A-ha became the first Norwegian band to have a number 1 song in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It was then re-released with a new, groundbreaking video which peaked at number 1 on the U.S. The song was then re-recorded with production by Alan Tarney, but both of these releases failed to chart. 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. 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. It was named "Lesson One" when it was first recorded by A-ha. At that time, the song was called "The Juicy Fruit Song", and the two men were still known as Bridges. Hunting High and Low (1984–1985) Īn early version of " Take On Me" was the first song that Morten Harket had heard Magne Furuholmen and Pål Waaktaar play in Asker. Ratcliff dealt with technical and musical aspects, and Slater acted as the group's international business manager and as liaison to Warner Brothers' head office in Los Angeles. John Ratcliff introduced them to his manager, Terry Slater, and after a few meetings, A-ha enlisted Ratcliff as manager too. They chose the studio of musician, producer, and soon-to-be-manager John Ratcliff because it had a Space Invaders machine. "It was a terrible song but a great name," says Morten. They jettisoned that idea when Morten spotted a song called "A-ha" in Waaktaar's songbook. They were trying to think of what to call themselves, focusing on Norwegian words people could say in English. The trio-composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (previously known as Pål Waaktaar until 1994) and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1982 and left Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business.
įollowing 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 hit in Norway and resulted in a new tour. In 1994, after their fifth studio album, Memorial Beach, failed to achieve the commercial success of their previous albums, the band went on a hiatus. In the UK, Hunting High and Low continued its chart success into the following year, becoming one of the best-selling albums of 1986. 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. That album peaked at number 1 in their native Norway, number 2 in the UK, and number 15 on the U.S.
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.Ī-ha achieved their biggest success with their debut album, Hunting High and Low, in 1985. The band was founded by Morten Harket (vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards) and Pål Waaktaar (guitars). A-ha (stylized a-h a Norwegian pronunciation: ) was a Norwegian band formed in Oslo in 1982.
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