Hip Hop Guys REACT to ah-a: 'Take On Me' ! The Song is an Absolute Classic!
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- "Take On Me" is a popular song by the Norwegian band a-ha. Released in 1985, it became a massive hit worldwide and is considered one of the band's signature songs. The song combines catchy synth-pop melodies with a memorable music video that uses a unique blend of live-action and animation.
The song's intro features a distinctive keyboard riff that immediately captures the listener's attention. Lead vocalist Morten Harket's powerful and emotive vocals carry the song's heartfelt lyrics. The lyrics themselves tell a story of longing and the desire to escape into a romantic fantasy. The chorus, with its high-energy melody, is particularly memorable and often the most recognizable part of the song.
The music video for "Take On Me" is iconic and has contributed to the song's enduring popularity. It features a comic book-style narrative in which a woman is pulled into the pages of a comic by a lead character, portrayed by Morten Harket. The video seamlessly transitions between live-action and rotoscope animation, creating a visually stunning and innovative experience for viewers.
"Take On Me" reached the top of the charts in multiple countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway. It has since become a timeless classic and is often played at parties, events, and on radio stations to this day. The song's success helped establish a-ha as one of the most successful Norwegian bands of all time and cemented their place in pop music history.
I don't understand how anyone can believe that musicians who are capable of creating songs like this can't create more hits. Americans have missed out on a lot of great music because the American music industry decided what you were going to hear. When a-ha set a world record with 198,000 paying audiences at Rock in Rio in 1991, all the American journalists at the place called their offices to ask permission to write about a-ha, and everyone got the same message - no one was allowed to mention a-ha in a word. If you ask me, the band members weren't willing to sell their souls to become more popular in the US. Incidentally, the record stood for 25 years. Morten Harket also holds the Guinness record for longest held note in a UK top 40 hit with 20.2 seconds in Summer moved on. The band has written the title track for a James Bond movie, The living Daylights. That in itself is an achievement.
You said it all👍 Adding: 9 top 10 hits in the UK alone😊
God I miss the 80’s. I was born in 69 so I remember all the 80’s and love them. 😂
My dad was born in 69 and I was born in 92. He says he feels bad for me sometimes lol. I’m just glad I got some childhood before the internet and phones took over.
@@29_lets_go same year I was born.
Let's clarify they were one-hit wonders in the US. For the rest of us, we know more than one song. In 1985 theu didn't have the technology you see nowadays, so obviously they took long time to produce this video.
Should have clarified that! They have an extensive catalog and are still touring!
I’m always struck by this. Their follow up, The Sun Always Shines On TV, peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. So they weren’t even a one hit wonder in the US. But for some reason everyone only remembers this song - most likely in no small part due to the video.
They were a "one hit wonder" in the US..but Aha has a large catalog of music. They are also huge stars/icons in Europe and elsewhere in the world. They did have other hit records after "Take on Me". They are bigger stars overseas than they are in the states.
and they did a great James Bod theme!
They actually were not 1 hit wonders in the USA.
Ok guys who run this channel. a-ha were and still are massive around the world. They released a new album last November , there 11th studio album. The singer , morten harket has one of the best voices in music history. a-ha have to Guinness book records. Largest paying audience at the time in the early 90’s when they played to 198,000 people, it was one show of 25 on a South America tour, total attendance of those 25 gigs was over 3 million people. The famous synth rift in take on me was written by magne , the keyboard player when he was only 14 years old. They chose a-ha as it’s an expression that is known no matter what language in the world is spoken. You guys need to check out more of their songs. To us a-ha fans calling them a one hit wonder grates with us, many American reactor channels have now deep dived into a-ha and have discovered what an immense band they are.
This is the most viewed video from the 80’s on RUclips
They were not a one hit wonder....they had another song that reached number 20 on Billboard making them a 2 hit wonder, that song was "The sun always shines on T.V."
They have PLENTY of great songs.
As an 80s teen it was the song, the gorgeous singer, his voice, the instruments then the video in that order.
The video had a "sequel" for their track The Sun Always Shines On TV. I highly recommend that track.
The scene at the end where he is slamming against the wall is an homage to the SciFi movie Altered States.
