A-Ha
A-Ha is a Norwegian synthpop band formed by vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen.
After forming the group in 1982, they left Norway for London with the goal of making a career in the music world. The origin of the name a-ha came after Mags read the term in a notebook of songs and other compositions by Paul. The "a-ha" comes from the exclamation "aha!!", in the sense of surprise or something new; Mags suggested this name for the band, and Paul liked the idea, as they wanted a name that was easy to remember and that was closer to the sound of the Norwegian language. After researching dictionaries in various languages, the group discovered that 'a-ha' was an international way of expressing recognition, with positive connotations. It was an easy and little-used word.
"Take on Me" and "Hunting High and Low"
"Take on Me" was the first song Morten Harket heard Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy play, and at that time it was still called "Lesson One". After several re-recordings and two unsuccessful releases, "Take on Me" became a worldwide hit in 1985. The song's first release in 1984 sold only 300 copies, but after being reworked with producer Alan Tarney a year later, the song sold 1.5 million copies worldwide in just one month. Eventually, it is estimated that the single "Take on Me" sold between 6 and 7 million copies worldwide; it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK music charts.[1] Sales of the song in the United States were helped by the music video shown on MTV, which imitated the climactic scenes from Ken Russell's film, Altered States. The video used a combination of animation sketching techniques known as "rotoscoping" (in which the video is first filmed and then each frame is hand-drawn to give the effect of a cartoon). In 1986, the music video won six awards at the MTV Video Music Awards. Also in 1986, it was nominated for an American Music Award for Best Video of the Year.
The single following "Take on Me" was "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." In the United States, the song reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, the music video for the song won in two categories at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.
A-ha's success in the United States culminated in the band's nomination for a 1986 Grammy Award in the Best New Artist category, which was ultimately won by singer Sade.
"The Sun Always Shines on TV" was the band's last single to reach the Billboard Top 40, and from that day on, the band is frequently remembered in the United States among the general public due to the singular success of "Take on Me." Similarly, the band is often (and incorrectly) considered a "one-hit wonder." In Great Britain (and the rest of the world), however, the story was quite different: "The Sun Always Shines on TV" was a much bigger hit among British fans than "Take on Me," reaching number one on the charts.
The 1985 album Hunting High and Low, containing "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," was a worldwide sales success. In the United States, it sold over 1 million copies and earned a Platinum certification from the RIAA. By 2005, Hunting High and Low had sold approximately 8 million copies worldwide.
First Phase (1986-1994)
A-ha's second album, Scoundrel Days, was released in 1986. It spawned the hits "I've Been Losing You," "Cry Wolf," and "Manhattan Skyline." In 1987, they recorded the theme song for the film The Living Daylights, another James Bond adventure. In 1988, Stay on These Roads received better reviews than their previous albums. Despite a decline in sales in subsequent years, A-ha continued to record more albums: East of the Sun, West of the Moon in 1990, and Memorial Beach in 1993. East of the Sun, West of the Moon contains a cover of "Crying in the Rain," a 1963 single by The Everly Brothers.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, A-ha was very popular in South America, especially in Brazil. At Rock in Rio II, which took place in January 1991, on the 26th, the band shocked the international press by having a paying audience of approximately 198,000 people at the Maracanã Stadium – a world record for paid attendance. George Michael, Prince, and Guns N' Roses each only managed 60,000 people. From this same Rock in Rio II performance, a music video was made for the song "Early Morning," also from the album "East Of The Sun West Of The Moon." This video was included as one of the tracks on the DVD Headlines and Headlines - The Hits Of A-Ha.
In search of new inspiration and to distance themselves from the harassment that was never welcome by Mags, Morten, and Paul, A-ha broke up in 1994, and its members began to focus on solo projects, but reunited that same year to perform at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. This performance included the song they composed for the Winter Paralympics, "Shapes That Go Together".
Solo Careers
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy has released six albums: Mary Is Coming (1996), Lackluster Me (1997), Mountains Of Time (1999), Reasons To Stay Indoors (2001), Savoy (2004), and Savoy Songbook Volume 1 (2007), with his wife Lauren Savoy in the band Savoy.
Morten Harket has released four solo albums to date: Poetenes Evangelium in 1993, Wild Seed in 1995, Vogts Villa in 1996, and Letter From Egypt, released in May 2008. Wild Seed sold approximately 200,000 copies in Norway and 500,000 overall. It is the most successful solo project among the A-ha members to date.
