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Take On Me

January 26, 2023

"Take On Me" is a song by the Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha. The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. The 1985 international hit version was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985). The recording combines synth-pop with a varied instrumentation, including acoustic guitars, keyboards, and drums.

"Take On Me"
First release (1984)
Single by A-ha
from the album Hunting High and Low
B-side
Released19 October 1984 (1984-10-19) (1st Release)

5 April 1985 (1985-04-05) (2nd Release)

16 September 1985 (1985-09-16) (3rd UK Release)
Recorded1984 - 1985
StudioRG Jones, London [1]
Genre
Length3:49
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
A-ha singles chronology
"Take On Me"
(1984) 		"Love Is Reason"
(1985)
Music videos
"Take On Me" (original version) on YouTube
"Take On Me" (second version) on YouTube

The original 1984 version "Take On Me" failed to chart in the United Kingdom, as did the second version in the first of its two 1985 releases. The second of those 1985 releases charted in September 1985, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart in October. In the United States in October 1985, the single topped Billboard's Hot 100, bolstered by the wide exposure on MTV of director Steve Barron's innovative music video featuring the band in a live-action pencil-sketch animation sequence. The video won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.

Background

"Take On Me" originated from Pål Waaktaar's and Magne Furuholmen's previous band Bridges, who first composed a number called "The Juicy Fruit Song" when they were 15 and 16 years old.[3][4][5][6] Initially the band felt the riff was too pop-oriented for their band, thus the first version of the song was more "punky" in an attempt to offset the riff.[7] The first take of the song was inspired in part by Doors member Ray Manzarek and his "almost mathematical but very melodic, structured way of playing".[8] Waaktaar considered the song too poppy for their intended dark style, but Furuholmen recalled thinking it was "quite catchy".[7]

Soon after, Bridges disbanded. Waaktaar and Furuholmen relocated to London to try their hand in the music industry there, but returned to Norway after six months of disappointment.[3] They were joined by their school friend, singer Morten Harket, who heard the song and said the keyboard riff had the character of a universal hit sound. The three lads began working on demos, including a new version of the song, which was renamed "Lesson One" before it evolved into "Take On Me". In January 1983, the band returned to London in search of a recording contract.[3] They intended the song to show off Harket's vocal range, which led to his vocals "doing this spiralling thing".[8]

Recording and production

The band moved into an apartment in London and began contacting record companies and publishing houses. After a few meetings with various A&R personnel, they signed with the publishing house Lionheart. A-ha returned to Norway to earn some money; when they returned to London, they left Lionheart out of frustration.[9] They decided to record new demos, and chose the studio of musician and producer John Ratcliff, intending to re-record five songs. The band signed with Ratcliff, who introduced them to manager Terry Slater. With this encouragement, the band managed to complete some songs, including "Take On Me". After a few meetings, Slater signed them with Warner Bros. Records UK.[9]

The band met with producer Tony Mansfield, an expert in the use of the Fairlight CMI, who mixed the demos with electronic instrumentation. The sound was not what A-ha had hoped to achieve, and the album was remixed again. The band rushed to release "Take On Me" as a single in the United Kingdom but the single only charted at 137, the lowest-charted of all A-ha songs. After this, Warner Brothers' main office in the United States decided to invest in the band, and gave them the opportunity to re-record the song.[9] The song was produced using the Roland Juno-60 synthesiser for the main riff, along with the Yamaha DX7 and PPG Wave synthesizers.[10]

The instrumentation included a Yamaha DX7 and PPG Wave, with Furuholmen playing the main melody on a Roland Juno-60. A LinnDrum drum machine was used on the second and third releases, with acoustic cymbals and hi-hat overdubbed. Harket sang the lead vocal using a Neumann U47 microphone as well as a Neve microphone pre-amp and Neve equaliser.[11]

In 2020, former Warner Brothers UK and Reprise executive Andrew Wickham appeared in A-ha's official anniversary documentary A-ha: The Making of Take On Me, to explain how the song's success was due to several parties realising the band's true value. He detailed how the song finally became the worldwide smash hit still widely recognised today. In 1984, he was the international vice-president for Warner Bros Records America, and their A&R man in London. He said, "I got a call from Terry Slater... I couldn't believe my ears (at the band's audition) when I heard Morten Harket sing. I thought, how can somebody who looks like a film star sound like Roy Orbison? I thought, this is unbelievable."

Wickham immediately signed A-ha to Warner Brothers America, after learning several previous attempts had failed to make "Take On Me" a commercial success. The next release was not successful either and featured a very ordinary performance video. He authorised considerable investment in the band: on Slater's recommendation, renowned producer Alan Tarney was commissioned to refine the song. The new recording achieved a cleaner and more soaring sound and a coda section instead of the earlier quick fade-out; the song was soon completed and re-released in the UK, but the record label's office in London gave them little support, and the single flopped for the second time.[9]

Wickham placed the band on high priority and applied a lateral strategy with further investment. Steve Barron directed a revolutionary rotoscoping animation music video which took six months to create, using professional artists. The single was released in the US one month after the music video, and immediately appeared in the Billboard Hot 100[9] and was a worldwide smash, reaching No. 1 in numerous countries.

AllMusic journalist Tim DiGravina described "Take On Me" as "a new wave classic laced with rushing keyboards, made emotionally resonant thanks to Morten Harket's touching vocal delicacy."[2]

Composition

 
"Take On Me"
A 23-second sample from "Take On Me", featuring Harket's high-pitched falsetto, with a backing track that mixes acoustic and electric guitars and electronic instrumentation
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Take On Me" is a synth-pop song that includes acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards,[12][13] written at a very fast tempo of 169 beats per minute.[14] The lyrics are a plea for love[15] and constructed in a verse–chorus form with a bridge before the final chorus. The song is written in the key of A major with a chord progression of Bm7–E–A–D–E in the verse, A–C♯m7/G♯–F♯m–D in the chorus, and C♯m–G–C♯m–G–Bm–E in the bridge. Harket demonstrates a vocal range of over two and a half octaves.[14] He sings the lowest pitch in the song, A2 (the tonic), at the beginning of the chorus, on the first syllable of the phrase "Take On Me".[14] As the chorus progresses, Harket's voice hits ever higher notes, reaching a falsetto[12][16][17] and hitting the song's highest note, E5, (the dominant) at the end.[14] Rolling Stone has thus noted the song as "having one of the hardest-to-sing choruses in pop history".[8] A mix of a drum machine, the LinnDrum,[18][19] acoustic guitars, and electronic instrumentation serves as the song's backing track.[12]

Music videos

First video

The first release of "Take On Me" in 1984 includes a completely different recording; this mix was featured in the first video, which shows the band singing with a blue background.

Second video

 
Lead singer Morten Harket and actress Bunty Bailey in a scene from the music video, which features them in a pencil-sketch animation / live-action combination (rotoscoping).

The second video, directed by film director Steve Barron, is the far more widely recognised video for the song. It was filmed in 1985 at Kim's Cafe (now called Savoy Cafe) (corner of Wandsworth Road and Pensbury Place, London SW8), and on a sound stage in London.[20] The video used a pencil-sketch animation and live-action combination called rotoscoping, in which the live-action footage is traced using a frame-by-frame process to give the characters realistic movements.[21][22] Approximately 3,000 frames were rotoscoped, which took 16 weeks to complete.[23][24] The idea of the video was suggested by Warner Bros executive Jeff Ayeroff, who was pivotal in making "Take on Me" a globally recognised music hit.[25] The critical and commercial result was emphatic. In addition to an incalculably high view count from heavy rotation it received on MTV when it was originally released (as well as other music television channels), the music video has received more than 1.4 billion (1,483,559,293) views on YouTube and has received a 4K video restoration with more than 8.6 million likes.[26]

The music video was remastered to 2160p (4K) in 2019 from the original 35mm film and released on YouTube, while retaining its original URL and upload date of January 6, 2010.[27] On 17 February 2020, the music video reached one billion views on YouTube. Prior to that date, only four songs from the 20th century had reached that elusive mark ("November Rain" and "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen) — making "Take On Me" the fifth video from that time period to do so, and the first Scandinavian act to achieve this.[28][29][30]

Plot

The video's main theme is a romantic fantasy narrative.[31] It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic-book style representing motorcycle sidecar racing, in which the hero (Morten Harket) is pursued by two opponents (Philip Jackson and Alfie Curtis). It then cuts to a scene in a cafe, in which a young woman (Bunty Bailey) is reading the comic book. As the woman reads, the waitress brings her coffee and the bill. The comic's hero, after winning the race, seemingly winks at the woman from the page. His pencil-drawn hand suddenly reaches out of the comic book, inviting the woman into it. Once inside, she, too, appears in the pencil-drawn form as he sings to her and introduces her to his black-and-white world which features a sort of looking-glass portal where people and objects look real on one side and pencil-drawn on the other.

