A-ha
Encyclopedia
A-ha were a Norwegian pop
band formed in Oslo
in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket
(vocals), Magne Furuholmen
(keyboard), and Pål Waaktaar
(guitars). The group initially rose to fame during the mid 1980s after being discovered by musician and producer John Ratcliff and had continued global success in the 1990s and 2000s.
, in 1985. That album peaked at number 1 in their native Norway, number 2 in the UK and number 15 on the U.S. Billboard
album chart, yielded two international number-one singles, "Take on Me
" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
", and earned the band a Grammy Award
nomination as Best New Artist. In the UK, Hunting High and Low continued its chart success into the following year, becoming one of the best-selling albums of 1986. In 1994, after their fifth studio album, Memorial Beach
which failed to achieve the commercial success of their previous albums, the band went on a hiatus.
Following a performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert
in 1998, the band returned to the studio and recorded their sixth album, 2000's Minor Earth Major Sky
, which was another number-one in Norway and resulted in a new tour. A seventh studio album, Lifelines
, was released in 2002, and an eighth album, Analogue
, in 2005, was certified Silver in the UK — their most successful album there since 1990's East of the Sun, West of the Moon
. Their ninth album, Foot of the Mountain
, was first released on 19 June 2009 and returned the band to the UK Top 5 for the first time since 1988, being certified Silver there and Platinum in Germany. The album peaked at number 2 in Norway (their first not to reach number 1 in their home territory). On 15 October 2009, the band announced they would split after a worldwide tour in 2010, the Ending On A High Note tour
. Thousands of fans from at least 40 different countries on six continents congregated to see A-ha for the last time.
—composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket
; guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
(previously known as Pål Waaktaar until 1994); and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen
(informally known as "Mags"), formed in 1982 and left Norway for London
in order to make a career in the music business. They chose the studio of musician, producer, and soon-to-be-manager John Ratcliff because it had a Space Invaders
machine. John Ratcliff introduced them to his manager, Terry Slater, and after a few meetings, A-ha enlisted Ratcliff as manager too. Slater and Ratcliff formed T.J. Management. Ratcliff dealt with technical and musical aspects, and Slater acted as the group's international business manager and as liaison to Warner Brothers's head office in Los Angeles.
" was the first song that Morten Harket heard Magne Furuholmen and Pål Waaktaar play in Asker
. At that time, the song was called "The Juicy Fruit Song", and the two men were still known as Bridges. It was named "Lesson One" when it was first recorded by A-ha. After some rewriting, multiple re-recordings, and three releases, "Take on Me" became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1985 and was the second-best-selling single of 1985 . The first version of the song, released in 1984, was promoted by a now-rare video of the band performing the song in front of a blue background. The song was then re-recorded with production by Alan Tarney, but both of these released failed to chart. It was then re-released with a new, groundbreaking video which peaked at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
and at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart
. A-ha became the first Norwegian band to have a number 1 song in the U.S. The song's popularity earned the band a spot on the American television series Soul Train
in 1985, making them one of the few white artists to appear on the black music-oriented show.
Sales were aided in the U.S. by heavy rotation on MTV
of the new music video
, which may have been inspired not only by the truck-chase scene from Terry Gilliam
's film Brazil
but also by the climactic scene from Ken Russell
's film Altered States
.
The video used a pencil-sketch animation
/ live-action combination called rotoscoping
, in which individual frames of live video are drawn over or colored. It became one of the most instantly recognizable and most enduringly popular music videos in the U.S., where it was nominated for eight awards at the third annual MTV Video Awards in 1986, winning six, including Best New Artist in a Video, Best Concept Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, and Viewer's Choice. "Take on Me" was also nominated for Best Video of the Year at the 1986 American Music Awards
. Their six MTV Award wins for that video gave them twice as many wins as Michael Jackson
's "Thriller" and more than any artist in the three years of the awards combined.
But those were not A-ha's only MTV awards that year. The band's second single was "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
". In the U.S., the song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 17 on Radio & Records
airplay chart. A remix version was a club hit, rising to number 5 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales
chart. The music video for the song was another popular and critical success, nominated in three categories at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards and winning two awards, for Best Cinematography and Best Editing, bringing A-ha's total to eleven nominations and eight wins. The following year, Peter Gabriel
would earn thirteen nominations and win nine awards, also for two videos. In successive years, even as the award categories have expanded, only a few artsts have approached—and none has surpassed—the single-year award totals of A-ha and Gabriel.
A-ha's American success culminated in their 1986 Grammy nomination in the coveted Best New Artist category, which was eventually won by Sade
. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." turned out to be A-ha's last Hot 100 Top 40 single, and to this day in the United States, A-ha is remembered by the general public almost entirely because of the singularly number one hit single, "Take on Me". As such, the band is frequently considered a one-hit wonder
there, despite their two Top 40 hits. In the UK, however, the story was very different: "The Sun Always Shines on TV" was an even bigger hit among British fans than "Take on Me", peaking at number 1. In the UK, A-ha enjoyed continued success with two more hit singles from the same album—"Train Of Thought" and "Hunting High And Low" (with another innovative video) —and the band remained popular throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
The band's first album, 1985's Hunting High and Low
, became a worldwide bestseller, spending most of October and November in the top 20 of Billboard
's Top 200 album chart. The album and its four hit singles garnered international recognition for A-ha. Hunting High and Low earned triple platinum status in the UK, and reached platinum status in the US and Germany, while earning gold in Brazil and the Netherlands. Hunting High and Low has sold 11 million copies worldwide. The album peaked at number 15 in the U.S., according to Billboard music charts and has peaked at number 2 on the UK charts, and it spent 38 weeks in the top 10 in Norway, including 8 weeks at number 1.
A-ha's second album, Scoundrel Days
, was released in the midst of the 1986 world tour and represented a move towards alternative rock
, as synthpop
began to fall out of style. Although the album received favorable reviews and had three singles become international hits, the album's sales (6.4 million copies) did not match those of its predecessor (except for Switzerland
, where it is A-ha's best-selling album). "Cry Wolf
" would be the last A-ha single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
. After the release of the album, A-ha toured in the U.S., its last appearance there for 20 years. While the album has been certified platinum in the UK, Switzerland and Brazil, it's earned gold certifications in Germany. Ned Raggett of AllMusic Guide would later write of the album, "The opening two songs alone make for one of the best one-two opening punches around: the tense edge of the title track, featuring one of Morten Harket's soaring vocals during the chorus and a crisp, pristine punch in the music, and 'The Swing of Things,' a moody, elegant number with a beautiful synth/guitar arrangement (plus some fine drumming courtesy of studio pro Michael Sturgis) and utterly lovelorn lyrical sentiments that balance on the edge of being overheated without quite going over...The '80s may be long gone, but Scoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then."
In May 1988, A-ha released their third studio album, titled Stay On These Roads
, which matched the number-two chart peak of its two predecessors on the British album charts. Stay on These Roads has been certified Platinum in Brazil and France and Gold in Switzerland
, Germany
, UK, and the Netherlands
. The album includes the title-track theme song to the James Bond
film The Living Daylights
. The version that appears on their album is a re-recording of the film version and single. The band has said that they are particularly proud of the title track, and all three members contributed to its writing. "Stay On These Roads" and "The Living Daylights" would remain a part of their live set throughout the rest of the band's history. After the release of the album, the band went on a 74-city world tour. The album has sold more than 4.2 million copies worldwide.
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
featured a cover version of The Everly Brothers
' 1963 single, "Crying in the Rain
". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, A-ha was very popular in South America
, especially in Brazil
, where the band sold out some of the largest stadiums in the world. At the Rock in Rio II
festival in January 1991, A-ha shocked the international entertainment press by drawing an audience of 198,000 at Maracanã stadium for their top-billed evening concert—a Guinness World Record for paying audiences. In contrast, the other performers (George Michael
, Prince
, and Guns N' Roses
) each drew less than a third of that audience, 60,000 each. In a 2009 interview in Musicweek, celebrating A-ha's upcoming 25-year anniversary, the band members revealed that the record-breaking concert and the lack of media attention they received were a devastating blow to the band. The 1991 Rock In Rio festival, which should have been the band's crowning achievement, was instead a moment of crushing disappointment. “MTV interviewed everybody except us”, remembers Waaktar-Savoy. “They were all calling their bosses and saying, ‘We must cover A-ha; it’s the only night that has sold out'. But they weren’t allowed to”. “I felt very alienated”, says Furuholmen. "It made us feel hopeless. We played to the biggest crowd in the world, and they ignored it.”
East of the Sun, West of the Moon was certified Gold in Switzerland, Brazil, and Germany, and Silver in the UK. Steven McDonald of AllMusic said of their fourth album, "This is a nicely crafted collection of songs, performed and sung beautifully, with lots of echoes and suggestions tucked into the music. While not an album one can discuss at length, it's an album that's a pleasure to listen to." The album sold 3.2 million copies worldwide.