This second single is a banger, too!
What "sci-fi" movie? You never finished your...
@@Music-tg5isHe said scifi movie is Altered States.
In 1985 when I was 16 years old a Norwegian band called A-HA asked the world to take them on. I answered that called and 38 years later I’m never regretted a single second of it. AHA are loved throughout Europe and the UK where I’m from it was only the USA that didn’t grasp their concept. A-HA are a trio of highly skilled musicians who can play most instrument and write all their own music. The hail from Oslo, Norway and 38 years ago A-HA were born. A-HA are criminally underrated and have a huge back catalogue of music. They have released 11 albums their last one being released last year October 2022 called true north so they are still around despite being in their 60’s now. I’m almost 54 and still follow them. A-HA have two Guinness book of world records one for the highest attendance at a concert and the other for the longest note held during a live performance on a song called Summer Moved On. Check it out on RUclips live at the Oslo Spektrum 2010 and you’ll see what I mean. The keyboard riff in take on me was written when the keyboard player in A-HA was 13 years old. The take on me video was made by a technique called rotescopy where every frame is hand drawn and live action is filmed around it. It took 14,000 hand drawings to make the take on me video and six months to make. Thankyou for reacting to A-HA. Take care 😘 ❤️🇳🇴❤️A-HA FOREVER❤️🇳🇴❤️
Morten Harkett and they're not a one hit wonder. The sun always shines on tv is another hit.
Best Music Video of all time
Still one of the best music videos of all time!!!! And it’s made in the 80ies - unbelievable
Now she's stuck with him. 😂
This is a great video. I totally understand why they won awards for it.
Lol! But for that moment at least she didn’t seem to mind at all 😋
Morten Harket was on Masked Singer UK in 2021. So he is still belting it out.
He even sang this song and did it perfectly but no one knew it was him. That baffled me because you could tell it was him, who else could sing this song so effortlessly?
Man I was hoping you guys had never seen this one. Such a classic groundbreaker.
They had plenty of hits everywhere else except the U.S. The U.S missed out on one of the best bands out there
1985. 22 years old. Fresh out of uni. Great times. Great music.
Loved this video and it STILL holds up!! The lead singer was and still cute!! They had another song called The Sun Always Shines on TV. These are the ones I recall the most
Produced multiple awards worldwide and there's been nothing like it since 👏👏👏
They still tour ! ❤
Take on me. Take me on.
Reminds me of an old line about Northern and Southern girls. A Northern girl says I'll take you on. A Southern girl says I'll take y'all on.
Thanks for another enjoyable video.
I met Morten at Charles De Gaulle 86 was on a french exchange to Bordeaux. Nice fella. Ridiculous good looking. His presence cannot be ignored.
The sequel could be "Train of Thought", its a similar video..... Here in Europe they are not a one hit wonder, they still tour! Try "Hunting High and Low", another great song.. One thought about one hit wonders from Europe in the US: I am pretty sure that there were a lot of US music industry executives who were not the slightest interested in bands and solo artists from all over the wolrd and especially Europe because they would not make that much money, somebody else would. Thats why we here in Europe know everything about American music AND our own local , national and European ( even African ) music. US people tend to know only their own music...just my observation. Thats why I love these reaction videos from people in the US who experience new and old music from Europe they probably never heard of. Here in Europe were are probably a bit more open or music from all over the worls because as a kid you just speak your own language , so it did not make any difference if the song comes from France, USA, Algeria or Macedonia etc..., you are not going to understand the lyrics anyway! So ist just about the music, the vibe , which is a good thing.( Later we of course learn English and French in school)..
I agree that those in the USA are more aware of their own music than that from overseas. I'm a New Zealander (have lived in Australia also) and here and there we not only have our own NZ/Australian music artists but are exposed to those from the UK and the USA both. Often non-American artists will be successful elsewhere but unable to break through in the USA or else they'll have a hit or two there but even though they have numerous more hits elsewhere they won't be very well known in the USA for some reason.
Even in the US, they are not 1-hit wonders. “The Sun Always Shines on TV” also hit the top 20 on Billboard. “Cry Wolf” got MTV rotation, and “Dark is the Night” also got radio play.
