This song IS officially the best selling song of the whole 80's decade as well as the music video. Both won more awards than any other of several decades.
Really according to whom? Are you talking a single country, worldwide? It certainly was not in the UK or America. Uk was Band Aid with Do they know it's Christmas as the best selling song, This was at 92, so a long way off number 1. I could not find a single country where this was best selling song. As such could not of been best selling of the decade you claim it to be. As for Video, again could not find it listed as best video according to sales, however may have been the most played on streaming platforms such as MTV> Maybe. Certainly is one of the most played on TH-cam. That however is not sales.
@@ColeCash-17 Wow...WTF is with your hostile attitude. I don't post stuff that is incorrect. (Nor do I come here to argue.) Over 3 different sources confirm what I said. Your searching skills suck. Don't take it out on me. Sounds like you hate the group or are jealous in some way. 72 people before you already gave my comment a thumbs up because they like the song and are aware of the Mega-Hit it was. Keep searching until you see your premature bashing of my post was unnecessary.
Fantastic band. It took 16 weeks to draw the 3,000 drawings used in the video. The artist is Michael Patterson. He made a film as a student called Communter. The film was later used in the music video for "Train of thought", also a-ha (pronounced ah-ha). In 2019, Take on me had been played on the radio an average of 350 times a day for 35 years in the United States. You couldn't have avoided hearing it. The song was boosted by the video, but obviously stands well on its own. The sequel, The sun always shines on TV is epic!
Agreed 👍 I was just checking out the comments to see if anyone had yet recommended that song as the next one they should listen to. I used to check out lps from the library as a kid and was lucky to find them and some of their recordings available there. I totally recorded them to cassette tapes on my dad’s stereo. 😂 I still have some of those tapes ✌️💜Love to watch you guys learn about older music like I did when I was younger. Records were a big part of my musical education 😂❤
The group originally came from Oslo Norway .... they came to the capital of London ,in the United Kingdom. In 1982 ,to start a career in music . And the actual name if the group A-Ha.... came from a song they found terrible, but liked the concept for a group name . A ha was chosen as the language ,that they as Norwegians spoke. To what they Knew best of the English language.
Unfortunately not for sure, but if you do look at some trends in fashion and music over the last 4 years. we’ve seen some 80s style clothing but 90s and 70s came along too.
When fans refer to "greatest song of the 80's" I believe they mean to say music recording and accompanying video. In the case of "Take on Me" you really can't have one without the other. Just saying...
@@stevenmalham2234 yes you can, and they have many more innovative videos, but many more great songs & albums...their 11th, "True North" is out later this fall, their first on Sony Music...a-ha are one of my fave bands ever...
This is amazing, especially when you consider when it was done; we hadn't seen much if anything at all similar to this when the video came out. It was a game-changer.
This Norwegian pop group won a Grammy for this video. Still iconic to this day. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinions with us. You fans love you too.
@@dennislindqvist8443 The video is actually American. It was the Americans that picked up A-ha and delivered them. The Brits did not put enough effort into the band to help them break through.
@@ahkkariq7406 actually, they got their record deal in London, the first single version from 1984 was a bomb...only the rerecording & video did the trick...yes the US broke the song & band first but only overseas markets took to the band longevity-wise...the US label was fickle, currently, their upcoming album "True North" out later this fall is #11, their first with Sony Music, they have had at least 17 Top 10 hits worldwide & have had an innovative sound with lots of depth & variety & range, from synth sounds to guitar crunch & great songwriting, vocals, harmonies, musicianship & arrangements...they are one of my all-time fave bands & Coldplay owe their careers to a-ha, even U2 paid homage in "Beautiful Day"...the Touch Me lyric is a nod to "The Sun Always Shines On TV"...also the Doors are a major influence on a-ha...
In Germany that time, they promoted the uncut Michael Jackson video Thriller on MTV. In the beginning it was only shown from 11 p.m. Funny today, cool in earlier times.
This video was all over MTV and still one of the most unique ever made. Remember it running on the TVs in a dive food joint on campus during my freshman year (1985 at Marquette).
But remember every era, including now, is loaded with great art. When we look back we view and listen thru a filter. But when we are in the middle of an era, we see and hear all the greats and all the mediocrity. However, in the rear view of time we just get the goodies. I think we all tend to down grade current music and hype the past. I realized I did this after looking back to songs I love in times I said ...at the time...sucked.
I NEVER took the music, the videos, the VHS cassettes for granted. From Blondie (1979) "Heart of Glass" and "Call Me" through to Stevie Winwood (1986) "Higher Love" and "Back in the High Life" The years between were miraculous. New Wave to 1980's Synthetic Pop.
@@Swonder1972Doesn’t matter what lens you’re looking at, but the 2010s is filled with trash music. I wasn’t even alive in the 80s and graduated high school in the 2010s. There’s no nostalgia for me to have a bias and 2010s SUCKS
@@robertsmalls3513 There is always great music... often underground. Trust me, there was a ton of trash in the 80s and 90s...We just edit out the mediocre when viewing hindsight...
I remember how huge this was back in the 80's, it seems like its even bigger now. 1 billion views for a 35 year old song, and it been covered by so many artists.
@@ExperienceEric yeah me too, and that status is both a blessing & a curse on a-ha, their career & massive catalogue...yes many know the song but not the band, many don't know that the band is still an ongoing concern & that they are far from 1-hit wonders...many don't know they have a new album out soon, "True North", later this fall, and its accompanying film was shown in theatres worldwide just recently on September 15...yes the song & video are great & a landmark, but that's not all the band are about...
@@Tyrannosaurus_STFU_III it is all hand-made. No filters, no computers. Computers could not do that at the time. It is literally drawn frame by frame. That’s why it still looks lit.
A-HA from my country Norway. They have a lot of good songs. On 19th Oct 1985, A-Ha went to No.1 on the US singles chart with “Take On Me”. Lead singer is named Morten Harket. Some of their songs thats really good is: The sun always shines on tv, Summer moved on, Crying in the rain. Another of the band members has his own band called Savoy, you guys should check out one of his songs called: Velvet. Pretty good.
I saw them play live on the Grammy Awards in the 80s. Kenny Rogers was the host. When Morton finished singing and they cut back to Kenny. Kenny's mouth was open wide, he looked at the camera and said. "Oh my god, my voice does not do that."
The technology was entirely hand-drawn. Rotoscope animation converted film into animation by artists painstakingly drawing the animation images over film, frame by frame. The genre is New Wave/Pop. That song is so catchy.
@@parisbratThere is a series videos on TH-cam about making the song/video as a buildup to it hitting a billion views. Just search for making of take on me.
The first time I ever heard the acoustic set you were talking about, I almost cried. I never noticed how sad this song is until I heard the strip down slow down acoustic set. The acoustic version has got to be one of my favorite versions of any song of all time. And I’ve lived for 50 years so that’s saying a lot. Lol
A-ha are from Norway. They never broke America except this song. In the rest of the world they are huge and still fill stadiums. They’ve broken up a few times, but always get back together and release new great music. They are def not just an 80s band and Morten Harket has an amazing voice.
The Sun Always Shines (On TV), The Living Daylights, Cry Wolf, Hunting High & Low, Crying In the Rain ... all JUST AS GOOD as this. This was just their biggest hit.
a-Ha is a Techno-Pop band (at least they were at this early stage in their careers). They are a Norwegian band, and they have been together since 1982. This song and music video came out in 1985, and was historic and groundbreaking for its landmark animation techniques, which would be used to develop computer generated animation years later. Morten Harken is the lead singer in the group. According to their Wikipedia page, a-Ha will be embarking on a world tour, including dates in the US, in 2022.
@@abettmartin6197 Most music/music video reactors were born in the late-1980s and in the 1990s. Some of them were born in the 2000s. Unless they are regular viewers of VH-1 Classic, they have never seen music videos from the 1980s, and promotional film clips and TV performances from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. They have never seen the music videos, and they have never heard the songs, since most of them get their music from Internet sources, and not from radio stations, like older music listeners do. I am an old man that was born in the 1960s, and I have seen and heard just about everything when it comes to music. But when I have a question about a music group or music artist's history, I do a Bing Search, and look for a Wikipedia entry, which, while not perfect, provides a lot of interesting information about a music group or music artist. Once I get my question answered, I relay the information to the music reactor in the form of a comment reply.
