This video was groundbreaking at the time. We had never seen anything like this. This song has a whole different life. There's a 3 part documentary on RUclips that goes through all of the trials and tribulations of the process it, and the band, went through. The absolute best song of the 80s decade.
people today will never get it, because today you can easily get a computer to do it, but back in the 80s, they had to hand draw over each frame of film that had part real part comic in it (tracing over the people etc). Which is also why it was so groundbreaking because of course no one in their right mind would do that. But they did.
Aha was a pop band from Norway which explains his voice. The girl was Bunty Bailey, the lead singers lover in real life. This video used Rotovision to create the unique effects and was the most expensive music video ever created at the time.
They shot the entire live-action video; then, two professional illustrators took three months (each working full-time on the project) to complete over 10,000 (pencil and paper) sketches of frames from the footage that were later spliced back into the footage. It was an incredible feat and a risky gamble on a band that wasn't yet firmly established in pop. Most people fall in love with this video before they fall in love with the song but the song is solid all on its own. Also, that keyboard lends itself very well to nostalgia.
Rotoscope animation has been around since 1915. A film is projected on a pane of glass, then the artist traces the images frame by frame to create animation.
@@Cosmo-Kramer Let's see, there's "Don't You Forget About Me" by the Simple Minds, "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head, "Material Girl" and "La Ista Bonita" by Madonna. "Emotion in Motion" by Ric Ocasek, "It's Raining Again", "Missionary Man", "Love is a Stranger" and "I Need a Man" by the Eurythmics.
@@nicholasmaude6906 None of those are even in the conversation for, "Most Iconic Music Videos of the '80s". Having said that, "Don't You Forget About Me", is a legit candidate for, "Most Iconic Song of the '80s", and it might even edge out, "Everybody Wants to Rule The World", for that crown. But the video for each of those songs is nothing special in the least, so they are not serious contenders for the distinction we're discussing.
@@nicholasmaude6906Unfortunately, I’m old enough to have been around when all of those came out and I wouldn’t say any of them are as memorable as Take On Me.
A-HA is a Norwegian band. anyway the band had a number of other hits including "The Sun Always Shines on TV", "Cry Wolf" and "Living Daylights" (The theme song for the James Bond film of the same name), if you liked "Take on Me" then you should these other songs too.
A great song to revisit the 80's. The original video has around 1.6 billion views. The lead singer is Norwegian born Morten Harket. Tremendous vocal range. A few years ago, 35 years after this song's release, he appeared on the UK version of the Masked Singer, as The Viking. He even sang a real nice accustic version of this song. Not sure if he could still hit those high notes now that he's in his 60's.
The whole band is norwegian, the 3 boys, still doing music and art now grown ,elderly men.😊 My age and I am norwegian . A-ah greatest norwegian artists ever. They have so many more hits , even better than this one.
Back in 1986 there were no computerized effects, so the video is entirely hand drawn! You can see it in the „mixed“ scenes, where the first shot it on normal film and then covered parts by (re)drawing them. Very cumbersome, but back in the day, there was still money available for cool and innovative videos!
Hello, thankyou for reacting to A-HA. I have been an A-HA fan for almost 40 years now. I was 16 years old in 1985 when this song came out and I’m 53 now and still love them perhaps more than ever. A-HA are three multi talented men from Oslo, Norway. They are a very unappreciated and underrated band with a huge back catalogue. They write all their own music and no two A-HA songs sound the same. They are in the guinness book of records for the longest note held during a live performance with a song called summer moved on which came later in their career. The band members were all in their 20’s when take on me came out and now they are all in their early 60’s and still making music as A- HA as well as solo projects. A- HA have released 11 albums and their latest album was released in October 2022 called True North. I hope you’ll react to more of their music I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Thanks again for reacting to A-HA and take care. 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴 A-HA FOREVER🇳🇴❤️
Hey, I am also 53! I loved this song from hearing it on the radio and got the album on cassette as a birthday present. But I only really know this song and The Sun Always Shines on TV (with a video that follows this one story-wise). I'll have to listen to more! Thanks
@@toddashi You’ll be blown away if you go down the A-HA rabbit hole because every song of theirs is diffent. I suggest for your next A-HA listen try ive been losing you or manhattan skyline from their second album scoundrel days. A-HA have 11 albums to choose from. Take care and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the A-HA musical journey. 😘 ❤️🇳🇴❤️A-HA FOREVER❤️🇳🇴❤️ 🎸🎹🎤 🥇🥇🥇 🫠🥰 🏴🇳🇴
80's kid here. I am still struggling to find an example from back then that is even close to comparing to the innovation this music video displayed. I am convinced that there is NOTHING like it from that era - not even a little. It's still my favorite music video as far as quality, technology, and screenplay. Beautifully executed!