"US people tend to know only their own music" In the US, music from around the world has made (and topped) the charts... Beatles, ABBA, Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, Air Supply, AC/DC, Scorpions, Enya, Bee Gees, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Shakira, The Police, Sting, Dire Straits, Def Leppard, Olivia Newton-John, Tom Jones, Daft Punk, Thin Lizzy, INXS, Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Men At Work, Roxette, Billy Ocean, Shaggy, Ace Of Base, Sean Paul, Little River Band, Milli Vanilli, La Bouche/Le Click/Real McCoy, Enrique Iglesias, The Corrs, Europe, Culture Club, Genesis, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Rick Astley, tatu, The Script, Avicii, Adele, PSY, One Direction, Coldplay, David Guetta, Ed Sheeran, Mumford and Sons, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Queen, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Clark Five, George Michael, Wham!, Spice Girls, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Yazoo, The Cure, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Duran Duran, ELO, UB40, New Order, Ellie Goulding, Howard Jones, A Flock Of Seagulls, Banarama, Elvis Costello, Dusty Springfield, Billy Idol, Eurtymics, Go West, Mark Ronson, Pink Floyd, Pretenders, Sade, Whitesnake, Thompson Twins, Muse, Fatboy Slim, Cathy Dennis, Human League, Joe Cocker, ABC, Simply Red, Crowded House, Nico and Vinz, Bastille,.... (there are 100s or 1,000's more.... these are just the ones off the top of my head)
The sun always shines on tv was the follow up single, and the start of the video continues the storyline of take on me.
@@xcellent-records is there one band or artist on your list who sang in another language than English? Every one of these artist could have been from the US sound wise. Its not at all cultural diverse. Its a musical bubble still...
Love how my Brother was rooting for the hero to make it out to his girl. I thought this was corny when i was a kid but now im 57 and I appreciate a love story alot more. I was rooting for my man too. God bless ya, fellas. Yall are always right on. ✌️❤️ from Ky
Excellent song and band
Great reaction, guys. Thanks!
Okay y’all! 1984-1985😊 Aha was awesome and this Music Video was 🔥 They have more hits The sun always shines on TV was awesome too🔥
That video, still remember when it was playing in the 80's, I was young but still remember the feeling of wonder I had while watching it. Ah! The 80's are the absolute best ! And I adore when new generations discover the good old classics of that era.
A-ha is a great band. Their follow-up hit „The Sun Always Shines on TV“ reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their other albums have done really well in Europe and Latin America, and they still sell out stadiums.
The lead singer „Morten Harket“ also has a great solo album called „Wild Seeds.“
Also check out their cover of „Crying in the Rain.“
The sun always shines on TV, Lifelines…
You should give the acoustic version of this song a listen. It's an amazing complement.
I Love this song. I remember when it came out. Great song and video
I never got tired of this video. I waited hours for it to come on when it first came out. You should watch the video for Aha's Minor Earth major sky. Another great song.
The Sun Always Shines on TV is the other US hit. Not as big as this one, but it was on MTV and radio.
It was a #20 Hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
@@xoxxobob61 well, it made me go out and buy the album!
Actually, this song wasn't popular when it was released, the video with the song skyrocketed the popularity.
One of those songs that never gets old
Song never gets old.
Another hidden gem!
As a huge fan of a-Ha, the sequel you’re looking for is The Sun Always Shines On TV, but their best song is the title track from their debut album: Hunting High And Low (amazing vocals); it didn’t chart in the US likely do to the over saturation of Take On Me. As a side note, the bands global appeal set a Guinness Book World Record for playing to an audience of nearly 200k in 1991 in Brazil.
They were not a one hit wonder in the uk and Europe they were a huge band and have released over 20 albums
They had dozens of top 10 hit songs, a James Bond theme
( the living daylights) and he was a huge heartthrob in the uk and this song is even featured in Deadpool movie only a slower version
Take On Me, The Sun Always Shines On TV, The Living Daylights. Right there you have (3) hits to prove they are not a 1-hit wonder, but beyond that, these guys are still going! They've had a 40 year career spanning 11 studio albums to which most of those charted all over the world, just not in the US for some reason.