Their last album before their hiatus was Memorial Beach
, in 1993. Relative to previous releases, the album was a commercial disappointment. The only single from the album to officially chart outside Norway was "Dark Is the Night", which peaked at number 19 in the United Kingdom
. Memorial Beach is notably the last official American release by A-ha to date, although their material has continued to have limited availability there as imports. Despite the commercial reception, Q magazine listed the album as one of the 50 best albums of 1993. The following February, A-ha performed two concerts during the 1994 Winter Olympics
in Lillehammer
, Norway, followed by tours of South Africa and Norway. A-ha was also chosen to compose the official song for the Winter Paralympic Games
in Lillehammer, which they entitled "Shapes That Go Together".
A-ha entered a hiatus period in 1994, and band members then focused on solo projects.
The band was invited to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert
in 1998. Paul wrote "Summer Moved On" especially for this performance. They also performed "The Sun Always Shines on TV." This performance was A-ha's comeback into the world of music, yet the band's set was controversially omitted from a programme of highlights from that concert televised in the UK. Nevertheless, the band returned to the studio. Those recording sessions resulted in 2000's Minor Earth Major Sky
, an international tour, and a webcast performance of the band opening the new Vallhall Arena
in Oslo
on the 24 and 25 March 2001. That webcast was the third most-viewed webcast concert ever with 3.6 million hits, along with the longest average viewing time—28 minutes. Only webcasts by Madonna
and Paul McCartney
, also produced and filmed by Chris Frampton's international webcaster MediaWave, recorded more hits. A-ha's video for "I Wish I Cared" was one of the first fully web-based animated flash music video to be made available. (The first was Duran Duran's flash video for the 2000 song "Someone Else Not Me.") The album reached platinum sales, with sales of 2.5 million copies, and spawned four #1 hits: "Minor Earth Major Sky," "Velvet," "The Sun Never Shone That Day" and "Summer Moved On." "Summer Moved On" is notable not only for going to #1 in 17 countries, but for earning Morten Harket a world record for the longest note held in a UK hit song, at twenty seconds. With the music video for the song "Velvet," A-ha received criticism for flirting with necrophilia
. Paul
has said of the comeback album, "We made a demo very quickly and intuitively, and that gave us the contract. But then we were at the next stage: is it a record? There wasn't any panic, it was only about the final most difficult fractions, coming up with the finishing touch. In fact, some of the songs were untouched since New York. I think we did a good job."
A-ha made a return appearance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert
in 2001. The subsequent album, Lifelines
, was released in 2002, going platinum in Norway and producing two Top 5 hits, "Forever Not Yours
" and "Lifelines
". Jesper Hiro directed the video for "Lifelines", based on the art film A Year Along the Abandoned Road
, which was directed by Morten Skallerud in 1991. The original cut of the video was originally 12 minutes long; the video shows a whole year passing by in one shot at 50,000 times the normal speed.
A live album from their 2002 tour, titled How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head
, was released in March 2003, preceded by a live single of the 1986 hit "The Sun Always Shines on TV." In 2004, a book entitled "The Swing of Things" was published, which also featured a CD of early demo material. That year A-ha celebrated their twentieth anniversary with the release of a new singles collection, The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004
. This compilation brought them back into the UK Top 20 Album Charts, where they reached number thirteen and earned a Gold album.
On 2 July 2005, A-ha performed at the Berlin
edition of Live 8
, in front of an audience of nearly 200,000 people. They began with "Hunting High and Low", followed by "Take on Me", during which Morten Harket
had difficulties hearing himself when his in-ear monitor
failed: he requested a two-minute break, which he used to comment on the cause of Live 8. The intended two minutes became almost seven, and the third song, "Summer Moved On," became the last of their set. Although four songs had been rehearsed, the band's time had run out and the organizers told them to leave the stage.
On 12 September 2005, A-ha played a quickly-sold-out show at Irving Plaza
in New York City
, the band's first concert in North America since 1986 despite not having released any material there since 1993. On 27 August 2005, the band played a concert for 120,000 people in Frogner Park
in Oslo, the largest concert ever in Norway.
On 4 November 2005, the band released its 8th studio album, Analogue
. The UK release of the single "Analogue (All I Want)
" gave A-ha their first top ten hit in the UK since 1988. The album includes a guest appearance by Graham Nash
of Crosby Stills & Nash performing back-up vocals on the songs "Over the Treetops" and "Cosy Prisons". The song "Celice
" became the band's ninth to go #1 on a major national chart, and its music video sparked criticism for its sexual content. The following tour included a gig at London's Shepherd's Bush on 2 February 2006, and a TV special in Africa
. In 2006, A-ha recorded a cover of John Lennon
's "#9 Dream" for Amnesty International
. It was released in June 2007 on the album "Make Some Noise". On 30 October 2006 in London, A-ha received the prestigious Q Magazine Inspiration Award for their long contribution to music and for inspiring many of their younger colleagues in the business. On 15 September 2007, A-ha played a free outdoor concert in Kiel, Germany. The band played on a floating stage in the harbour. This concert was streamed live on the internet via MSN
.
On 24 January 2009, twenty-five years after its first release, A-ha won the Norwegian Spelleman award for Hit of All Time for "Take On Me
" on the 50th anniversary of the official hit list in Norway.
, Magne Furuholmen
and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
performed concerts in Oslo
, Norway, to promote their respective solo material before coming together as A-ha to play "Train of Thought
", "Take on Me
", and two new songs, "Riding the Crest" and "Shadowside", which previewed the new A-ha album, Foot of the Mountain
. These events led up to their performance at London's Royal Albert Hall
on 24 May.
On April 24, 2009, A-ha surprised their fan base by releasing their new single, "Foot of the Mountain", premiering that day on Norwegian radio. The single had been completed only the night before. The song is based upon the track "The Longest Night" by Magne Furuholmen, which was released on his album A Dot of Black In The Blue Of Your Bliss
. The single was released on May 22 in Germany. The band promoted the song by playing it during the final of Germany's Next Topmodel on May 21 in the Lanxess Arena, Cologne.
Foot of the Mountain
, A-ha's ninth studio album, was released in Europe on June 19, 2009. The album's material marked a return to synth pop, similar to the band's earliest work, although the first single (and title track) was not wholly indicative of this. The band collaborated with successful producer Steve Osborne
, who has produced albums for such artists as New Order
, Starsailor
, Doves, Elbow
, and U2. "What There Is", an earlier solo track by Magne Furuholmen, was re-recorded for the album.
Foot of the Mountain
entered the German album chart at number 1, the UK album chart at number 5 and debuted on European Album Sales Chart at number 8. In January 2010, Foot of the Mountain
was certified platinum in Germany.
"I feel more connected to Depeche Mode
(compared with other acts of the 80s)," claimed Magne Furuholmen. A-ha performed a cover of "A Question of Lust
" during a live performance for BBC Radio 2
- The Dermot O'Leary Show
on 25 July 2009.
A-ha headlined the iTunes Live festival on 24 July 2009. The lineup for the festival also included Simple Minds
, Oasis
, Snow Patrol
, Franz Ferdinand
, Kasabian and The Saturdays. All the performances were recorded and made available for download on the iTunes site as with the previous festivals. In the Norwegian iTunes store A-ha's release has yet to see the light of day.
On 15 October 2009, the band announced they would split after a worldwide concert tour in 2010 ending in Oslo, Norway, at the Oslo Spektrum
arena on 4 December 2010, with ticket sales starting the next day. The concert sold out the first day on sale. On 19 October 2009, a second farewell show was announced for December 3, 2010.
To coincide with their split, the band released The Singles: 1984 - 2004 in the USA and re-released deluxe versions of their first two albums (Hunting High and Low
and Scoundrel Days
) as well as a third and final compilation album, a new live DVD and a re-release of the book The Swing of Things by Jan Omdahl. A new single titled "Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)
" was revealed on 14 June 2010 and released as a single on 5 July to promote the new, double CD compilation, 25
. It was announced that this was to be A-ha's last ever recording.
On July 6, 2010, the albums Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days were released as deluxe editions in the USA through Rhino Records, featuring remixes, B-sides, demo versions, and extensive liner notes. Available in 2-disc CD and digital versions (with additional material), both albums debuted in the top 40 Billboard Top Internet Sales Chart, Hunting High and Low
at number 34 and Scoundrel Days
at number 36.
Furuholmen revealed in an interview published in Magasinet, the magazine section of Norway's third largest newspaper, Dagbladet, that he's suffering from a heart disease. The news was picked up the same day by the electronic music magazine Side-Line.
At the Spellemannprisen
award show on March 5, 2011 in Oslo
, Norway, various Norwegian artists from various music genres including Kaizers Orchestra
, Ida Maria
and Bertine Zetlitz
performed a cover of one of A-ha's biggest hits, "The Sun Always Shines On TV", in honor of the band. After the performance, the band received the Spellemannprisen honorary award handed out by A-ha's Norwegian music colleagues with the words "Our Heroes - Once upon a time, now - still and forever".