Back in the cafe, the waitress returns to find the woman missing. Believing the customer left without paying the bill, she angrily crumples the comic book and throws it into a bin. This causes the hero's two opposing racers to reappear as villains, one of them armed with a large pipe wrench. The racers smash the looking glass with the pipe wrench, trapping the woman in the comic book. The hero punches one of the thugs aside and retreats with the woman into a maze of paper. Arriving at a dead end, he tears a hole in the paper wall so that the woman can escape as the menacing opposing racers close in on him and they raise their pipe wrench to his face. The woman, now back in the real world and found lying beside the bin to the surprise of cafe guests and staff, retrieves the comic from the bin and runs home where she attempts to smooth out the creases to learn what happens next.

The next panel shows the hero, lying seemingly lifeless, and the woman begins to cry. However, he then wakes up and tries to break out of his comic-book frames. At the same time, his image appears in the woman's hallway, seemingly torn between real and comic form, hurling himself repeatedly left-and-right against the walls as he attempts to shatter his two-dimensional barrier. (This scene is largely patterned after a climactic scene in the 1980 film Altered States.[20]) He escapes from the comic book by becoming human and stands up. Smiling, the woman runs towards him.

The story is concluded in the opening of "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." music video.[32]

Awards

At the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for "Take On Me" won six awards—Best New Artist in a Video, Best Concept Video, Most Experimental Video, Best Direction in a Video, Best Special Effects in a Video, and Viewer's Choice—and was nominated for two others, Best Group Video and Video of the Year.[33] It was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Video at the 13th American Music Awards in 1986.[34]

The second music video was produced by Limelight Productions.[23] The crew of the video were director Steve Barron,[23] producer Simon Fields,[23] cinematographer Oliver Stapleton,[35] editor Richard Simpson from Rushes Film Editing,[36] and animators Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger.[36]

Influence

The music video and song have often been referred to in cover versions, films, TV programmes and video games. The Family Guy episode "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do" includes a licensed, re-edited version of the video.[37] Volkswagen created a television advertisement inspired by the video.[38] The video was also one of the first to be made into a so-called literal music video.[39] The visuals of the video were used as an homage for Paramore's music video for "Caught in the Middle".[40] An incomplete list of pop-culture references can be found below.

Chart performance

"Take On Me" was originally released in 1984, mixed by Tony Mansfield, but failed to make an impact in the United Kingdom.[9] This release peaked at no. 3 in Norway[41] but failed to reach audiences abroad.[9][42][43] The group re-recorded the song with the help of producer Alan Tarney,[9][20] releasing the new version in 1985.

In the United States, Warner Bros. invested in the revolutionary second video for "Take On Me", which used Tarney's version of the song. The new video was released to dance clubs and television a month before the record was available in stores or played on the radio.[44] Wide exposure on MTV[42] helped propel the single to the top of Billboard's Hot 100, reaching number one in the issue dated 19 October 1985 (its fifteenth week on the chart).[45] It remained on the chart for twenty-seven weeks,[46] and ranked ten in the 1985 year-end chart.[47] As of June 2014, the song has sold 1,463,000 digital copies in the US after it became available for download in the digital era.[48]

"Take On Me" was released for the third time in the United Kingdom in September 1985.[42] The record debuted on the UK Singles Chart at no. 55 and in late October reached no. 2, where it remained for three consecutive weeks, held off the top spot by Britain's biggest single of the year, Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love". On 14 August 2020 it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[49]

In Norway, A-ha's native country, "Take On Me" re-entered the VG-lista singles chart, reaching a new peak of number one, a year after it was first released.[50] The single was largely successful elsewhere, reaching the top of the Eurochart Hot 100 for nine weeks, topping the singles charts in 26 countries,[citation needed] including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland,[51][52][53][54][55] and reaching the top three in France and number two in Ireland.[56][57]

In popular culture

The song's popularity has resulted in tributes and mostly visual parodies since its release.

The song appeared in the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank.[58]

Also in 2005, the song is featured in the ninth episode of season 4, titled "Breaking Out is Hard to Do", of Family Guy. When Lois asks Chris to have a carton of milk, an animated hand invites Chris in and pulls him in as the song's intro starts to play. Once inside the animated pencil world, the group leader of a-ha, Morten Harket, sings the chorus. Like in the music video, two men are chasing them both. When Chris and Harket start running away from them to a dead end, Chris pushes against the wall, crashing behind a tray of eggs.[59]

In the 2012 series finale of the TV show Chuck, Jeff and Lester play the song in order to stop a bomb from detonating in a concert hall.[citation needed]

In 2013, the BBC did a visual parody of the music video for BBC Children in Need. To help promote the video, it features cameos from Sinitta, The Hairy Bikers, Cheryl Fergison, Sophie Raworth and Warwick Davis.[60] In the same year, Pitbull released the single "Feel This Moment", featuring Christina Aguilera, which interpolates the synth riff of "Take On Me".[61]

In the 2017, season 3 episode of The Leftovers, "G'day Melbourne," the song features prominently at various points, including in its original version during the episode credits.

In one of the scenes of the 2018 movie Deadpool 2, in which Wade Wilson (alias Deadpool) and his fiancée Vanessa meet again,[62] an acoustic version of the song plays.

In the 2018 video game Just Cause 4, there is an easter egg that pays tribute to the song's music video,[63] which can be found on a half-built building in a town located on the Solis Island, west of Paso Ventoso.[64][65] Going down to the second floor of the building, parts of the world will change to resemble pencil sketches on white paper, similar to the music video of the song.[66][67][68]

In a 2020 episode of The Simpsons titled "The 7 Beer Itch", Homer realizes that he has romantic feelings for a character called Lily; "the two look into each other's eyes in a psychedelic mix of animated styles." It includes a rotoscope-style segment that references the music video of the song.[69]

In the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II, when Ellie finds a guitar in Seattle, she sings the song while playing the guitar.[70] The song was later used in the official trailer for the Last of Us television show which is based on the game from 2013.

In the 2019, season 4 finale of The Magicians, the cast sings the song in a style of a hymn to honor their deceased friend.[71]

In the 2021 holiday season, an Amazon TV commercial has a family called "The Handbell Hammerschteins" playing the opening riff on handbells.[72]

In 2022, in season 3 of the Japanese animated series Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, a modified version of the song and its animation style was featured on the intro of episode 11. In this scene, Kaguya was looking onto a poster then Miyuki's hands invites her inside.

Track listings

7": MCA / MCA-9146 United Kingdom (1984)

  1. "Take On Me" (Original version) – 3:18
  2. "And You Tell Me" – 1:48
  • Track 1 is produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff with A-ha.

12": MCA / MCA-9146T United Kingdom (1984)

  1. "Take On Me" (Long version) –  3:46
  2. "And You Tell Me" – 1:48
  3. "Stop! And Make Your Mind Up" – 2:57
  • Track 1 is produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff.

7": MCA / MCA-9006 United Kingdom (1985)

  1. "Take On Me" (Single version) – 3:49
  2. "Love Is Reason" – 3:04
  • Track 1 is produced by Alan Tarney.
  • Track 1 is the same version as the album version.

12": MCA / MCA-9006T United Kingdom (1985)

  1. "Take On Me" (Extended version) – 4:50
  2. "Love Is Reason" (LP version) – 3:04
  3. "Take On Me" (Single version) – 3:49
  • Track 1 & 3 are produced by Alan Tarney.
  • Track 3 is the same version as the album version.

7": MCA. / MCA-29011 United States (1985)

  1. "Take On Me" – 3:46
  2. "Love Is Reason" – 3:04
  • Track 1 is produced by Alan Tarney.
  • Track 2 is produced by John Ratcliff with A-ha.

12": Warner Bros. / PRO-A-2291 (Promo) United States (1985)

  1. "Take On Me" (Long version) – 4:47 (a.k.a. "Extended Version")
  2. "Take On Me" (Single version) – 3:46
  • Track 1 & 2 are produced by Alan Tarney.