In the USA, they had (3) hits... Take on Me (1), The Sun Always Shines on TV (20), and Cry Wolf (50) and their first three albums all charted in the US too. Hunting High And Low (15), Scoundrel Days (74) and Stay On These Roads (148).
As an American fan of their work, it's such a shame the US turned their backs on A-ha. We missed out on a lot of magic these guys gave to the world through the years.
If you want to get a feel for what I'm talking about, here's some of my favs that never got play here in the states at all.... Hunting High And Low, Manhattan Skyline, Stay On These Roads, Crying In The Rain, Early Morning, Summer Moved On, Velvet, Foot Of The Mountain, and Butterfly, Butterfly are all worth a listen... and these aren't even getting into the deep tracks... these are just some of the singles they released.
A-ha... not a 1-hit wonder. Period. :)
This video was made at a time when the whole idea of music videos was new, and people were still looking for the edges of the canvas. This one, Thriller, and Sledgehammer were and remain revolutionary today since all modern videos are basically CGI softcore porn with a robot soundtrack.
The band is very popular outside the US and continues to be, but somehow the American industry didn't want to make room for them, so all we know of them is this and a few others.
If I remember correctly the fighting out of the page scene at the end of the music video was actually inspired by a scene in a sci-fi movie "Altered States" that had come out at the time. In the movie the person is coming into our world from an alternate dimension.
World wide superstars
The very first music video i have seen as a child. Scared the hell out of me.
BANGER 🔥🔥🔥 LOVE U guys reaction ❤❤❤😂
Take on me , was their biggest hit. You could say that the band is a One hit wonder in USA. But in Europe far from it. Aha had just, Take on me, in top 10 in USA, but in UK they had twelve top 10 hits and all over Europe they had many hits and probably also in many countries outside Europe, I simply don't know. It's strange when a band that is internationally so famous with many hits is called a One hit wonder, just because they had one hit in USA. This happens so often when it comes to people from USA. I wish they would specify and say, One hit wonder in USA, if not just to avoid appearing totally US-Centric and to acknowledge and show respect to other countries.
The lead singer was on MTV unplugged and play this song completely slow down I mean slowed down , And it's definitely worth checking out it's a completely different song , It's A beautiful song when it slowed down ...
Just 2 guys in a room. Drawing this cartoon. Just incredable.
If you have never heard the unplugged version of this, it is so good and hauntingly beautiful. Ah-a did have other hits. Mostly in Great Britain and Europe..."Love is Reason", "The Sun Always Shines On T.V.", "Stay on These Roads", "The Living Daylights" (For the James Bond movie) and more! Paul Waaktaar-Savoy wrote a song titled a-ha, and when Morten Harket (the lead singer) saw the word written in a notebook, he declared it a great name, and suggested the band should call themselves that.
One of the very best music videos ever made. Incredibly creative, even to this day.
I just don't understand how video editing like this was possible in the 80s.
The blue steal thing got me HAHAHA
Definition of a one hit wonder is any band or act that had one hit and then didn’t chart anywhere else again, and stopped and broke up or just no one bought any of their other music. a-ha have been around for near 40 years and still sell out world tours.
They Were Huge In Canada & Still Sell Out Concerts Here!!
The Sun Always Shines on TV was a hit as well
That was my high school graduation year in New Jersey 1985, and Music Television was ground breaking like H.b.o & cable, if you had a great video to match your song 🎵 it would put you on the world stage. That's where the Buggles group came out with" Video killed the radio 📻 star. Now you could what the group looked like singing 😁
Mine too!!
@@robynhurley5119 great to meet you 😊
I believe the video won a few awards back in the day. They were also more than a one hit wonder here in Canada. They had a few hits, including The Living Daylights, which was used in a James Bond film 😉
Brilliant Video ❗ Thank you for sharing. Great reaction guys. Love your enthusiasm and appreciation for the creativity of these older era songs🎵🎵🎵🔥🔥🔥
Glad to see this video still getting love, hard to believe this was from 1984. This was basically a one hit wonder in the US, even though they charted with two other minor hits, but they are quite massive in other parts of the world, and are still active. I would recommend Summer Moved On from 2000, check out the lead vocalist's 22 second long note, and would also check out True North from 2022. Morten still sounds pretty much vocally like he did in 1984. Always enjoy your reactions, and much looking forward to more.
