A-HA! We Knew They Were Still Around! (Well, Not Anymore…)
Filed under: Music Minute
If we had an electrical keyboard (and knew how to play it), we'd be jamming out the opening, tinkering melody of Take On Me, the only real major hit from the Norwegian band, A-HA!
We'd play it in homage to the news that the band, after 25 years together, has decided to part ways.
The trio of Norwegian musicians stated that the breakup was amicable and that they each just wanted to pursue “other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else.”
We wish them the best in their endeavours, and hey, maybe they'll get back together again… in a day or two.
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Oh Perez…once again you've shown just how limited your knowledge is about music. A-HA was HUGE in the 80's and had many more than just one major hit. Other hits such as "The Sun Always Shines On TV" or even writing and performing the hit to the 15th James Bond movie "The Living Daylights"?. They were huge everywhere. I know I wore out one or two of their LP's They've stayed together longer than most other bands from that era. Which proves they did have a major following. Just because they aren't Ga Ga or Brit, doesn't give you the right to bash them Mr. Douche!
have they even made music since "take on me"??
When I was little, I wasn't allowed to listen to public radio. However, I would sneak my friend's portable radio (kind of like a Walkman) to my house on the weekends and I would listen and listen and listen in hopes "Take on Me" would come on.
—
Though the bad itself was never huge in my life, as a lil girl that song meant the world to me.
Tanjarine, they like JUST came out with a cd! And.. aren't they still together?! At least that's what I thought! And I'm from Norway!
Hm.. anyway..
A-Ha are still 10x better than Slimey or anything you have to do with.
Those are my babies. I was born in the 90s, but A-Ha indeed rocks. They started in Germany and are famous everywhere. Props to them.
Re: EliseRoselyn – Yup…a new CD called "Foot of the Mountain". I just listened to the title track on youtube, quite wonderful. Too bad they are now calling it quits. According to their official website, they'll be continuing to tour through 2010 to Japan, America and Australia with the final show in Oslo, Norway. However, I guess this will now be a farewell tour. I know I'll be looking for a show near me.
Don't follow them, but they are still pretty big in the Scandanavian (sp?) countries. I think the singer is/was a popular talk show host…?
…even if the had only one hit (and they have had more) "Take On Me" was huge worldwide and many bands would be happy to have done it. A ha, and so there Perez.
They broke-up for 8 years in the 90s, then had a massive sales success (everywhere but North America…yes, there is a world outside the U.S., morons) with 'Minor Earth, Major Sky' and three subsequent albums. I saw them in Glasgow in 2002; his voice is still unmatched and their new music is brilliant and NOT retro crap like other 80s groups trying to recapture the past.
A-ha forever!
As Deenocub stated, they have been around for years, they have quite the following and have been very successful in many different territories around the world. Just because they are no longer part of American popular culture does not mean they should be discounted. I'm not surprised that Perez did not do his home work. That’s provided that he was the one that posted this!!! They have a very large body of work that is worth checking out. They have also branched off and done their own solo projects over the years. They just released in a CD called; Foot of the Mountain. As for previous work:
Hunting High and Low
Scoundrel Days
Stay on These Roads
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Memorial Beach
Minor Earth Major Sky
Lifelines
Analogue
Foot of the Mountain
Plus Greatest Hits and Live CD's.
Typical of the general public to only follow popular culture. There is allot of great music out there aside from the mainstream crap that is shoved down our throats everyday!!!
That video was soo cool…I always pictured Perez remaking the video, but with him as the main character..w.atching famous people on tv, 'drawings' , him being obsessed and then turn perez into a drawing as he steps into the tv and joins them…becomes one of them, which is a direct and true 'art imitating (perez's) life'…DO IT DUDE! you have the money by now (don't you?) AND what a wicked tribute to A-HA! someone out there has to be that talented…wish I was
great friggin song dudes…
"The Sun Always Shines On TV"…amazing song, and underplayed!
Re: tiedup – WELL SAID! BRAVO. And thanks for posting the full discography, some I had forgotten about that were truly brilliant. Just reading the titles, brings back wonderful memories. Morton's voice is both haunting and unique. Hopefully we'll still be hearing more from him.
Re: kitkat2 –
For fuck's sake don't give Mario's ego anymore ideas.
Did they recognize each other at the meeting?
Name me one person from A-Ha
Re: Annie Sue –
Morten Harket. Extremely talented and quite famous throughout the world. You know…that whole other part of this planet other than America.
Re: Deirj70 – Yes great song, but if you want to still hear it, listen to U2's 'Beautiful Day'. Definitely, some "borrowing" there. Just one more attestment to the talent of A-Ha.
Oh, fuck. No one even knew or cared that they were still together, and no one will care that they are breaking up. No one fucking cares about 80s music! EVOLVE, PLEASE!
These guys were still huge in other parts of the world, you fat ignorant fuck.