6:09 "I didn't think they had the technology to do that, you know when this video came out." They didn't. All those panes were hand-drawn one by one and took over a year to complete. And actually, that's the third version of the song they released, the other two apparently weren't too good but this version hit worldwide and is still being appreciated 35+ years later.
There were a few versions of this song that failed before they moved to the UK. When they added the synthesizer they had a hit song. @The Greatest Norwegian Band
I was 1 year old. haha Was born in 1984. Missed those childhood days in late 80s to early 90s. The colorful shirts..grandmas and grandpas of never ending World War 1 & 2 stories. haha
@Dswan1 I was 10 years old when it came out, but the first time I actually heard it I was 13 branching out to different music. Fell in love with this immensely to this day of 48 years old 😊👍 This is forever my favorite song 🎵
Brother man, my wife saw this post come up on my phone and told me I "HAD" to check it out as I've never heard it either...not my cup of tea as it were, but since it was you two reacting I said cool and here I am...so I'm taking this voyage for the first time with you...OMG!!!! Are you serious???? The melody draws you in, the lyrics grab ahold of you and the video...holds you mesmerized!!! Now I fully, 100% understand exactly why you do this!!! Thank you so very, very much! I have been schooled!!??!! PEACE!!!!!
Open your mind to the new. From what I just read of you, I think you will find something amazing in Rock & Roll. Give it a shot. That’s what all these reaction channels are about. I think you will be blown away to.
@@sandersson2813, awww... backward? We have done more good things for the world than any other country. We invented a shit load of things that make it possible for you to express your opinion. I know, I know, we are also number one in bad things too. Maybe you’ve been here or maybe not. If you haven’t, I suggest you find some good American people to hang out with when you come over.
@@sandersson2813, and you’d be surprised at what we take for granted that other people have never even heard of. It’s weird but true. Some people just blow past it the first time around and it’s just not in their universe from then on.
@@philstone3859 I was being flippant rather than literal, but in many respects America is incredibly far behind the rest of the developed world in things like healthcare, education, employment law, holiday entitlement, maternity leave etc As for being inventive every nation is, but the www is a British invention if you are alluding to that being something which allows me to express an opinion.
My first concert as a teen back in the 80s was A-Ha. :) A-Ha was much bigger in Europe than in North America. I'd say their genre was somewhere between "Synth Pop" and what we used to call "New Wave". This was A-Ha's biggest song but they also did the theme song to the James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" which is my favourite A-Ha song. You guys should check that one out!
@@kimmichaud4064 no way that A-ha were New Wave when they created the band. On their early interviews, they stated that they were determined not to fall into the New Wave genre that was dominating the music scene back then
The two of you just made my day. I served in the US Army for most of the 80's and that was in what was then West Germany. The music at that time was played all the time and as loud as allowable. This one really shook everybody when it came out, I believe the video had a good deal to do with that. I'm so glad you both liked it.
It bears the all-important plot point of never letting our lovers totally separate from one another. Their connection sill exists in the nexus of the coffee shop and trash bin (look closely). With great effort the two leads reunite and decide together which world (Reality/color) or (Artist/pencil) they will call home.
This song spans 3 octaves. It's pretty incredible. Back when MTV played music videos 24/7 this one was played quite often. This video continues to amaze me even today. Also, great for driving. Don't get a speeding ticket. ;D
Oh, isn't the synthesizer playing in this song spectacular? I like the tone of the singer's voice. His high notes are remarkable and his vocal range is everything but baritone. Such fun energy in the beat, that I'm always glad to hear over and over.
When it was played for the first time on British TV on a program called 'Top Of The Pops' this was totally cutting edge. There had never been anything like it before. Happy to say I saw it and was totally wow'ed - Still stands the test of time as a song and a video in my opinon.
"Pop" is sufficient as a general genre marker, more specifically it's synth pop, and it's not technically new wave but there's a lot of new wave influences.
This video still stands as one of the greatest of all time, such vibes and so innovative. Absolutely 80s pop all the way, just needed a sax to complete the 80s checklist.
Def no sax on that song, but they do have a good song with sax in it, "I Call Your Name" from 4th album from 1990, "East Of The Sun West Of The Moon"...about Paul & Lauren's wedding...
Not only was this one heavy rotation on MTV, it was a really groundbreaking video for its time. Might've been the 1st time someone incorporated animation with a live action video.
Not exactly - rotoscoping already existed in the 1950's and 60's. Parts of The Beatles film Yellow Submarine film (Lucy in the sky with diamonds) was filmed with rotoscoping sequences.
@@TheEnnisfan the technology was about the same as the one used on the Beatles movie. The investment on this video was much bigger. It took several professional artists six months to perfect those drawings and around 1 million dollars. It paid off through.. It helped the song to reach the success we know today
A similar technique is used (much more sparingly) in Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" video, which I believe came out maybe a year before a-ha's video. But this sets the standard easily. I still think it's the best music video ever made.
I'm loving all these videos. I'm 51, smack dab in the middle of the GenX/MTV generation. I totally grew up with this video. I'm a professional illustrator so this video, in particular, holds a special place in my heart.. hand-drawn animation. I think it's funny how Amber reacts to the good-looking guys, like this dude and young Elvis. I mean, that's part of why they were successful in the industry (although Elvis is of course on another level). Great reaction, guys.
It blows my mind that everytime I watch it it's like a "flip fast book" playing out on screen, but so much more complex than I could ever begin to imagine.
I'm very late for the party, but this music video blew the minds of me and my friends back in the day. 40 years later, and it's still absolutely great. The song was released around the time I started to consider myself as a "proghead", but I still liked some synth-pop (which is what I'd call this song) and this song definitely stood out from the crowd.
The song was ahead of it’s time with such a beautiful creative song and beautiful music video. This song will be in the music history books til years to come from generations to newer generations.
Morten Harket can still hit those notes to this day, and still one of the most beautiful men alive ❤️ check out the live version of this song done recently.
@@RB747domme LOL, I remember my ex getting mad at me the time I watched the acoustic version that came out several years ago. All I said was how impressed I was that Morten Harket managed to stay so fit and handsome 3 decades after it was originally released. 🤷♀️
Morten was on a foreign edition of The Masked Singer...UK I think...his character was the Viking...yes he can still hit those notes...I just saw a-ha live back in April in NYC...same thing...
@@lawrencedavis4406 Yes, I think in his older age it is amazing he can still hit that upper register. I use to be able to sing like that when this song came out. Not anymore. What blew my mind is when he was hitting those high notes, effortlessly, the panel had no idea it was him when my brain was screaming his name in my head.
Was?? Try IS!! Their new album "True North", their 11th, is out later this fall...the band first took a hiatus from 1994 to 1998 with a comeback album in 2000, then they bid farewell in 2010, only to reunite in 2015 & release 10th album "Cast In Steel"...just a heads up...
This is one of my favorite songs from when I was a kid. Never really listened to the lyrics until a few years ago-so good! Edit: I saw this band on a TV show recently-the lead singer can still hit that note crystal clear 😂
I went to see them in a concert last month in México City and the whole band is pure gold, Morten PERFECT Harket sings way better than many in his generation
The genre of their music would be Pop, but typically referred to throughout 80's as New Wave. A-HA had over 25 top of the chart songs worldwide, but this was their only hit in the US. The lead singer is Morten Harket. They are still around too. I still love them after all these years.
I can tell she really loves the song by how she was vibing eyes closed and everything, pretty much same as how we did it in the 80’s. Love you both ❤️❤️❤️
Try "The Sun Always Shines on TV" or "The Living Daylights". Morten Harket is the singer and he can still hit those high notes. You might want to check out the acoustic version of this they did a few years ago.