I think it's a bit harsh to call this a one-hit-wonder. Aha had a few more songs and another big hit with "The Sun Always Shines on TV" (this may be the sequel you speak of - I can remember the song but not the video). Funnily enough when I've heard you guys ragging on 80s videos before I've thought "what about "Take on Me".
I agree. They are not one-hit-wonders.
From Wikipedia: "The band has released eleven studio albums, several compilations and four live albums, with their most recent album, True North, released on 21 October 2022. In less than a year, during 2010, the band earned an estimated 500 million Norwegian kroner from concert tickets, merchandise and the release of a greatest hits album, making them one of the 40-50 highest-grossing bands in the world. The band were listed in the Guinness World Records book for having the biggest-paying rock concert attendance; they drew an audience of 198,000 at Maracanã Stadium during the Rock in Rio festival. They have sold more than 100 million units, albums and singles combined. A-ha have won 10 Spellemannprisen awards, the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy Awards."
Just because they were not known in the US, doesn't make them one-hit-wonders.
Two-hit wonders.
THISISIT? Did you know A-HA released this SONG 3 times and failed to CHART until this VIDEO came out? Oh and please check out the rest of their Albums! They are Song writing "Geniuses"!
Next up is The Sun Always Shines on TV. The sequel. 👌🏽
"The Sun always Shines on TV" is the sequel
If I remember from VH1 Pop Up Video (highly educational btw) the name A-ha was on a very short list of expressions that are shared by Norwegian and English languages.
They don't meet the definition of a one-hit wonder. There are actually very few of those. They would basically have had to stop making music after this song (ie. break up, leave the music industry for good, or die). The Sun Always Shines on TV, and covers of it, are on the radio all the time where I live (Greece). And they're still playing and touring.
They have done a lot of different sounds, done a lot of rock, and blues also
I hope that you understood the reason why the two racers who lost the motorcycle race at the beginning of the music video meet up with the lead singer and the girl because the lady cafe owner crumpled up the graphic novel/comic book and threw it into the trash can which made their worlds collide.
The sequel to this music video and single is The Sun Always Shines On TV.
The sun always shines on tv is the follow up to take on me, take care 😘
Check out the later, acoustic version - it's a COMPLETELY different and beautiful vibe.
The video takes advantage of an animation technology called Rotoscoping. It was invented by Fleisher Studios so a cartoon character could dance like Cab Calloway. It eventualy gave way to motion capture performances like Avatar and Golem in Lord Of The Rings.
"The Sun Always Shines on TV" was the sequel video. They break up because he is reverting back to comic form and it saddens her...
It takes a real leap of faith to follow a sketch character into the sketchbook! 😂😊
Terrific "review" (it's not a "reaction"), gentlemen. This is, I daresay, the greatest music video of all-time. Name a better one.
It would be a great video if it had a different song playing throughout.
@@bossfan49 Said no one ever!
"Around the World" Daft Punk
@@santacruz7455 Umm, no.
Reviews are reactions. But defintiely do your best to re-write the English language for the rest of us! 1984 was fire!
Rotoscoping was done entirely by hand. Artists drew the animation over the film, frame by frame. That's why it took so long, why it was so expensive, and why it had a very short hey-day and is no longer done. I wish it could come back for short films and artwork, though. The smooth, seamless transitions between live action and animation just can't be accomplished by any other system so far.
How many people notice that when the couple are chased through the corridors in the magazine that the walls of the corridors are creased up because the cafe owner had screwed up the magazine
Ram Jam .. they’re up there for me
To hard core a-ha fans, take on me wouldn’t even be in our top 10 ten a-ha songs.
Such an iconic 80's video! It really challenged the creativity of video makers as to what could be done if they thought outside the box. Few if any took that challenge up though!