Magne Furuholmen built a reputation as a sculptor, painter, and composer of songs for film and television. In 2004 he released his first solo work, Past Perfect Future Tense, accompanied by members of the band Coldplay, who are big fans of A-ha.
Second Phase (1998-)
Following a very well-received performance on "The Sun Always Shines on TV" and a new song, "Summer Moved On," at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 1998, the band returned to the studio and recorded the album Minor Earth Major Sky in 2000. This resulted in a new tour and a videocast of the band (with Briskeby) inaugurating the new Valhall stadium in Oslo. "A-ha on the net" in 2001, broadcast live from Valhall in Oslo, Norway, was the third most-watched webcast concert, with approximately 3.6 million hits, 500,000 of which had an average viewing time of 28 minutes. Only Madonna's and Paul McCartney's webcasts registered more hits. Sales of this album and 2002's Lifelines showed that their fanbase was still there, and that they were open to attracting a new audience, especially in Central Europe and Scandinavia, where the albums sold extremely well. They appeared again at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2001. The band's music video for the song "I Wish I Cared" was the first animated video using Flash and based on the web to have been made.
In 2001, the song "Velvet" was featured on the soundtrack of the film One Night at McCool's. When the film was released on DVD, the music video was included as one of the special features. A live album (from the 2002 tour) titled How Can I Sleep With Your Voice in My Head? was released in March 2003, preceded by the 1986 live single of the classic "The Sun Always Shines on TV". In 2004, a book titled The Swing Of Things was published, also featuring a CD with demo material.
In 2004, the band celebrated its twentieth anniversary with the release of a new singles compilation: The Singles: 1984-2004, bringing the band back into the British Top 20 Albums chart, where they reached number 13. During their career, the band officially released 32 singles, 13 of which became Top 10 hits in Great Britain, and 14 singles reached number one on radio charts worldwide. The new singles album includes some of A-ha's highlights from the last twenty years.
On July 2, 2005, A-ha performed at Live 8 in Berlin. According to musical legend and Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson, A-ha performed in Berlin before an audience of approximately 200,000 people. They began the concert with "Hunting High and Low," with audience participation until the end. "Take on Me" left the crowd euphoric; however, Morten Harket had serious difficulty hearing himself and requested a two-minute break, which he used to comment on the cause of Live 8 and the "long road to justice." The two-minute break turned into seven minutes, and the third song, "Summer Moved On," became the last of the four songs that were supposed to be played. A-ha's allotted time had expired, and the organizers told them to leave the stage. After the performance, Magne Furuholmen said that they certainly had some technical difficulties. "This is normal at a festival of this size. In the end, the audience wanted more when we left the stage, so we hopefully did our part for the overall success of the event," he commented.
On September 12, a-ha returned to the United States (at Irving Plaza in New York City) for the band's first concert on American soil since 1986. A short impromptu performance of "Take on Me" took place on September 11 in Times Square. On August 27, 2005, the band performed for 120,000 people at Frognerparken in Oslo, the largest concert ever held in Norway.
On November 4, 2005, they released their new studio album, Analogue. "Celice," the first single, was released on October 4 throughout Europe. Later that month, a tour followed, with performances in Brussels, France, Germany, and England. When the first release of the song "Analogue" followed in England in January 2006, it gave A-ha their first UK Top Ten hit since 1988. More dates were added to the tour, including a performance at London's Shepherd's Bush on February 2, 2006, a television special in Africa, and a festival in Chile. The third single in Europe (second in England) was "Cosy Prisons."
In 2006 the band recorded a cover of John Lennon's "#9 Dream" for Amnesty International. On October 30th, they received the prestigious Q Inspiration Award in London for their long contribution to music and for inspiring many of their younger colleagues in the business.
During August 2007, the band suggested a possible change of direction, a third phase, and that they might take a three-year break, returning only in 2010. However, some shows were still performed with the inclusion of #9 Dream in the setlist. And fortunately, there was a change of plans, with new shows in 2008 and plans to record a new album, even releasing some unreleased songs in recent performances.
A-HA - FUTPEDIAMUSIC SELECTION
A-Ha
Futpediamusic Selection
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