The video for Sun Always Shine on TV could be seen as a spiritual sequel to this video given how it starts with the same two people as he turns back to a drawing once more.
@@johntiggleman4686 You are so right! In fact, in that year, A- ha won the best video award from MTV. And Peter Gabriel with sledgehammer, came in 2nd...
What I love most about this song is that ANY nationality/race can vibe off of this‼️Even if you can’t dance 💃🏽 🕺 there is no way to mess up The Head Bop to this beat 😂❤
Un groupe norvégien tout simplement EXTRAORDINAIRE.tous ceux comme moi qui ont connu les années 80 ( et même 70 !!!!!!!!!!!) se souviennent de cet extraordinaire groupe formé de 3 musiciens.quand a ce clip il est HISTORIQUE et de mon point de vue est un candidat très sérieux au titre de plus grand clip de l'histoire tout simplement !!!!!!!!!!! D'une originalité renversante il a redéfini les critères du clip d'allieurs je crois de mémoire qu' il a obtenu le GRAMMY AWARDS du meilleur clip cette année là ( amplement mérité tant cette vidéo géniale était en avance sur son temps) quand au morceau personne ne l'a oublié bien évidemment !!!!!!!!!!!!!! GENIALISSIME ET HISTORIQUE TOUT SIMPLEMENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GUY
The band is from Norway ❤ The video is iconic, 37 years old now. This would probably be categorised as Euro Pop at the time. Another song they sang was "Hunting high and low", beautiful with a Scandinavian vibe.
I honestly don't believe he hasn't heard this before. This song is everywhere, i would honestly say is one of, if not the most, iconic song of all time
This video was cutting edge at the time and won many top shelf awards. Coming from someone who's more onto rock this a really catchy song. And Amber you're a classic example of who you hang around with is how you will act. Do yourself a favour and catch up on the elder stuff it's good for you. ✌🏻
@@turdferguson5847 Indeed. That was the performance I was thinking of when I wrote the comment! Love your nick, by the way! I´ll take Potent Potables for 200.
@@turdferguson5847 It´s a classic! I actually went to the SNL exhibition in NY a few years ago and got a photo taken at the Turd Ferguson podium. In fact, if you see my profile pic, that was taken there too!
I still remember seeing the video the first time - the visuals and the switching back and forth between drawings and live video were and still are astonishing! It's just something you never forget once you've seen it, I think. So clever and what a fun story displayed in such a unique way. So glad you both liked it!!
1980년도때 중학생때 카세트 테잎으로 아하 노래 늘어지도록 들었는데~ ^^ 당시 뮤직비디오가, 미술 드로잉으로 절묘하게 스토리텔링해서 만들어진 수작으로... 지금봐도 전혀 촌스럽지도 어색하지도 않은 작품이죠~ 지금 a-ha 보컬도 나이들었어도 옛날 미남그대로 입니다. 이미 미국이 80년도때 이런 뛰어난 작품을 만들었다는게...ㅎㄷㄷ 대단하기만 합니다.
I believe this video garnered some MTV award because it was way ahead of its times. As you correctly said, compared to today’s computer graphics/editing technology, the technology available in the 80’s had less capabilities. It was ultra creative to have put together something this video back then. And as you watch it today, the video effects are still impressive. Also, it was a song with a great story. For a duration of approximately 4 minutes, the video packed a very compelling, alluring, cohesive, and comprehensive story in such short duration. Fantastically synchronized with the music. Last, the musicality and the lyrics of the song are amazing.
This is a-ha's greatest hit ever. The video for this song was one of the first if not the first to mix live and animated action, which made it an instant classic. About 2 yrs later, they made another video for the James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" that mixed live action with special visual animation. A-ha's 🎶 style was pop. Take on Me was their biggest hit in the American hemisphere. They're more famous and had bigger recognition in Europe ( they're from Norway).
This is a true story. In February of 2019 My Wife of 41 years took her own life and we had the memorial in Phoenix. I had picked my daughter up at the airport and we were walking around one of the Malls just trying to deflate and take our mind off of everything. We walk into the first shop and a version that was not A-Ha was playing on the radio in the shop. I told my daughter this song tends to follow me around but, usually it was the original version. So, we leave that shop walk a bit around the Mall and a different version of Take on me( still not the original). At this point I look at my daughter and her face is showing some puzzlement because both the versions we had heard were on the FM radio and within about 5 minutes of each other. We walk in the third store and there is the original version playing again on a local FM station. At this point she turns to me and says " This is getting kinda creepy"! I told here that there is someone that thinks about me and when they do, I usually hear it in my head. We decided to call it quits on the Mall. I found out a month later. A woman that I had known 47 years ago had heard about my wife and had been thinking about me. It just so happened one of her favorite songs is Take on Me... We had found each other on Facebook after all those years but, had just friended each other and never really talked( I was rarely on).. We did start talking after that and we got married in January 2020... Every word of this is true!!
@@lionsingh18 Thank you. As a matter of fact she does live on through her. I have 2 wonderful Grandsons and my Daughter is a wonderful Mother to them. My Daughter sees my marriage to my new Wife Erin as the thing that helped me and that is true. I have been blessed twice in one lifetime. I truly hope everyone finds that other that helps to complete them in whatever way that is through Love... Again thank you . and I will send this to you ...May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. l
the universe puts out messages through people, when things fall away and become unbalanced, the universe rights them. you, for what ever reason were meant to be with your friend of all those years ago. so very sorry for the loss of your wife, but very happy for you that the universe put your life back in balance.
This song sounded in every nightclub in the whole world in the 80s. A-Ha have other hits, but Take On Me is by far their greatest hit. Greetings from Mexico.
This was so innovative back in 1985, we saw this video on MTV and we were floored by. Think about the limited technology of the day. As far as the style of music I would say *soft new wave.* Alphaville has a inspiring song called *Forever Young* which a lot of people and acts covered. So for the video trivia; the style of animation the artist are using a technique called *rotoscoping*, where they use tracing animation over live-action footage. The other odd things about the video the one that you're watching and everyone who seen it when it came out was a unfinished final cut that aired to world in1985. Also this version ( the most famous version) is its fourth release. Love Peace and Happiness Y'all !!
My now ex-husband and I considered this as "our song". When we first started dating my English was already ok, but not good enough to understand what "Take on Me" meant (didn't have access to videos at the time to help me figure it out either), so when he used this song as a love declaration of sort, it didn't quite have the romantic impact he thought it would have, because he ended up having to explain the lyrics. 😆 But after that it became "our song".
I hope you guys realize this is one of the most iconic music videos in history. The highly imaginative video drove the song to global success. The Reflex, Rio, Wild Boys, and Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran are prime examples as well - it's worth giving these songs a try...
What was so unusual about the 80s was there was a huge explosion of all types of music! Music drove that decade, and love songs were everywhere! I was 23 when this came out and I remember saying… What’s next? Great music from all corners of the globe! Heavy metal, pop, retro, new wave, hard rock, you name it!
A-Ha did a nice re-make of Crying In The Rain. They were a popular Norwegian group. Just a bit of info, All 3 members of A-ha have been appointed ‘Knights of the 1st Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav’ for their contribution to Norwegian music.
As a child of the 80s, I grew up watching so many great music videos on MTV, and this one is definitely on my list of favorites. I highly recommend The Go-Go's, who are the best all-female band of the 80s. They will be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Check out 2 of their best songs: We Got the Beat + Our Lips are Sealed.
Using rotoscope technology the music video won a Grammy for ingenuity and originality for a music video. It kick started a new era using rotoscope techniques in film, documentaries, and infomercials. Aside from being a one hit wonder, A-ha went on for another decade before breaking up. Ultimately though their musical opera Take On Me became an instant cult classic for all ages because of its poignant sound, artistry, acting, and action. If it wasn't just a music video it could very well be a fantasy live action film if there was a budget for it. The eighties era brought many music fans incredible sound, music, acoustic instruments, live bands and funky clothes that even youths today are wearing.