A-ha is an amazing group. I knew Take on me of course but only relatively recently discovered the rest of their work. I've been going through all of their albums one by one. Everything is great but the first album really does sparkle
The sequal is another song they did called the sun always shines on tv great song.
The band a-ha are major superstars in Europe . They had many many hits. Only this one Take on Me made it to the Billboard top 100 in USA. So they weren't a one-hit wonder and the rest of the world only in the USA
I do know about the sequel and I've seen it. I'm not going to share it (I suggest you not see it) as this is near perfect. I love one-hit wonders and this.
Hey, don't worry about these guys. A-ha were superstars ALL over the world and had plenty of huge success and multiple hits. Only in the US they were 'considered to be 'one-hit wonders''.
Huntin' high and low is another hit from the same Lp.
Sequel: "The Sun Always Shines on TV"
A-HA are not one hit wonders. The video for Take on Me, was so ground breaking, along with the riff, that it is known globally, more than most of their other work. BUT they broke a world record in the EU with the longest singular note in a charted track with 'Summer Moved on' at over 20 seconds. They were chosen for the sound track for The Living Daylights, a James Bond movie. They have a catalogue of ten studio albums and three live albums. A-ha holds a Guinness World Record from 1991 for drawing the largest paying audience at a pop concert, with 198,000 people at the Estádio do Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. In 2006, the band was awarded the Q Awards Inspiration Award. They singularly introduced electric cars to Norway and fought until they have now become the norm there. Their last album and accompanying film 'True North' was released in 2022, along with a worldwide, sell out tour. They also did MTV unplugged in 2017 - which covered many songs, not just Take on Me! I had the pleasure of being dragged to see them at a secret gig in London, with 600 music industry peeps... who were all into Nirvana etc at the time and we were ALL blown away. A highly influential band with some amazing tracks, spanning nearly 4 decades.
*_Rotoscoping_* animation technique that animators used to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action.
Their "follow up" song, The Sun Always Shines On TV, is arguably better than this. Even if it is less-known in America.
Masterpiece...no doubt !
A-ha had more hits here in England such as The Sun always shines on TV.
She's in another great video, To Be A Lover by Billy Idol.
Except for the fact they weren’t their only hits. Hunting high and low charted at #15 on the Billboard Top 100 and The Sun always shines on tv charted at # 20.
It was the album Hunting High and Low that charted at 15 in America, not the song. In contrast to not charting over there, the song charted at 3 in the European Hot 100 Singles, 4 in France and Ireland and 5 in the UK and Italy.
@@ahkkariq7406that is incorrect, however, the point, which is still valid, is that they were not one hit wonders.
@@tparmenter I don't know where you get your information, but it is correct, actually.
The unplugged version is wonderful too
Get in! ❤
take on me 의 제작 비하인드 다큐 영상이 유튜브에 있습니다. 자세한 내용들(여주인공, 제작자, 애니메이터, 제작후기 등)을 알 수 있습니다. 남여 주인공의 슬픈 결말을 보여주는 속편 영상도 있죠.
Pitbull with Christina Aguilera sampled this on 'Feel This Moment' in 2013.
As a long-time fan, I can attest to the fact that they are NOT "0ne hit wonders"!! They've had at least 10 HIT albums over the years, multiple hit singles, and despite taking short breaks from each other over the years- are STILL doing concerts in 2024! I like their live performance-videos better than the studio versions (except for this one). There's an MTV unplugged version from 3 yrs ago completely stripped down that Morten Harket (lead singer) KILLS. Check it out!! Some of my other faves are "Hunting high and low", "Angel in the Snow", "I call your name", "Brother", "True North", "Summer moved on", "Crying in the Rain", "Velvet", and "Early Morning"- all great songs. And, there's like a couple- hundred others! And Morten Harket (and Aha) still sound (& look) beautiful!!
I still dig the video, cool black and white animation.
No computers. All of the "animated" scenes were hand-sketched frame-by-frame. I think it was over 11,000 frames that had to be sketched.
The sequal imho is Train of thought.But I like their Scoundrell days album.
By the way, the girl in the video clip her name is Bunty Bailey she's 59 years old now ❤
still making records and the lead singer has solo records. New record came out last year 2022 " True North "