The instrumentation from the very beginning here sounds like morning, not night. New beginnings...fresh starts. So this sets up the paradox of the lyrics. Dark is the night for all means morning is coming, those fresh starts and new beginnings. I fucking love this song
Your description of what happens sometimes when Morten is singing is true. It's impossible to think of anything else. Maybe one of many reasons why the a-ha music feels relaxing and comforting, you're drawn into it somehow. It's a really good thing that you listen to the music without the videos! I absolutely love the videos, but now you can capture the essence of the music in a better way. Thank you! 😊🎶🇳🇴
The next song is a redo of a single they had released to promote their greatest hits album at the time, you should checkout both versions. The memorial beach version is heavier
Hi Matt this song was produced by AHA. People thought it was a break up song but Pal said it’s the opposite it’s about breaking away, taking a risk. The band had a more mature sound but the lyrics signalled the start of creative re-birth for Pal who had by now moved to the states. Lyric - It’s time we moved out west / this time will be the best. It was released worldwide and hovered just outside the billboard hot 100. Elsewhere the band were now competing for chart space in the UK and Europe. When AHA appeared on the BBC programme top of the pops there was a new policy instated in 1991. Usually bands that played on it had to pre- record their song and mime it but this new policy meant for the first time bands would have to sing live in the studio which often exposed less technically proficient singers but it was no problem for Morten who delivered a soaring performance along with the band and the song entered the top 20 the following week. This is my second fave album many many great tracks on it. Take care and stay safe 😘🇳🇴❤️🏴
Love your comments, Alison, thanks for the info about the song and album. And ha, of course it was no problem for Morten---his voice is from beyond this world!
Memorial beach was recorded at prince’s studio. Magne told the story of how he went into one of the toilets in the studio and there was a smaller urinal, he wrote prince was here above it before wiping it off 🤣
Mags in an interview said that Memorial Beach builds a new house where East Of The Sun tore down the walls musically speaking. I love the uplift of the this as it goes on and the guitar solo is perfect. Can't say much more than that really. MB is often overlooked as an a-ha classic but it is. It is something different but sits along the other works well. Cold As Stone is EPIC. Oh yes, the capitals are justified.
Morten's voice is of another world. The whole man is basically of another world. When I hear this song I can't get the images from the music video out of my head. I'm just a poor woman, after all.
@@marjoriemcbride6557 It's probably not easy to be Morten either, with all the women lying there in a swoon after him. The man is 63 years old, and still cannot move freely in society. I just can't help myself. He's too perfect. You are right. We are left completely defenseless.
@@ahkkariq7406 The poor man is exhausted by the way women want to be close to him…I think we cannot help but be drawn to and admire his physical beauty, it’s like a form of animal magnetism he has which is completely natural on his part and not contrived. However admiration of him from afar is one thing, but pestering and intruding on his privacy and lying in wait for him, as many women..and also some men do, is quite another thing entirely. I’m pretty old, much older than Morten, so was never in the category of being a screaming teenager who idolised him, but even I am not immune from knowing the feeling of wanting to be close to him.
I admire the patience he shows with those who seek him out. I am younger than him, and had to deal with my own reaction as a young adult, which I did without becoming one of these screaming young girls. If I were to meet him randomly on the street one day, I don't know what I would do. I just hope I spot him early enough that I can quietly find another direction, and if it can't be avoided, I'll probably survive that too without making a fool of myself.
@@ahkkariq7406 I thought like you for years, I imagined how I would react if I met him, if I would survive it, if I could be normal again afterwards 😅 One day this dream really came true and I have met him. What can I say ...I really thought I was dying😅. I was petrified, didn't know what to do, but my pulse was probably at 200. Other Fans who were also there had met him before, that's why most of them were more relaxed than me. But I couldn't believe it, it was like adream.. Anyway, everyone took photos with him, but I stood a bit apart from the crowd, didn't really dare to ask for a photo with him like everyone else. I just stood there and stored all the details of his appearance such as facial expressions, gestures, every movement, his smile, his speech, etc. in my brain. I couldn't do anything else, I was paralyzed. But Morten is very, very empathetic, he somehow noticed that and pulled me towards him of his own accord. When I was standing next to him, I was afraid of stepping too close to him, and he quickly solved also that problem by grabbing my waist with his arm and pulling me closer to him...That was the moment when I thought I was in heaven 😇. Morten is beautiful, inside and outside and has an Aura from earth to moon. And his speaking voice..❤️..he could read me the manual of an F16, I would think: "what a great poem". 🙈😂 He is the embodiment of his own voice, I can't think of a better compliment for him.
You’re now onto the first song on my favourite album…and it’s a cracking starter as you say! You’re in for a great time, and I can’t wait for it. I will just say that this song isn’t really indicative of what’s to follow and it’ll be an interesting journey into a rockier,moodier, more soulful a-ha.