For anybody who didn't know, the chemistry between these two was real and they dated for a long time after filming finished, also I met morten(lead singer)in the 80's down the Kings Road Chelsea UK and he looked exactly the same as in this video
@@brittreacts it’s called rotoscope, two artists spent months drawing over the video frames my hand. Morten harket , the singer, has one of the best voices in the music world ……ever! they are still going to this day, recently released a new album.
This song struggled at first, but then it was packaged with the extremely innovative video which (according to Wikipedia) won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. In October 1985, the song topped Billboard's Hot 100.
Hey Britt! Great reaction. This is the one song that, every time I hear it, it can take me right back to 1985. I was 16, driving around in my orange '79 Mustang (🤣) with my friends feeling "free" for the first time. Was a great time to be that age, and this kind of music was a big part of the soundtrack. Thanks again!
IMO, the three most iconic 80s pop songs are 'Take on Me', 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' and 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'. But this one has, by far, the best video.
I know you've watched The Masked Singer. Morten Harket was on the UK? version and to date, that I know of, he is the only contestant to sing his own song. I heard it and was like, yup, no one else hits that note quite like him. Loved it.
LOVED this song and video when it came out. So innovative and unusual. This is a Norwegian group and while that was their only real hit in the US, they're still popular in Norway. I was surprised you didn't go wild over the high notes he hits in the chorus :D We all did!
Take on me was made by a technique called rotoscope and has 14,000 line drawings and live action. Take on me was released 3 times with the 3rd being the charm in 1985
MTV debuted in 1981 BUT really wasnt a thing until around 1983 84 when the PUSH to KEEP MTV on the air pushed the Commercials I WANT MY MTV. During this time period MUSIC videos were still pretty new and often cheesy but also often INNOVATIVE ( Watch PETER GABRIAL videos of that era ) This video too was Innovative and won several awards. Back at that time IT WASNT ENOUGH JUST TO PLAY MUSIC on MTV, the channel was struggling to stay alive and one of the things MUSICIANS did to make their music relevant was to GET CREATIVE with their videos. PETER GABRIAL was one o the MOST Innovative and creative of that time period and watch ANY of his 80's videos and you will be amazed. IF you have ever watch FERRIS BEULARS DAY OFF then you saw one of those MTV COMMERCIALS in the beginning in his room talking about how silly school was.
Britt . . . . You HAVE to react to the 2017 version of of this song. Sung by the original group, 37 yrs later. It's "TAKE ON ME - M-TV LIVE UNPLUGGED". Same song, it's sang a different way. Kinda puts life in retrospect. My opinion . . .. best version of it. First (1985) version is like a young person just starting their life, 2017 version is like the same person, 37 yrs later looking at his life.
A-HA were a band before their time. That song was kept from reaching No1 because of another fantastic song. Jennifer Rush and The Power of Love that spent 6 weeks at No1 in the British top twenty. Morten is dreamy looking too.
"Take On Me" was one of the 80s anthems that still work perfectly today. A-Ha is an amazing band, they have so many astounding songs... The video is still seen as one of the greatest ever made
I miss this era of music videos. We got some super creative and amazing music videos. Back when MTV was worth watching. I used to run home after school and pop in on the tv and do my homework to it
Girl, he’s so hot! I remember when this song came out, I was a teenager and was thinking “hell yeah jump into that comic book for that!”! I think we all would have back then! LOL!😂😂😂
The director for this video was Steve Barron, who directed a lot--and I mean a LOT--of iconic music videos. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Rosanna" and "Africa" by Toto, "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant, the list is long. Steve Barron also helmed a couple of videos for David Bowie, "As the World Falls Down" and "Underground," both from the soundtrack to "Labyrinth" (1986). That would turn out to be Jim Henson's final film as director: he died in the spring of 1990. But one of Henson's final projects, was providing costumes for a film directed by Steve Barron (yup, very same guy who directed this video for "Take On Me.") You might have heard of it: 1990's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." If you want to look into music videos as an art form, Russell Mulcahy, Nigel Dick, and Steve Barron are some directors you should definitely look into. You might want to save Mulcahy's oeuvre for later, though: some of his more expressionist videos can be nightmare fuel.
Besides my parents liking this song, this was put into the first Warzone (idk if you know much on video games). Me and my friends used to all sing this together when we’d be in the cars ripping across the map. This was one of the radio songs. Such nostalgia 😂
Four years ago there was an article in a Norwegian newspaper which said that the song at that time had passed five million radio plays in the USA. That means 300-400 times a day on average, for 35 years.
this video took months to make and was hand drawn. Before the video came out this song under performed with multiple releases even though it was a good song. the video producer said the video would get people to stick around long enough to realize the song was so good.
Over a BILLION views to a video nearly 40 years old and voted one of the Top 2 Videos on MTV along with Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. That was his real life girlfriend at the time. Great Video, well ahead of its time, and has stunning visuals, as Britt said. Shame we couldn't really see it to appreciate it...