A-ha's final concerts in Oslo, Norway, were recorded by 10 HD cameras with digital, surround-sound audio. Ending on a High Note Live, mixed by Toby Alington, will be available beginning April 2011 in several formats, including the band's first Blu-ray release. A single-disc live album on CD culls sixteen tracks, while twenty tracks are featured on the Blu-ray, DVD, and deluxe edition double-CD set, which comes with a DVD. A bonus documentary appears in the deluxe set and Blu-ray versions. An NTSC
version will be available for the U.S. and Japan.
On April 1, 2011, A-ha released the DVD as well as the Box-set containing both the DVD and the CD of their last concert, Ending on a High Note - The Final Concert. The Blu-ray of the concert; however, was released on April 11, 2011.
A-ha played together for the very last time at Oslo Spektrum on August 21, 2011, performing the song "Stay on These Roads
" for a national memorial service dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Norway attacks
.
, France
and the countries of South America
, Brazil
in particular. In 1986 A-ha received 8 MTV Video Music Awards
during one award show. Their music video for the song "Take On Me
" is still considered to be one of the top music videos of all time together with Michael Jackson
's "Thriller". In 1986 Michael Jackson was in the audience at their first US concert. He later invited the band to his Neverland Ranch
, an offer the band had to decline due to work overload. In the early years their fan base consisted of a lot of teens, however with the band progress in music and songwriting capabilities the fan base has become much more diverse and now consist of fans from all age groups and genres.
The band has sold some estimated 80 million records (albums and singles). They are the only non-British/non-American performers who have written and performed a 007 James Bond
official theme song with their song "The Living Daylights
" from the movie with the same title. Songs by A-ha have also been included as background music in episodes of popular TV series, such as Family Guy
, Baywatch
, Melrose Place, South Park
, Smallville
, Cougar Town
and The Simpsons
, as well as movies such as One Night at McCool's
, Grosse Pointe Blank
and Corky Romano
. They have a Guinness World Record from 1991 for drawing the largest paying audience at a popconcert 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.
A-ha has influenced bands such as Coldplay
and Keane. They are just a few of A-ha's international colleagues that in later years has commented on A-ha and shared their enthusiasm for the band. Most notably perhaps is Chris Martin
and Coldplay; " Everyone asks us who has inspired Coldplay, who we have stolen from, who we listened to when we grew up. Such questions remind you of what has formed you and had an impact on you. One of the first bands I loved was a-ha". "I was in Amsterdam the other day and I put on the album Hunting High and Low
. I remembered right there and then how much I loved that album. It's just unbelievable songwriting."(Chris Martin, Coldplay). Other notable comments on A-ha; "They are definitely my favorites this summer. Their last CD ( Minor Earth Major Sky
) is just fantastic, and how the vocalist sings!" (Sarah Brightman
in 2001). "A-ha was always kind of a misunderstood band in my ears. They were perceived as a teenage group for girls, but in reality a very creative band." (Adam Clayton
, U2
- 2000). "A-ha is a great band, and the songs that I did backing vocals for ("Over the treetops" & "Cosy Prisons
") is very good. Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it, because this isn’t something that I need to do. It all depends on how I feel about it. That’s how privileged I am"' (Graham Nash
of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young).
A-ha's songs have been covered
or sampled
by several artists in many genres, including such varied as pop, rock, dance, electronica, country, goth rock, metal, Latin, techno, punk, jazz, folk, house, lullabies, classical-crossover and various instrumental versions. The band's songs have also been covered in various languages. A small selection and by no means complete:
for Best New Artist
in 1986 but did not win. A-ha did win eight MTV Video Music Awards
, six for "Take On Me" and two for "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
". "Take On Me" was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Video at the American Music Awards of 1986
. A-ha has won 10 Spellemannprisen
awards, the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy awards.
A-ha has toured in: Argentina
, Australia
, Austria
, Belarus
, Belgium
, Brazil
, Canada
, Chile
, Denmark
, Estonia
, Finland
, France
, Germany
, Greece
, Hungary
, Ireland
, Italy
, Japan
, Latvia
, Lebanon
, Lithuania
, Netherlands
, Norway
, Poland
, Russia
, Senegal
, South Africa
, Spain
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, Ukraine
, United Kingdom
, and the United States
.
A-ha has on tour, been backed up by various musicians, including some of the very best studio and touring musicians in Norway and Scandinavia. Most of them have also been involved in studio with A-ha.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band formed in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket
Morten Harket
Morten Harket is a Norwegian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop/rock band A-ha, which released nine studio albums and topped the charts in several countries after their breakthrough hit "Take on Me" in 1985. A-ha disbanded in 2010. Harket has also released four solo...
(vocals), Magne Furuholmen
Magne Furuholmen
Magne 'Mags' Furuholmen is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the guitarist and keyboardist of the pop band A-ha.-A-ha:Furuholmen has been the keyboardist with A-ha since their formation in 1982, though he also plays guitar...
(keyboard), and Pål Waaktaar
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist in the Norwegian pop band A-ha...
(guitars). The group initially rose to fame during the mid 1980s after being discovered by musician and producer John Ratcliff and had continued global success in the 1990s and 2000s.
Commercial Success
The band have sold over 36 million albums and 35 million singles worldwide. In less than a year, during 2010, the band earned an estimated 500 million Norwegian Kroner on touring tickets, merchandising and release of a greatest hits album, making them one of the 40-50 largest grossing bands in the world.Chronology
A-ha achieved their biggest success with their debut album, Hunting High and LowHunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
, in 1985. That album peaked at number 1 in their native Norway, number 2 in the UK and number 15 on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
album chart, yielded two international number-one singles, "Take on Me
Take on Me
"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released as the third single from the band's debut album, Hunting High and Low. In many countries the single was not as successful as the band's previous, "Take on Me", which hit #1 in the U.S. and several countries around...
", and earned the band a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination as Best New Artist. In the UK, Hunting High and Low continued its chart success into the following year, becoming one of the best-selling albums of 1986. In 1994, after their fifth studio album, Memorial Beach
Memorial Beach
Memorial Beach is the fifth album by Norwegian band A-ha, released in 1993.The album was recorded primarily at Prince’s Paisley Park studios outside Minneapolis in the U.S. Featured among the tracks is “Angel in the Snow,” a song Paul wrote for his bride, Lauren Savoy, as a wedding gift, and the...
which failed to achieve the commercial success of their previous albums, the band went on a hiatus.
Following a performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert
Nobel Peace Prize Concert
The Nobel Peace Prize Concert has been held annually since 1994 on 11 December, one day after the date of Alfred Nobel's death, to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The award ceremony on 10 December takes place in the Oslo City Hall, while the concert is in the Oslo Spektrum Arena, with the...
in 1998, the band returned to the studio and recorded their sixth album, 2000's Minor Earth Major Sky
Minor Earth Major Sky
Minor Earth | Major Sky is the sixth album by Norwegian band a-ha, released in 2000. It sold 2 million copies worldwide.-Track listing:# Minor Earth Major Sky – 5:25 # Little Black Heart – 4:35...
, which was another number-one in Norway and resulted in a new tour. A seventh studio album, Lifelines
Lifelines
Lifelines is the seventh album released in 2002 by the Norwegian band A-ha. This album entered to top 10 album charts in 9 countries and 4 of those in top, selling over 1.5 million copies....
, was released in 2002, and an eighth album, Analogue
Analogue (album)
Analogue is the eighth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released in 2005.-Track listing:#"Celice" – 3:41#"Don't Do Me Any Favours" – 3:51...
, in 2005, was certified Silver in the UK — their most successful album there since 1990's East of the Sun, West of the Moon
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
East of the Sun, West of the Moon is the fourth album, released in 1990 by Norwegian band A-ha. It was seen by many as a departure from their old radio friendly sound to a darker, moodier tone, and is named after a Norwegian fairy tale...
. Their ninth album, Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain is the ninth and final studio album by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released on 19 June 2009 and reached #1 on the German Album Chart and #2 on the Norwegian Album Chart...
, was first released on 19 June 2009 and returned the band to the UK Top 5 for the first time since 1988, being certified Silver there and Platinum in Germany. The album peaked at number 2 in Norway (their first not to reach number 1 in their home territory). On 15 October 2009, the band announced they would split after a worldwide tour in 2010, the Ending On A High Note tour
Ending on a High Note Tour
Ending On A High Note Tour is a worldwide concert tour by Norway synthpop/rock band A-ha in support of the group's 9th studio album, Foot of the Mountain, which was released in June 2009 as well as the compilation 25 which was released in July 2010....
. Thousands of fans from at least 40 different countries on six continents congregated to see A-ha for the last time.
Formation
The trioTrio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
—composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket
Morten Harket
Morten Harket is a Norwegian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop/rock band A-ha, which released nine studio albums and topped the charts in several countries after their breakthrough hit "Take on Me" in 1985. A-ha disbanded in 2010. Harket has also released four solo...
; guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist in the Norwegian pop band A-ha...