Credits and personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Take On Me"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[101] Gold 100,000[101]
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[102] Platinum 90,000 
France (SNEP)[101] Gold 500,000*
Germany (BVMI)[103] Gold 500,000^
Italy (FIMI)[101]
1985–1986 sales 		Gold 300,000[101]
Italy (FIMI)[104]
since 2009 sales 		Platinum 20,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[105] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[106]
Physical 		Gold 500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[49]
Digital 		3× Platinum 1,800,000 
United States
Digital 		— 1,463,000[48]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
  Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

MTV Unplugged appearance

In 2017, A-ha appeared on the television series MTV Unplugged and played and recorded acoustic versions of many of their popular songs for the album MTV Unplugged – Summer Solstice in Giske, Norway, including "Take On Me".[107]

Notable cover versions

Reel Big Fish version

"Take On Me"
 
Single by Reel Big Fish
from the album BASEketball and Why Do They Rock So Hard?
Released1998 (1998)
Recorded1998
GenreSka punk
Length3:14
LabelMojo
Songwriter(s)
  • Magne Furuholmen
  • Morten Harket
  • Pål Waaktaar
Reel Big Fish singles chronology
"Sell Out"
(1997) 		"Take On Me"
(1998) 		"Where Have You Been?"
(2002)
Music video
"Take On Me" on YouTube

In 1998, ska punk band Reel Big Fish covered "Take On Me" for the film BASEketball. The song was later released on the BASEketball soundtrack and the international version of their album Why Do They Rock So Hard?[108][109] The band also performs the song at concerts.[110] Reel Big Fish released a video clip for "Take On Me", directed by Jeff Moore,[111] and features the band playing the song while walking down an aisle in the stadium, and playing a game of BASEketball interlaced with clips from the film. An alternative video for the song's international release that contained only the stadium aisle footage was also released. Reel Big Fish also included a live version of the song in their live album Our Live Album Is Better than Your Live Album and live DVD's You're All in This Together and Reel Big Fish Live! In Concert![112]

Track listing

  • CD single
  1. "Take On Me" – 3:02
  2. "Alternative Baby" – 2:56
  3. "Why Do All the Girls Think They're Fat?" – 2:22

Personnel

A1 version

"Take On Me"
 
Single by A1
from the album The A List
B-side"I Got Sunshine"
Released28 August 2000 (2000-08-28)
Length3:46
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
  • Magne Furuholmen
  • Morten Harket
  • Pål Waaktaar
A1 singles chronology
"Like a Rose"
(2000) 		"Take On Me"
(2000) 		"Same Old Brand New You"
(2000)
Music video
"Take On Me" on YouTube

On 28 August 2000,[113] British-Norwegian boy band A1 released a cover of "Take On Me" for their second studio album, The A List.[114] Despite being panned by music critics, who called it a "lame cover version"[115] and a "note for note copy" that seems like "a re-release of the original";[116] it was commercially successful, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and Norway.[117][118]

Music video

The music video was directed by Stuart Gosling. It features A1 entering a computer world by putting on virtual reality glasses after finding out about a deadly computer virus. After flying for a distance, they find the virus and destroy it, saving humanity.[119] The video was inspired by the 1982 live-action science fiction film Tron.[120]

Track listings

  1. "Take On Me" – 3:31
  2. "Beatles Medley (I Feel Fine / She Loves You)" – 3:20
  3. "I Got Sunshine" – 3:41
  4. A1 multimedia trailers
  1. "Take On Me" (UK 2K Mix) – 3:25
  2. "Take On Me" (Metro extended club mix) – 6:02
  3. "Take On Me" (D-Bop Saturday Night Mix) – 7:52
  4. "Take On Me" (video)
  1. "Take On Me" – 3:31
  2. "I Got Sunshine" – 3:41

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Take On Me"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)[137] Gold  
United Kingdom (BPI)[138] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Kygo remix

On 27 August 2015, fellow Norwegian musician Kygo released a remixed version via iTunes to help promote the rollout of the Apple Music streaming service. His version foregoes the iconic keyboard riffs and instead features a new one.[139] The style of his version has been described as tropical house.[140] As of April 2021, the song has amassed more than 15 million listens on YouTube and 36 million listens on Spotify. The remix preserves Harket's original vocals (albeit with processing effects and a different arrangement).

D. A. Wallach version

A cover by D. A. Wallach was featured in the film La La Land. Wallach makes an appearance as the lead singer of a 1980s pop cover band that features Sebastian Wilder, one of the film's two protagonists.[141] The cover was released as part of the album La La Land: The Complete Musical Experience.[142]

Weezer version

American rock band Weezer included a cover version of the song in their 2019 covers compilation The Teal Album. An accompanying music video was released on 12 February 2019, in which rock band Calpurnia—led by frontman Finn Wolfhard ("Mike" in the Netflix original series Stranger Things), here, playing a younger version of Weezer's own frontman, Rivers Cuomo. The video, set in 1985 in the "Cuomo Residence", shows Wolfhard (as Cuomo) and the rest of Calpurnia, lip-syncing to the song while "rehearsing" it in the residence's living room. Near the end of the video, Wolfhard is shown sitting at a desk in his bedroom, scribbling possible names for his new band on a page of a notebook (the name Weezer is shown as option No.3). He then turns the page to draw what would become Weezer's band logo. The video also features some scenes of Calpurnia playing, filmed with the rotoscoping technique that made the original A-ha video famous.[143] The cover version, set one pitch lower than the original version (as in A-flat major), was also used in the closing scene of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, wherein Bikini Bottom was turned into a "sea snail refuge".

Lucas & Steve adaptation

On 11 October 2019, the Dutch DJs Lucas & Steve released "Perfect", a single that greatly adopts on the music of "Take On Me". The single features on the vocals of the Dutch X Factor fifth season winner Haris Alagic known by the mononym Haris. Released on Spinnin' Records in the EDM and deephouse style, it was accompanied by an official music video.[144] The song was greatly successful on the Dutch Singles Chart as well as on the Polish Airplay Chart and also appeared on the Tipparade of the Belgian charts. There was a successful "Perfect (LUM!X Remix)" released.

Track listing

  1. "Perfect" (2:56) [Spinnin' Records]
  2. "Perfect" (LUM!X Remix) (3:07) [Spinnin' Records]
  3. "Perfect" (Club Mix) (4:51) [Spinnin' Records]
  4. "Perfect" (Gabry Ponte Remix) (3:46) [Spinnin' Records]

Charts

Chart performance for "Perfect"
Chart (2019-20) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[145] 12
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[146] 28
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[147] 10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[148] 28
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[149] 11

References

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  2. ^ a b "Hunting High and Low - a-ha - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
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  4. ^ Van Isacker, B. (18 July 2010). "First version from A-ha's Take On Mee recorded in 1981". Side-Line music magazine. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Take On Me til topps i USA" [Take On Me to the top in the USA]. Tidsvitne. Season 2. Episode 4 (in Norwegian). 8 January 2015. Event occurs at 3:23. NRK. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Magne Furuholmens Take on Me-riff". tv2.no. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
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  8. ^ a b c Kreps, Daniel (14 May 2010). "The Secret History of a-ha's Smash "Take On Me"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
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  11. ^ Buskin, Richard (March 2011). "Classic Tracks: A-ha – Take On Me". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  12. ^ a b c Sutton, Michael. "Morten Harket > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  13. ^ DiGravina, Tim. "Album Review: Hunting High and Low". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  14. ^ a b c d "Digital Sheet Music: Take on Me". Musicnotes. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. 20 November 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  15. ^ Eddy, Chuck (18 January 1991). . Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  16. ^ Patterson, Sylvia (12 February 2000). "A-ha : Summer moved on". NME. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  17. ^ Thompson, Paul (26 November 2008). "Carl Newman Talks Guilty, Nicknames, Routine". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  18. ^ McGuirk, Mike. "A-ha: Artist information". Rhapsody. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  19. ^ . The Rolling Thunder Website. Archived from the original on 19 December 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
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  22. ^ Keating; Pizer; Fig Leaf Software, 2002. p. 247.
  23. ^ a b c d Billboard vol. 97 no. 26 (29 June 1985), p. 37.
  24. ^ "Taking on A-ha classic". BBC. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  25. ^ a-ha - The Making of Take On Me (Episode 1)
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Bibliography