Y’all just don’t even know how big this song and video was in the mid-80s. The video was really groundbreaking for its time, and still seems fresh. Others I can think of offhand I would highly recommend if you haven’t seen are Land Of Confusion by Genesis and Money For Nothing by Dire Straits. Both were huge singles with groundbreaking videos... back when MTV actually played videos. My daughter and I have always enjoyed watching old music videos together, and she loved the Land Of Confusion video and song from the time she was five, but she wanted to know who everyone in the video was, so I had to go into global politics in the 80s with my five year old. (She’s 14 now.)
Even by today's standards, this video is just amazing, and still holds up.
Definitely way ahead of it's time. I remember being so blown away by it.
Then Wheezer turns around and covers it and reminds us why this song slaps SO F***ING HARD!
Absolutely!! One of the best videos ever made!!
Cgi gets dated. Hand drawn is always impressive
This really was the video that made any other band want to be on Mtv
It's got a billion views and now you can see why - it never gets old. 80s electro pop rock.
New Wave
Morton Harket
lead singer.Think the group still together....well just
I love it. It was always my favorite music video.
New Wave/Synth pop
@@kevinmoore292980s synth pop actually. New wave was 1977 to 1981.
This song IS officially the best selling song of the whole 80's decade as well as the music video. Both won more awards than any other of several decades.
I mean…there is Thriller, soooo
@@collegebro85 That was my first thought, too... Btw. I hated this Jackson- clown...
Really according to whom? Are you talking a single country, worldwide? It certainly was not in the UK or America. Uk was Band Aid with Do they know it's Christmas as the best selling song, This was at 92, so a long way off number 1. I could not find a single country where this was best selling song. As such could not of been best selling of the decade you claim it to be. As for Video, again could not find it listed as best video according to sales, however may have been the most played on streaming platforms such as MTV> Maybe. Certainly is one of the most played on TH-cam. That however is not sales.
@@ColeCash-17 Wow...WTF is with your hostile attitude. I don't post stuff that is incorrect. (Nor do I come here to argue.) Over 3 different sources confirm what I said. Your searching skills suck. Don't take it out on me. Sounds like you hate the group or are jealous in some way. 72 people before you already gave my comment a thumbs up because they like the song and are aware of the Mega-Hit it was. Keep searching until you see your premature bashing of my post was unnecessary.
They were a Norwegian group. This song was released 4 times before becoming one of the biggest songs of the 80's.
Fantastic band. It took 16 weeks to draw the 3,000 drawings used in the video. The artist is Michael Patterson. He made a film as a student called Communter. The film was later used in the music video for "Train of thought", also a-ha (pronounced ah-ha). In 2019, Take on me had been played on the radio an average of 350 times a day for 35 years in the United States. You couldn't have avoided hearing it. The song was boosted by the video, but obviously stands well on its own. The sequel, The sun always shines on TV is epic!
Agreed 👍 I was just checking out the comments to see if anyone had yet recommended that song as the next one they should listen to. I used to check out lps from the library as a kid and was lucky to find them and some of their recordings available there. I totally recorded them to cassette tapes on my dad’s stereo. 😂 I still have some of those tapes ✌️💜Love to watch you guys learn about older music like I did when I was younger. Records were a big part of my musical education 😂❤
The group originally came from Oslo Norway .... they came to the capital of London ,in the United Kingdom. In 1982 ,to start a career in music .
And the actual name if the group A-Ha.... came from a song they found terrible, but liked the concept for a group name .
A ha was chosen as the language ,that they as Norwegians spoke.
To what they Knew best of the English language.
Pardon my spelling mistakes ,I've just noticed.
And the girl became his girlfriend.
The entire album "Hunting High And Low" is a stunning masterpiece of light and darkness.
The 80s are immortal. There will never be another era like it .
Sadly No. I thank God I was a teen in the 80s. Great times.
Agree 💯 👍
Oh absolutely 💯 👌
That's what they said about the 1880's and now no one even remembers Funiculi Funicula.
Unfortunately not for sure, but if you do look at some trends in fashion and music over the last 4 years. we’ve seen some 80s style clothing but 90s and 70s came along too.
This video was in huge rotation on MTV back in the 80's. (Yes, MTV actually played music back then)
I wish they still had MTV the stuff on it now sucks.
Such a great video. Great reaction you two...just cool.
@@jeanstrickland2445 I miss the old Mtv so much. 🔥🤘😍
I remember the before times.
This and Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel played a lot.
Probably one of the THE BEST music videos ever made. The spinning move around the window with the animation and live video is such an incredible feat.
When fans refer to "greatest song of the 80's" I believe they mean to say music recording and accompanying video. In the case of "Take on Me" you really can't have one without the other. Just saying...
@@stevenmalham2234 yes you can, and they have many more innovative videos, but many more great songs & albums...their 11th, "True North" is out later this fall, their first on Sony Music...a-ha are one of my fave bands ever...
This is amazing, especially when you consider when it was done; we hadn't seen much if anything at all similar to this when the video came out. It was a game-changer.
That is my favorite part of the video. I can't imagine the amount of work since it was all done by hand. Crazy talented
I remember seeing somewhere years ago this rated second right behind Michael Jacksons Thriller for best music video of all time.
I’ve seen them live and it blew me away that Morton Harket can sing like this live, great talent, great voice 👍🇬🇧🇺🇸
30 years later and he can still hit that high note...amazing talent
He's not from those countries or idk why the flags lol
The 80 dingers were real singers no autotune and the one that still sing now dont use autotune they dont need it.
This Norwegian pop group won a Grammy for this video. Still iconic to this day. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinions with us. You fans love you too.
The band is Norwegian, the video is British but musicians don't usually care about nationality.
@@dennislindqvist8443 The video is actually American. It was the Americans that picked up A-ha and delivered them. The Brits did not put enough effort into the band to help them break through.
@@ahkkariq7406 actually, they got their record deal in London, the first single version from 1984 was a bomb...only the rerecording & video did the trick...yes the US broke the song & band first but only overseas markets took to the band longevity-wise...the US label was fickle, currently, their upcoming album "True North" out later this fall is #11, their first with Sony Music, they have had at least 17 Top 10 hits worldwide & have had an innovative sound with lots of depth & variety & range, from synth sounds to guitar crunch & great songwriting, vocals, harmonies, musicianship & arrangements...they are one of my all-time fave bands & Coldplay owe their careers to a-ha, even U2 paid homage in "Beautiful Day"...the Touch Me lyric is a nod to "The Sun Always Shines On TV"...also the Doors are a major influence on a-ha...
@@lawrencedavis4406 Sure. I am aware of these things.
And on mtv . their sooo cool .
They packed a whole "Twilight Zone" episode into a music video. Man, we were so spoiled for good music and good videos in the 80s!
Actually I think "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel was more of the Twilight Zone than this was...
In Germany that time, they promoted the uncut Michael Jackson video Thriller on MTV. In the beginning it was only shown from 11 p.m. Funny today, cool in earlier times.
Yes. But it was inspired and used some of the ideas from the movie Altered States. Especially the ending.
@@robertmwilliams great film and great ending and you're the only person I know thats ever flagged it!
This video was all over MTV and still one of the most unique ever made. Remember it running on the TVs in a dive food joint on campus during my freshman year (1985 at Marquette).
My generation took for granted how good the 80's music had been. Great to see young people still enjoying it.
In our defense we didn't have anything to compare it to 😂. Now looking back we can now see wow, we were lucky as heck.
But remember every era, including now, is loaded with great art. When we look back we view and listen thru a filter. But when we are in the middle of an era, we see and hear all the greats and all the mediocrity. However, in the rear view of time we just get the goodies. I think we all tend to down grade current music and hype the past. I realized I did this after looking back to songs I love in times I said ...at the time...sucked.
I NEVER took the music, the videos, the VHS cassettes for granted. From Blondie (1979) "Heart of Glass" and "Call Me" through to Stevie Winwood (1986) "Higher Love" and "Back in the High Life" The years between were miraculous. New Wave to 1980's Synthetic Pop.