(previously known as Pål Waaktaar until 1994); and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen
Magne Furuholmen
Magne 'Mags' Furuholmen is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the guitarist and keyboardist of the pop band A-ha.-A-ha:Furuholmen has been the keyboardist with A-ha since their formation in 1982, though he also plays guitar...
(informally known as "Mags"), formed in 1982 and left Norway for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in order to make a career in the music business. They chose the studio of musician, producer, and soon-to-be-manager John Ratcliff because it had a Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
machine. John Ratcliff introduced them to his manager, Terry Slater, and after a few meetings, A-ha enlisted Ratcliff as manager too. Slater and Ratcliff formed T.J. Management. Ratcliff dealt with technical and musical aspects, and Slater acted as the group's international business manager and as liaison to Warner Brothers's head office in Los Angeles.
Hunting High and Low (1984–1985)
An early version of "Take on MeTake on Me
"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" was the first song that Morten Harket heard Magne Furuholmen and Pål Waaktaar play in Asker
Asker
Asker is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Viken traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Asker. The municipality is a suburb of Oslo, the national capital...
. At that time, the song was called "The Juicy Fruit Song", and the two men were still known as Bridges. It was named "Lesson One" when it was first recorded by A-ha. After some rewriting, multiple re-recordings, and three releases, "Take on Me" became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1985 and was the second-best-selling single of 1985 . The first version of the song, released in 1984, was promoted by a now-rare video of the band performing the song in front of a blue background. The song was then re-recorded with production by Alan Tarney, but both of these released failed to chart. It was then re-released with a new, groundbreaking video which peaked at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. A-ha became the first Norwegian band to have a number 1 song in the U.S. The song's popularity earned the band a spot on the American television series Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
in 1985, making them one of the few white artists to appear on the black music-oriented show.
Sales were aided in the U.S. by heavy rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
of the new music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, which may have been inspired not only by the truck-chase scene from Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
's film Brazil
Brazil (film)
Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
but also by the climactic scene from Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
's film Altered States
Altered States
Altered States is a 1980 American science fiction-horror film adaptation of a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. It was the only novel that Chayefsky ever wrote, as well as his final film. Both the novel and the film are based on John C...
.
The video used a pencil-sketch animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
/ live-action combination called rotoscoping
Rotoscope
Rotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films. Originally, recorded live-action film images were projected onto a frosted glass panel and re-drawn by an animator...
, in which individual frames of live video are drawn over or colored. It became one of the most instantly recognizable and most enduringly popular music videos in the U.S., where it was nominated for eight awards at the third annual MTV Video Awards in 1986, winning six, including Best New Artist in a Video, Best Concept Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, and Viewer's Choice. "Take on Me" was also nominated for Best Video of the Year at the 1986 American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
. Their six MTV Award wins for that video gave them twice as many wins as Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Thriller" and more than any artist in the three years of the awards combined.
But those were not A-ha's only MTV awards that year. The band's second single was "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released as the third single from the band's debut album, Hunting High and Low. In many countries the single was not as successful as the band's previous, "Take on Me", which hit #1 in the U.S. and several countries around...
". In the U.S., the song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 17 on Radio & Records
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
airplay chart. A remix version was a club hit, rising to number 5 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...
chart. The music video for the song was another popular and critical success, nominated in three categories at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards and winning two awards, for Best Cinematography and Best Editing, bringing A-ha's total to eleven nominations and eight wins. The following year, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
would earn thirteen nominations and win nine awards, also for two videos. In successive years, even as the award categories have expanded, only a few artsts have approached—and none has surpassed—the single-year award totals of A-ha and Gabriel.
A-ha's American success culminated in their 1986 Grammy nomination in the coveted Best New Artist category, which was eventually won by Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." turned out to be A-ha's last Hot 100 Top 40 single, and to this day in the United States, A-ha is remembered by the general public almost entirely because of the singularly number one hit single, "Take on Me". As such, the band is frequently considered a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
there, despite their two Top 40 hits. In the UK, however, the story was very different: "The Sun Always Shines on TV" was an even bigger hit among British fans than "Take on Me", peaking at number 1. In the UK, A-ha enjoyed continued success with two more hit singles from the same album—"Train Of Thought" and "Hunting High And Low" (with another innovative video) —and the band remained popular throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
The band's first album, 1985's Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
, became a worldwide bestseller, spending most of October and November in the top 20 of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Top 200 album chart. The album and its four hit singles garnered international recognition for A-ha. Hunting High and Low earned triple platinum status in the UK, and reached platinum status in the US and Germany, while earning gold in Brazil and the Netherlands. Hunting High and Low has sold 11 million copies worldwide. The album peaked at number 15 in the U.S., according to Billboard music charts and has peaked at number 2 on the UK charts, and it spent 38 weeks in the top 10 in Norway, including 8 weeks at number 1.
Golden age (1985–1994)
Scoundrel Days
Scoundrel Days is the second full-length album by the new wave pop/rock band A-ha. It was released on 6 October 1986 through Warner Bros. Records...
, was released in the midst of the 1986 world tour and represented a move towards alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, as synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
began to fall out of style. Although the album received favorable reviews and had three singles become international hits, the album's sales (6.4 million copies) did not match those of its predecessor (except for Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where it is A-ha's best-selling album). "Cry Wolf
Cry Wolf (song)
"Cry Wolf" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha. It was the second single from their 1986 Scoundrel Days album.The lyrics "Night I left the city I dreamt of a Wolf..." are credited to Lauren Savoy whom Pål later married....
" would be the last A-ha single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. After the release of the album, A-ha toured in the U.S., its last appearance there for 20 years. While the album has been certified platinum in the UK, Switzerland and Brazil, it's earned gold certifications in Germany. Ned Raggett of AllMusic Guide would later write of the album, "The opening two songs alone make for one of the best one-two opening punches around: the tense edge of the title track, featuring one of Morten Harket's soaring vocals during the chorus and a crisp, pristine punch in the music, and 'The Swing of Things,' a moody, elegant number with a beautiful synth/guitar arrangement (plus some fine drumming courtesy of studio pro Michael Sturgis) and utterly lovelorn lyrical sentiments that balance on the edge of being overheated without quite going over...The '80s may be long gone, but Scoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then."
In May 1988, A-ha released their third studio album, titled Stay On These Roads
Stay on These Roads
Stay on These Roads is the third full-length album by the rock band A-ha. It was released on 3 May 1988 through Warner Bros. Records.-Recording:...
, which matched the number-two chart peak of its two predecessors on the British album charts. Stay on These Roads has been certified Platinum in Brazil and France and Gold in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, UK, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The album includes the title-track theme song to the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
. The version that appears on their album is a re-recording of the film version and single. The band has said that they are particularly proud of the title track, and all three members contributed to its writing. "Stay On These Roads" and "The Living Daylights" would remain a part of their live set throughout the rest of the band's history. After the release of the album, the band went on a 74-city world tour. The album has sold more than 4.2 million copies worldwide.
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
East of the Sun, West of the Moon is the fourth album, released in 1990 by Norwegian band A-ha. It was seen by many as a departure from their old radio friendly sound to a darker, moodier tone, and is named after a Norwegian fairy tale...
featured a cover version of The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
' 1963 single, "Crying in the Rain
Crying in the Rain
"Crying in the Rain" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Carole King and was originally recorded by The Everly Brothers. The single peaked at #6 on the U.S. pop charts.-Track listing:-Chart performance:-A-ha version:...
". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, A-ha was very popular in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, especially in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where the band sold out some of the largest stadiums in the world. At the Rock in Rio II
Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio is a series of music festivals held in three cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Lisbon in Portugal and Madrid in Spain.Four incarnations of the festival were in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2011, four in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, and two in Madrid in 2008 and 2010....
festival in January 1991, A-ha shocked the international entertainment press by drawing an audience of 198,000 at Maracanã stadium for their top-billed evening concert—a Guinness World Record for paying audiences. In contrast, the other performers (George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, and Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
) each drew less than a third of that audience, 60,000 each. In a 2009 interview in Musicweek, celebrating A-ha's upcoming 25-year anniversary, the band members revealed that the record-breaking concert and the lack of media attention they received were a devastating blow to the band. The 1991 Rock In Rio festival, which should have been the band's crowning achievement, was instead a moment of crushing disappointment. “MTV interviewed everybody except us”, remembers Waaktar-Savoy. “They were all calling their bosses and saying, ‘We must cover A-ha; it’s the only night that has sold out'. But they weren’t allowed to”. “I felt very alienated”, says Furuholmen. "It made us feel hopeless. We played to the biggest crowd in the world, and they ignored it.”
East of the Sun, West of the Moon was certified Gold in Switzerland, Brazil, and Germany, and Silver in the UK. Steven McDonald of AllMusic said of their fourth album, "This is a nicely crafted collection of songs, performed and sung beautifully, with lots of echoes and suggestions tucked into the music. While not an album one can discuss at length, it's an album that's a pleasure to listen to." The album sold 3.2 million copies worldwide.