That is not actually creepy because they both have a crush on each other. Therefore, he pulls her in. She approves to go in because she has a crush on him.
Wow this one brings back memories from the 80s for me. This video was on a loop on MTV back then. Such fun times miss those days now more than ever before 🤔
You say it has such an 80s sound, to me the 80s sound the way they do because of this song. I was seven or eight when this came out, and it stuck with me from then. It is absolutely a defining song and video from the decade. Thank you for your genuine response to the quality of the video, it was a groundbreaking video for the time. I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
The technique is know as rotoscoping- basically they draw over each frame of the film by hand. It was developed in 1915, was popular for a while in the early 1900's, but wasn't used much after that. This video took a team of professional artists six months to draw each frame by hand. Another video from the same year (1985) that also used it was Dire Straight's Bothers In Arms. The ending is a nod to the movie Altered States.
The video had a sequel to this one with another song on the "Hunting Hi And Low" album, titled, "The Sun Always Shines On TV" and I loved that song as much as this. I still have the album, and there are days when it is all I will listen to. I remember watching a male Ice Skater in the 90s perform on ice to "The Sun Always Shines On TV" and it fit his routines to a "T"! I was 17 in 1985, and the song still feels like it is from the future even at 55 years of age now. Every time I see the video, it is a massive stroll down memory lane and makes me feel like I did when I was 17, so it is timeless!
2 top game changing videos in music: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen in 1975 - first promotional music video ever (I still think it was what gave Mike Nesmith of The Monkees the idea to create MTV in 1981) Take On Me - A-Ha : Most innovative concept for a music video in the 80's. None of us had ever seen anything like it at the time.
I was 29 in 85 .... this BLEW OUR MINDS !!!! This was one of the first videos on what was "MTV" remember them? This video set the standard for music vids. LOved this video back then and even now. WOW, so many memories :)
I recently subbed to your channel. I am 52 soon to be 53 years old. Thanks for reacting to A-HA cause thus brings back memories from my younger years. I'm enjoying the variety of genres you're covering in your reactions. Looking forward to more and you look amazing. Keep up the good work.
MTV Unplugged version from a few years back is amazing! It’s like a completely different and beautiful song. And Morten Harket, the singer, appears to have hardly aged! 😂
I was born in 79, so I grew up through the 80s, but as young as I was I didn't really appreciate this music then, but now as an adult going back, listening to stuff that I wasn't into back then, i realize how good some of this 80s music really was, it was a very creative and talented era, with the introduction to more computer synthesized music as well as MTV, it really changed the game.
🎼🎼🔥🎼🎼 .. Hey Confusion ... this was so fun in the 80s .. everyone was watching this video . And we were all dancing when it played !! Nice trip down memory lane , we were in awe of this video
This is one of the greatest videos of all time. It was mind blowing from the first. It was a-ha’s first big song and the biggest. A-ha was a trio from Norway. There is an acoustic version here on YT that is beautiful. It really helps to show the beauty of the song when you strip it down. The video got them instant attention.
When I first saw this on MTV I called my mom into the room and said “you’ve got to see this!” She was as transfixed and speechless as I was. Every time I hear this song it reminds me of that moment.
Morten Harket was to be by future husband (to a 13 years old) lol ... this song is still great .. and remember these videos were geared to the MTV audience for playtime and awards ... when MTV started, the videos were created to push music out to mainstream amd get them to the radio to increase record sales ... so you will find some very creative 80's videos as they were all vying for our dollars ...
It was voted one of the best music videos in the 1980's. I remember watching this music video for the first time when MTV aired back in 1985. I was 15 years old then. The 1980's was SUCH an awesome decade!
I believe this was made using a process called rotoscoping. They would actually film the scene, then use each frame as a template to quickly draw another cell on top of that. On the black and white scenes you would only see the drawings based on the video they filmed
this song opened more doors than people can believe . song , voice , cgi , acting .. etc . hell , this is the grandfather of all music videos . this is the video that changed every video past this point .
This is the song that allowed AHA to do one of my favourite James Bond themes ever for one of my favourite James Bond movies ever, The Living Daylights. That movie was so good, both as a movie and as a soundtrack, that their theme song wasn't even the best song on the soundtrack. The Pretenders did 2 songs for the movie, Where Has Everybody Gone? for the villain, and the incredible love ballad If There Was A Man.
The animation process is known as rotoscoping. The rotoscope technique was invented by animator Max Fleischer in 1915, and used in his groundbreaking _:Out of the Inkwell'_ animated series (1918-1927). It was known simply as the "Fleischer Process" on the early screen credits, and was essentially exclusive to Fleischer for several years.
Fun Fact: a "Harketometer" is an architectural equation used to calculate the total weight of women's underwear a given stage can hold before collapsing. Some venues can't handle the KiloHarkets an A-Ha performance generates without structural reinforcement, and installation of special fire extinguishers to put out the people who literally burst into flames when he hits that note.