January 26, 2023
take, song, norwegian, synth, band, original, version, recorded, 1984, released, october, that, same, year, produced, tony, mansfield, remixed, john, ratcliff, 1985, international, version, produced, alan, tarney, group, debut, studio, album, hunting, high, 19. Take On Me is a song by the Norwegian synth pop band A ha The original version recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff The 1985 international hit version was produced by Alan Tarney for the group s debut studio album Hunting High and Low 1985 The recording combines synth pop with a varied instrumentation including acoustic guitars keyboards and drums Take On Me First release 1984 Single by A hafrom the album Hunting High and LowB side And You Tell Me Stop And Make Your Mind Up Love Is Reason Released19 October 1984 1984 10 19 1st Release 5 April 1985 1985 04 05 2nd Release 16 September 1985 1985 09 16 3rd UK Release Recorded1984 1985StudioRG Jones London 1 GenreSynth pop new wave 2 Length3 49LabelWarner Bros Songwriter s Magne Furuholmen Morten Harket Pal WaaktaarProducer s John Ratcliff Alan TarneyA ha singles chronology Take On Me 1984 Love Is Reason 1985 Music videos Take On Me original version on YouTube Take On Me second version on YouTubeThe original 1984 version Take On Me failed to chart in the United Kingdom as did the second version in the first of its two 1985 releases The second of those 1985 releases charted in September 1985 reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart in October In the United States in October 1985 the single topped Billboard s Hot 100 bolstered by the wide exposure on MTV of director Steve Barron s innovative music video featuring the band in a live action pencil sketch animation sequence The video won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards Contents 1 Background 2 Recording and production 3 Composition 4 Music videos 4 1 First video 4 2 Second video 4 2 1 Plot 4 2 2 Awards 4 2 3 Influence 5 Chart performance 6 In popular culture 7 Track listings 8 Credits and personnel 9 Charts 9 1 Weekly charts 9 2 Year end charts 10 Certifications 11 MTV Unplugged appearance 12 Notable cover versions 12 1 Reel Big Fish version 12 1 1 Track listing 12 1 2 Personnel 12 2 A1 version 12 2 1 Music video 12 2 2 Track listings 12 2 3 Charts 12 2 4 Certifications 12 3 Kygo remix 12 4 D A Wallach version 12 5 Weezer version 12 6 Lucas amp Steve adaptation 13 ReferencesBackground Edit Take On Me originated from Pal Waaktaar s and Magne Furuholmen s previous band Bridges who first composed a number called The Juicy Fruit Song when they were 15 and 16 years old 3 4 5 6 Initially the band felt the riff was too pop oriented for their band thus the first version of the song was more punky in an attempt to offset the riff 7 The first take of the song was inspired in part by Doors member Ray Manzarek and his almost mathematical but very melodic structured way of playing 8 Waaktaar considered the song too poppy for their intended dark style but Furuholmen recalled thinking it was quite catchy 7 Soon after Bridges disbanded Waaktaar and Furuholmen relocated to London to try their hand in the music industry there but returned to Norway after six months of disappointment 3 They were joined by their school friend singer Morten Harket who heard the song and said the keyboard riff had the character of a universal hit sound The three lads began working on demos including a new version of the song which was renamed Lesson One before it evolved into Take On Me In January 1983 the band returned to London in search of a recording contract 3 They intended the song to show off Harket s vocal range which led to his vocals doing this spiralling thing 8 Recording and production EditThe band moved into an apartment in London and began contacting record companies and publishing houses After a few meetings with various A amp R personnel they signed with the publishing house Lionheart A ha returned to Norway to earn some money when they returned to London they left Lionheart out of frustration 9 They decided to record new demos and chose the studio of musician and producer John Ratcliff intending to re record five songs The band signed with Ratcliff who introduced them to manager Terry Slater With this encouragement the band managed to complete some songs including Take On Me After a few meetings Slater signed them with Warner Bros Records UK 9 The band met with producer Tony Mansfield an expert in the use of the Fairlight CMI who mixed the demos with electronic instrumentation The sound was not what A ha had hoped to achieve and the album was remixed again The band rushed to release Take On Me as a single in the United Kingdom but the single only charted at 137 the lowest charted of all A ha songs After this Warner Brothers main office in the United States decided to invest in the band and gave them the opportunity to re record the song 9 The song was produced using the Roland Juno 60 synthesiser for the main riff along with the Yamaha DX7 and PPG Wave synthesizers 10 The instrumentation included a Yamaha DX7 and PPG Wave with Furuholmen playing the main melody on a Roland Juno 60 A LinnDrum drum machine was used on the second and third releases with acoustic cymbals and hi hat overdubbed Harket sang the lead vocal using a Neumann U47 microphone as well as a Neve microphone pre amp and Neve equaliser 11 In 2020 former Warner Brothers UK and Reprise executive Andrew Wickham appeared in A ha s official anniversary documentary A ha The Making of Take On Me to explain how the song s success was due to several parties realising the band s true value He detailed how the song finally became the worldwide smash hit still widely recognised today In 1984 he was the international vice president for Warner Bros Records America and their A amp R man in London He said I got a call from Terry Slater I couldn t believe my ears at the band s audition when I heard Morten Harket sing I thought how can somebody who looks like a film star sound like Roy Orbison I thought this is unbelievable Wickham immediately signed A ha to Warner Brothers America after learning several previous attempts had failed to make Take On Me a commercial success The next release was not successful either and featured a very ordinary performance video He authorised considerable investment in the band on Slater s recommendation renowned producer Alan Tarney was commissioned to refine the song The new recording achieved a cleaner and more soaring sound and a coda section instead of the earlier quick fade out the song was soon completed and re released in the UK but the record label s office in London gave them little support and the single flopped for the second time 9 Wickham placed the band on high priority and applied a lateral strategy with further investment Steve Barron directed a revolutionary rotoscoping animation music video which took six months to create using professional artists The single was released in the US one month after the music video and immediately appeared in the Billboard Hot 100 9 and was a worldwide smash reaching No 1 in numerous countries AllMusic journalist Tim DiGravina described Take On Me as a new wave classic laced with rushing keyboards made emotionally resonant thanks to Morten Harket s touching vocal delicacy 2 Composition Edit Take On Me source source track A 23 second sample from Take On Me featuring Harket s high pitched falsetto with a backing track that mixes acoustic and electric guitars and electronic instrumentation Problems playing this file See media help Take On Me is a synth pop song that includes acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards 12 13 written at a very fast tempo of 169 beats per minute 14 The lyrics are a plea for love 15 and constructed in a verse chorus form with a bridge before the final chorus The song is written in the key of A major with a chord progression of Bm7 E A D E in the verse A C m7 G F m D in the chorus and C m G C m G Bm E in the bridge Harket demonstrates a vocal range of over two and a half octaves 14 He sings the lowest pitch in the song A2 the tonic at the beginning of the chorus on the first syllable of the phrase Take On Me 14 As the chorus progresses Harket s voice hits ever higher notes reaching a falsetto 12 16 17 and hitting the song s highest note E5 the dominant at the end 14 Rolling Stone has thus noted the song as having one of the hardest to sing choruses in pop history 8 A mix of a drum machine the LinnDrum 18 19 acoustic guitars and electronic instrumentation serves as the song s backing track 12 Music videos EditFirst video Edit The first release of Take On Me in 1984 includes a completely different recording this mix was featured in the first video which shows the band singing with a blue background Second video Edit Lead singer Morten Harket and actress Bunty Bailey in a scene from the music video which features them in a pencil sketch animation live action combination rotoscoping The second video directed by film director Steve Barron is the far more widely recognised video