@@mattsnider2667 Call me Marje…it’s shorter and waay cooler sounding. Btw I may be the oldest a-ha fan…I was no adoring teenager when their music got me hooked…I was a married mother of two boys in 1985, a Rolling Stones and Kinks fan….and am way older than the three a-ha members!
@@marjoriemcbride6557 Ha, I see! Will use Marje from now on, and love to hear that about how they made a huge impact on you even though you weren't in your "impressionable" teen years. Also I only know "Lola" from the Kinks but have been thinking about taking that journey too!
@@mattsnider2667 Oh please do The Kinks after you’ve finished a-ha…you will not be disappointed I guaranteed it! Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset, All Day and All Of The Night, Come Dancing…etc, etc….I love everything they did. Just like I love all a-ha’s output, only almost 2 decades or so later!
I agree, as dark as this album is, and the fact it's poor performance resulted in their 7 year break up, I think it stands the test of time for repeated listens...
I haven't seen anyone mention this anywhere else yet. But, even after they returned from their break-up after this album, for several tours they refused to play any tracks from this album live because it reminded them of how much they hated each other during this era. I remember them making lists of "The top 10 bands that will never get back together". Also "Dark is the Night" is the closest thing they ever had to another Top 40 hit, it hovered just outside. And I think from here on, they never released another album in the US market.
A true shame for I would pay good money and travel about anywhere to see them perform it. I skip the idea of going now cause I don’t want to sit through Take on Me or any chance of any of their other poppy stuff 😂😂 Also, I want to say to them that they cater to their fans with a lot of stuff they aren’t exactly fond of, like they don’t want to ruffle feathers or something. WHY not cater to us Memorial Beach fans? What are we, chopped liver? 😂
The video that accompanied this single was banned in many countries due to it's religious and reincarnation type visual content and had to be re-cut. You should check out the banned version...
Cheers, I've been holding off on watching lots of the TH-cam videos in case I ever add that technical upgrade to my channel, but I have been making note of all the suggestions and different videos (whether live performances or actual music videos). Appreciate the info and suggestion!
@@mattsnider2667 Would be interesting for you to return to watch the music videos after your tour of their albums. And a lot of their live tracks, especially from the 90's add a huge amount to their charisma and range. Should be a boon to your channel too...
@@theMaster... Indeed, that's sort of the plan, though I still may need some time to implement that upgrade (I have a tech-savvy friend who's supposed to come see if he adjust my setup at some point, though he lives far away, so it may take a while to schedule). But cheers, appreciate the insight!
This album...oh man! Such a terrible shame that Morten didn't agree with the direction the band was taking with Memorial Beach. I call bullshit - his voice is amazing on it but for some peculiar reason it didn't sit well with him. I can understand why Paul and Magne were disappointed - especially Paul. But hey, at least the album exists as a testimony to what they are capable of. Unfortunately we will never get to hear this side of a-ha again - so enjoy every second of this masterpiece!
Morten was right. Although I love Memorial Beach, it was a terrible failure and resulted in their 7 year hiatus. You can't start with something like Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days / Stay on these Roads, and then keep that fan base by going as dark as they did. They were very fortunate to be able to return to a reasonable high again with their return album Minor Earth Major Sky. Memorial Beach could have killed them entirely. I personally love the album though...
Actually this is for me the finest of A-ha's work. the fans that were into scoundrel days loved memorial beach. Even there is this deep feeling that the biggest masterpiece would have been the following album after this one. should have been released on 1995 or 1996. Pal had prepared a lot already apparently. i feel haunted by this album that was never recorded...somehow I feel it exists...somewhere.. at least we know one song that would be there, probably as one of the singles. it is called Velvet. and will be released by the band in 2000 come back. but with the new sound of minor earth, very far from the artistical direction of memorial beach. there are at least 5 songs on this album which would be hard not to be on my top 10 A-ha songs.
@@JesperHellvik I think it was a financial failure. I used to work in a music store and when it came for me to choose the music to play instore I'd play Memorial Beach and sold a few copies on people walking in hearing the Memorial Beach track and buying it for that alone. Sadly good music is not always successful and the music market was shifting. Brit-pop was not quite on the rise yet and their more thoughtful tone and style was on the wain. Blur and this new band Oasis were about to break the UK scene wide open. But boybands were also becoming a major money maker.
