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.
Train of Thought
a-ha Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crossword solved
Words go up words come down
Forwards backwards twisted round
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
Disappears into an office
It's another working day
Corridors of inked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
At home a house awaits him, He unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here
But there never was a door
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes to numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this
And his thoughts
And at heart
He's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought
The song Train of Thought by a-ha is a vivid portrayal of an individual's rather mundane life, with the lyrics describing his routine activities from reading the morning paper to returning home from work. The first verse illustrates his fondness for solving the crossword puzzle in the morning paper before heading off to work. He picks up a pile of letters from his suitcase, implying that he could be a postman or someone who deals with correspondence. The imagery of words going up and down, forwards and backward, twisted around, paints a picture of the complex nature of language and communication.
The second verse alludes to his thoughts being consumed by strangers and corridors of inked light, perhaps representing the urban jungle he's working in. His mind has lost its rational thinking, and there's more than meets the eye. A stranger's face occupies his thoughts and follows him everywhere, suggesting the presence of an individual in his personal life that he can't let go of. The sadness and loneliness of his life are summed up in his thoughts, which are characteristically full of strangers and emptiness.
In the final verse, the individual takes the subway home, listening to a distant radio playing unfamiliar tunes. When he reaches his home, he unlocks the door to a house that awaits him, thinking about how the sea used to be there, but it no longer exists. The song's final lines repeat the idea of his thoughts being full of strangers, signifying that his attempt to escape from his mundane life is futile. The phrase "train of thought" in the title is used metaphorically to describe the cyclical nature of his thoughts and his life.
Line by Line Meaning
He likes to have the morning paper's
He enjoys solving the crossword puzzle in the morning newspaper
Crossword solved
Successfully completing the puzzle
Words go up words come down
The puzzle includes both vertical and horizontal words
Forwards backwards twisted round
The words in the puzzle are arranged in various directions
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
He collects the letters for the crossword from his briefcase
Disappears into an office
He goes to work
It's another working day
He has to go to work just like any other day
And his thoughts are full of strangers
His mind is occupied with thoughts of unknown or unfamiliar people
Corridors of inked lights
He sees these thoughts in his mind like pathways illuminated with inked lights
And his mind once full of reason
He used to think reasonable, rational thoughts
Now there's more than meets the eye
His current thoughts are deeper and more mysterious than they appear
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He has a vivid memory of a face he doesn't know but has seen before
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
He likes to read while commuting on the subway
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
He listens to a radio station with unfamiliar songs
At home a house awaits him, He unlocks the door
He arrives back home and unlocks the door to his house
Thinking once there was a sea here
He recalls that there was once a large body of water near his home
But there never was a door
He realizes there was never actually a door leading to the sea
And his thoughts are full of strangers
His mind is still consumed with thoughts of unfamiliar people
And his eyes to numb to see
He is too mentally drained or preoccupied to observe his surroundings
And nothing that he knows of
He is unfamiliar with his current environment
And nowhere where he's been
He doesn't recognize any of the places he's been lately
Was ever quite like this
This experience is unique and different from anything he's ever encountered before
And his thoughts
His thoughts persist and continue to overwhelm him
And at heart
Deep down, within himself
He's full of strangers
He is plagued by thoughts of people he doesn't know
Dodging on his train of thought
He tries to avoid these thoughts but they keep resurfacing
Train of thought
His mind is like an unstoppable train, full of strange and confusing thoughts
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAL WAAKTAAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SunflowerGirl__
LYRICS
He likes to have the morning paper crossword solved
Words go up, words come down
Forwards, backwards, twisted 'round
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
Disappears into an office
It's another working day
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
At home a house awaits him, he unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here
But there never was a door
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes too numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this
Yeah
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
And at heart
He's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought
@ginacuyubamba
Letras 👀🔥
He likes to have the morning paper crossword solved
Words go up, words come down
Forwards, backwards, twisted round
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
Disappears into an office
It's another working day
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
At home a house awaits him, he unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here
But there never was a door
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes to numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this
Yeah
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
And at heart
He's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought
@santiagocorreajara2409
Lyrics
He likes to have the morning papers
Crossword solved
Words go up words come down
Forwards backwards twisted round
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
Disappears into an office
It's another working day
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of inked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a strangers face he carries with him
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
At home a house awaits him
He unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here
But there never was a door
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes to numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this
And his thoughts
And at heart
He's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought
@MrHornet72
A-ha is in my blood forever. Only band with all their albums with me. 💪💪💪
@DeboraSilva-gz6yv
Morten na época era mais jovem era lindo demais até hj é lindo as mulheres que concordam comigo 😍😘😎
@DeboraSilva-gz6yv
Com certeza ❤❤😊
@jmp01a24
0:57 listen to the song go from classic 80s pop into a new landscape. I love this next part. It's still very playable today. Way ahead of its time. And how often do you hear panpipes used in pop music? A-ha has never been afraid of going their own way. And a BPM of 140 was quite unheard of in 1985. It became a thing with techno music into the 90s.
@barbarascuteri4642
What sound! What a voice!! It still rocks today ❤❤❤❤❤
@ginacustodio7120
The entire album is actually a work of art...i can listen to all the songs over and over...
@ajs41
Produced mostly by Tony Mansfield, of the band New Musik. He also produced Naked Eyes, and their first album from 1983 is absolutely worth listening to, I can guarantee.
@richardcoles2432
There will never be another band like A-HA in my opinion..they were way ahead of their time,.....such a strong sound with amazing energy.
@keithjones6023
One of the best ever!
@rjjcms1
Gotta love A-ha.