for the song It was filmed in 1985 at Kim s Cafe now called Savoy Cafe corner of Wandsworth Road and Pensbury Place London SW8 and on a sound stage in London 20 The video used a pencil sketch animation and live action combination called rotoscoping in which the live action footage is traced using a frame by frame process to give the characters realistic movements 21 22 Approximately 3 000 frames were rotoscoped which took 16 weeks to complete 23 24 The idea of the video was suggested by Warner Bros executive Jeff Ayeroff who was pivotal in making Take on Me a globally recognised music hit 25 The critical and commercial result was emphatic In addition to an incalculably high view count from heavy rotation it received on MTV when it was originally released as well as other music television channels the music video has received more than 1 4 billion 1 483 559 293 views on YouTube and has received a 4K video restoration with more than 8 6 million likes 26 The music video was remastered to 2160p 4K in 2019 from the original 35mm film and released on YouTube while retaining its original URL and upload date of January 6 2010 27 On 17 February 2020 the music video reached one billion views on YouTube Prior to that date only four songs from the 20th century had reached that elusive mark November Rain and Sweet Child o Mine by Guns N Roses Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen making Take On Me the fifth video from that time period to do so and the first Scandinavian act to achieve this 28 29 30 Plot Edit The video s main theme is a romantic fantasy narrative 31 It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic book style representing motorcycle sidecar racing in which the hero Morten Harket is pursued by two opponents Philip Jackson and Alfie Curtis It then cuts to a scene in a cafe in which a young woman Bunty Bailey is reading the comic book As the woman reads the waitress brings her coffee and the bill The comic s hero after winning the race seemingly winks at the woman from the page His pencil drawn hand suddenly reaches out of the comic book inviting the woman into it Once inside she too appears in the pencil drawn form as he sings to her and introduces her to his black and white world which features a sort of looking glass portal where people and objects look real on one side and pencil drawn on the other Back in the cafe the waitress returns to find the woman missing Believing the customer left without paying the bill she angrily crumples the comic book and throws it into a bin This causes the hero s two opposing racers to reappear as villains one of them armed with a large pipe wrench The racers smash the looking glass with the pipe wrench trapping the woman in the comic book The hero punches one of the thugs aside and retreats with the woman into a maze of paper Arriving at a dead end he tears a hole in the paper wall so that the woman can escape as the menacing opposing racers close in on him and they raise their pipe wrench to his face The woman now back in the real world and found lying beside the bin to the surprise of cafe guests and staff retrieves the comic from the bin and runs home where she attempts to smooth out the creases to learn what happens next The next panel shows the hero lying seemingly lifeless and the woman begins to cry However he then wakes up and tries to break out of his comic book frames At the same time his image appears in the woman s hallway seemingly torn between real and comic form hurling himself repeatedly left and right against the walls as he attempts to shatter his two dimensional barrier This scene is largely patterned after a climactic scene in the 1980 film Altered States 20 He escapes from the comic book by becoming human and stands up Smiling the woman runs towards him The story is concluded in the opening of The Sun Always Shines on T V music video 32 Awards Edit At the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards the video for Take On Me won six awards Best New Artist in a Video Best Concept Video Most Experimental Video Best Direction in a Video Best Special Effects in a Video and Viewer s Choice and was nominated for two others Best Group Video and Video of the Year 33 It was also nominated for Favorite Pop Rock Video at the 13th American Music Awards in 1986 34 The second music video was produced by Limelight Productions 23 The crew of the video were director Steve Barron 23 producer Simon Fields 23 cinematographer Oliver Stapleton 35 editor Richard Simpson from Rushes Film Editing 36 and animators Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger 36 Influence Edit The music video and song have often been referred to in cover versions films TV programmes and video games The Family Guy episode Breaking Out Is Hard to Do includes a licensed re edited version of the video 37 Volkswagen created a television advertisement inspired by the video 38 The video was also one of the first to be made into a so called literal music video 39 The visuals of the video were used as an homage for Paramore s music video for Caught in the Middle 40 An incomplete list of pop culture references can be found below Chart performance Edit Take On Me was originally released in 1984 mixed by Tony Mansfield but failed to make an impact in the United Kingdom 9 This release peaked at no 3 in Norway 41 but failed to reach audiences abroad 9 42 43 The group re recorded the song with the help of producer Alan Tarney 9 20 releasing the new version in 1985 In the United States Warner Bros invested in the revolutionary second video for Take On Me which used Tarney s version of the song The new video was released to dance clubs and television a month before the record was available in stores or played on the radio 44 Wide exposure on MTV 42 helped propel the single to the top of Billboard s Hot 100 reaching number one in the issue dated 19 October 1985 its fifteenth week on the chart 45 It remained on the chart for twenty seven weeks 46 and ranked ten in the 1985 year end chart 47 As of June 2014 the song has sold 1 463 000 digital copies in the US after it became available for download in the digital era 48 Take On Me was released for the third time in the United Kingdom in September 1985 42 The record debuted on the UK Singles Chart at no 55 and in late October reached no 2 where it remained for three consecutive weeks held off the top spot by Britain s biggest single of the year Jennifer Rush s The Power of Love On 14 August 2020 it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry BPI 49 In Norway A ha s native country Take On Me re entered the VG lista singles chart reaching a new peak of number one a year after it was first released 50 The single was largely successful elsewhere reaching the top of the Eurochart Hot 100 for nine weeks topping the singles charts in 26 countries citation needed including Austria Belgium Germany Italy the Netherlands Sweden and Switzerland 51 52 53 54 55 and reaching the top three in France and number two in Ireland 56 57 In popular culture EditThis article appears to contain trivial minor or unrelated references to popular culture Please reorganize this content to explain the subject s impact on popular culture providing citations to reliable secondary sources rather than simply listing appearances Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2022 The song s popularity has resulted in tributes and mostly visual parodies since its release The song appeared in the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank 58 Also in 2005 the song is featured in the ninth episode of season 4 titled Breaking Out is Hard to Do of Family Guy When Lois asks Chris to have a carton of milk an animated hand invites Chris in and pulls him in as the song s intro starts to play Once inside the animated pencil world the group leader of a ha Morten Harket sings the chorus Like in the music video two men are chasing them both When Chris and Harket start running away from them to a dead end Chris pushes against the wall crashing behind a tray of eggs 59 In the 2012 series finale of the TV show Chuck Jeff and Lester play the song in order to stop a bomb from detonating in a concert hall citation needed In 2013 the BBC did a visual parody of the music video for BBC Children in Need To help promote the video it features cameos from Sinitta The Hairy Bikers Cheryl Fergison Sophie Raworth and Warwick Davis 60 In the same year Pitbull released the single Feel This Moment featuring Christina Aguilera which interpolates the synth riff of Take On Me 61 In the 2017 season 3 episode of The Leftovers G day Melbourne the song features prominently at various points including in its original version during the episode credits In one of the scenes of the 2018 movie Deadpool 2 in which Wade Wilson alias Deadpool and his fiancee Vanessa meet again 62 an acoustic version of the song plays In the 2018 video game Just Cause 4 there is an easter egg that pays tribute to the song s music video 63 which can be found on a half built building in a town located on the Solis Island west of Paso