Absolutely stunning video. Briliant song. They had other wonderful songs such as "Hunting High and Low" - my favourite. It included another fantastic real life visual concept. And "The Sun Always Sines on TV" and "Stay On Theses Roads."
As a norwegian growing up in the 80s, this was the first time that a norwegian band made an international hit that was popular all over the world. My personal favorite A-HA song is "Hunting high and low". Fun to see your reaction :-)
The 70’s and 80’s pushed the boundaries on what they could do with music and special effects. That is why they still hold up to this day. Ohhhh to return to that time 🥹
MTV brought this about, it was the Video Games of the time, binge watching videos from bands of the 80's. It also made major hits of songs that wouldn't have got a shot otherwise.
Still one of the iconic and innovative videos from the 80s, way ahead of its time. And a great song, period! Watch the sequel, "The Sun Always Shines on TV". Thanks for posting/reacting to this!
As far as I know...no other music video has attempted this same style. Many music videos will do animation and reality at the same time but not like this and sometimes not even as smoothly either
Yes, the video for this song became iconic, and it was definitely ahead of its time. We can slap together a video like this today easily, but it doesn't take as much work today. My point is, that in some areas ts not that technology has made it easier to automate a scene to spread across social media. They are ready to accept and promote anyone who does not step in line.
This video was decades ahead of its time! Great song and I heard a live version that was just a couple of years ago and the lead singer can still hit that huge note. This is great intro for you into Nu wave 80s music
Every decade is technically advanced, that is how progress comes about and technology advances further. Huge advancements don't suddenly arrive out of nowhere, it is a series of gradual steps.
Now you know why both the song and the video have been beloved bt people all over the world for so many years
This video was groundbreaking at the time. We had never seen anything like this. This song has a whole different life. There's a 3 part documentary on RUclips that goes through all of the trials and tribulations of the process it, and the band, went through. The absolute best song of the 80s decade.
Better than Rick Astley?
oh bologney
Yea I agree and still after all these years still a great song.
Great song, awesome video.
people today will never get it, because today you can easily get a computer to do it, but back in the 80s, they had to hand draw over each frame of film that had part real part comic in it (tracing over the people etc). Which is also why it was so groundbreaking because of course no one in their right mind would do that. But they did.
Aha was a pop band from Norway which explains his voice.
The girl was Bunty Bailey, the lead singers lover in real life. This video used Rotovision to create the unique effects and was the most expensive music video ever created at the time.
Bunty was a honey
His voice is Angelic.
They shot the entire live-action video; then, two professional illustrators took three months (each working full-time on the project) to complete over 10,000 (pencil and paper) sketches of frames from the footage that were later spliced back into the footage. It was an incredible feat and a risky gamble on a band that wasn't yet firmly established in pop.
Most people fall in love with this video before they fall in love with the song but the song is solid all on its own. Also, that keyboard lends itself very well to nostalgia.
Appreciated, groundbreaking video ..no doubt ..then I think what's ground breaking about ✏️ and 📜 😂
Rotoscope animation has been around since 1915. A film is projected on a pane of glass, then the artist traces the images frame by frame to create animation.
Holy shhh
Probably the most iconic video in the 80s
While it was an iconic 80s music video I wouldn't call it THE iconic video of the 80s as there were a number of iconic 80s videos.
@@nicholasmaude6906 Name one as iconic. You can't.
@@Cosmo-Kramer Let's see, there's "Don't You Forget About Me" by the Simple Minds, "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head, "Material Girl" and "La Ista Bonita" by Madonna. "Emotion in Motion" by Ric Ocasek, "It's Raining Again", "Missionary Man", "Love is a Stranger" and "I Need a Man" by the Eurythmics.
@@nicholasmaude6906 None of those are even in the conversation for, "Most Iconic Music Videos of the '80s". Having said that, "Don't You Forget About Me", is a legit candidate for, "Most Iconic Song of the '80s", and it might even edge out, "Everybody Wants to Rule The World", for that crown. But the video for each of those songs is nothing special in the least, so they are not serious contenders for the distinction we're discussing.
@@nicholasmaude6906Unfortunately, I’m old enough to have been around when all of those came out and I wouldn’t say any of them are as memorable as Take On Me.
A-HA is a Norwegian band. anyway the band had a number of other hits including "The Sun Always Shines on TV", "Cry Wolf" and "Living Daylights" (The theme song for the James Bond film of the same name), if you liked "Take on Me" then you should these other songs too.
Unfortunately, none of those were hits in America and because of that they’re usually considered an American one hit wonder.
no , she is not part of the group . she is part of the greatest love story ever told ....
A great song to revisit the 80's. The original video has around 1.6 billion views.
The lead singer is Norwegian born Morten Harket. Tremendous vocal range.
