Wednesday July 7, 2021 “Take on Me” a-ha
This one hit wonder may be more notable for the groundbreaking MtV video that introduced us to Norwegian group a-ha. Of course it didn’t hurt having a completely infectious, catchy keyboard riff, a singer with a remarkable range and a song performed by three 80’s cute guys...but it was the video that really brought this song home.
This song reached number one in 27 countries including the US and remained on the top of the Eurochart Hot 100 for nine weeks. The band a-ha was the first Norwegian group to have a number one hit in the US (Abba is from Sweden) and they would record more than thirty six albums/CDs worldwide and win a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1986.
The song also won six MtV awards in 1986 which was the most awards given to any single song to that date. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” only won three in 1983.
“Take on Me” has been remixed by a number of different artists and would appear as a top ten hit on several different genres including Hot Dance/Electronic Music. The song has appeared in a number of commercials and is included on several movie soundtracks and TV shows.
Stay safe and well...the lyrics don’t make a great deal of sense as a complete thought but then the band is from Norway so maybe the Norwegian version works better.