a-ha: Why The Norwegian Pop Icons’ Legacy Is More Than Take On Me

The group’s sometimes see-saw approach to their music would build over time, with songs such as 1991’s Move To Memphis largely exorcising the band’s trademark synth-led signatures. When a-ha reformed in 1998, they could more comfortably accommodate the different influences that routinely constitute a great a-ha release. Now, accessible pop and darker sensibilities would blend more easily, and the occasional musical provocation – perhaps best illustrated by 1993’s Memorial Beach album, on which the band reshaped their approach with Prince collaborator David “Z” Rivkin – would take them away from a more obvious commercial structure as they played down some of their characteristic flair for accessible melody. Perhaps there is little left to prove now.

A glorious body of work

In vocalist Morten Harket, you have an artist who knows his own mind; there is a steely ambition in his creative vision that is clear and focused. His drive was obvious from the get-go and, if at times that meant the spotlight was sometimes disproportionately focused on him, it wasn’t always an entirely uncomfortable glare. Joining the tight-knit friendship of Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar (now Waaktaar-Savoy), who had both been in the band bridges and recorded two albums – Fakkeltog, in 1980, and Våkenatt, given a belated release in 2018 – gave Harket a distinct role in the band and their ongoing relationship since.

All three men are restless and single-minded, but they share a common understanding: great work won’t always come easy. If the huge impact of Take On Me can be considered a lucky consequence of timing – healthy record-label investment in a relatively new art form called the music video, and the song’s release at the peak of MTV’s powers – everything that has come since is largely down to the three bandmates. And what a glorious body of work that is

Hunting High And Low remains a masterclass of pop songwriting framed by intelligent production and driven by youthful exuberance. The nagging, simplistic earworm Love Is Reason (issued as a single in the band’s homeland) is more obvious than the majestic balladry of the title track – surely this outstanding album’s creative peak – but no less assured. Scoundrel Days balances experimentation with more of those dynamic pop hooks but it properly exposed the core tectonic plates of a-ha’s geography: accessible melody, soaring rock-pop theatre and sharp musicianship. 1988’s Stay On These Roads is a consolidation of everything that had gone before and stands as arguably the most rounded of the trio of albums that a-ha released during the 80s.

Determined to challenge the status quo

With the 90s came a less comfortable accommodation of that formula. 1990’s East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon signalled new directions and louder influences, but the assured pop, such as the single I Call Your Name, still shines. Memorial Beach carries a lot of baggage, and the need for a break was becoming apparent, but Dark Is The Night For All stands up against pretty much everything across a-ha’s extensive catalogue.

The breezy confidence of the reunion project, 2000’s Minor Earth Major Sky, offered a greatest-hits record in all but name. The lush Summer Moved On is the statement ballad, To Let You Win the melodic end-of-night crowd-pleaser, Little Black Night the underserviced fan favourite and You’ll Never Get Over Me the nod back to the dynamic pop electronica that made the band’s name. 2002’s Lifelines maintained the momentum, with the hit single title track an obvious standout. The decision to draft in Max Martin for some of 2005’s Analogue demonstrates just how determined a-ha remained about the need to challenge the status quo. The extra pressure paid off: the single Analogue (All I Want) returned the trio to the UK Top 10 for the first time in 17 years.

Reaching a comfortable accommodation with their legacy

2009’s Foot Of The Mountain signalled a decisive step back towards the classic a-ha sound, but it was followed by another of the band’s occasional breaks. When Cast In Steel emerged, in 2015, producer Alan Tarney was back on board and there were moderately successful singles in Under The Makeup and The Wake. By now, a-ha had found a more compelling platform for their work: the live circuit. Their commitment to touring, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought new audiences and fresh investigation of their back catalogue.

In October 2022, a-ha released their 11th studio album, True North, suggesting their enthusiasm for writing and recording new music largely remains. Most bands would be overwhelmed by the enormity of a hit such as Take On Me, but a-ha have reached a comfortable accommodation with their legacy. Doing so has assured them a career that has stretched across more than three decades, but a-ha’s story is much richer than a series of sales statistics and that respected and extremely passionate fanbase. It’s the story of three men who defied expectation in an era of entrenched conservatism about where international music careers could be built from and who created a body of work that found a more considered audience away from all the pop hysteria. The results have been all the richer for it.

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Original article: 14 September 2022

Updated: 21 October 2022