The origin of the name a-ha comes from the lyric of an early 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, a-ha was easy to say and somewhat unusual.
"Take on Me" was the first song Morten Harket heard Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy created. At that time the song was called "Lesson One." After multiple re-recordings and two failed releases, "Take on Me" became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1985. Although their first release of the song in 1984 was not a major success, it was remixed by producer Alan Tarney a year later, and sold 1.5 million copies worldwide in one week. Eventually the single "Take on Me" is estimated to have sold 7-9 million copies worldwide; it peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number two in the UK Singles Chart. Sales were aided in the U.S. by a music video on MTV that mimicked the truck chase from Terry Gilliam's movie Brazil and the climactic scene from the Ken Russell film Altered States. The video used a sketchy animation / live action combination called "Rotoscoping" that tells a fantasy thriller story to the song. At the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards "Take on Me" won in six categories. It was also nominated for Best Video of the Year at 1986 American Music Awards. As of February 2020, the official video has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube.
The follow-up single to "Take on Me" was "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.". In the U.S., the song peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number seventeen on Radio & Records airplay chart. In addition, the music video for the song won in two categories at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.
a-ha's American success culminated in their 1986 Grammy nomination in a coveted Best New Artist category which was eventually won by Sade.
"The Sun Always Shines on TV" turned out to be A-ha's last Billboard Top 40 single, and to this day in the United States a-ha is mostly remembered by the general public only because of the singularly huge success of "Take on Me". Hunting High and Low (1985), which contained "The Sun Always Shines on TV" and "Take on Me," was a worldwide bestseller. In the U.S., it sold more than a million copies and acquired platinum certification by RIAA. As of 2005, Hunting High and Low has sold 8 million copies worldwide.
a-ha's second album was Scoundrel Days (1986) and represented a move towards alternative rock as synthpop began to fall out of style. 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). East of the Sun, West of the Moon featured a cover version of The Everly Brothers 1963 single, "Crying in the Rain".
Because of apparent internal conflicts between the band members and conflict with the record label at the time, A-ha split in 1994 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".
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 band 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 video for the song, "I Wish I Cared" was the first fully web-based animated flash music video to be made available.
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 twentieth anniversary with the release of a new singles collection: The Definitive Singles Collection 1984-2004. This compilation brought them back into the UK Top 20 Album Charts, where they reached number thirteen. 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 compilation included some of the highlights from a-ha’s last 20 years.
In September, a-ha returned to the U.S. (at Irving Plaza in New York City) for the band's first concert on American soil since 1986. A short impromptu performance of "Take on Me" occurred on September 11 in Times Square. On August 27, 2005, the band played a concert for 120,000 people in Frognerparken in Oslo, the largest concert ever in Norway.
On November 4, 2005, the band released its new studio album, Analogue. The first single "Celice" was released on October 4 in mainland Europe. Later that same month, a tour followed, with concerts in Brussels, France, Germany and the UK. The release of the track, "Analogue (All I Want)" followed in the UK in January 2006, giving a-ha its first top ten hit in the UK since 1988. The third single in Europe (second in the UK) from the album was the Magne Furuholmen penned "Cosy Prisons", already a live-staple in the band's set.
On the 30 October 2006 in London a-ha received the prestigious Q Inspiration Award for its long contribution to music and for inspiring many of their younger colleagues in the business.
In 2007 a-ha recorded a cover of John Lennon's "#9 Dream" for Amnesty International.
A ninth studio album, Foot Of The Mountain, was released in the summer of 2009. This more synth oriented album got a number five position in the UK in August 2009, and was No. 11 on the European album charts.
"Norway's most successful band through the years is splitting up for good!
After 9 studio albums with over 35 million albums sold, it`s over for the band."
A-ha had a press conference in Cologne 26.10.09, the day before their last world tour kick-off in Lanxess Arena. The last concert was in Oslo Norway. The concert ion 4 December 2010 at the Oslo Spektrum.
On March 21, 2015, it was confirmed in national Norwegian newspapers that a-ha has reunited. Their tenth studio album, Cast in Steel, was released in 2015.
