The Norwegian star group of the 80s, A-ha, tells us the story of their greatest success, Take on Me.
Despite having one of the most difficult choruses to sing in pop history – a fact easily verified by a detour to any karaoke bar in the world – “Take on Me” by A-ha is one of the most beloved singles of the 80s.
The first take of the song was inspired by the Doors. “ Ray Manzarek was an important influence for us; he introduced classical music into pop »said Furuholmen. “The almost mathematical but very melodic and structured way of Manzarek playing the keyboard had a huge influence on the way I approached my instrument. And I think a lot of the strength of A-ha comes from integrating things like that and adding our own Scandinavian flavor.”. The other major ingredient was the singer’s voice Morten Harket. “We said to ourselves: “How do I show off this incredible voice? » So we were going around in circles, and Morten came with an inflection of the melody that made it much more interesting”said Furuholmen.
After signing with Warner Bros. in London and recorded the first real version of “Take on Me”A-ha considered the title bad and the single was quickly shelved. The band struggled to find another studio hit, and recruited producer Alan Tarney to re-record the song. The second version failed again, but the American arm of the label had faith in the tune and invested in a second avant-garde video – a video that would become one of the most iconic music videos of the era.
WhileA-ha disappeared from the American pop landscape, in Europe the group enjoyed a long period of critical and commercial success, including their 2009 album, Foot of the Mountain, which charted at number 5 upon release in the UK but didn’t even enter the Billboard 200. “We had a lot more trust in our audience than the record companies, and I think our audience stayed with us because of our musical qualities”said Furuholmenadding that although the group never repeated the success of “Take on Me” in the United States, the group “die-hard fans. »
Today, Magne Furuholmen says the band’s hit still rings “really energetic”and admits he also saw the viral “literal version” of the “Take on Me” video where an impersonator Harket literally narrates the action in the classic clip. “I thought it was fantastic. It was incredible. I would have loved to have had this video when we released the song“, said Furuholmen. “The lyrics have so much more meaning than the one we had. »
Find our exclusive interview with the guitarist and song writer of A-ha, Pal Waaktaar
From November 1, 2019, discover a documentary on the creation of the planetary hit “Take On Me”produced and directed by Sorcha Macdonald and Warner Music Entertainment.
An ultra limited edition of the single in vinyl format is also available now.