I call Bullshit with you! Holy crap, how the world would have sucked without Memorial Beach! Maybe Morten was more about trying to do what was popular? This is totally just a guess and my own opinion, but I felt he did this with his looks starting with this album. Before this album around Scoundrel Days and East of the Sun, to me, Morten looked genuine. By Memorial Beach, he was really sexed up and from then on out, always felt like a perfect GQ model type to me, like maybe he was losing himself to appeal to the media and fans? Maybe he was the same about music, doing what was more popular than what was genuine to him? I have tried listening to a few of his solo albums, but have a hard time with many songs. There are some truly amazing ones that feel genuine, but more that feel…made to be like other popular stuff at the time? Many covers pushing his looks, pin up photos everywhere. So many with that higher softer voice. Hardly any with that deep gravelly/scratchy one. Again, totally just a thought of mine. Could be no base for reality there. Just feel that way. I am so in love with East of the Sun and Memorial Beach it is insane. I do like a lot of other stuff, but those songs could never even come close to touching what these albums do for me.❤
This is my least favorite of all the a ha albums I think they were shooting at the usa market and dark is the night the only cut i enjoyed on this album and nearly broke in the usa way preferred the no album single follow up to this album shapes that go together that brough a ha back to there brilliant perfect pop sound and bsck up the uk singles chart well to 25 if I try
![Shnootz - Reaction Video (a-ha - Trees Will Not Grow on Sand [demo])](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hHjbEw7a9TQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Shnootz - Reaction Video (a-ha - Trees Will Not Grow on Sand [demo])](/img/tr.png)
![Shnootz - Reaction Video (U2 - Freedom for My People + Silver and Gold [Live])](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KhJKthS2lXg/mqdefault.jpg)
Keep coming back to your videos about a-ha! Thank you so much!!!
😊❤🎵🇳🇴
When you get to cold as stone try and remember that this is the same band that did take on me. The change in direction is best heard with that song
Great opening track. Love the organ work.
The instrumentation from the very beginning here sounds like morning, not night. New beginnings...fresh starts. So this sets up the paradox of the lyrics. Dark is the night for all means morning is coming, those fresh starts and new beginnings. I fucking love this song
Great reaction! Thank you! This song is epic! Another masterpiece.
😊🎵❤🇳🇴
This voice... you somehow drift away with it. When the song ends you get back on the ground again.
Memorial Beach is one of my top a-ha albums. I can't wait for you to react to Cold As Stone - another one in my top 10.
Your description of what happens sometimes when Morten is singing is true. It's impossible to think of anything else. Maybe one of many reasons why the a-ha music feels relaxing and comforting, you're drawn into it somehow.
It's a really good thing that you listen to the music without the videos! I absolutely love the videos, but now you can capture the essence of the music in a better way. Thank you!
😊🎶🇳🇴
Ah Matt i am so happy you begin this album….this one and the other coming are very great!
I hope you will enjoy them!
Peace ✌️ 🤗
The first album from Aha that i have taken and Dark is the night my best from Aha!
The next song is a redo of a single they had released to promote their greatest hits album at the time, you should checkout both versions. The memorial beach version is heavier
Hi Matt this song was produced by AHA. People thought it was a break up song but Pal said it’s the opposite it’s about breaking away, taking a risk. The band had a more mature sound but the lyrics signalled the start of creative re-birth for Pal who had by now moved to the states. Lyric - It’s time we moved out west / this time will be the best. It was released worldwide and hovered just outside the billboard hot 100. Elsewhere the band were now competing for chart space in the UK and Europe. When AHA appeared on the BBC programme top of the pops there was a new policy instated in 1991. Usually bands that played on it had to pre- record their song and mime it but this new policy meant for the first time bands would have to sing live in the studio which often exposed less technically proficient singers but it was no problem for Morten who delivered a soaring performance along with the band and the song entered the top 20 the following week. This is my second fave album many many great tracks on it. Take care and stay safe 😘🇳🇴❤️🏴
Love your comments, Alison, thanks for the info about the song and album. And ha, of course it was no problem for Morten---his voice is from beyond this world!
That’s so cool to know. Thanks for sharing this.
Memorial beach was recorded at prince’s studio. Magne told the story of how he went into one of the toilets in the studio and there was a smaller urinal, he wrote prince was here above it before wiping it off 🤣
Ewwww. Unless you mean with a pen.
I think that is absolutely hilarious! I so love his sense of humor! ❤😂
Mags in an interview said that Memorial Beach builds a new house where East Of The Sun tore down the walls musically speaking. I love the uplift of the this as it goes on and the guitar solo is perfect. Can't say much more than that really. MB is often overlooked as an a-ha classic but it is. It is something different but sits along the other works well. Cold As Stone is EPIC. Oh yes, the capitals are justified.
Amen 🙏🏼
Thanks for taking us on this great journey down memory lane
My pleasure, and indeed, thanks for being a part of the voyage!
In this journey don't forget "angel in the snow" and "memorial beach " two absolutely beautiful songs .
Morten's voice is of another world. The whole man is basically of another world. When I hear this song I can't get the images from the music video out of my head. I'm just a poor woman, after all.
Yes Kari…we poor women are only made of flesh & blood after all, and faced with an otherworldly Morten are left completely defenceless!