Ventoso 64 65 Going down to the second floor of the building parts of the world will change to resemble pencil sketches on white paper similar to the music video of the song 66 67 68 In a 2020 episode of The Simpsons titled The 7 Beer Itch Homer realizes that he has romantic feelings for a character called Lily the two look into each other s eyes in a psychedelic mix of animated styles It includes a rotoscope style segment that references the music video of the song 69 In the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II when Ellie finds a guitar in Seattle she sings the song while playing the guitar 70 The song was later used in the official trailer for the Last of Us television show which is based on the game from 2013 In the 2019 season 4 finale of The Magicians the cast sings the song in a style of a hymn to honor their deceased friend 71 In the 2021 holiday season an Amazon TV commercial has a family called The Handbell Hammerschteins playing the opening riff on handbells 72 In 2022 in season 3 of the Japanese animated series Kaguya sama Love Is War a modified version of the song and its animation style was featured on the intro of episode 11 In this scene Kaguya was looking onto a poster then Miyuki s hands invites her inside Track listings Edit7 MCA MCA 9146 United Kingdom 1984 Take On Me Original version 3 18 And You Tell Me 1 48Track 1 is produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff with A ha 12 MCA MCA 9146T United Kingdom 1984 Take On Me Long version 3 46 And You Tell Me 1 48 Stop And Make Your Mind Up 2 57Track 1 is produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff 7 MCA MCA 9006 United Kingdom 1985 Take On Me Single version 3 49 Love Is Reason 3 04Track 1 is produced by Alan Tarney Track 1 is the same version as the album version 12 MCA MCA 9006T United Kingdom 1985 Take On Me Extended version 4 50 Love Is Reason LP version 3 04 Take On Me Single version 3 49Track 1 amp 3 are produced by Alan Tarney Track 3 is the same version as the album version 7 MCA MCA 29011 United States 1985 Take On Me 3 46 Love Is Reason 3 04Track 1 is produced by Alan Tarney Track 2 is produced by John Ratcliff with A ha 12 Warner Bros PRO A 2291 Promo United States 1985 Take On Me Long version 4 47 a k a Extended Version Take On Me Single version 3 46Track 1 amp 2 are produced by Alan Tarney Credits and personnel EditMorten Harket lead vocals Magne Furuholmen synthesisers backing vocals Pal Waaktaar guitars synthesizers drum programming backing vocals Neill King engineering 1984 version Alan Tarney production John Ratcliff production and re mixing 1984 version Barry Grint masteringCharts EditWeekly charts Edit 1985 1986 weekly chart performance for Take On Me Chart 1985 1986 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 73 1Austria O3 Austria Top 40 51 1Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 52 1Canada Top Singles RPM 74 2Denmark Tracklisten 75 2Europe European Hot 100 Singles 76 1Finland Suomen virallinen lista 77 4France SNEP 56 3Greece IFPI 55 1Ireland IRMA 57 2Italy Musica e dischi 55 1Netherlands Dutch Top 40 53 1Netherlands Single Top 100 78 1New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 79 7Norway VG lista 50 1South Africa Springbok Radio 80 7Spain AFYVE 81 11Sweden Sverigetopplistan 82 1Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 83 1UK Singles OCC 84 2US Billboard Hot 100 45 1US Adult Contemporary Billboard 85 4US Dance Singles Sales Billboard 86 36US Cash Box Top 100 Singles 87 1West Germany Official German Charts 54 12021 2022 weekly chart performance for Take On Me Chart 2021 2022 PeakpositionGlobal 200 Billboard 88 139Hungary Single Top 40 89 26 Year end charts Edit 1985 year end chart performance for Take On Me Chart 1985 PositionAustralia Kent Music Report 90 12Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 91 46Canada Top Singles RPM 92 29Netherlands Dutch Top 40 93 60Netherlands Single Top 100 94 24UK Singles Gallup 95 9US Billboard Hot 100 47 10US Cash Box Top 100 Singles 96 15West Germany Official German Charts 97 461986 year end chart performance for Take On Me Chart 1986 PositionEurope European Hot 100 Singles 98 26West Germany Official German Charts 99 342022 year end chart performance for Take On Me Chart 2022 PositionGlobal 200 Billboard 100 139Certifications EditCertifications for Take On Me Region Certification Certified units salesBelgium BEA 101 Gold 100 000 101 Denmark IFPI Danmark 102 Platinum 90 000 France SNEP 101 Gold 500 000 Germany BVMI 103 Gold 500 000 Italy FIMI 101 1985 1986 sales Gold 300 000 101 Italy FIMI 104 since 2009 sales Platinum 20 000 Japan RIAJ 105 Gold 100 000 United Kingdom BPI 106 Physical Gold 500 000 United Kingdom BPI 49 Digital 3 Platinum 1 800 000 United StatesDigital 1 463 000 48 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone MTV Unplugged appearance EditIn 2017 A ha appeared on the television series MTV Unplugged and played and recorded acoustic versions of many of their popular songs for the album MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice in Giske Norway including Take On Me 107 Notable cover versions EditReel Big Fish version Edit Take On Me Single by Reel Big Fishfrom the album BASEketball and Why Do They Rock So Hard Released1998 1998 Recorded1998GenreSka punkLength3 14LabelMojoSongwriter s Magne Furuholmen Morten Harket Pal WaaktaarReel Big Fish singles chronology Sell Out 1997 Take On Me 1998 Where Have You Been 2002 Music video Take On Me on YouTubeIn 1998 ska punk band Reel Big Fish covered Take On Me for the film BASEketball The song was later released on the BASEketball soundtrack and the international version of their album Why Do They Rock So Hard 108 109 The band also performs the song at concerts 110 Reel Big Fish released a video clip for Take On Me directed by Jeff Moore 111 and features the band playing the song while walking down an aisle in the stadium and playing a game of BASEketball interlaced with clips from the film An alternative video for the song s international release that contained only the stadium aisle footage was also released Reel Big Fish also included a live version of the song in their live album Our Live Album Is Better than Your Live Album and live DVD s You re All in This Together and Reel Big Fish Live In Concert 112 Track listing Edit CD single Take On Me 3 02 Alternative Baby 2 56 Why Do All the Girls Think They re Fat 2 22Personnel Edit Aaron Barrett celesta guitar lead vocals synthesizer Grant Barry trombone Andrew Gonzales drums Scott Klopfenstein celesta keyboards trumpet vocals Dan Regan screams trombone Tavis Werts flugelhorn trumpet Matt Wong bass guitar vocals A1 version Edit Take On Me Single by A1from the album The A ListB side I Got Sunshine Released28 August 2000 2000 08 28 Length3 46LabelColumbiaSongwriter s Magne Furuholmen Morten Harket Pal WaaktaarA1 singles chronology Like a Rose 2000 Take On Me 2000 Same Old Brand New You 2000 Music video Take On Me on YouTubeOn 28 August 2000 113 British Norwegian boy band A1 released a cover of Take On Me for their second studio album The A List 114 Despite being panned by music critics who called it a lame cover version 115 and a note for note copy that seems like a re release of the original 116 it was commercially successful topping the charts in the United Kingdom and Norway 117 118 Music video Edit The music video was directed by Stuart Gosling It features A1 entering a computer world by putting on virtual reality glasses after finding out about a deadly computer virus After flying for a distance they find the virus and destroy it saving humanity 119 The video was inspired by the 1982 live action science fiction film Tron 120 Track listings Edit UK CD1 121 Take On Me 3 31 Beatles Medley I Feel Fine She Loves You 3 20 I Got Sunshine 3 41 A1 multimedia trailersUK CD2 122 Take On Me UK 2K Mix 3 25 Take On Me Metro extended club mix 6 02 Take On Me D Bop Saturday Night Mix 7 52 Take On Me video UK cassette single 123 Take On Me 3 31 I Got Sunshine 3 41Charts Edit Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Take On Me Chart 2000 2001 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 124 46Denmark IFPI 125 2Europe European Hot 100 Singles 126 11Germany Official German Charts 127 61Ireland IRMA 57 12Netherlands Dutch Top 40 Tipparade 128 10Netherlands Single Top 100 129 47Norway VG lista 117 1Poland Music amp Media 130 15Romania Romanian Top 100 131 10Scotland OCC 132 1Sweden Sverigetopplistan 133 9UK Singles OCC 118 1 Year end charts Year end chart performance for Take On Me Chart 2000 PositionNorway Host Period Singles VG lista 134 4Romania Romanian Top 100 131 83Sweden Sverigetopplistan 135 77UK Singles OCC 136 59 Certifications Edit Certifications for Take On Me Region Certification Certified units salesNorway IFPI Norway 137 Gold United Kingdom BPI 138 Silver 200 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Kygo remix Edit On 27 August 2015 fellow Norwegian musician Kygo released a remixed version via iTunes to help promote the rollout of the Apple Music streaming service His