a-ha is a Norwegian new wave/synth-pop band. The trio, composed of lead voc… Read Full Bio ↴a-ha is a Norwegian new wave/synth-pop band. The trio, composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1982 and left Oslo, Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business.
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.
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.
Dark Is the Night for All
a-ha Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's time we said goodbye
Time now to decide
O' don't you feel so small
Dark is the night for all
It's time we moved out West
This time will be the best
And when the evenings fall
Dark is the night for all
It's time, yeah, to break free
It's time to pull away
For you and for me
It's time, yeah, to break free
We need to celebrate the mystery
It's time we said goodbye
Time for you and I
O' don't you feel so small
Dark is the night for all
Time now to decide
O' don't you feel so small
Dark is the night for all
It's time we moved out West
This time will be the best
And when the evenings fall
It's time, yeah, to break free
It's time to pull away
For you and for me
It's time, yeah, to break free
We need to celebrate the mystery
It's time we said goodbye
Time for you and I
O' don't you feel so small
Dark is the night for all
The lyrics of A-ha's song "Dark Is the Night for All" are about making a decision, moving on and breaking free. The first verse mentions the need to say goodbye and decide what to do next. The second verse talks about moving out west, which is often associated with starting anew or taking a new direction. The chorus emphasizes that the night is dark for everyone, implying that everyone goes through difficult times.
In the third verse, the lyrics reinforce the idea of breaking free, as if the person singing has been trapped or constrained for some time. The use of "we" and "you and I" suggests that they are not alone in wanting to make a change. The final lines of the song repeat the chorus, emphasizing that change is necessary and that difficult times are something everyone experiences.
Overall, the song expresses a desire for change and a new direction, acknowledging that difficult times are a part of life.
Line by Line Meaning
It's time we said goodbye
We need to part ways and move on.
Time now to decide
We have to make a decision about our future.
O' don't you feel so small
We feel insignificant and powerless.
Dark is the night for all
Everyone experiences fear and uncertainty in life.
It's time we moved out West
We need to make a fresh start and move to a new place.
This time will be the best
We are optimistic that things will get better.
And when the evenings fall
When darkness sets in,
Dark is the night for all
Everyone experiences the same fears and uncertainty in life.
It's time, yeah, to break free
We need to let go of the past and move forward.
It's time to pull away
We need to distance ourselves from negative influences.
For you and for me
We need to make this change together.
We need to celebrate the mystery
We need to embrace the unknown and find joy in it.
Time for you and I
We need to make a decision together.
O' don't you feel so small
We feel powerless and insignificant in the face of change.
Dark is the night for all
Everyone experiences fear and uncertainty in life.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: PAL WAAKTAAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Carvalho
Pqp, você viaja no tempo com uma obra prima dessas. Carapicuíba- SP- BRASIL.
Travis Durand
Perhaps the most underappreciated band of all time... they are absolutely incredible.
Q
I agree with you. They are so fabulous !!
#8472 CubeBuster
@Q Agree... have all their music ... I think.
Paulo Ribeiro
"Stay on these roads" still fuels my dreams today
Sergio Caruso
Yes better than "the Beatles", the problem with A-ha is that they're not from UK so they don't have the marketing.
Vania Chiandotto
@Sergio Caruso can someone explain to me why many as you say that they are underrated and underappreciated? Do you mean by the media? Record in Rio, grammy awards, other prizes, 30 years career, tickets for next year sold out....what can' I see? thank you
Território Animal
Morten é a mais perfeita combinação de um rosto angelical e uma voz poderosa, sem igual!!!
Gary Carr
a-ha
Gary Carr
a-ha Memorial Beach ⛱️ 1993