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.
Celice
a-ha Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Celice I know that I'm alive
Open up inside, make me want you
Make me want to wrap yourself around me
Hold me tighter, hold me tight as only you can
Celice, it's in the way you hurt me
I know you're on my side
Celice, its in the way you teach me
Celice, to chase the thoughts away
You open up my eyes, made me want you
Made me want to, you know it feels so nice
hold me tight now
hold me tight as can be
Celice, it's in the way you hurt me
Celice, its in the way you hurt me (Oh hold me tightly)
Celice, I know that I'm alive (hold me hold me tightly)
Celice, you sharpened all my senses
I know you're on my side
The lyrics to a-ha's song Celice deal with the complex emotions that come with being in a relationship that might be hurting you. The singer is addressing someone named Celice, whom they seem to have a complicated relationship with. Despite the pain that Celice causes them, they also seem to feel intensely alive because of her presence in their life. The singer yearns for Celice to open up to them and wrap herself around them, to hold them tighter than anyone else can. They seem to acknowledge that Celice's way of hurting them has actually sharpened their senses, possibly making them more aware of the world around them.
As the song progresses, we see that the singer is not just a passive victim in this relationship - they're also learning from Celice. She teaches them to chase their negative thoughts away and opens up their eyes to new possibilities. The singer is willing to endure the hurt that Celice causes them because they feel that she's ultimately on their side. Despite the complexities of their situation, the singer can't deny that being with Celice makes them feel alive.
Overall, Celice is a song about the tumultuous emotions that come with being in love, particularly when that love is hurting you. It's a complex, nuanced portrayal of a relationship that both hurts and inspires the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
1,2,3,4, Celice, it's in the way you hurt me
Celice, the way you hurt me is unique and different, and this gives meaning and purpose to my life
Celice I know that I'm alive
Only through your hurt I can truly experience life and feel alive
Open up inside, make me want you
Help me to open up emotionally and become receptive to your love
Make me want to wrap yourself around me
Make me feel wanted, cherished and protected
Hold me tighter, hold me tight as only you can
Provide the comfort and safety only you can offer, embrace me tightly
Celice, you sharpened up my senses
You have the ability to awaken my senses and make me more aware of the world around me
I know you're on my side
I trust and rely on you, I know you support me in everything I do
Celice, its in the way you teach me
The way you hurt me teaches me valuable lessons about love, life, and myself
Celice, to chase the thoughts away
You have the power to help me silence my worries and anxieties
You open up my eyes, made me want you
You helped me see things differently and made me desire your love even more
you know it feels so nice hold me tight now
Being held by you feels amazing and I want to savor this moment forever
Celice, its in the way you hurt me (Oh hold me tightly)
The hurt you cause me is not a bad thing, as long as you hold me tightly
Celice, I know that I'm alive (hold me hold me tightly)
I feel alive and complete when I'm in your arms, please hold me tightly
Celice, you sharpened all my senses
You have the power to awaken all my senses and make me feel more alive
I know you're on my side
I trust that you're always there for me, no matter what happens
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: MARTIN TEREFE, PAL WAAKTAAR, MAGNE (MAGS) FURUHOLMEN, MORTEN HARKET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@baddiemauve4958
Celice, it's in the way you hurt me, Celice, I know that I'm alive
Open up inside, make me want you, make me want to
Wrap yourself around me, hold me tighter, hold me tight as only you can
Celice, it's in the way you hurt me
Celice, you sharpened all my senses, I know you're on my side
Celice, it's in the way you teach me, Celice, to chase the thoughts away
You open up my eyes, made me want you, made me want to
You know it feels so nice, hold me tight now, hold me tight as can be
Celice, it's in the way you hurt me
Celice, it's in the way you hurt me
(Oh, hold me tightly) Celice, I know that I'm alive (hold me, hold me tightly)
Celice, you sharpened all my senses, I know you're on my side
@davidvela418
the most underrated band of all time
@mrjelly5718
I agree 100 percent. Every song they wrote is high quality song writing. Actually amazing the consistency and skill
@dangiles5307
Such a shame the U.S. radio won't play their music except for 'Take on Me. I love the song but they have so much more that is great as well. Thanks for posting this.
@sydlad
Same in Australia Dan. Such a shame as they have 30 years of amazing material.
@flaviapetrini8165
Same in Italy 😡!!!
@brendandurham3817
The Sun Always Shines On T.V. was also a Top 20 hit in the U.S.
@mirkokunstmann317
SHAME! I'm so glad I don't need a radio! Make my own 🧿💿🧿💿🧿💿🧿
@Annoyingbirds
@@mirkokunstmann317 I literally heard it on the school bus
Ned accepts I’m a fan of the band at 18 I’m graduated now
A-ha is my band since they know I’m a fan since 13
@amybluesky007
I dont understand how they found this video to be scandalous.... it is absolutely not offensive. The heat captors arw a great idea, and to be honest, it is not vulgar like most of the videos nowadays. Morten Harket's voice is melodious, harmonious, delicate. A-ha is a band of rare talent. They deserve all the praises 👏
@prondonsalgado
It’s not because of vulgar content. I’d say it has too much to take in: drugs, prostitution and even a suicide included. Yeah… Not so easy to watch