Their last album before their hiatus was Memorial Beach
Memorial Beach
Memorial Beach is the fifth album by Norwegian band A-ha, released in 1993.The album was recorded primarily at Prince’s Paisley Park studios outside Minneapolis in the U.S. Featured among the tracks is “Angel in the Snow,” a song Paul wrote for his bride, Lauren Savoy, as a wedding gift, and the...
, in 1993. Relative to previous releases, the album was a commercial disappointment. The only single from the album to officially chart outside Norway was "Dark Is the Night", which peaked at number 19 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Memorial Beach is notably the last official American release by A-ha to date, although their material has continued to have limited availability there as imports. Despite the commercial reception, Q magazine listed the album as one of the 50 best albums of 1993. The following February, A-ha performed two concerts during the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, Norway, followed by tours of South Africa and Norway. A-ha was also chosen to compose the official song for the Winter Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
in Lillehammer, which they entitled "Shapes That Go Together".
A-ha entered a hiatus period in 1994, and band members then focused on solo projects.
Reunion (1998–2007)
Nobel Peace Prize Concert
The Nobel Peace Prize Concert has been held annually since 1994 on 11 December, one day after the date of Alfred Nobel's death, to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The award ceremony on 10 December takes place in the Oslo City Hall, while the concert is in the Oslo Spektrum Arena, with the...
in 1998. Paul wrote "Summer Moved On" especially for this performance. They also performed "The Sun Always Shines on TV." This performance was A-ha's comeback into the world of music, yet the band's set was controversially omitted from a programme of highlights from that concert televised in the UK. Nevertheless, the band returned to the studio. Those recording sessions resulted in 2000's Minor Earth Major Sky
Minor Earth Major Sky
Minor Earth | Major Sky is the sixth album by Norwegian band a-ha, released in 2000. It sold 2 million copies worldwide.-Track listing:# Minor Earth Major Sky – 5:25 # Little Black Heart – 4:35...
, an international tour, and a webcast performance of the band opening the new Vallhall Arena
Coca Cola Vallhall Arena
Vallhall Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Valle-Hovin, Oslo, Norway. The stadium has a capacity of 5,500 people, during matches. The NPL club Vålerenga uses the arena for training and friendly matches in the winter off-season. It is currently used mostly for football matches...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
on the 24 and 25 March 2001. That webcast was the third most-viewed webcast concert ever with 3.6 million hits, along with the longest average viewing time—28 minutes. Only webcasts by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, also produced and filmed by Chris Frampton's international webcaster MediaWave, recorded more hits. A-ha's video for "I Wish I Cared" was one of the first fully web-based animated flash music video to be made available. (The first was Duran Duran's flash video for the 2000 song "Someone Else Not Me.") The album reached platinum sales, with sales of 2.5 million copies, and spawned four #1 hits: "Minor Earth Major Sky," "Velvet," "The Sun Never Shone That Day" and "Summer Moved On." "Summer Moved On" is notable not only for going to #1 in 17 countries, but for earning Morten Harket a world record for the longest note held in a UK hit song, at twenty seconds. With the music video for the song "Velvet," A-ha received criticism for flirting with necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
. Paul
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist in the Norwegian pop band A-ha...
has said of the comeback album, "We made a demo very quickly and intuitively, and that gave us the contract. But then we were at the next stage: is it a record? There wasn't any panic, it was only about the final most difficult fractions, coming up with the finishing touch. In fact, some of the songs were untouched since New York. I think we did a good job."
A-ha made a return appearance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert
Nobel Peace Prize Concert
The Nobel Peace Prize Concert has been held annually since 1994 on 11 December, one day after the date of Alfred Nobel's death, to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The award ceremony on 10 December takes place in the Oslo City Hall, while the concert is in the Oslo Spektrum Arena, with the...
in 2001. The subsequent album, Lifelines
Lifelines
Lifelines is the seventh album released in 2002 by the Norwegian band A-ha. This album entered to top 10 album charts in 9 countries and 4 of those in top, selling over 1.5 million copies....
, was released in 2002, going platinum in Norway and producing two Top 5 hits, "Forever Not Yours
Forever Not Yours
"Forever Not Yours" is the first single from the A-ha album Lifelines. It was sent to radio stations in parts of Europe on 22 February 2002 and was released commercially on 2 April....
" and "Lifelines
Lifelines (song)
"Lifelines" was the second single and the title track from A-ha's 2002 album, Lifelines.-Music video:This video is based on the Norwegian short film A Year Along the Abandoned Road, directed by Morten Skallerud in 1991...
". Jesper Hiro directed the video for "Lifelines", based on the art film A Year Along the Abandoned Road
A Year Along the Abandoned Road
A Year Along the Abandoned Road is a Norwegian short film shot over a period of 105 days in 1988/1989 and released in 1991. Directed by Morten Skallerud, the film was shot in Super Panavision 70 and shows a whole year passing by in Norway's Børfjord at 50,000 times the normal speed in just 12...
, which was directed by Morten Skallerud in 1991. The original cut of the video was originally 12 minutes long; the video shows a whole year passing by in one shot at 50,000 times the normal speed.
A live album from their 2002 tour, titled How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head
How Can I Sleep With Your Voice In My Head
How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head is a live album released in 2003 by Norwegian band A-ha.-Track listing:#"Forever Not Yours" — 4:33#"Minor Earth Major Sky" — 5:41#"Manhattan Skyline" — 5:50#"I've Been Losing You" — 4:09...
, was released in March 2003, preceded by a live single of the 1986 hit "The Sun Always Shines on TV." In 2004, a book entitled "The Swing of Things" was published, which also featured a CD of early demo material. That year A-ha celebrated their twentieth anniversary with the release of a new singles collection, The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004
The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004
The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004 is a greatest hits album from Norwegian band A-ha, released on 11 April 2005. Despite the title, the album contains tracks from 1985-2002. The album contains 17 of their hits plus an enhanced video for the song Take on Me. The tracklisting on this album...
. This compilation brought them back into the UK Top 20 Album Charts, where they reached number thirteen and earned a Gold album.
On 2 July 2005, A-ha performed at the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
edition of Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
, in front of an audience of nearly 200,000 people. They began with "Hunting High and Low", followed by "Take on Me", during which Morten Harket
Morten Harket
Morten Harket is a Norwegian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop/rock band A-ha, which released nine studio albums and topped the charts in several countries after their breakthrough hit "Take on Me" in 1985. A-ha disbanded in 2010. Harket has also released four solo...
had difficulties hearing himself when his in-ear monitor
In-ear monitor
In-ear monitors are devices used by musicians, audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music or to hear a custom crafted mix of vocals and stage instrumentation for live performance or recording studio mixing...
failed: he requested a two-minute break, which he used to comment on the cause of Live 8. The intended two minutes became almost seven, and the third song, "Summer Moved On," became the last of their set. Although four songs had been rehearsed, the band's time had run out and the organizers told them to leave the stage.
Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza is a 1,200-person ballroom-style music venue at 17 Irving Place and East 15th Street in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the band's first concert in North America since 1986 despite not having released any material there since 1993. On 27 August 2005, the band played a concert for 120,000 people in Frogner Park
Frogner Park
Frogner Park is a public park located in the borough of Frogner in Oslo, Norway. The park contains the world famous Vigeland Sculpture Park designed by Gustav Vigeland....
in Oslo, the largest concert ever in Norway.
On 4 November 2005, the band released its 8th studio album, Analogue
Analogue (album)
Analogue is the eighth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released in 2005.-Track listing:#"Celice" – 3:41#"Don't Do Me Any Favours" – 3:51...
. The UK release of the single "Analogue (All I Want)
Analogue (All I Want)
"Analogue " is a song by the Norwegian band A-ha. It is the title track of their eighth studio album, which was released in 2005. The song itself was released as a single .-Track listing:UK CD1:# "Analogue " # "Case Closed on Silver Shore"UK CD2:# "Analogue...
" gave A-ha their first top ten hit in the UK since 1988. The album includes a guest appearance by Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
of Crosby Stills & Nash performing back-up vocals on the songs "Over the Treetops" and "Cosy Prisons". The song "Celice
Celice (song)
"Celice" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha. Written by Magne Furuholmen and Martin Terefe, it was released as the first single from the album, Analogue, throughout Europe. It was released on 7 October 2005 in Germany and Norway, and 24 October in Sweden. It was not released in the UK. It reached...
" became the band's ninth to go #1 on a major national chart, and its music video sparked criticism for its sexual content. The following tour included a gig at London's Shepherd's Bush on 2 February 2006, and a TV special in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. In 2006, A-ha recorded a cover of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "#9 Dream" for Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. It was released in June 2007 on the album "Make Some Noise". On 30 October 2006 in London, A-ha received the prestigious Q Magazine Inspiration Award for their long contribution to music and for inspiring many of their younger colleagues in the business. On 15 September 2007, A-ha played a free outdoor concert in Kiel, Germany. The band played on a floating stage in the harbour. This concert was streamed live on the internet via MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
.
