a-ha is a Norwegian pop music band who were most popular in America during the 1980s, but continued to be globally successful in the 1990s and 2000s. The trio, composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1983 and left Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business. The origin of the name a-ha comes from the title of an early song. Originally, Paul had used the word 'a-ha' as the title of a song. After checking dictionaries in several languages, they found out that 'a-ha' was an international way of expressing recognition, with positive connotations. It was short, easy to say and unusual. Band members * Morten Harket - Vocals History Take On Me & Hunting High and Low The song "Take on Me" was the first thing Morten Harket heard Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy play. At that time the song was called "Lesson One". "Take on Me", their debut single, was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1985. Sales were aided in the US by a music video on MTV that mimicked the climactic scene from the Ken Russell film Altered States. The video used a sketchy animation / live action combination (called "Rotoscoping", in which the video is first shot on normal video, then each frame is hand-traced over to give the animated effect.) that tells a fantasy thriller story to the song. The first release of the song in 1984 only sold 300 copies, but after a rework with producer Alan Tarney a year later, it sold 1.5 million copies worldwide in one month. Eventually the single "Take On Me" is estimated to have sold 6 - 7 million copies worldwide. a-ha was also nominated for Best Video for "Take On Me" at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1986. In spite of the single's greater popularity in the US, the album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985, sold better in the UK. Critics at the time mostly dismissed the band as bubblegum pop. As of 2005, Hunting High and Low has sold 8 million copies worldwide. Scoundrel Days & Afterwards a-ha's second album was Scoundrel Days (1986) and represented a move towards alternative rock. In 1987, they provided the title song for the James Bond film The Living Daylights. Stay on These Roads (1988) received more mixed reviews than the previous albums. In spite of a drastic decline in sales in the next few years, a-ha continued to record two more albums, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990) and Memorial Beach (1993). In the late 80s and early 90s, a-ha was very popular in South America, especially Brazil. They sold out some of the largest stadiums in the world. At the Rock in Rio festival in 1991, a-ha shocked the international entertainment press by gathering a paying audience of 200,000 people. George Michael, Prince and Guns N' Roses only managed to gather 60 000 each. a-ha holds the world record for the highest attendance for a paid venue. a-ha split in 1993 and their members started focusing on solo activities, but came together in 1994 to perform for the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. This performance included their song composed for the Winter Paralympics, "Shapes That Go Together". Paul Waaktaar-Savoy has released 5 albums with his wife Lauren Savoy and their band Savoy. Morten Harket has released three solo albums, among them Wild Seed that sold 500.000 copies in Norway and is the best-selling a-ha solo project to date. Magne Furuholmen has grown a reputation as a sculpter, painter and has done music for films and television. In 2004 he released his first solo album proper, backed by members of Coldplay. After a very well-received performance of "The Sun Always Shines on TV" and a new song, "Summer Moved On", at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 1998, the threesome returned to the studio and recorded 2000's Minor Earth,Major Sky, which resulted in a new tour, and a videocast performance of a-ha (with Briskeby) opening the new Vallhall stadium in Oslo. Sales of this album and 2002's Lifelines showed that their fanbase was still there, and also that they were able to attract new audiences, especially in Central Europe and Scandinavia, where the albums sold extremely well. They appeared again at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2001. a-ha's music transcends age groups, with fans ranging from ages 12 to 55. The "average fan" is a 27 yr old single female, living in Germany, but a-ha has fans all over the world, and, unlike some of their peers, make sales both in English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. A live album (from their 2002 tour) with the title How Can I Sleep With Your Voice in My Head was released in March of 2003, preceded by a live single of the 1986 classic "The Sun Always Shines on TV". In 2004, an in-depth book entitled The Swing Of Things was published, also featuring a CD of early demo material. In 2004, a-ha celebrated their 20th anniversary with the release of a new singles collection: The Singles: 1984-2004. This compilation brought them back into the UK Top 20 Album Charts, where they reached No. 13. Over their career, a-ha have officially released 32 singles. 13 of these became top ten singles in the UK, and 14 singles have been number one on the radio lists over the world. The new singles album includes some of the highlights from a-ha’s last 20 years. On July 2, 2005, a-ha performed at the Live 8 Berlin concert. In 2005, the band recorded their next studio album, Analogue. It was released on November 7. The first single "Celice" was released on October 4. Tour dates are scheduled for late 2005 in Europe, with a return to the U.S. (at Irving Plaza in New York City) planned for September 12th for the band's first concert on American soil since 1986. A short impromptu performance of "Take on Me" occurred on September 11th in Times Square. On August 27, 2005, the band played a concert for 150,000 people in Frognerparken in Oslo,the largest concert ever in Norway. Today, a-ha is recognized by their peers as a serious band with impressive songwriting capabilities. Fans include: Coldplay, Keane, Pet Shop Boys, Sarah Brightman, Adam Clayton, Graham Nash, and Leonard Cohen. Discography Albums * "Hunting High and Low" (October 28, 1985); UK #2 US #17 NO #1 Singles * "Take on Me" (October 19, 1984); #3 Norway (released only in Europe) |
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