A-ha: The "Take on Me" Guys

This week's post is brought to you by the letter A, as in A-ha.

Artist/Band: A-ha

Genre: New Wave, pop rock, synthpop

From: Oslo, Norway

Years Active: 1982-2010, 2011 (Information may change later down the line)

Label(s): Warner Bros, Warner Music Group, Polydor, Universal Music Group

Band Members: 

Morten Harket - Vocals
Magne Furuholmen - Keyboards
Pål Waaktaar - Guitars

About: A-ha was a Norwegian pop band who formed in Oslo in 1982 by Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, and Pål Waaktaar. They became famous during the mid 1980s when musician and producer, John Ratcliff discovered them and they became globally successful years on-wards. What got them to their fame musically was the release of their debut album, Hunting High and Low in 1985, which featured the number one tracks "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." The album peaked at #1 in Norway, #2 in the U.K. and #15 in the U.S. Billboard album chart. It even earned the band a Grammy Award nomination as Best New Artist, even though they didn't win the award. On the other hand, Hunting High and Low continued to be a huge selling album in the U.K. in 1986. After three more albums, however,  In 1994, Memorial Beach, their fifth album failed to be as successful as their earlier ones, the band went on a hiatus. Four years later, following a performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, A-ha returned to the studio to record their sixth album, Minor Earth Major Sky, which didn't get released until 2000. It paid off though because it became #1 in Norway and resulted in a new tour. Their seventh studio album, Lifelines, was released in 2002, and their eighth album, Analogue, in 2005, earned a Silver in the U.K. - their most successful album over there since the 1990 release of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. On June 19, 2009, they worked on and released their ninth album, Food of the Mountain, which charted #2 in Norway, #5 in the U.K., and earned a Silver there and a Platinum in Germany. By October 15 of that same year, the band announced that they would officially split after the 2010 Ending on a High Note tour. Thousands of fans from 40 different countries (on six continents - according to Wiki) went to see A-ah live for one more show.

On Tour: 

1986-87: Hunting High and Low World Tour in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan
1988-89: Stay On These Roads Tour in Europe, Japan and South America
1991: Walk Under the Sun, Dance Under the Moon Tour in South America and East of the Sun, West of the Moon Tour in Europe
1993-94: Memorial Beach Tour in Europe, Russia, South Africa and Lebanon
2000-01: Minor Earth Major Sky Tour in Japan, Russia, and Europe
2002-04: Lifelines Tour in Europe, Brazil and Russia
2005-07: Analogue/Greatest Hits Tour in Europe, Russia, USA, Senegal, and Chile
2008-09: Foot of the Mountain Tour in Europe, South America, Japan and Russia
2010: Ending on a High Note Tour in Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Japan, and Russia

Albums:

1985: Hunting High and Low - Warner Bros. Records
1986: Scoundrel Days - Warner Bros. Records
1988: Stay on These Roads - Warner Bros. Records
1990: East of the Sun, West of the Moon - Warner Bros. Records
1993: Memorial Beach - Warner Bros. Records
2000: Minor Earth Major Sky - Warner Music Group
2002: Lifelines - Warner Music Group
2005: Analogue - Universal Music Group
2009: Foot of the Mountain - Universal Music Group

Other: Did you know that the song "Take on Me" was used as background music for modern TV shows, such as the Simpsons and Family Guy? The music video was even spoofed by MamaTails before his YouTube Poop video, "The Faces of Amy Rose DX" was removed from YouTube. The video featured a scene where Amy Rose tried to reach out for Sonic the Hedgehog, who didn't want to marry her.


Here is the original music video of "Take on Me":

*Sources: Wikipedia, YouTube, and 4shared.*