a-ha

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Oslo, Norway (1982 – 1994, 1998 – 2010)

a-ha was a norwegian new wave band that was globally successful from the 1980s until their split in 2010. The trio, composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1982 and left Oslo, Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business.

The origin of the name a-ha comes from the lyric of an early song. After checking dictionaries in several languages, they found out that ‘a-ha’ was an international way of expressing recognition, with positive connotations. It was short, a-ha was easy to say and somewhat unusual.

The first song to break through into the mainstream culture was Take On Me, which was featured on the album Hunting High And Low; a main reason for its popularity was the music video that came some time later after the song’s release.
“Take on Me” was the first song Morten Harket heard Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy play. 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.

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Popular tags: 80s, pop, new wave, norwegian, synth pop  See more

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• Minor Earth | Major Sky
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• Hunting High and Low
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• Rhino Hi-Five: A-Ha
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• How Can I Sleep With Your Voice in My Head
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Top Tracks

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1		Take On Me			6,452
2		The Living Daylights			1,117
3		Hunting High And Low			944
4		The Sun Always Shines On TV			925
5		Crying In The Rain			900
6		Summer Moved On			782
7		Stay On These Roads			660
8		Forever Not Yours			637
9		Lifelines			575
10		Velvet			574
11		The Sun Always Shines on T.V.			559
12		Foot Of The Mountain			504
13		I've Been Losing You			453
14		Cry Wolf			437
15		Manhattan Skyline			408

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