And You Tell Me
a-ha Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe I like you
Let's go
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (tell me) 많이 기다렸어 (skrrt, skrrt)
오늘은 말해 줘 (ooh eh oh) 날 좋아한다고 (I just wanna na na)
I can't wait anymore (anymore) 듣고 싶은 말이 있어
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (yeah yeah) 날 좋아한다고
왜 이러는지 몰라 I don't know why
어젯밤 꿈에서도 너만 찾아 뱅뱅
주윌 둘렀잖아
싱그런 그대 미소에
밉기만 했던 아침이 fresh 해 hey
어리광 섞인 모닝콜 연결음조차
심장이 떨려 막
발걸음이 가벼워진 느낌
한걸음에 널 안고만 싶은지 (오늘 꼭 call)
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (tell me) 많이 기다렸어 (skrrt, skrrt)
오늘은 말해 줘 (ooh eh oh) 날 좋아한다고 (I just wanna na na)
I can't wait anymore (anymore) 듣고 싶은 말이 있어
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (yeah yeah) 날 좋아한다고
Thinking of you, thinking of you
오직 너뿐인 걸 you're my love
오늘 왠지 너의 맘이 궁금해
저 해보다 뜨거운 어여쁜 두 눈이
대답해 줄 것만 같은데
그 무엇보다 너에게 듣고 싶었던 한마디
Maybe, I like you (ya ya)
Maybe, I love you (baby)
온몸이 널 부르는 이 느낌
또 자꾸 막 널 안고만 싶은지 (오늘 꼭 call)
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (tell me) 많이 기다렸어 (skrrt, skrrt)
오늘은 말해 줘 (ooh eh oh) 날 좋아한다고 (I just wanna na na)
I can't wait anymore (anymore) 듣고 싶은 말이 있어
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (yeah yeah) 날 좋아한다고
너도 아마 같은 걸까
두근거리는 내 맘과
Oh 너도 나와 같을 거야
Let me know your love, my girl
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (tell me) 많이 기다렸어 (skrrt, skrrt)
오늘은 말해 줘 (ooh eh oh) 날 좋아한다고 (I just wanna na na)
I can't wait anymore (anymore) 듣고 싶은 말이 있어
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (yeah yeah) 날 좋아한다고
Tell me I like you
Tell me I want you
Tell me I need you
Tell me I love you
Tell me I like you
Tell me I want you
Tell me I need you
Tell me I love you
The lyrics to And You Tell Me are about the intense feelings of love and longing for someone. The singer expresses a desire to hear the person they're infatuated with tell them that they like them back. The repeated lyrics "tell me I like you, tell me I want you, tell me I need you, tell me I love you" convey the yearning for confirmation of the other person's feelings.
The lyrics also illustrate the physical sensations that come with intense attraction, with phrases like "my heart is shaking" and "feeling like my steps have become lighter." The language used suggests a sense of urgency and desperation - "I can't wait anymore," "tell me today," "singing morning call with a mixture of youthfulness."
Overall, And You Tell Me is a song that expresses the intense emotions that come with being in love, particularly when those feelings are not yet reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me baby, ay oh oh oh
Asking someone to confess their feelings
Maybe I like you
Expressing uncertainty about one's own feelings
Let's go
Encouraging the person to take action and express their feelings
오늘 꼭 말해 줘 (tell me) 많이 기다렸어 (skrrt, skrrt)
Urging the person to confess their feelings and expressing impatience
오늘은 말해 줘 (ooh eh oh) 날 좋아한다고 (I just wanna na na)
Stating that today is the day to confess feelings and expressing a desire to hear that the person likes them
I can't wait anymore (anymore) 듣고 싶은 말이 있어
Expressing impatience and a strong desire to hear the person's confession
Uh 눈뜨자마자 니가 보고 싶은 게
Describing the feeling of waking up and immediately thinking of the person
왜 이러는지 몰라 I don't know why
Expressing confusion about why they feel this way
어젯밤 꿈에서도 너만 찾아 뱅뱅
Describing a dream where they were looking for the person
주윌 둘렀잖아
Imagining being surrounded by the person
싱그런 그대 미소에
Describing the person's charming smile
밉기만 했던 아침이 fresh 해 hey
Expressing how the morning feels brighter due to the person's presence
어리광 섞인 모닝콜 연결음조차
Describing how even the morning alarm sounds better because of the person
심장이 떨려 막
Expressing how their heart beats faster around the person
발걸음이 가벼워진 느낌
Describing a feeling of lightness and joy in their steps when they think of the person
한걸음에 널 안고만 싶은지 (오늘 꼭 call)
Describing a strong desire to be physically close and urging the person to call and confess their feelings
Thinking of you, thinking of you
Describing how often they think of the person
오직 너뿐인 걸 you're my love
Expressing that the person is the only one they love
오늘 왠지 너의 맘이 궁금해
Expressing curiosity about the person's feelings today
저 해보다 뜨거운 어여쁜 두 눈이 대답해 줄 것만 같은데
Expressing how they feel like the person's eyes will answer their question more passionately than the sun
그 무엇보다 너에게 듣고 싶었던 한마디
Stating that the thing they most want to hear from the person is a confession of love
너도 아마 같은 걸까
Expressing a hope that the person feels the same way
두근거리는 내 맘과
Describing how their heart beats fast around the person
Oh 너도 나와 같을 거야
Expressing a belief that the person feels the same way
Let me know your love, my girl
Asking the person to confess their feelings and share their love
Tell me I like you
Asking the person to confess that they like them
Tell me I want you
Asking the person to confess that they want them
Tell me I need you
Asking the person to confess that they need them
Tell me I love you
Asking the person to confess that they love them
Tell me I like you
Asking the person to confess that they like them
Tell me I want you
Asking the person to confess that they want them
Tell me I need you
Asking the person to confess that they need them
Tell me I love you
Asking the person to confess that they love them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Vendors (hi-Bye), Jae Min Jeon, Jae Hyun Jeon, Sung Woon Ha, Vendors Fascinador
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
steve
on Take On Me
ahhh the old days