@@Swonder1972Doesn’t matter what lens you’re looking at, but the 2010s is filled with trash music. I wasn’t even alive in the 80s and graduated high school in the 2010s. There’s no nostalgia for me to have a bias and 2010s SUCKS
@@robertsmalls3513 There is always great music... often underground. Trust me, there was a ton of trash in the 80s and 90s...We just edit out the mediocre when viewing hindsight...
I was 29 in 85 .... this was one of the first music videos on the new MTV .... it blew our mind in 89 !!!!
Yes, this is also how it was introduced by the TV host in Taiwan back in 1985, like a pioneer music video at the time
the first ever video was "video killed the radio star" FYI
I was 16 in '85 and this was by far not one of the first videos on MTV. Maybe you got to MTV late but MTV actually began in the summer of '81.
This is one of the greatest songs of the 80s. I LOVE A-Ha's harmony and their lead singer has phenomenal range!
I remember how huge this was back in the 80's, it seems like its even bigger now. 1 billion views for a 35 year old song, and it been covered by so many artists.
@@ExperienceEric yeah me too, and that status is both a blessing & a curse on a-ha, their career & massive catalogue...yes many know the song but not the band, many don't know that the band is still an ongoing concern & that they are far from 1-hit wonders...many don't know they have a new album out soon, "True North", later this fall, and its accompanying film was shown in theatres worldwide just recently on September 15...yes the song & video are great & a landmark, but that's not all the band are about...
This video was ground-breaking at the time. So cool… 🔥🔥🔥
YES - won awards - unique and lovely! (even apart from the music itself - which was catchy and fantastic... especially the range of vocals)
And it still looks good after all these years!!
This is the equivalent of today's Marvel movie cgi for the 80's..... You're 100% correct
and its still impressive all these years later
@@Tyrannosaurus_STFU_III it is all hand-made. No filters, no computers. Computers could not do that at the time. It is literally drawn frame by frame. That’s why it still looks lit.
A-HA from my country Norway. They have a lot of good songs. On 19th Oct 1985, A-Ha went to No.1 on the US singles chart with “Take On Me”. Lead singer is named Morten Harket. Some of their songs thats really good is: The sun always shines on tv, Summer moved on, Crying in the rain. Another of the band members has his own band called Savoy, you guys should check out one of his songs called: Velvet. Pretty good.
Their cover of Crying in the Rain is just hauntingly beautiful. His voice just suited it so well.
Hallo fra Oslo! 😁🇳🇴
Norway in 1980's : A-ha's land
Norway in 2020's : Haaland's land 😆😆
I was 22 when this song came out. I met my wife the same year and we both enjoyed hearing this song.
I saw them play live on the Grammy Awards in the 80s. Kenny Rogers was the host. When Morton finished singing and they cut back to Kenny. Kenny's mouth was open wide, he looked at the camera and said. "Oh my god, my voice does not do that."
I believe MTV voted Aha's "Take On Me" the best music video of the 20th century...and Rob is so right-it still holds up!
The technology was entirely hand-drawn. Rotoscope animation converted film into animation by artists painstakingly drawing the animation images over film, frame by frame. The genre is New Wave/Pop. That song is so catchy.
Damn...you know stuff! Thanks!
Also it might be worth mentioning that the artist who drew the animations is named Michael Patterson 😉
... and it took 16 weeks to do the animation!
@@parisbratThere is a series videos on TH-cam about making the song/video as a buildup to it hitting a billion views. Just search for making of take on me.
Their acoustic version of this song from Unplugged is absolutely gorgeous
Every time Deadpool 2 is on TV (like every other weekend) I make sure to catch the brief scene that it's used in.
Hunting high and low, Stay on these roads..
Morton just did an acoustic version on the UK version of The Masked Singer.
" The Magicians" version of this song turns it 180 degrees and changes the meaning completely
The first time I ever heard the acoustic set you were talking about, I almost cried. I never noticed how sad this song is until I heard the strip down slow down acoustic set. The acoustic version has got to be one of my favorite versions of any song of all time. And I’ve lived for 50 years so that’s saying a lot. Lol
A-ha are from Norway. They never broke America except this song. In the rest of the world they are huge and still fill stadiums. They’ve broken up a few times, but always get back together and release new great music. They are def not just an 80s band and Morten Harket has an amazing voice.
They also did the theme song to the James Bond movie, The Living Daylights
Their newer stuff like Foot of the mountain is mesmerizing, so they're still top-tier.
The Sun Always Shines on TV hit #20 in the US, and Cry Wolf charted at #50.
What about the Sun Always Shines On T.V.?
They did have more than this song hit in the US, though this was the biggest hit. As mentioned "Sun always shines on TV"
Lead singer is Morten Harket. He can SING. Those notes are HIS. Amazing singer even to this day!
yep, no autone back then!
@@jorged06Yes. We get it. No autotune.
One of the only pop groups to feature an oboe - Living a Boy's Adventure Tale
The Sun Always Shines (On TV), The Living Daylights, Cry Wolf, Hunting High & Low, Crying In the Rain ... all JUST AS GOOD as this. This was just their biggest hit.
a-ha was one of the most underrated bands of the '80's - "Hunting High & Low" is one of my favorite albums. I still have it on cassette!
I love Crying in the rain
How could you leave out Stay On These Roads?
@@kentjensen4504 Well that was just off the top of my head, but yeah, that's a great one too.
The Weight of the Wind is FANTASTIC also! And Stay on These Roads🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
a-Ha is a Techno-Pop band (at least they were at this early stage in their careers). They are a Norwegian band, and they have been together since 1982. This song and music video came out in 1985, and was historic and groundbreaking for its landmark animation techniques, which would be used to develop computer generated animation years later.
Morten Harken is the lead singer in the group. According to their Wikipedia page, a-Ha will be embarking on a world tour, including dates in the US, in 2022.
Morten Harket has some amazing solo work as well.
i get them wanting to not know too much about them before hand . however with the internet at their fingers tips it seems weird they nothing at all .
@@abettmartin6197 Most music/music video reactors were born in the late-1980s and in the 1990s. Some of them were born in the 2000s. Unless they are regular viewers of VH-1 Classic, they have never seen music videos from the 1980s, and promotional film clips and TV performances from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. They have never seen the music videos, and they have never heard the songs, since most of them get their music from Internet sources, and not from radio stations, like older music listeners do.
I am an old man that was born in the 1960s, and I have seen and heard just about everything when it comes to music. But when I have a question about a music group or music artist's history, I do a Bing Search, and look for a Wikipedia entry, which, while not perfect, provides a lot of interesting information about a music group or music artist. Once I get my question answered, I relay the information to the music reactor in the form of a comment reply.
6:09 "I didn't think they had the technology to do that, you know when this video came out."
They didn't. All those panes were hand-drawn one by one and took over a year to complete. And actually, that's the third version of the song they released, the other two apparently weren't too good but this version hit worldwide and is still being appreciated 35+ years later.
It came out at the time ... and won a few awards for the innovation.
It is called rotoscoping and it was used all the time in the 1930s animation. Think Snow White and the Seven Dwarves from 1937.
There were a few versions of this song that failed before they moved to the UK. When they added the synthesizer they had a hit song. @The Greatest Norwegian Band
I was 24 years old when this song came out it was a loved song, I am 60 years old now. How time flies by!
I was 15 and brings back great memories
I was 1 year old. haha Was born in 1984. Missed those childhood days in late 80s to early 90s. The colorful shirts..grandmas and grandpas of never ending World War 1 & 2 stories. haha
@Dswan1 I was 10 years old when it came out, but the first time I actually heard it I was 13 branching out to different music. Fell in love with this immensely to this day of 48 years old 😊👍 This is forever my favorite song 🎵
@@Lokey21 The 80's was my favorite decade with some great music. I wish I could go back to the 80's.
I loved this song and video. I was 26 when it came out.
Brother man, my wife saw this post come up on my phone and told me I "HAD" to check it out as I've never heard it either...not my cup of tea as it were, but since it was you two reacting I said cool and here I am...so I'm taking this voyage for the first time with you...OMG!!!! Are you serious???? The melody draws you in, the lyrics grab ahold of you and the video...holds you mesmerized!!! Now I fully, 100% understand exactly why you do this!!! Thank you so very, very much! I have been schooled!!??!! PEACE!!!!!