On 24 January 2009, twenty-five years after its first release, A-ha won the Norwegian Spelleman award for Hit of All Time for "Take On Me
Take on Me
"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" on the 50th anniversary of the official hit list in Norway.
A new direction and farewell (2008–2010)
On 20–22 May 2008, Morten HarketMorten Harket
Morten Harket is a Norwegian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop/rock band A-ha, which released nine studio albums and topped the charts in several countries after their breakthrough hit "Take on Me" in 1985. A-ha disbanded in 2010. Harket has also released four solo...
, Magne Furuholmen
Magne Furuholmen
Magne 'Mags' Furuholmen is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the guitarist and keyboardist of the pop band A-ha.-A-ha:Furuholmen has been the keyboardist with A-ha since their formation in 1982, though he also plays guitar...
and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist in the Norwegian pop band A-ha...
performed concerts in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway, to promote their respective solo material before coming together as A-ha to play "Train of Thought
Train of Thought (a-ha song)
"Train of Thought" is a song by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. It was released as the fourth single off the Hunting High and Low album. The lyrics for this song were based on the existentialist authors and poets Gunvor Hofmo, Knut Hamsun and Fyodor Dostoevsky - Pål's favourites at the time.It was...
", "Take on Me
Take on Me
"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
", and two new songs, "Riding the Crest" and "Shadowside", which previewed the new A-ha album, Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain is the ninth and final studio album by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released on 19 June 2009 and reached #1 on the German Album Chart and #2 on the Norwegian Album Chart...
. These events led up to their performance at London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on 24 May.
On April 24, 2009, A-ha surprised their fan base by releasing their new single, "Foot of the Mountain", premiering that day on Norwegian radio. The single had been completed only the night before. The song is based upon the track "The Longest Night" by Magne Furuholmen, which was released on his album A Dot of Black In The Blue Of Your Bliss
A Dot of Black In The Blue Of Your Bliss
A Dot Of Black In The Blue Of Your Bliss is the 2nd solo album of Norwegian band a-ha's Magne Furuholmen as Magne F.This album was released as a 300 copies limited 6 track vinyl EP in February 2008 and then as a regular CD in May 2008....
. The single was released on May 22 in Germany. The band promoted the song by playing it during the final of Germany's Next Topmodel on May 21 in the Lanxess Arena, Cologne.
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain is the ninth and final studio album by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released on 19 June 2009 and reached #1 on the German Album Chart and #2 on the Norwegian Album Chart...
, A-ha's ninth studio album, was released in Europe on June 19, 2009. The album's material marked a return to synth pop, similar to the band's earliest work, although the first single (and title track) was not wholly indicative of this. The band collaborated with successful producer Steve Osborne
Steve Osborne
Steve Osborne is a multi-platinum selling British record producer. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, such as New Order, Doves, U2 and KT Tunstall. During the 1990s, Osborne was half of the Perfecto Records team, a production and remix collaboration with Paul Oakenfold; the artists...
, who has produced albums for such artists as New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, Starsailor
Starsailor (band)
Starsailor is an English post-britpop band, formed in Leigh, Warrington and Greater Manchester. By 2009, they had four charting albums and ten Top 40 singles in the UK since 2001.-Early history:...
, Doves, Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
, and U2. "What There Is", an earlier solo track by Magne Furuholmen, was re-recorded for the album.
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain is the ninth and final studio album by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released on 19 June 2009 and reached #1 on the German Album Chart and #2 on the Norwegian Album Chart...
entered the German album chart at number 1, the UK album chart at number 5 and debuted on European Album Sales Chart at number 8. In January 2010, Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain is the ninth and final studio album by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released on 19 June 2009 and reached #1 on the German Album Chart and #2 on the Norwegian Album Chart...
was certified platinum in Germany.
"I feel more connected to Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
(compared with other acts of the 80s)," claimed Magne Furuholmen. A-ha performed a cover of "A Question of Lust
A Question of Lust
"A Question of Lust" is Depeche Mode's sixteenth UK single, released on 14 April 1986.It is the second Depeche Mode single with Martin Gore on lead vocals, after "Somebody" and the first to be released in its own right...
" during a live performance for BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
- The Dermot O'Leary Show
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...
on 25 July 2009.
A-ha headlined the iTunes Live festival on 24 July 2009. The lineup for the festival also included Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
, Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
, Kasabian and The Saturdays. All the performances were recorded and made available for download on the iTunes site as with the previous festivals. In the Norwegian iTunes store A-ha's release has yet to see the light of day.
On 15 October 2009, the band announced they would split after a worldwide concert tour in 2010 ending in Oslo, Norway, at the Oslo Spektrum
Oslo Spektrum
Oslo Spektrum is an indoor multi-purpose arena in east central Oslo, Norway. It opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Norges Varemesse , who also own and operate the Norges Varemesse conference center in Lillestrøm which is Norway's largest conference center...
arena on 4 December 2010, with ticket sales starting the next day. The concert sold out the first day on sale. On 19 October 2009, a second farewell show was announced for December 3, 2010.
To coincide with their split, the band released The Singles: 1984 - 2004 in the USA and re-released deluxe versions of their first two albums (Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
and Scoundrel Days
Scoundrel Days
Scoundrel Days is the second full-length album by the new wave pop/rock band A-ha. It was released on 6 October 1986 through Warner Bros. Records...
) as well as a third and final compilation album, a new live DVD and a re-release of the book The Swing of Things by Jan Omdahl. A new single titled "Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)
Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)
"Butterfly, Butterfly " is a song by A-ha, and their final recording before splitting on 4 December 2010. The song was sold digitally in Norway from July 5. It is included on 25, a compilation album released on July 19. Its world premiere was on June 14, 2010. The single entered the Norwegian...
" was revealed on 14 June 2010 and released as a single on 5 July to promote the new, double CD compilation, 25
25 (a-ha album)
25 is a-ha's latest compilation album. It was released in Norway on July 19, 2010, in Germany and central Europe on August 6, and in the UK and other parts of Europe on October 4....
. It was announced that this was to be A-ha's last ever recording.
On July 6, 2010, the albums Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days were released as deluxe editions in the USA through Rhino Records, featuring remixes, B-sides, demo versions, and extensive liner notes. Available in 2-disc CD and digital versions (with additional material), both albums debuted in the top 40 Billboard Top Internet Sales Chart, Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
at number 34 and Scoundrel Days
Scoundrel Days
Scoundrel Days is the second full-length album by the new wave pop/rock band A-ha. It was released on 6 October 1986 through Warner Bros. Records...
at number 36.
Furuholmen revealed in an interview published in Magasinet, the magazine section of Norway's third largest newspaper, Dagbladet, that he's suffering from a heart disease. The news was picked up the same day by the electronic music magazine Side-Line.
At the Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen is an award presented to Norwegian musicians for their contributions.-Operation:The award was established on the initiative of International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...
award show on March 5, 2011 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway, various Norwegian artists from various music genres including Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra
Kaizers Orchestra is a Norwegian alternative rock group formed on January 1, 2000. The two leading members, vocalist Janove Ottesen and guitarist Geir Zahl, had known each other for years, and first played together in a band called Blod, Snått & Juling in 1989.Kaizers Orchestra are notable for...
, Ida Maria
Ida Maria
Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen is a Norwegian rock musician known primarily by the stage name Ida Maria. Her first album; Fortress Round My Heart was released in 2008...
and Bertine Zetlitz
Bertine Zetlitz
Bertine Zetlitz is a Norwegian pop singer. She is one of Norway's most popular performers.-Biography:Bertine Axeliane Robberstad Zetlitz began her musical journey at a young age, penning her first numbers aged just 12. After gaining a background in classical music, Zetlitz began to experiment...
performed a cover of one of A-ha's biggest hits, "The Sun Always Shines On TV", in honor of the band. After the performance, the band received the Spellemannprisen honorary award handed out by A-ha's Norwegian music colleagues with the words "Our Heroes - Once upon a time, now - still and forever".
A-ha's final concerts in Oslo, Norway, were recorded by 10 HD cameras with digital, surround-sound audio. Ending on a High Note Live, mixed by Toby Alington, will be available beginning April 2011 in several formats, including the band's first Blu-ray release. A single-disc live album on CD culls sixteen tracks, while twenty tracks are featured on the Blu-ray, DVD, and deluxe edition double-CD set, which comes with a DVD. A bonus documentary appears in the deluxe set and Blu-ray versions. An NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
version will be available for the U.S. and Japan.
On April 1, 2011, A-ha released the DVD as well as the Box-set containing both the DVD and the CD of their last concert, Ending on a High Note - The Final Concert. The Blu-ray of the concert; however, was released on April 11, 2011.
A-ha played together for the very last time at Oslo Spektrum on August 21, 2011, performing the song "Stay on These Roads
Stay on These Roads (song)
"Stay on These Roads" is the first single from A-ha's album of the same name.-Release and reception:"Stay on These Roads" was released in the spring of 1988 and became the most successful single from the Stay on These Roads album, along with "The Living Daylights" on the UK charts.The song didn't...