version foregoes the iconic keyboard riffs and instead features a new one 139 The style of his version has been described as tropical house 140 As of April 2021 the song has amassed more than 15 million listens on YouTube and 36 million listens on Spotify The remix preserves Harket s original vocals albeit with processing effects and a different arrangement D A Wallach version Edit A cover by D A Wallach was featured in the film La La Land Wallach makes an appearance as the lead singer of a 1980s pop cover band that features Sebastian Wilder one of the film s two protagonists 141 The cover was released as part of the album La La Land The Complete Musical Experience 142 Weezer version Edit American rock band Weezer included a cover version of the song in their 2019 covers compilation The Teal Album An accompanying music video was released on 12 February 2019 in which rock band Calpurnia led by frontman Finn Wolfhard Mike in the Netflix original series Stranger Things here playing a younger version of Weezer s own frontman Rivers Cuomo The video set in 1985 in the Cuomo Residence shows Wolfhard as Cuomo and the rest of Calpurnia lip syncing to the song while rehearsing it in the residence s living room Near the end of the video Wolfhard is shown sitting at a desk in his bedroom scribbling possible names for his new band on a page of a notebook the name Weezer is shown as option No 3 He then turns the page to draw what would become Weezer s band logo The video also features some scenes of Calpurnia playing filmed with the rotoscoping technique that made the original A ha video famous 143 The cover version set one pitch lower than the original version as in A flat major was also used in the closing scene of The SpongeBob Movie Sponge on the Run wherein Bikini Bottom was turned into a sea snail refuge Lucas amp Steve adaptation Edit On 11 October 2019 the Dutch DJs Lucas amp Steve released Perfect a single that greatly adopts on the music of Take On Me The single features on the vocals of the Dutch X Factor fifth season winner Haris Alagic known by the mononym Haris Released on Spinnin Records in the EDM and deephouse style it was accompanied by an official music video 144 The song was greatly successful on the Dutch Singles Chart as well as on the Polish Airplay Chart and also appeared on the Tipparade of the Belgian charts There was a successful Perfect LUM X Remix released Track listing Perfect 2 56 Spinnin Records Perfect LUM X Remix 3 07 Spinnin Records Perfect Club Mix 4 51 Spinnin Records Perfect Gabry Ponte Remix 3 46 Spinnin Records Charts Chart performance for Perfect Chart 2019 20 PeakpositionBelgium Ultratip Flanders 145 12Belgium Ultratip Wallonia 146 28Netherlands Dutch Top 40 147 10Netherlands Single Top 100 148 28Poland Polish Airplay Top 100 149 11References Edit A ha Take On Me Sound On Sound Retrieved 19 September 2022 a b Hunting High and Low a ha Songs Reviews Credits AllMusic a b c Chapter 2 The Early Years Self confidence Determination and Lots of Hard Work A ha com Archived from the original on 8 April 2009 Retrieved 12 February 2009 Van Isacker B 18 July 2010 First version from A ha s Take On Mee recorded in 1981 Side Line music magazine Retrieved 27 May 2014 Take On Me til topps i USA Take On Me to the top in the USA Tidsvitne Season 2 Episode 4 in Norwegian 8 January 2015 Event occurs at 3 23 NRK Retrieved 12 January 2015 Magne Furuholmens Take on Me riff tv2 no 26 September 2014 Retrieved 25 March 2015 a b a ha 1 November 2019 a ha The Making of Take On Me Episode 1 YouTube a b c Kreps Daniel 14 May 2010 The Secret History of a ha s Smash Take On Me Rolling Stone Retrieved 17 November 2019 a b c d e f g h Chapter 3 The Story of A ha A ha com Archived from the original on 24 June 2009 Retrieved 10 February 2009 Buskin Richard March 2011 A ha Take On Me Sound on Sound Retrieved 30 October 2020 Buskin Richard March 2011 Classic Tracks A ha Take On Me Sound on Sound Retrieved 20 March 2011 a b c Sutton Michael Morten Harket gt Biography AllMusic Retrieved 11 February 2009 DiGravina Tim Album Review Hunting High and Low AllMusic Retrieved 11 February 2009 a b c d Digital Sheet Music Take on Me Musicnotes Sony ATV Music Publishing 20 November 2006 Retrieved 11 February 2009 Eddy Chuck 18 January 1991 Music Review East of the Sun West of the Moon Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on 21 April 2009 Retrieved 8 March 2021 Patterson Sylvia 12 February 2000 A ha Summer moved on NME Retrieved 11 February 2009 Thompson Paul 26 November 2008 Carl Newman Talks Guilty Nicknames Routine Pitchfork Retrieved 11 February 2009 McGuirk Mike A ha Artist information Rhapsody Retrieved 1 November 2009 A ha Hunting High And Low album details The Rolling Thunder Website Archived from the original on 19 December 2009 Retrieved 1 November 2009 a b c Take On Me A ha com Archived from the original on 9 April 2011 Retrieved 26 March 2011 Macek III J C 2 August 2012 American Pop Matters Ron Thompson the Illustrated Man Unsung PopMatters Keating Pizer Fig Leaf Software 2002 p 247 a b c d Billboard vol 97 no 26 29 June 1985 p 37 Taking on A ha classic BBC 7 October 2010 Retrieved 10 October 2010 a ha The Making of Take On Me Episode 1 a ha Take On Me Official 4K Music Video retrieved 28 April 2021 Blistein Jon 30 December 2019 A ha Release Remastered 4K Version of Classic Take on Me Video Rolling Stone Retrieved 29 May 2021 Brandle Lars 19 February 2020 A ha s Take On Me Passes One Billion Streams on YouTube Billboard Retrieved 29 May 2021 Rice Nicholas 19 February 2020 A ha s Take on Me Moves Past One Billion Streams on YouTube People Retrieved 29 May 2021 Johnson Lauren M 20 February 2020 Music video for Take On Me hits one billion views on YouTube CNN Retrieved 29 May 2021 Fiske 1994 p 118 Hawkins Stan Alvik Jon Mikkel Broch 2019 A ha s Take On Me Melody Vocal Compulsion and Rotoscoping In Scotto Ciro Smith Kenneth Brackett John eds The Routledge Companion to Popular Music Analysis Expanding Approaches New York City Taylor amp Francis Group p 91 ISBN 978 1 138 68311 2 LCCN 2018022353 MTV Video Music Awards 1986 MTV 5 September 1986 Retrieved 10 May 2009 13th American Music Awards 27 January 1986 Retrieved 9 February 2009 OU on the BBC Cast And Crew My Beautiful Laundrette OpenLearn Open University Open2 net a b Laurent Labuche A ha la verite sur un groupe de legende Paris 2003 p 47 Strike Joe 29 August 2005 Family Guy recreates a ha s Take on Me Animation World Network Retrieved 9 December 2018 Matheson Whitney 18 September 2013 Video Volkswagen gets inspired by A ha s Take on Me USA Today Retrieved 9 December 2018 Ganz Caryn 6 October 2008 Rocking Literally The Story Behind Take on Me Head Over Heels Video Parodies Rolling Stone Retrieved 26 March 2011 dead link Zimmerman Lee 26 June 2018 Watch Hayley Williams and Co Run from Large Fruit in Caught in the Middle Video Music News Paramore Paste Retrieved 10 July 2018 A ha Take On Me Song VG lista Verdens Gang Retrieved 10 February 2009 a b c Hayes Kevin A ha gt Biography AllMusic Retrieved 10 February 2009 a ha Take On Me at Discogs Discogs Retrieved 5 July 2015 Van Matre Lynn 3 November 1985 As head of MCA Records in house music video department Liz Chicago Tribune Retrieved 10 February 2009 a b a ha Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved 14 December 2020 a ha Take On Me Chart History Billboard Retrieved 2 July 2018 a b Hot 100 Songs Year End 1985 Billboard Archived from the original on 26 February 2021 Retrieved 14 December 2020 a b Grein Paul 25 June 2014 Chart Watch Maroon 5 Beats Coldplay Chart Watch Yahoo Music a b British single certifications a ha Take On Me British Phonographic Industry 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 a b a ha Take On Me VG lista Retrieved 26 September 2009 a b a ha Take On Me in German O3 Austria Top 40 Retrieved 6 February 2010 a b a ha Take On Me in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved 9 August 2015 a b Nederlandse Top 40 a ha in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 6 February 2009 a b Offiziellecharts de a ha Take On Me GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved 9 August 2015 a b c Top 3 in Europe PDF Eurotipsheet Vol 3 no 4 1 February 1986 p 24 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History a b a ha Take On Me in French Les classement single Retrieved 6 February 2009 a b c The Irish Charts Search Results Take On Me Irish Singles Chart Retrieved 6 February 2009 Soundtrack Saturday Grosse Pointe Blank Popdose 7 August 2010 Retrieved 8 April 2021 Alvin Mark 27 June 2020 Family Guy 4 Iconic Musicians Who Appeared In The Animated TV Show Music Times Retrieved 8 April 2021 Harry Hill s Take On Me A ha BBC Children in Need 2013 BBC retrieved 28 April 2021 Lipshutz Jason 25 October 2012 Pitbull and Christina Aguilera Sample A ha s Take On Me Hear Song Snippet Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on 10 January 2013 Retrieved 13 June 2021 Corns Nathaniel Deadpool 2 and the Significance of Take On Me by a ha Geeks Retrieved 8 April 2021 Frank Allegra 7 December 