Open your mind to the new. From what I just read of you, I think you will find something amazing in Rock & Roll. Give it a shot. That’s what all these reaction channels are about. I think you will be blown away to.
Have you been living under a rock or just in a backward and insular country like the USA? This song is ENDEMIC in music history.
@@sandersson2813, awww... backward? We have done more good things for the world than any other country. We invented a shit load of things that make it possible for you to express your opinion. I know, I know, we are also number one in bad things too. Maybe you’ve been here or maybe not. If you haven’t, I suggest you find some good American people to hang out with when you come over.
@@sandersson2813, and you’d be surprised at what we take for granted that other people have never even heard of. It’s weird but true. Some people just blow past it the first time around and it’s just not in their universe from then on.
@@philstone3859 I was being flippant rather than literal, but in many respects America is incredibly far behind the rest of the developed world in things like healthcare, education, employment law, holiday entitlement, maternity leave etc
As for being inventive every nation is, but the www is a British invention if you are alluding to that being something which allows me to express an opinion.
My first concert as a teen back in the 80s was A-Ha. :) A-Ha was much bigger in Europe than in North America. I'd say their genre was somewhere between "Synth Pop" and what we used to call "New Wave". This was A-Ha's biggest song but they also did the theme song to the James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" which is my favourite A-Ha song. You guys should check that one out!
It's not my fave a-ha song...I have many...but it is my fave Bond theme!!
Omg The Living Daylights is one of my favs❤And I listen to new wave artists,mostly Duran Duran and A-ha,I want em to collab so bad😢
I'd call it 80's synth pop - like A Flock of Seagulls, Soft Cell, Thomas Dolby, even Eurythmics. Great song, great video.
I always called it alt-pop but synth pop definitely sounds closer.
A Flock of Seagulls, Soft and Thomas Dolby " she blinded me with science"
New wave
@@kimmichaud4064 no way that A-ha were New Wave when they created the band.
On their early interviews, they stated that they were determined not to fall into the New Wave genre that was dominating the music scene back then
It is most definitely New Wave , whether they wanted to or not
The two of you just made my day. I served in the US Army for most of the 80's and that was in what was then West Germany. The music at that time was played all the time and as loud as allowable. This one really shook everybody when it came out, I believe the video had a good deal to do with that. I'm so glad you both liked it.
Thank you for serviving.
We had a lot of GI's back in the days in the region. Where did you serve?
that shot were the camera rotates with the portal is like the most iconic shot in all of music video history imo
no cap i am astonished how in 1986 people pulled out this masterpiece
@@ashwathbp9444 theres a doc on TH-cam talking about how they did this
It bears the all-important plot point of never letting our lovers totally separate from one another. Their connection sill exists in the nexus of the coffee shop and trash bin (look closely). With great effort the two leads reunite and decide together which world (Reality/color) or (Artist/pencil) they will call home.
This video won awards that year for best video production. It is iconic. Everyone should watch it at least once. The song is nice too!
This song spans 3 octaves. It's pretty incredible. Back when MTV played music videos 24/7 this one was played quite often. This video continues to amaze me even today. Also, great for driving. Don't get a speeding ticket. ;D
Oh, isn't the synthesizer playing in this song spectacular? I like the tone of the singer's voice. His high notes are remarkable and his vocal range is everything but baritone. Such fun energy in the beat, that I'm always glad to hear over and over.
Morten Harket in his 60's
He can still hit those high notes today
And he still is a cutie. The song came out, when I was 14, you should have seen my room at that time 😀. Thanks mom and dad for the patience...
Because he's always led a clean lifestyle.
He is still hot .iv had a crush on him since 1985 ( when I was five)
Could never hit them😒
🇳🇴 Fantastisk!
CROWDED HOUSE, "Don't Dream It's Over" is one from the 80's I'm sure will both enjoy!☮☮☮☮☮
oh and..... Something So Strong.
I Would Also Add "FALL AT YOUR FEET"
G man Crowded House is good
It's the only song in my 67 years in London that makes me, momentarily, want to be Australian :)
Yes New Zealand) Aussie boys
If you all are into 80's, you have to do Tears for Fears -- Everybody wants to rule the world
And Shout too.
That's arguable the canonical 80s tune. Before long it seemed like every 80s singer sounded like that.
YEs Yes YeeeeeSSSSSS!!!!!
@@PVMe1967 oh YES!!
Yes yes please react to tears for fears
When it was played for the first time on British TV on a program called 'Top Of The Pops' this was totally cutting edge. There had never been anything like it before. Happy to say I saw it and was totally wow'ed - Still stands the test of time as a song and a video in my opinon.
You will LOVE these two other A-Ha songs:
"Hunting High and Low"
"The Sun Always Shines on TV."
I think the vocals are even BETTER on these two.
Wait.. Ah-ha did 'Hunting High And Low'?! Man I've jammed to that song for years and never knew!
The Sun Always Shines on TV video starts with a throwback to this video.
@@Erizedd You could have been jamming to the Stratovarius song with the same name too, let us know which one it was :)
@@chefren77 Damn, yeah, it was Stratovarius I was thinking of. 🤦♀️ Thanks for the heads up!
They did an awesome cover of the Everly Brothers tune Crying in the Rain
"Pop" is sufficient as a general genre marker, more specifically it's synth pop, and it's not technically new wave but there's a lot of new wave influences.
I adore your photo 😂🤩
Jay's raised eyebrows every time he hits that high note!
When MTV was GOOD! Every TV in my appartment complex in college had MTV on all the time. Good times.
This video still stands as one of the greatest of all time, such vibes and so innovative. Absolutely 80s pop all the way, just needed a sax to complete the 80s checklist.
Def no sax on that song, but they do have a good song with sax in it, "I Call Your Name" from 4th album from 1990, "East Of The Sun West Of The Moon"...about Paul & Lauren's wedding...
Not only was this one heavy rotation on MTV, it was a really groundbreaking video for its time. Might've been the 1st time someone incorporated animation with a live action video.
Not exactly - rotoscoping already existed in the 1950's and 60's. Parts of The Beatles film Yellow Submarine film (Lucy in the sky with diamonds) was filmed with rotoscoping sequences.
@@nowhereman5119 No doubt. However, it wasn't as advanced as it was by the time of this video.
Actually, the first time was in the 1945 movie Anchors Aweigh where Gene Kelly danced with Jerry of Tom and Jerry fame
@@TheEnnisfan the technology was about the same as the one used on the Beatles movie.
The investment on this video was much bigger.
It took several professional artists six months to perfect those drawings and around 1 million dollars.
It paid off through.. It helped the song to reach the success we know today
A similar technique is used (much more sparingly) in Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" video, which I believe came out maybe a year before a-ha's video. But this sets the standard easily. I still think it's the best music video ever made.
I'm loving all these videos. I'm 51, smack dab in the middle of the GenX/MTV generation. I totally grew up with this video. I'm a professional illustrator so this video, in particular, holds a special place in my heart.. hand-drawn animation.
I think it's funny how Amber reacts to the good-looking guys, like this dude and young Elvis. I mean, that's part of why they were successful in the industry (although Elvis is of course on another level).
Great reaction, guys.
It blows my mind that everytime I watch it it's like a "flip fast book" playing out on screen, but so much more complex than I could ever begin to imagine.
I'm very late for the party, but this music video blew the minds of me and my friends back in the day. 40 years later, and it's still absolutely great. The song was released around the time I started to consider myself as a "proghead", but I still liked some synth-pop (which is what I'd call this song) and this song definitely stood out from the crowd.
The beginning of new wave music.. Other big groups were New Order,Depeche Mode, Erasure,OMD,The Cure.. it's a great genre of music
I agree, it's New Wave and it's a great genre of music, they should definitely check out all of those bands!
Not really the beginning. There were a lot of new wave stuff in the late 1970s too.
Not new wave.