" for a national memorial service dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Norway attacks
2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011....
.
Legacy and impact
A-ha is the biggest music export from Norway. The success started in 1985 and by the end of 2010 A-ha was still the biggest-selling artist from Norway. The band were in many ways pioneers. Before A-ha there was no one that had managed to be commercially successful around the world from Norway. Even though Norway has fostered several successful acts after A-ha, the band is still considered to be in a league all by its own in Norway. The band has had huge success in the USA and UK, however perhaps even more success in non English-speaking areas of the world, such as GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the countries of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in particular. In 1986 A-ha received 8 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
during one award show. Their music video for the song "Take On Me
Take on Me
"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" is still considered to be one of the top music videos of all time together with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Thriller". In 1986 Michael Jackson was in the audience at their first US concert. He later invited the band to his Neverland Ranch
Neverland Ranch
Neverland Valley Ranch is a developed property in Santa Barbara County, California, most famous for being a home of American entertainer Michael Jackson from 1988 to 2005. Jackson named the property after Neverland, the fantasy island in the story of Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up...
, an offer the band had to decline due to work overload. In the early years their fan base consisted of a lot of teens, however with the band progress in music and songwriting capabilities the fan base has become much more diverse and now consist of fans from all age groups and genres.
The band has sold some estimated 80 million records (albums and singles). They are the only non-British/non-American performers who have written and performed a 007 James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
official theme song with their song "The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights (song)
"The Living Daylights" is the song performed by A-ha for the James Bond film of the same name. It was co-written by guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Bond composer John Barry.-Origin and recording:...
" from the movie with the same title. Songs by A-ha have also been included as background music in episodes of popular TV series, such as Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, Melrose Place, South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
, Cougar Town
Cougar Town
Cougar Town is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. The series focuses on a recently divorced woman in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter, along with her son, ex-husband, and friends who together make...
and The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, as well as movies such as One Night at McCool's
One Night at McCool's
One Night at McCool's is a 2001 American dark comedy/neo-noir film, directed by Harald Zwart and starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, John Goodman, Paul Reiser, Reba McEntire and Andrew Dice Clay.-Plot:...
, Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American Black comedy film, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver.In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Grosse Pointe Blank the 21st greatest comedy film of all time. The film's soundtrack features mainly independent music hits...
and Corky Romano
Corky Romano
Corky Romano is a 2001 film starring former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Kattan. Also starring are Fred Ward, Vinessa Shaw, Roger Fan, and Dave Sheridan. The movie was directed by Rob Pritts and was written by David Garrett and Jason Ward. It was filmed at Touchstone Pictures studios...
. They have a Guinness World Record from 1991 for drawing the largest paying audience at a popconcert with 198,000 people at the Estádio do Maracanã
Estádio do Maracanã
The Estádio do Maracanã , officially Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is an open-air stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government, it is named after the Maracanã neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, and in the final...
stadium in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. In 2006 the band was awarded the Q Awards
Q Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...
Inspiration Award.
A-ha has influenced bands such as Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
and Keane. They are just a few of A-ha's international colleagues that in later years has commented on A-ha and shared their enthusiasm for the band. Most notably perhaps is Chris Martin
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
and Coldplay; " Everyone asks us who has inspired Coldplay, who we have stolen from, who we listened to when we grew up. Such questions remind you of what has formed you and had an impact on you. One of the first bands I loved was a-ha". "I was in Amsterdam the other day and I put on the album Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low
Hunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
. I remembered right there and then how much I loved that album. It's just unbelievable songwriting."(Chris Martin, Coldplay). Other notable comments on A-ha; "They are definitely my favorites this summer. Their last CD ( Minor Earth Major Sky
Minor Earth Major Sky
Minor Earth | Major Sky is the sixth album by Norwegian band a-ha, released in 2000. It sold 2 million copies worldwide.-Track listing:# Minor Earth Major Sky – 5:25 # Little Black Heart – 4:35...
) is just fantastic, and how the vocalist sings!" (Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
in 2001). "A-ha was always kind of a misunderstood band in my ears. They were perceived as a teenage group for girls, but in reality a very creative band." (Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
- 2000). "A-ha is a great band, and the songs that I did backing vocals for ("Over the treetops" & "Cosy Prisons
Cosy Prisons
The third single "Cosy Prisons" from the A-ha album Analogue was released in the UK on 6 April 2006.The UK single features a new mix of the song which was worked on by Magne Furuholmen and Dave Bascombe...
") is very good. Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it, because this isn’t something that I need to do. It all depends on how I feel about it. That’s how privileged I am"' (Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young).
A-ha's songs have been covered
Covered
Covered is a term used in popular music in general to refer to a song recorded by different performer from its original or most popular recorded version, and by some disc jockeys in particular to describe a musical recording presented under the guise of a false title and artist name...
or sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
by several artists in many genres, including such varied as pop, rock, dance, electronica, country, goth rock, metal, Latin, techno, punk, jazz, folk, house, lullabies, classical-crossover and various instrumental versions. The band's songs have also been covered in various languages. A small selection and by no means complete:
- ColdplayColdplayColdplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
: "Hunting High and LowHunting High and LowHunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
" and "The Living DaylightsThe Living Daylights (song)"The Living Daylights" is the song performed by A-ha for the James Bond film of the same name. It was co-written by guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Bond composer John Barry.-Origin and recording:...
" (Performed occasionally on concerts and in live radio performances) - MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Performed live on the comedy show Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
in 1986) - Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" ( Performed live in concert 2011 ) - London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
: "Hunting High and LowHunting High and LowHunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
" (Recorded and released) - A1 (band)A1 (band)A1 are a British-Norwegian boyband. They were originally made up of Mark Read, Ben Adams, Christian Ingebrigtsen and Paul Marazzi. Their first single, "Be the First to Believe", entered the UK singles chart at #6 in early 1999. They had a huge amount of success worldwide and charts with two number...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and performed live on several occasions. Released) - Kurt NilsenKurt NilsenThe following is a discography of albums and singles released by Norwegian music artist Kurt Nilsen.-Albums:-Singles:-Other releases:*1998 Shoe...
: "Hunting High and LowHunting High and LowHunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
" and "Stay On These RoadsStay on These RoadsStay on These Roads is the third full-length album by the rock band A-ha. It was released on 3 May 1988 through Warner Bros. Records.-Recording:...
" (Performed live in concert) - Edyta GorniakEdyta GórniakEdyta Górniak is one of the most popular female singers from Poland.- Beginnings :At the age of 14 Górniak formed a band and was playing at private parties and evening dances. After taking singing lessons, in 1989, aged 16, she gave her first public appearance on a Polish television talent show...
: "Hunting High and LowHunting High and LowHunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
" (Recorded and released and also performed live in concerts) - Alexandre PiresAlexandre PiresAlexandre Pires do Nascimento is a Brazilian singer. Pires was previously the singer of group Só Pra Contrariar which he joined in the late 80s....
feat. Ivete SangaloIvete SangaloIvete Maria Dias de Sangalo is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian Axé and MPB singer, songwriter, and occasional actress and television show host...
: "Estrela Cadente" (melody of A-ha's "Hunting High and LowHunting High and LowHunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on...
". Recorded, released and performed live in concerts) - ClosterkellerClosterkellerClosterkeller is a Polish Gothic rock band from Warsaw. It was formed in 1988 by Przemysław Guryń, Jacek Skirucha, and the vocalist Anja Orthodox. Despite many changes in the band's line-up it has created a characteristic sound. Orthodox is the only member of the original line-up, performing...
: "Minor Earth Major SkyMinor Earth Major SkyMinor Earth | Major Sky is the sixth album by Norwegian band a-ha, released in 2000. It sold 2 million copies worldwide.-Track listing:# Minor Earth Major Sky – 5:25 # Little Black Heart – 4:35...
" (Recorded, released and performed live in concerts) - RuslanaRuslanaRuslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko is a World Music Award winning and MTV Europe Music Award nominated artist, and the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004....
: "Vir Meni" ("Take on MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
") (Recorded, released and performed live in concerts) - Northern KingsNorthern KingsNorthern Kings is a Finnish symphonic metal cover supergroup, made up of four musicians who have already become well known in their existing bands: Jarkko Ahola from Teräsbetoni, ex-Dreamtale, Marco Hietala from Nightwish and Tarot, Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto from...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded, released and performed live in concerts) - Jonas BrothersJonas BrothersThe Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Performed live in concerts) - Milk Inc: "The Sun Always Shines On TV" (Recorded, released and performed live in concerts)
- Captain Jack (band)Captain Jack (band)Captain Jack is a musical duo, specializing in Eurodance music, originating from Germany.- History :Its members were Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez , and Sunny...