A few years ago, 35 years after this song's release, he appeared on the UK version of the Masked Singer, as The Viking. He even sang a real nice accustic version of this song. Not sure if he could still hit those high notes now that he's in his 60's.
A staggering number of views of that official video. It is one of my favs for sure!
Y'all be safe.
He hit the notes on last year’s tour!
His singing is a Norwegian style of singing, it helps him hit those notes from the progression of the technique.
The whole band is norwegian, the 3 boys, still doing music and art now grown ,elderly men.😊 My age and I am norwegian . A-ah greatest norwegian artists ever. They have so many more hits , even better than this one.
The acoustic version was used in DeadPool 2…. And perfectly I might as.
Back in 1986 there were no computerized effects, so the video is entirely hand drawn! You can see it in the „mixed“ scenes, where the first shot it on normal film and then covered parts by (re)drawing them. Very cumbersome, but back in the day, there was still money available for cool and innovative videos!
So 80s.. yes. And a groundbreaking video back then. I feel so blessed for having the 80s music in my late teen years. Good times.
Hello, thankyou for reacting to A-HA. I have been an A-HA fan for almost 40 years now. I was 16 years old in 1985 when this song came out and I’m 53 now and still love them perhaps more than ever. A-HA are three multi talented men from Oslo, Norway. They are a very unappreciated and underrated band with a huge back catalogue. They write all their own music and no two A-HA songs sound the same. They are in the guinness book of records for the longest note held during a live performance with a song called summer moved on which came later in their career. The band members were all in their 20’s when take on me came out and now they are all in their early 60’s and still making music as A- HA as well as solo projects. A- HA have released 11 albums and their latest album was released in October 2022 called True North. I hope you’ll react to more of their music I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Thanks again for reacting to A-HA and take care. 😘❤️🇳🇴❤️🏴 A-HA FOREVER🇳🇴❤️
Lol Im also 53 from Joliette Quebec and yes this video especially at the end touched home for a lot of people.
I am your age as well and I remember when that video premiered on Mtv. I was blown away by the artistry.
Hey, I am also 53! I loved this song from hearing it on the radio and got the album on cassette as a birthday present. But I only really know this song and The Sun Always Shines on TV (with a video that follows this one story-wise). I'll have to listen to more! Thanks
@@toddashi You’ll be blown away if you go down the A-HA rabbit hole because every song of theirs is diffent. I suggest for your next A-HA listen try ive been losing you or manhattan skyline from their second album scoundrel days. A-HA have 11 albums to choose from. Take care and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the A-HA musical journey. 😘 ❤️🇳🇴❤️A-HA FOREVER❤️🇳🇴❤️ 🎸🎹🎤 🥇🥇🥇 🫠🥰 🏴🇳🇴
I met Morten in my local pub in Hampshire, UK in the mid 90s.
Nice guy
It's essentially a cartoon, done the same way old cartoons were done: painstakingly, hand drawing every frame. No CGI here.
There was a follow-up to this song, "The Sun Always Shines on TV", and it's probably my fave song of the era.
Arguably the better song, IMO. I loved Take On Me, but this song convinced me to purchase the album. ❤
80's kid here. I am still struggling to find an example from back then that is even close to comparing to the innovation this music video displayed. I am convinced that there is NOTHING like it from that era - not even a little. It's still my favorite music video as far as quality, technology, and screenplay. Beautifully executed!
The late 70's and 80's was Video Heaven! .... Don't even consider Reacting to those songs without using the Original Video!
I remember first seeing this video and having my mind blown! It was so far ahead of anything else at the time.
My sister teaches a class on music video and uses this as an example of innovation in the form.
This was really cool. But Thriller is still my all-time favourite music video as I was a horror fan already then as a kid.
If you watched the original lord of the rings movie from the seventies and Anchors Away from the fifties. You will see similar methods.
In the documentary I think they said it took 2 artists 6 months to draw it frame by frame. Great song!
It’s so awesome to watch your reaction. This must be how I reacted when I first saw it on MTV in the 80’s !!
For anybody who didn't know, the chemistry between these two was real and they dated for a long time after filming finished, also I met morten(lead singer)in the 80's down the Kings Road Chelsea UK and he looked exactly the same as in this video
Wow. This takes me back!!! This video was so "cutting edge" when it came out. I watched it a million times. Thank you
It still feels so cutting edge!!
@@brittreacts it’s called rotoscope, two artists spent months drawing over the video frames my hand. Morten harket , the singer, has one of the best voices in the music world ……ever! they are still going to this day, recently released a new album.
@@brittreacts No technology. 3,000 HAND Drawings !
This song struggled at first, but then it was packaged with the extremely innovative video which (according to Wikipedia) won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. In October 1985, the song topped Billboard's Hot 100.
First (and so far only, possibly?) Norwegian band to top the Billboard list. Which obviously was a *massive* deal here back home in Norway
@@GroovingPict Watch for Angelina to do it again someday!