Re: Smooch77 – Agreed. There are so many great bands in the UK, Europe, Australia and elsewhere. Another great one from the 80's, Underworld, has much of the same history, HUGE everywhere else, but America. Has put out some amazing work constantly since the 80's. And now the Presets from Australia…amazing duo (I encourage everyone to check them out), who are blasting the charts everywhere else but North America. Very sad that America keeps itself so isolated and puts up with such generic crap, which most of the time is faked, lipsynced, or just a carbon copy of someone else. They truly are missing out on so much great music. A sad sad loss.
Re: Tanjarine – Erm, yes, over 100 songs. 9 studio albums, Hunting High and Low, Scoundrel Days, Stay On These Roads, East of the Sun West of the Moon, Memorial Beach, Minor Earth Major Sky, Lifelines, Analogue and Foot of the Mountain, which charted this year at no. 5 in the UK charts. They wrote and performed the theme song to the 15th James Bond film The Living Daylights. Morten, Magne and Paul (thats the three members of a-ha for the ignorant) have released 16 solo albums between them. U2, The Strokes, Coldplay, Leonard Cohen, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Morrissey have all said they are a-ha fans. They were never big in America because they refused the wishes of Warner to turn them into a boyband. a-ha sacrificed American success for artistic credibility. It's sad you have managed to miss their beautiful music for the past 25 years.
Re: Smooch77 – good point
MORTEN HARKET IS THE HOTTEST MAN ON THE PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:-D….VIVA A-HA!
Cocklovers?
Looks like you got schooled again by "the community". 5 minutes of research on this topic and you could have (as you should have) changed the tone to one of a positive goodbye rather than spewing inaccuracies. Also just to add old news, heard it on late night TV last night (which is taped in the afternoon as you know) so little excuse for this not being posted yesterday.
Bitter Queen, Typical!!!
Re: Deenocub – Well.. I guess it's for the better that they're breaking up! They're getting old
Morten (the guy in the middle of the picture) is totally hot for his age! He just turned 50 :O 
i bought my tix already to see their last show in 2010!!! Not so cheap but… it's just money….
I've never heard of them.
Oh, I think it's pretty cool that you Perez wrote something about them. They were really an underrated band.
I loved Morten and A-Ha 25 years ago when I was 13 and I still love him. The sun will always shine on tv!
I met them in Seattle. They are very friendly.
I had the biggest crush on the lead singer.. He still looks good to me..!
Re: Smooch77 – AMEN to that!!
Re: njmomma – Me too.. I was in love with Morten!! Posters everywhere
I didn't know they were still kicking it.
- 15 top-10 singles in Britain
- 9 studio albums, over 35 million albumes sold - actually 70 millions if you include singles
- lost of nominations and prices
- lots of world-tours, included the legendary concert at the Macarena Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in - 91 with 196 000 people
- James Bond - hit, Living Daylights
by the way: they are doing a World-tour next year, so they are not disbanded until the end of next year (they just announced it, it's not like they're quitting today…)
It's an end of an era! (next year, lol)
Still LOVE that song!!
Re: LV-Entergetic –
well - how old are you
Prime time was in the 80s.
Yeah they have still been around but unfortunately had no album releases here in the USA since their 'Memorial Beach ' album in 1993! Their best albums have never been released here!! Minor Earth Major Sky, Lifelines, Analogue and their current Foot Of The Mountain are some of their best!!!!
If you guys haven't listened to them I suggest you check them out!!! Especially their latest, 'Foot Of The Mountain"! My personal favorite is Minor Earth Major Sky with Analogue a close second and FOTM up there!!! UGH THEY BETTER PLAY IN NYC!!! >:I
I still love their music. They still rock after all this time.
the sun always shines on tv ,one of the greatest songs ever.
AWWW, I LOVE THEM!!!
I got the impression the last 10 years they have been together for the business Aha Inc. Don't even think they're friends anymore. They never let themselves be interviewed together. Within 5-10 years they will rejoin to make another album I'm sure.
haha, you americans knows that there is a world outside the US, right?
"Take On Me, the only real major hit"… just because they didn't score more than one hit in the US, doesn't mean they haven't scored hits in other parts of the world. Cross the border sometime..
Re: Captain Obvious – You are no fun at all
I love a-ha…they have been separete many times, and they all had great solo projects; Savoy made great music, and Morten Hartet had 4 solo albums. So, I'm sure they will be back to make more fantastic music.
IDIOT!!! They also won MTV awards (as well as others) for The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
One more thing…if you are gonna announce something like this, write the whole story. They are breaking up AFTER they tour in 2010.
They still rock in my book. "Take on Me" was/is a rockin' song and had a great video. I still blast it whenever I hear it!
Haha,I am from Norway!
But its too bad though..
Don't forget their club banger "Cry Wolf." That song was amazing!