13 at the time) trying to figure a new relationship with each other without a third person in the house and with my son feeling it was my fault for the break up/down (truth be told we both make huge, clanging mistakes over a period of years). Anyway, the song was like someone had looked inside my head and wrote it to music. Not the first time a-ha had done that. The strings, the brass, the swirls, tone of Morten's voice. Very personal to me and for that reason i don't listen to it often but I have high regard for this song.
Wow, thanks so much for sharing, and it's a testament to how powerfully music can affect you as you live your life. Cheers, thanks again.
I’m sorry that this song reminds you now of such a painful time in your life. Music, especially the emotionally intelligent and intense songs of a-ha with their ability to get inside your head and heart, can really affect you deeply. I trust things have got better now for you and your son, and that time the great healer has lessened the bad memories. Yes it’s a great song, just probably not one you care to listen to too often. 🤗
@@mattsnider2667 I think a few of us have shared personal stories now and it's thanks to a-ha for making those feeling audible and artistic (however painful) and in this particular setting ? Shout out to you Matt for a place to come and listen again to these songs that we might have written off or just not thought about too much. As much as you say daily that you appreciate us for coming along for your a-ha journey... We appreciate you for taking the time to have an a-ha journey.
Best i can do here is to hit a thumbs up button. It doesn't do justice,
Best wishes James. (i'm not really called Unhandy)
@@UnhandyCandy280 Haha, cheers, James. Much appreciated, and indeed, biggest thanks to a-ha!
Also you have no idea how happy it makes me that you've joined me (and Kim!) for The Master riffs. I love that campy little show, and it makes me happy you're onboard for the journey. :)
@@marjoriemcbride6557 I probably should have followed up on that. Sorry. Yes, things are considerably better now but it was years of tears and self reflection to find a place that allows normality. Funny enough it was Depeche mode that got me through the darkest time and then a-ha again that lifted me out of it.
next few tracks bring back in the synth
This was the first single after the official breakup, the first new a-ha song in 5 years (if I am counting correctly), so it was a big thing at the time and it didn't disappoint. ☺ There was some division among fans, however. Some fans didn't feel it was right that they were coming back after the huge farewell tour only a few years earlier, and many didn't think this new single sounded like a-ha. I was on the other camp, among those who were overjoyed with the unexpected comeback and welcomed a different sound. And Morten's voice was as beautiful as ever, and so powerful! It seems, indeed, his voice has more power on this album than on the previous ones, but it may be my impression. 🤔
I think the single version highlighted the strings/ orchestral layer even more, maybe a bit too much, but it was full-blown and certainly blew me away. 😁 At least that is how I remember it.
I am aware that my appreciation of this album may be coloured by that joy of having new a-ha music, but I feel this is my favourite album from the post-2000 a-ha era (or rather, it was, because today that place belongs to True North, the latest one ❤). Though I don't like a few songs in it and even strongly dislike one of them. 😅 I have said this before, I know. 😁
Ah, there are also some very particular and special reasons that made us even more fond of a few songs, but unfortunately you won't get it (when you hear them) because you lack the context / history behind them. Of course the a-ha family will let you know about it all when the songs come, but you won't get that special feeling yourself.)
P. S. I really like the way the song begins with "This is how it ends", like a paradox, and the way Morten sings it so assertively. It's like it begins with a full stop, both lyrically and in tone.
Amazing song from an amazing album! Great band!
Confirming Morten Harket is not a human, being but a singing God hahahahaha
One step closer to spontaneous combustion! 😉👍
Next up is ‘The Wake’. It’s one of my later a-ha favourites. For me it’s almost too good. It makes me smile, sigh, bop, feel all warm inside; the lot! Reminds me of ‘old’ A-ha. Perfection!
It’s a great 21st century a-ha song…with lots of strings…an indication of a future direction their music, a more mature a-ha now heading into middle age, would probably take. There’s a story that this song was being considered as a second James Bond theme…for Quantum of Solace, the Writing On The Wall from Sam Smith got it. The video made to promote this single release certainly had all the 007 elements, including two top European actresses Sophie Grabol & Frida Farrell and was filmed simulating them bumping-off Morten in a forest in Scandinavia somewhere…very redolent of a Bond scene. I really love this song…it’s better that the Sam Smith one. But of course I would say that…wouldn’t I? 😂😁
I didn’t know this but always found this to be a 007-esque soundtrack
@@DJMaartenVersteeg Very much so I think too!
The video is like a movie. It's dramatic... 😊❤🎵🇳🇴
Like a real scandinavian movie 😉
So it's like a Bergman film? :)
@@mattsnider2667I don't know .... the video reminds me of a thriller with a very Scandinavian atmosphere 😉
@@mattsnider2667 More like 007. 😊
Hi Matt, under the make-up written by Pal Waaktaar -Savoy. According to Pal the writing of this ballad marked a rare occasion where the lyrics were written first, and it concerns a relationship that has ostensibly weathered over time. It was originally recorded for Pal’s other solo project Waaktaar and Zoe and was performed live by Savoy. Pal felt that Morten’s vocal interpretation while written in a different key would give the song a more romantic vibe. The song has a strong emotional content from the lyrics to the strings arrangement everything jells and makes it impossible to dislike . The song sticks in your head from the opening line to the melody changes. Looking forward to your comments Matt. Take care 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴🇺🇸
You should really see the musicvideo for this
Duas curiosidades sobre o clip. No início, há ao longe, um som de bateria de samba, e fogo de artifício. E , mais uma vez, o personagem de Morten se vê em problemas...
Linda canção!
Hey Matt, are you familiar with Keane? If you like 2000-current A-Ha, i think you would like Keane.
Hmmm, no, I don't think I've ever heard of them. You have me curious, though!