Hey Britt! Great reaction. This is the one song that, every time I hear it, it can take me right back to 1985. I was 16, driving around in my orange '79 Mustang (🤣) with my friends feeling "free" for the first time. Was a great time to be that age, and this kind of music was a big part of the soundtrack. Thanks again!
This video has 1.6 Billion views on you tube! It has to be great and it is! Thanks for the reaction!
I was fortunate to live in Miami, Florida in the 80s. Yes, getting to dance to great songs like this in the clubs.
Ahhhh, those were the days!
IMO, the three most iconic 80s pop songs are 'Take on Me', 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' and 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'. But this one has, by far, the best video.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is the Best Non-Beatle Song Ever! Whenever I start a long driving trip I play it!
Actually, don't you forget about me was done by the group, Simple Minds. In 85!
If you noticed, when they are running away from the bad guys the edges of the maze were crumpled. I always loved that detail.
One of the first videos I saw on MTV many years ago. I never forgot it.
Fun fact by the keyboard part of the song was written by the keyboard player Magne ‘Mags’ Furuholmen when he was 14 years old.
I know you've watched The Masked Singer. Morten Harket was on the UK? version and to date, that I know of, he is the only contestant to sing his own song. I heard it and was like, yup, no one else hits that note quite like him. Loved it.
IT IS the 80's! And a great falsetto! One of the best New Wave songs ever!!!
LOVED this song and video when it came out. So innovative and unusual. This is a Norwegian group and while that was their only real hit in the US, they're still popular in Norway. I was surprised you didn't go wild over the high notes he hits in the chorus :D We all did!
Take on me was made by a technique called rotoscope and has 14,000 line drawings and live action. Take on me was released 3 times with the 3rd being the charm in 1985
Now you gotta listen to the MTV live they did. It will make you cry!!!!!!!🤘😃🤘
MTV debuted in 1981 BUT really wasnt a thing until around 1983 84 when the PUSH to KEEP MTV on the air pushed the Commercials I WANT MY MTV. During this time period MUSIC videos were still pretty new and often cheesy but also often INNOVATIVE ( Watch PETER GABRIAL videos of that era ) This video too was Innovative and won several awards. Back at that time IT WASNT ENOUGH JUST TO PLAY MUSIC on MTV, the channel was struggling to stay alive and one of the things MUSICIANS did to make their music relevant was to GET CREATIVE with their videos. PETER GABRIAL was one o the MOST Innovative and creative of that time period and watch ANY of his 80's videos and you will be amazed. IF you have ever watch FERRIS BEULARS DAY OFF then you saw one of those MTV COMMERCIALS in the beginning in his room talking about how silly school was.
Britt . . . . You HAVE to react to the 2017 version of of this song. Sung by the original group, 37 yrs later. It's "TAKE ON ME - M-TV LIVE UNPLUGGED". Same song, it's sang a different way. Kinda puts life in retrospect. My opinion . . .. best version of it. First (1985) version is like a young person just starting their life, 2017 version is like the same person, 37 yrs later looking at his life.
A-HA were a band before their time. That song was kept from reaching No1 because of another fantastic song. Jennifer Rush and The Power of Love that spent 6 weeks at No1 in the British top twenty. Morten is dreamy looking too.
I was stationed in England in the USAF when this was released and it blew people away! .... I bought the Single! Sold it a few years ago for $50 ....
"Take On Me" was one of the 80s anthems that still work perfectly today.
A-Ha is an amazing band, they have so many astounding songs...
The video is still seen as one of the greatest ever made
I miss this era of music videos. We got some super creative and amazing music videos. Back when MTV was worth watching. I used to run home after school and pop in on the tv and do my homework to it
Girl, he’s so hot! I remember when this song came out, I was a teenager and was thinking “hell yeah jump into that comic book for that!”! I think we all would have back then! LOL!😂😂😂
Even in his 60’s, Morten Harket is still a good looking guy
The director for this video was Steve Barron, who directed a lot--and I mean a LOT--of iconic music videos. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Rosanna" and "Africa" by Toto, "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant, the list is long.
Steve Barron also helmed a couple of videos for David Bowie, "As the World Falls Down" and "Underground," both from the soundtrack to "Labyrinth" (1986). That would turn out to be Jim Henson's final film as director: he died in the spring of 1990.
But one of Henson's final projects, was providing costumes for a film directed by Steve Barron (yup, very same guy who directed this video for "Take On Me.") You might have heard of it: 1990's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
If you want to look into music videos as an art form, Russell Mulcahy, Nigel Dick, and Steve Barron are some directors you should definitely look into. You might want to save Mulcahy's oeuvre for later, though: some of his more expressionist videos can be nightmare fuel.