2018 This Just Cause 4 Easter egg takes on a classic music video Polygon 2 2 142 163 PMID 18131126 Retrieved 8 April 2021 December 2020 Steve Boxer 01 December 2020 All the absolute must find Just Cause 4 Easter eggs GamesRadar Retrieved 8 April 2021 Just Cause 4 Take On Me How to Find Take On Me Easter Egg www gamewatcher com 13 December 2018 Retrieved 8 April 2021 Vincent Brittony 7 December 2018 Just Cause 4 s Shacknews Retrieved 8 April 2021 Just Cause 4 gets its A Ha moment PCGamesN Retrieved 8 April 2021 Capel Chris 10 December 2018 Just Cause 4 Take On Me Secret A Ha Easter Egg GameRevolution Archived from the original on 5 March 2021 Retrieved 24 August 2021 Stubbs Dan 12 February 2021 The Simpsons season 32 episode five recap Olivia Colman pursues Homer NME Retrieved 24 August 2021 Jordan Ramee 26 June 2020 The Last Of Us Part 2 Every Easter Egg And Reference We ve Found GameSpot Retrieved 21 September 2021 THE MAGICIANS Season 4 Episode 13 Take On Me Full Extended Version SYFY on YouTube Amazon TV Spot Holidays Handbell Hammerschtein s Retrieved 21 December 2021 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 13 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Top RPM Singles Issue 0585 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 4 August 2009 Top 3 in Europe PDF Eurotipsheet Vol 2 no 51 52 23 December 1985 p 34 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History European Hot 100 Singles PDF Eurotipsheet Vol 2 no 47 25 November 1985 p 12 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History Pennanen Timo 2006 Sisaltaa hitin levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 in Finnish 1st ed Helsinki Kustannusosakeyhtio Otava ISBN 978 951 1 21053 5 a ha Take On Me in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 8 August 2015 a ha Take On Me Top 40 Singles Retrieved 26 September 2009 SA Charts 1965 1989 As presented on Springbok Radio Radio Orion Acts A The South African Rock Encyclopedia Archived from the original on 17 May 2018 Retrieved 14 December 2020 Salaverrie Fernando September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 in Spanish 1st ed Madrid Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 a ha Take On Me Singles Top 100 Retrieved 6 February 2009 a ha Take On Me Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved 6 February 2009 a ha Artist Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved 14 December 2020 a ha Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Retrieved 14 December 2020 a ha Chart History Dance Singles Sales Billboard Retrieved 14 December 2020 Cash Box Top 100 Singles Week ending October 19 1985 Cash Box Retrieved 14 December 2020 a ha Chart History Global 200 Billboard Retrieved 19 January 2022 Archivum Slagerlistak MAHASZ in Hungarian Single track Top 40 lista Magyar Hanglemezkiadok Szovetsege Retrieved 1 April 2021 National Top 100 Singles for 1985 Kent Music Report No 599 30 December 1985 via Imgur Jaaroverzichten 1985 Singles in Dutch Ultratop Retrieved 9 August 2015 RPM s Top 100 Singles of 1985 RPM Vol 43 no 16 28 December 1985 p 11 ISSN 0033 7064 via Library and Archives Canada Top 100 Jaaroverzicht van 1985 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 9 August 2015 Jaaroverzichten Single 1986 in Dutch Dutch Charts Retrieved 14 December 2020 Top 100 Singles January 5 December 28 1985 PDF Music Week 18 January 1986 p 10 ISSN 0265 1548 via World Radio History The Cash Box Year End Charts 1985 Top 100 Pop Singles Cash Box 28 December 1985 Retrieved 9 August 2015 Top 100 Single Jahrescharts 1985 in German Offizielle Deutsche Charts Retrieved 9 November 2015 European Hot 100 Singles Hot 100 of the Year 1986 PDF Music amp Media Vol 3 no 51 52 27 December 1986 p 28 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History Top 100 Single Jahrescharts 1986 in German Offizielle Deutsche Charts Retrieved 9 November 2015 Billboard Global 200 Year End 2022 Billboard Retrieved 2 December 2022 a b c d e European Gold amp Platinum Awards 1986 PDF Music amp Media 27 December 1986 p 33 Retrieved 10 June 2020 Danish single certifications a ha Take On Me IFPI Danmark Gold Platin Datenbank a ha Take On Me in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Italian single certifications a ha Take On Me in Italian Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana Retrieved 26 March 2018 Select Tutti gli anni in the Anno drop down menu Select Take On Me in the Filtra field Select Singoli under Sezione Japanese digital single certifications a ha テイク オン ミー in Japanese Recording Industry Association of Japan Select 2015年7月 on the drop down menu British single certifications a ha Take On Me British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 15 December 2021 Hoftun Gjestad Robert 23 June 2017 Etter 30 ar med tension fant a ha tonen igjen i kampen mot en felles fiende After 30 years of tension A ha found their sound again in their fight against a common enemy Aftenposten in Norwegian Bokmal Erlewine Stephen Thomas Album Review Baseketball AllMusic Retrieved 13 February 2009 Greene Jo Ann Album Review Why Do They Rock So Hard AllMusic Retrieved 13 February 2009 Reel Big Fish Plays Surprise Show Takes On A ha MTV 31 March 1998 Retrieved 13 February 2009 Layne Anni 29 July 1998 Reel Big Fish Baits Ska Fans With New Disc Rolling Stone RealNetworks Inc Archived from the original on 14 April 2009 Retrieved 13 February 2009 Apar Corey Album Review Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album AllMusic Retrieved 10 May 2009 New Releases For Week Starting August 28 2000 Singles PDF Music Week 26 August 2000 p 29 Retrieved 4 August 2021 Promis Jose F Album Review The A List AllMusic Retrieved 13 February 2009 A1 Biography NME Retrieved 13 February 2009 Flynn Jackie 21 August 2000 A1 Take On Me Launchcast Retrieved 13 February 2009 a b A1 Take On Me VG lista Retrieved 1 March 2014 a b A1 Artist Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved 1 March 2014 A1 Take on Me video NME 7 October 2000 Retrieved 13 February 2009 dead link The Wild 1S NME 7 October 2000 Retrieved 13 February 2009 Take On Me UK CD1 liner notes A1 Columbia Records 2000 669590 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Take On Me UK CD2 liner notes A1 Columbia Records 2000 669590 5 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Take On Me UK cassette single sleeve A1 Columbia Records 2000 669590 4 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link A1 Take On Me ARIA Top 50 Singles Retrieved 7 February 2009 Top National Sellers PDF Music amp Media Vol 17 no 41 7 October 2000 p 17 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History Eurochart Hot 100 Singles PDF Music amp Media Vol 17 no 38 16 September 2000 p 11 OCLC 29800226 via World Radio History A1 Take On Me in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved 23 December 2020 A1 Take On Me in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 23 December 2020 A1 Take On Me in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 7 February 2009 Major Market Airplay Week 43 2000 PDF Music amp Media Vol 15 no 43 28 October 2000 p 27 Retrieved 21 January 2023 a b Romanian Top 100 Top of the Year 2000 in Romanian Romanian Top 100 Archived from the original on 22 January 2005 Retrieved 15 September 2018 Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company A1 Take On Me Singles Top 100 Retrieved 7 February 2009 Topp 20 Single Host 2000 in Norwegian VG lista Archived from the original on 10 October 2016 Arslista Singlar Ar 2000 in Swedish Sverigetopplistan Retrieved 14 May 2020 Best Sellers of 2000 Singles Top 100 Music Week 20 January 2001 p 25 IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993 2011 in Norwegian IFPI Norway Retrieved 6 February 2009 British single certifications A1 Take On Me British Phonographic Industry 29 September 2000 Retrieved 23 December 2020 a ha com Archived from the original on 1 February 2016 Youredm com 26 August 2015 La La Land Features AAAS Alumnus D A Wallach aaas fas harvard edu Retrieved 16 February 2018 La La Land The Complete Musical Experience by Various Artists Genius Retrieved 16 February 2018 Weezer s Take On Me Video Features Calpurnia s Finn Wolfhard as Young Rivers Cuomo Watch Billboard Retrieved 16 February 2019 Spinnin Records YouTube Lucas amp Steve Perfect feat Haris Official Music Video Lucas amp Steve feat Haris Perfect in Dutch Ultratip Retrieved 11 February 2021 Lucas amp Steve feat Haris Perfect in French Ultratip Retrieved 11 February 2021 Nederlandse Top 40 Lucas amp Steve feat Haris in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 11 February 2021 Lucas amp Steve feat Haris Perfect in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 11 February 2021 Listy bestsellerow wyroznienia Zwiazek Producentow Audio Video Polish Airplay Top 100 Retrieved 30 September 2022 Bibliography Fiske John 1994 Reading the Popular Routledge ISBN 0 415 07875 X Keating Jody Pizer Tom 2002 Inside Flash New Riders ISBN 0 7357 1105 4 Retrieved from https en 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