Agree would be considered New Wave
1985 les debuts ? ^^
"The Sun Always Shines On TV" is the sequel to this song!!!
This is my favorite a-ha song.
and just as good as take on me in my view - you guys would love it
@@dccraig03 Yes this and Manhattan Skyline...
Yep love that one as well plus The Living Daylights
Beat me to!
"Hunting high and low" from A-ha is outstanding, even better than Take on me. Haunting piece of music.
Beautiful video as well, the scenery & the animals...
I was going to recommend that one too!!
The song was ahead of it’s time with such a beautiful creative song and beautiful music video. This song will be in the music history books til years to come from generations to newer generations.
Morten Harket can still hit those notes to this day, and still one of the most beautiful men alive ❤️ check out the live version of this song done recently.
My wife had an incredible crush on Morten. Still does, I think.. Used to make me feel very inadequate.. ;-)
@@RB747domme She's not alone. We still love our husbands, you know. ;)
@@RB747domme LOL, I remember my ex getting mad at me the time I watched the acoustic version that came out several years ago. All I said was how impressed I was that Morten Harket managed to stay so fit and handsome 3 decades after it was originally released. 🤷♀️
Morten was on a foreign edition of The Masked Singer...UK I think...his character was the Viking...yes he can still hit those notes...I just saw a-ha live back in April in NYC...same thing...
@@lawrencedavis4406 Yes, I think in his older age it is amazing he can still hit that upper register. I use to be able to sing like that when this song came out. Not anymore. What blew my mind is when he was hitting those high notes, effortlessly, the panel had no idea it was him when my brain was screaming his name in my head.
Aha was an utterly fantastic group!! Morten Harket then went solo and he is still singing today. He's a phenomenal Viking from Norway!
Was?? Try IS!! Their new album "True North", their 11th, is out later this fall...the band first took a hiatus from 1994 to 1998 with a comeback album in 2000, then they bid farewell in 2010, only to reunite in 2015 & release 10th album "Cast In Steel"...just a heads up...
This is still one of the greatest, most creative videos ever made.
I love how she's dancing to him just as the bad guy shows up with the wrench, so sweet
This is one of my favorite songs from when I was a kid. Never really listened to the lyrics until a few years ago-so good! Edit: I saw this band on a TV show recently-the lead singer can still hit that note crystal clear 😂
he is 💓💪
And here's still hot lol
The acoustic version from (I think) MTVUnplugged is amazing...
I went to see them in a concert last month in México City and the whole band is pure gold, Morten PERFECT Harket sings way better than many in his generation
This is definitely in the top 5 most popular songs and videos for the 80's
Yea. I said it was #1. Was a teen when that came out. Definitely represents the 80s
Agreed
I didn’t exist in the 80’s but it had to be rare for a music video to be animated right ?
The genre of their music would be Pop, but typically referred to throughout 80's as New Wave. A-HA had over 25 top of the chart songs worldwide, but this was their only hit in the US. The lead singer is Morten Harket. They are still around too. I still love them after all these years.
Fantastic video - way ahead of its time. Norwegian band - and Morton Harket was a huge heart throb. That's synth pop.
I can tell she really loves the song by how she was vibing eyes closed and everything, pretty much same as how we did it in the 80’s. Love you both ❤️❤️❤️
Try "The Sun Always Shines on TV" or "The Living Daylights". Morten Harket is the singer and he can still hit those high notes. You might want to check out the acoustic version of this they did a few years ago.
The video for Sun Always Shine on TV could be seen as a spiritual sequel to this video given how it starts with the same two people as he turns back to a drawing once more.
Hunting high and low,....
There are so so many!
Yes, it's pop. This was considered one of the greatest video ever made for its time. Competed with Thriller and Money For Nothing.
I would add Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" as one of the greatest of the 80s. I was just floored the first time I saw it on VH-1.
Yes, I was also going to mention Sledge hammer by Peter Gabriel as the best music Video ever and I'm not even a huge fan of Peter.
Consider the most love and popular video of the 80s!
@@johntiggleman4686 You are so right! In fact, in that year, A- ha won the best video award from MTV. And Peter Gabriel with sledgehammer, came in 2nd...
What I love most about this song is that ANY nationality/race can vibe off of this‼️Even if you can’t dance 💃🏽 🕺 there is no way to mess up The Head Bop to this beat 😂❤
Un groupe norvégien tout simplement EXTRAORDINAIRE.tous ceux comme moi qui ont connu les années 80 ( et même 70 !!!!!!!!!!!) se souviennent de cet extraordinaire groupe formé de 3 musiciens.quand a ce clip il est HISTORIQUE et de mon point de vue est un candidat très sérieux au titre de plus grand clip de l'histoire tout simplement !!!!!!!!!!! D'une originalité renversante il a redéfini les critères du clip d'allieurs je crois de mémoire qu' il a obtenu le GRAMMY AWARDS du meilleur clip cette année là ( amplement mérité tant cette vidéo géniale était en avance sur son temps) quand au morceau personne ne l'a oublié bien évidemment !!!!!!!!!!!!!! GENIALISSIME ET HISTORIQUE TOUT SIMPLEMENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GUY
If you like 80’s you need to react to ToTo’s Africa, it’s a banger
yes yes yes
@@lieslyvette27 Hell, it's mandatory listening!
Ooh, back when MTV mattered.
i.e. When it had music.
This song was a once in a generation masterpiece
The band is from Norway ❤ The video is iconic, 37 years old now. This would probably be categorised as Euro Pop at the time.
Another song they sang was "Hunting high and low", beautiful with a Scandinavian vibe.
I honestly don't believe he hasn't heard this before. This song is everywhere, i would honestly say is one of, if not the most, iconic song of all time
Very true
Dude, watch their “Imagine” reaction .. they never heard that either.
If this one seems strange, They have reaction to "Africa" by Toto and claimed it's first time...
@@asafy8959 I think take on me is bigger that Africa
Some of us just haven’t heard a lot of popular songs. I’ve never heard of bohemian rhapsody until like 3 years ago.
“Hunting High and Low” is a phenomenal record.
Seconded.
Highly underrated...
@@sflachuck And its fair to soy that Morten Harket is a ver ver underrated singer.
@@sflachuck very very underrated,thats what I meant to write
This video was cutting edge at the time and won many top shelf awards. Coming from someone who's more onto rock this a really catchy song. And Amber you're a classic example of who you hang around with is how you will act. Do yourself a favour and catch up on the elder stuff it's good for you. ✌🏻
The rotoscoping had to be done by hand. Took something on the order of 16 weeks.
The process was invented in the 80s- the 1880s.
This video came out way before the use of CGI for movies or music videos was common or possible.
Thus, this video blew everyone’s mind.
3000 frames of hand drawn greatness. I've heard 16 weeks before so it must be true or at least close.
This song reminds me of "Died In Your Arms" by Cutting Crew, another 80's hit!
Let's Not Forget,, "I've Been In Love Before",, Also A Great Song By Them.
Broken Wings by Mister Mister
@Brian Orzel BLASPHEMY 😂
The crazy thing is, Morten Harket can still hit those notes...
@@turdferguson5847 Indeed. That was the performance I was thinking of when I wrote the comment! Love your nick, by the way! I´ll take Potent Potables for 200.
@@ToniMcGinty LOL, love that so many people remember that skit on SNL.
@@turdferguson5847 It´s a classic! I actually went to the SNL exhibition in NY a few years ago and got a photo taken at the Turd Ferguson podium. In fact, if you see my profile pic, that was taken there too!
I still remember seeing the video the first time - the visuals and the switching back and forth between drawings and live video were and still are astonishing! It's just something you never forget once you've seen it, I think. So clever and what a fun story displayed in such a unique way. So glad you both liked it!!
That album is Hunting High and Low. The entire album is great! Mort's voice is incredible!
Hard to be in a bad mood when you hear this song
Yes. Especially if you lived through those times. Great memories when I hear this song. We need the 80s now
1980년도때 중학생때 카세트 테잎으로 아하 노래 늘어지도록 들었는데~ ^^
당시 뮤직비디오가, 미술 드로잉으로 절묘하게 스토리텔링해서 만들어진 수작으로...