Besides my parents liking this song, this was put into the first Warzone (idk if you know much on video games). Me and my friends used to all sing this together when we’d be in the cars ripping across the map. This was one of the radio songs. Such nostalgia 😂
It literally feels nostalgic to me and this was my first time hearing it 😂😂
Four years ago there was an article in a Norwegian newspaper which said that the song at that time had passed five million radio plays in the USA. That means 300-400 times a day on average, for 35 years.
I'm not a big fan of music videos but this is probably the best one all time.
You should check out the follow-up video, "The Sun Always Shines on TV"
this video took months to make and was hand drawn. Before the video came out this song under performed with multiple releases even though it was a good song. the video producer said the video would get people to stick around long enough to realize the song was so good.
Over a BILLION views to a video nearly 40 years old and voted one of the Top 2 Videos on MTV along with Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
That was his real life girlfriend at the time.
Great Video, well ahead of its time, and has stunning visuals, as Britt said.
Shame we couldn't really see it to appreciate it...
80's had the greatest songs....
You’re not wrong!
@@brittreacts I'm 71 years old, but spent '77 to '86 in England in the USAF .... So I'd say the 60's and 80' are tied!
That is not actually creepy because they both have a crush on each other. Therefore, he pulls her in. She approves to go in because she has a crush on him.
Super clásico de los 80's
When this first came out, I was blown away with the video!!! It was something we've never seen before, but copied after.
Wow this one brings back memories from the 80s for me. This video was on a loop on MTV back then. Such fun times miss those days now more than ever before 🤔
Two talented animators spent months drawing the cells used for the animations from the live action film that was originally shot for the video.
You say it has such an 80s sound, to me the 80s sound the way they do because of this song. I was seven or eight when this came out, and it stuck with me from then. It is absolutely a defining song and video from the decade. Thank you for your genuine response to the quality of the video, it was a groundbreaking video for the time. I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
The technique is know as rotoscoping- basically they draw over each frame of the film by hand. It was developed in 1915, was popular for a while in the early 1900's, but wasn't used much after that. This video took a team of professional artists six months to draw each frame by hand. Another video from the same year (1985) that also used it was Dire Straight's Bothers In Arms.
The ending is a nod to the movie Altered States.
The video had a sequel to this one with another song on the "Hunting Hi And Low" album, titled, "The Sun Always Shines On TV" and I loved that song as much as this. I still have the album, and there are days when it is all I will listen to. I remember watching a male Ice Skater in the 90s perform on ice to "The Sun Always Shines On TV" and it fit his routines to a "T"!
I was 17 in 1985, and the song still feels like it is from the future even at 55 years of age now. Every time I see the video, it is a massive stroll down memory lane and makes me feel like I did when I was 17, so it is timeless!
2 top game changing videos in music:
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen in 1975 - first promotional music video ever (I still think it was what gave Mike Nesmith of The Monkees the idea to create MTV in 1981)
Take On Me - A-Ha : Most innovative concept for a music video in the 80's. None of us had ever seen anything like it at the time.
I was 29 in 85 .... this BLEW OUR MINDS !!!! This was one of the first videos on what was "MTV" remember them? This video set the standard for music vids. LOved this video back then and even now. WOW, so many memories :)
I recently subbed to your channel. I am 52 soon to be 53 years old. Thanks for reacting to A-HA cause thus brings back memories from my younger years. I'm enjoying the variety of genres you're covering in your reactions. Looking forward to more and you look amazing. Keep up the good work.
MTV Unplugged version from a few years back is amazing! It’s like a completely different and beautiful song. And Morten Harket, the singer, appears to have hardly aged! 😂
now watch the sequel "The Sun Always Shines on TV"
I was born in 79, so I grew up through the 80s, but as young as I was I didn't really appreciate this music then, but now as an adult going back, listening to stuff that I wasn't into back then, i realize how good some of this 80s music really was, it was a very creative and talented era, with the introduction to more computer synthesized music as well as MTV, it really changed the game.
🎼🎼🔥🎼🎼 .. Hey Confusion ... this was so fun in the 80s .. everyone was watching this video . And we were all dancing when it played !! Nice trip down memory lane , we were in awe of this video
The ending is based on the ending of the 1980 movie Altered States.
Video of the year when it came out.
Best 80's video. Most underrated band. Check out Sun Always Shines on TV and other videos by them. They have many great videos and music.
This is one of the greatest videos of all time. It was mind blowing from the first. It was a-ha’s first big song and the biggest. A-ha was a trio from Norway. There is an acoustic version here on YT that is beautiful. It really helps to show the beauty of the song when you strip it down. The video got them instant attention.
When I first saw this on MTV I called my mom into the room and said “you’ve got to see this!” She was as transfixed and speechless as I was.
Every time I hear this song it reminds me of that moment.
This is my favorite song and video of all time. 7th grade at thr time
Morten Harket was to be by future husband (to a 13 years old) lol ... this song is still great .. and remember these videos were geared to the MTV audience for playtime and awards ... when MTV started, the videos were created to push music out to mainstream amd get them to the radio to increase record sales ... so you will find some very creative 80's videos as they were all vying for our dollars ...