: "Take on meTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released) - Cap'n JazzCap'n JazzCap'n Jazz was an emo band formed in Chicago in 1989 by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella, who were joined by Sam Zurick and Victor Villareal. After a number of name changes and the addition of guitarist Davey von Bohlen the band began to earn a cult following in the Chicago area and the...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded, released, and performed live in select concerts due to the short lifespan of the band) - Emil BullsEmil BullsEmil Bulls is a German alternative metal band that was formed in 1995 in Munich, Bavaria. The group currently consists of two guitarists, a bass guitar player, a drummer and a vocalist/guitarist.-History:...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released) - LiferLiferLifer is a five-piece nu metal band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The group went under various names and only released one studio album in 2001.-Career:...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and performed live in concerts) - Downright Malice: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released) - GrenouerGrenouerGrenouer is a Russian death metal band, formed in late 1992 in Perm city. Their name is an intentional misspelling of grimoire, a magic textbook. Remaining a respected underground outfit they prove that music is the only thing that counts.- History :...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released) - Japanische KampfhörspieleJapanische KampfhörspieleJapanische Kampfhörspiele, formed in 1998, was a grindcore band from Krefeld, Germany. Their name translates to "Japanese Combat Radio Plays." On later releases, they incorporated some death metal influences, but the band referred to their sound as "grindpunk"...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released) - Lord VampyrLord VampyrLord Vampyr is an Italian singer, songwriter and producer. He formed the Symphonic Black/Gothic metal band Theatres des Vampires but he decided to leave in late 2004...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released) - Mago De OzMägo de OzMägo de Oz is a Spanish folk/heavy metal band from Begoña, Madrid formed in mid-1988 by drummer Txus di Fellatio. In 1992, the band were finalists in the Villa de Madrid contest. Then, they went onto achieve great success in Spain, and in 1995, were declared Revolution Rock Band...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released) - Vision DivineVision DivineVision Divine is a progressive power metal band formed in Italy in 1998.-History:Originally a solo project from Olaf Thörsen...
: "Take On MeTake on Me"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" (Recorded and released)
Awards
Following the success of their debut, the band was nominated for a Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
in 1986 but did not win. A-ha did win eight MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, six for "Take On Me" and two for "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released as the third single from the band's debut album, Hunting High and Low. In many countries the single was not as successful as the band's previous, "Take on Me", which hit #1 in the U.S. and several countries around...
". "Take On Me" was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Video at the American Music Awards of 1986
American Music Awards of 1986
The 13th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 27, 1986.-Pop/Rock Category:-Soul/R&B Category:-Country Category:...
. A-ha has won 10 Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen is an award presented to Norwegian musicians for their contributions.-Operation:The award was established on the initiative of International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...
awards, the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy awards.
Discography
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Hunting High and Low Hunting High and Low Hunting High and Low is the debut album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. Released on 1 June 1985 through Warner Bros. Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling more than 10 million units worldwide, peaking at #15 in the United States Billboard 200 and reaching high positions on... |
Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... |
| 1986 | Scoundrel Days Scoundrel Days Scoundrel Days is the second full-length album by the new wave pop/rock band A-ha. It was released on 6 October 1986 through Warner Bros. Records... |
|
| 1988 | Stay on These Roads Stay on These Roads Stay on These Roads is the third full-length album by the rock band A-ha. It was released on 3 May 1988 through Warner Bros. Records.-Recording:... |
|
| 1990 | East of the Sun, West of the Moon East of the Sun, West of the Moon East of the Sun, West of the Moon is the fourth album, released in 1990 by Norwegian band A-ha. It was seen by many as a departure from their old radio friendly sound to a darker, moodier tone, and is named after a Norwegian fairy tale... |
|
| 1993 | Memorial Beach Memorial Beach Memorial Beach is the fifth album by Norwegian band A-ha, released in 1993.The album was recorded primarily at Prince’s Paisley Park studios outside Minneapolis in the U.S. Featured among the tracks is “Angel in the Snow,” a song Paul wrote for his bride, Lauren Savoy, as a wedding gift, and the... |
|
| 2000 | Minor Earth Major Sky Minor Earth Major Sky Minor Earth | Major Sky is the sixth album by Norwegian band a-ha, released in 2000. It sold 2 million copies worldwide.-Track listing:# Minor Earth Major Sky – 5:25 # Little Black Heart – 4:35... |
Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies... |
| 2002 | Lifelines Lifelines Lifelines is the seventh album released in 2002 by the Norwegian band A-ha. This album entered to top 10 album charts in 9 countries and 4 of those in top, selling over 1.5 million copies.... |
|
| 2005 | Analogue Analogue (album) Analogue is the eighth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released in 2005.-Track listing:#"Celice" – 3:41#"Don't Do Me Any Favours" – 3:51... |
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
| 2009 | Foot of the Mountain Foot of the Mountain Foot of the Mountain is the ninth and final studio album by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released on 19 June 2009 and reached #1 on the German Album Chart and #2 on the Norwegian Album Chart... |
Tours
As of December 4, 2010, A-ha have held 568 concerts around the world.A-ha has toured in: Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
- Hunting High and Low Tour 1986–1987 (USA, Europe, Australia & Japan)
- Stay On These Roads Tour 1988–1989 (Europe, Japan and South America)
- Walk Under the Sun Dance Under the Moon Tour 1991 (South America)
- East of the Sun West of the Moon Tour 1991 (Europe)
- Memorial Beach Tour 1993–1994 (Europe, South Africa & Lebanon)
- Minor Earth Major Sky Tour 2000–2001 (Japan, Russia & Europe)
- Lifelines Tour 2002–2004 (Europe, Brazil & Russia)
- Analogue Tour 2005–2007 (Europe, Russia, USA, Senegal & Chile)
- Foot Of The Mountain Tour 2009 (Europe, South America and Japan)
- Ending On A High Note TourEnding on a High Note TourEnding On A High Note Tour is a worldwide concert tour by Norway synthpop/rock band A-ha in support of the group's 9th studio album, Foot of the Mountain, which was released in June 2009 as well as the compilation 25 which was released in July 2010....
2010 ( Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Japan and Russia)
A-ha has on tour, been backed up by various musicians, including some of the very best studio and touring musicians in Norway and Scandinavia. Most of them have also been involved in studio with A-ha.
- Gina SchockGina SchockGina Schock is best known as the drummer in the all-girl punk/pop band The Go-Go's....
- (Drums) 1986 (US TV appearances American Bandstand, Soul Train, Solid Gold) - Leif Karsten Johansen (Bass player) - 1986–1987
- Mike SturgisMike SturgisMike Sturgis is an American drummer, having played for the band 21 Guns and later with Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith in Psycho Motel, where he played on both State of Mind and Welcome to the World albums...
(Drums) - 1986–1987 - Dag Kolsrud (Keyboards) - 1986–1987
- Ian Wherry (keyboard) - 1988–1989
- Randy Hope-Taylor (Bass) - 1988–1989
- Matthew LetleyMatt LetleyMatt Letley is the drummer in the English rock band, Status Quo.- Career :Letley's first recording were with his brother Mark's progressive rock band Sindelfingen when he was only 12; a live track including him was added to a CD reissue of their rare LP entitled 'Odgipig...
(Drums) - 1988–1989 - Rafael GayolRafael GayolRafael Bernardo Gayol is a drummer, percussionist, songwriter, singer and actor.Born in Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles, California, he has worked as a drummer/percussionist/vocalist recording and touring with such diverse artists as Leonard Cohen, Doll Congress, BoDeans, Sun 60, Charlie...
also known as Danny Gayol (Percussion) - 1988–1989 - Jørun Bøgeberg (Bass) - 1991–1994
- Per Hillestad (Drums) - 1991–1994
- Sigurd KøhnSigurd KøhnSigurd Køhn , was a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer. He was, along with his 16 year old son, killed in Khao Lak, Thailand by the tsunami following the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on December 26, 2004....
(Saxophone) - 1991–1994 - Øyvind Madsen (Bass) - Africa leg of tour 1994
- Sven Lindvall (Bass)- 2000–2007
- Per Lindvall (Drums)- 2000–2007
- Krister Karlsson (Keyboard)- 2000–2007
- Anneli DreckerAnneli DreckerAnneli Marian Drecker is a German-Norwegian singer and actress from the city of Tromsø. She is the vocalist for the seminal dream pop band Bel Canto. In the fall of 2006 Bel Canto celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the first album with several concerts...
(Backing vocals / Duet partner / Tambourine) - 2000–2002 - May Kristin Kaspersen (Backing vocals / Duet partner) - Russian leg of tour 2003
- Erin HillErin HillErin Hill is an American harpist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress. Her musical performances have ranged from pop, psychedelic, and science fiction to kids music, opera, and Celtic. Hill’s 2009 album with her Celtic group hit #1 on the Billboard World Music Chart...
(Harp) - 2008 - opening act at Royal Albert Hall - Karl-Oluf Wennerberg (Drums) - 2009-2010
- Erik Ljunggren (Programming / keyboards / bass) - 2009-2010
- Johnny Sjo (Bass) - On occasions between 2000–2005
- Kjetil Bjerkestrand (Keyboard) - On occasions
External links
- A-ha – official site