지금봐도 전혀 촌스럽지도 어색하지도 않은 작품이죠~
지금 a-ha 보컬도 나이들었어도 옛날 미남그대로 입니다.
이미 미국이 80년도때 이런 뛰어난 작품을 만들었다는게...ㅎㄷㄷ
대단하기만 합니다.
Totally superior 80's pop
Amber is right on with that.
There were a lot of bands in the '80s that were playing pop music. Duran Duran to name one and they're still around. They just released a new single.
Check out Duran Duran Rio
It would be cool if they reacted to "Invisible" since it's brand new.
Love Duran Duran ❤
I believe this video garnered some MTV award because it was way ahead of its times. As you correctly said, compared to today’s computer graphics/editing technology, the technology available in the 80’s had less capabilities. It was ultra creative to have put together something this video back then. And as you watch it today, the video effects are still impressive. Also, it was a song with a great story. For a duration of approximately 4 minutes, the video packed a very compelling, alluring, cohesive, and comprehensive story in such short duration. Fantastically synchronized with the music. Last, the musicality and the lyrics of the song are amazing.
This is a-ha's greatest hit ever. The video for this song was one of the first if not the first to mix live and animated action, which made it an instant classic. About 2 yrs later, they made another video for the James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" that mixed live action with special visual animation. A-ha's 🎶 style was pop. Take on Me was their biggest hit in the American hemisphere. They're more famous and had bigger recognition in Europe ( they're from Norway).
This is a true story. In February of 2019 My Wife of 41 years took her own life and we had the memorial in Phoenix. I had picked my daughter up at the airport and we were walking around one of the Malls just trying to deflate and take our mind off of everything. We walk into the first shop and a version that was not A-Ha was playing on the radio in the shop. I told my daughter this song tends to follow me around but, usually it was the original version. So, we leave that shop walk a bit around the Mall and a different version of Take on me( still not the original). At this point I look at my daughter and her face is showing some puzzlement because both the versions we had heard were on the FM radio and within about 5 minutes of each other. We walk in the third store and there is the original version playing again on a local FM station. At this point she turns to me and says " This is getting kinda creepy"! I told here that there is someone that thinks about me and when they do, I usually hear it in my head. We decided to call it quits on the Mall. I found out a month later. A woman that I had known 47 years ago had heard about my wife and had been thinking about me. It just so happened one of her favorite songs is Take on Me... We had found each other on Facebook after all those years but, had just friended each other and never really talked( I was rarely on).. We did start talking after that and we got married in January 2020... Every word of this is true!!
Sorry for your loss...your wife lives on in your daughter with you.
@@lionsingh18 Thank you. As a matter of fact she does live on through her. I have 2 wonderful Grandsons and my Daughter is a wonderful Mother to them. My Daughter sees my marriage to my new Wife Erin as the thing that helped me and that is true. I have been blessed twice in one lifetime. I truly hope everyone finds that other that helps to complete them in whatever way that is through Love... Again thank you . and I will send this to you ...May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
l
the universe puts out messages through people, when things fall away and become unbalanced, the universe rights them. you, for what ever reason were meant to be with your friend of all those years ago. so very sorry for the loss of your wife, but very happy for you that the universe put your life back in balance.
No offence but you didn't wait long to remarry
You have no right to judge that.
This song sounded in every nightclub in the whole world in the 80s. A-Ha have other hits, but Take On Me is by far their greatest hit. Greetings from Mexico.
Oh yes. I was a teen in the 80's and this video was a cornerstone of the MTV age.
Born in 58, actually lived that 70s show in High School, was 27 when this song came out and the 80s was the best decade ever.
Definitely 80's pop. Can't believe that you didn't notice the amazing range of the lead singer. He covers four octaves.
Also, the banging on the walls at the end is borrowed from the movie "Altered States." It's trippy.
Wow, I remember that from the movie now. Cool.
@@brewswillis9783 good movie! A little dated, but what isn't?
@@elysehfm8797 I’m surprised it hasn’t been remade, definitely worthy of it imo.
@@brewswillis9783 true. :)
YES THAT'S RIGHT.
This was so innovative back in 1985, we saw this video on MTV and we were floored by. Think about the limited technology of the day. As far as the style of music I would say *soft new wave.* Alphaville has a inspiring song called *Forever Young* which a lot of people and acts covered. So for the video trivia; the style of animation the artist are using a technique called *rotoscoping*, where they use tracing animation over live-action footage. The other odd things about the video the one that you're watching and everyone who seen it when it came out was a unfinished final cut that aired to world in1985. Also this version ( the most famous version) is its fourth release. Love Peace and Happiness Y'all !!
Well said, well described! I agree 100% and saw it first MTV when it first aired! Everyone loved it.
My fav song and video.
It’s not on any of my devices or playlists.
I absolutely love this when I hear it on random playlists or on a channel.
I think even by today's standards, this is the best video ever, hence a billion views
Agree.
My now ex-husband and I considered this as "our song". When we first started dating my English was already ok, but not good enough to understand what "Take on Me" meant (didn't have access to videos at the time to help me figure it out either), so when he used this song as a love declaration of sort, it didn't quite have the romantic impact he thought it would have, because he ended up having to explain the lyrics. 😆 But after that it became "our song".
I hope you guys realize this is one of the most iconic music videos in history. The highly imaginative video drove the song to global success. The Reflex, Rio, Wild Boys, and Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran are prime examples as well - it's worth giving these songs a try...
What was so unusual about the 80s was there was a huge explosion of all types of music! Music drove that decade, and love songs were everywhere! I was 23 when this came out and I remember saying… What’s next? Great music from all corners of the globe! Heavy metal, pop, retro, new wave, hard rock, you name it!
A-Ha did a nice re-make of Crying In The Rain. They were a popular Norwegian group. Just a bit of info, All 3 members of A-ha have been appointed ‘Knights of the 1st Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav’ for their contribution to Norwegian music.
This song had something for everyone: easy listening, but with a catchy beat and real vocal talent. Great video too.
As a child of the 80s, I grew up watching so many great music videos on MTV, and this one is definitely on my list of favorites. I highly recommend The Go-Go's, who are the best all-female band of the 80s. They will be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Check out 2 of their best songs: We Got the Beat + Our Lips are Sealed.
Using rotoscope technology the music video won a Grammy for ingenuity and originality for a music video. It kick started a new era using rotoscope techniques in film, documentaries, and infomercials. Aside from being a one hit wonder, A-ha went on for another decade before breaking up. Ultimately though their musical opera Take On Me became an instant cult classic for all ages because of its poignant sound, artistry, acting, and action. If it wasn't just a music video it could very well be a fantasy live action film if there was a budget for it. The eighties era brought many music fans incredible sound, music, acoustic instruments, live bands and funky clothes that even youths today are wearing.
For another cool animated video, try MONEY FOR NOTHING by Dire Straits
Oh man... another one of my favs.. oh yeah!
Yesss! That's another video that was wayyy ahead of its time. And a great song too.
Yup I always thought this was dire straits!!! 🤷🏻♂️😁
👍👍Good tune.
Mark Knopfler, right up there as one of the best guitarists ever !
I love watching people fall in love with this song and video with all them 80's vibes!
So proud of Aha and my neighboring country ❤
This song & video were ground breaking. 80s rocked.
The first video I ever saw on MTV. It blew me away and still does! Love the song too!
Y’all just don’t even know how big this song and video was in the mid-80s. The video was really groundbreaking for its time, and still seems fresh. Others I can think of offhand I would highly recommend if you haven’t seen are Land Of Confusion by Genesis and Money For Nothing by Dire Straits. Both were huge singles with groundbreaking videos... back when MTV actually played videos.
My daughter and I have always enjoyed watching old music videos together, and she loved the Land Of Confusion video and song from the time she was five, but she wanted to know who everyone in the video was, so I had to go into global politics in the 80s with my five year old. (She’s 14 now.)