Husband to a 13 year old? WTF?
@@CamillusFly She was dreaming about marrying him when she was 13, I guess. Well, we all did, actually - 13, 15 or 18. He was adorable.
@@ahkkariq7406 Understandable, he was definitely a _very_ cute guy.
She was the main singers real life girlfriend
It was voted one of the best music videos in the 1980's. I remember watching this music video for the first time when MTV aired back in 1985. I was 15 years old then. The 1980's was SUCH an awesome decade!
a-ha - The Sun Always Shines On T.V.🎵
This should be your next a-ha reaction video
Thank you
I believe this was made using a process called rotoscoping. They would actually film the scene, then use each frame as a template to quickly draw another cell on top of that. On the black and white scenes you would only see the drawings based on the video they filmed
Sure. That's the technique. The finished product has 3000 drawings. It took two drawers 4 months to finish it.
@@ahkkariq7406 Thanks for verifying 👍
this song opened more doors than people can believe . song , voice , cgi , acting .. etc . hell , this is the grandfather of all music videos . this is the video that changed every video past this point .
This is the song that allowed AHA to do one of my favourite James Bond themes ever for one of my favourite James Bond movies ever, The Living Daylights. That movie was so good, both as a movie and as a soundtrack, that their theme song wasn't even the best song on the soundtrack. The Pretenders did 2 songs for the movie, Where Has Everybody Gone? for the villain, and the incredible love ballad If There Was A Man.
All these beautiful young people are in their 60s now ... freaking how time flies.
The animation process is known as rotoscoping.
The rotoscope technique was invented by animator Max Fleischer in 1915, and used in his groundbreaking _:Out of the Inkwell'_ animated series (1918-1927). It was known simply as the "Fleischer Process" on the early screen credits, and was essentially exclusive to Fleischer for several years.
This was a super band
Fun Fact: a "Harketometer" is an architectural equation used to calculate the total weight of women's underwear a given stage can hold before collapsing. Some venues can't handle the KiloHarkets an A-Ha performance generates without structural reinforcement, and installation of special fire extinguishers to put out the people who literally burst into flames when he hits that note.
The ending was a homage to a film called "Altered States".
Yes! .... There was a Jewish Sequal titled "Altered Suits" about a Haberdasher in Harlem!
Here we go! I was wondering if I was the only one who knew that!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 (weird movie though)😂😂
Both song and video are among the best from the 80s and both hold up really well even today.
Absolutely stunning video. Briliant song. They had other wonderful songs such as "Hunting High and Low" - my favourite. It included another fantastic real life visual concept. And "The Sun Always Sines on TV" and "Stay On Theses Roads."
As a norwegian growing up in the 80s, this was the first time that a norwegian band made an international hit that was popular all over the world. My personal favorite A-HA song is "Hunting high and low". Fun to see your reaction :-)
Great song!!! Great story 😊
The 70’s and 80’s pushed the boundaries on what they could do with music and special effects.
That is why they still hold up to this day.
Ohhhh to return to that time 🥹
all hand drawn! a unbelievable amount work each tiny movement is a separate drawing and it needs to be spot on.
I was 11 when this came out and it was like this video opened my mind to the future!! Loved a-ha ever since!
There’s an acoustic version that was used at the end of Deadpool that was strikingly good.
This was the Spider-Verse of the 80s.
MTV brought this about, it was the Video Games of the time, binge watching videos from bands of the 80's. It also made major hits of songs that wouldn't have got a shot otherwise.
Still one of the iconic and innovative videos from the 80s, way ahead of its time. And a great song, period! Watch the sequel, "The Sun Always Shines on TV". Thanks for posting/reacting to this!
As far as I know...no other music video has attempted this same style. Many music videos will do animation and reality at the same time but not like this and sometimes not even as smoothly either
There's a sequel video of this for A-ha's other song "The Sun Always Shines On TV". Which is also actually a better song, imho.
The Sun Always Shines on TV is the best A-HA song
We were all incredibly in “awe” when this classic made it to mtv. What an amazing time to be 15 years old.
100 % agree 💜 A fantastic music video from the 80's.
Yes, the video for this song became iconic, and it was definitely ahead of its time. We can slap together a video like this today easily, but it doesn't take as much work today.
My point is, that in some areas ts not that technology has made it easier to automate a scene to spread across social media. They are ready to accept and promote anyone who does not step in line.
This video was decades ahead of its time! Great song and I heard a live version that was just a couple of years ago and the lead singer can still hit that huge note. This is great intro for you into Nu wave 80s music
The final story of this a-ha Take on Me video is shown at the beginning of another video by this group called the sun always shines on tv
Every decade is technically advanced, that is how progress comes about and technology advances further. Huge advancements don't suddenly arrive out of nowhere, it is a series of gradual steps.