@@marjoriemcbride6557 It's probably not easy to be Morten either, with all the women lying there in a swoon after him. The man is 63 years old, and still cannot move freely in society. I just can't help myself. He's too perfect. You are right. We are left completely defenseless.
@@ahkkariq7406 The poor man is exhausted by the way women want to be close to him…I think we cannot help but be drawn to and admire his physical beauty, it’s like a form of animal magnetism he has which is completely natural on his part and not contrived. However admiration of him from afar is one thing, but pestering and intruding on his privacy and lying in wait for him, as many women..and also some men do, is quite another thing entirely. I’m pretty old, much older than Morten, so was never in the category of being a screaming teenager who idolised him, but even I am not immune from knowing the feeling of wanting to be close to him.
I admire the patience he shows with those who seek him out.
I am younger than him, and had to deal with my own reaction as a young adult, which I did without becoming one of these screaming young girls.
If I were to meet him randomly on the street one day, I don't know what I would do. I just hope I spot him early enough that I can quietly find another direction, and if it can't be avoided, I'll probably survive that too without making a fool of myself.
@@ahkkariq7406 I thought like you for years, I imagined how I would react if I met him, if I would survive it, if I could be normal again afterwards 😅
One day this dream really came true and I have met him.
What can I say ...I really thought I was dying😅.
I was petrified, didn't know what to do, but my pulse was probably at 200. Other Fans who were also there had met him before, that's why most of them were more relaxed than me. But I couldn't believe it, it was like adream..
Anyway, everyone took photos with him, but I stood a bit apart from the crowd, didn't really dare to ask for a photo with him like everyone else. I just stood there and stored all the details of his appearance such as facial expressions, gestures, every movement, his smile, his speech, etc. in my brain. I couldn't do anything else, I was paralyzed. But Morten is very, very empathetic, he somehow noticed that and pulled me towards him of his own accord. When I was standing next to him, I was afraid of stepping too close to him, and he quickly solved also that problem by grabbing my waist with his arm and pulling me closer to him...That was the moment when I thought I was in heaven 😇. Morten is beautiful, inside and outside and has an Aura from earth to moon.
And his speaking voice..❤️..he could read me the manual of an F16, I would think: "what a great poem". 🙈😂
He is the embodiment of his own voice, I can't think of a better compliment for him.
You’re now onto the first song on my favourite album…and it’s a cracking starter as you say! You’re in for a great time, and I can’t wait for it. I will just say that this song isn’t really indicative of what’s to follow and it’ll be an interesting journey into a rockier,moodier, more soulful a-ha.
Let's gooo! I'm so ready for this, thanks for becoming part of this channel, Marjorie!
@@mattsnider2667 Call me Marje…it’s shorter and waay cooler sounding. Btw I may be the oldest a-ha fan…I was no adoring teenager when their music got me hooked…I was a married mother of two boys in 1985, a Rolling Stones and Kinks fan….and am way older than the three a-ha members!
@@marjoriemcbride6557 Ha, I see! Will use Marje from now on, and love to hear that about how they made a huge impact on you even though you weren't in your "impressionable" teen years. Also I only know "Lola" from the Kinks but have been thinking about taking that journey too!
@@mattsnider2667 Oh please do The Kinks after you’ve finished a-ha…you will not be disappointed I guaranteed it! Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset, All Day and All Of The Night, Come Dancing…etc, etc….I love everything they did. Just like I love all a-ha’s output, only almost 2 decades or so later!
I agree, as dark as this album is, and the fact it's poor performance resulted in their 7 year break up, I think it stands the test of time for repeated listens...
I definitely hear some U2 in this one. I love A-HAs musical journey and am excited for you to get to some of their newer stuff! Love the videos!
Thank you! And cheers, I hadn't thought about that U2 connection in the moment but I do hear that.
I haven't seen anyone mention this anywhere else yet. But, even after they returned from their break-up after this album, for several tours they refused to play any tracks from this album live because it reminded them of how much they hated each other during this era. I remember them making lists of "The top 10 bands that will never get back together". Also "Dark is the Night" is the closest thing they ever had to another Top 40 hit, it hovered just outside. And I think from here on, they never released another album in the US market.
A true shame for I would pay good money and travel about anywhere to see them perform it. I skip the idea of going now cause I don’t want to sit through Take on Me or any chance of any of their other poppy stuff 😂😂
Also, I want to say to them that they cater to their fans with a lot of stuff they aren’t exactly fond of, like they don’t want to ruffle feathers or something. WHY not cater to us Memorial Beach fans? What are we, chopped liver? 😂
The video that accompanied this single was banned in many countries due to it's religious and reincarnation type visual content and had to be re-cut. You should check out the banned version...
Cheers, I've been holding off on watching lots of the TH-cam videos in case I ever add that technical upgrade to my channel, but I have been making note of all the suggestions and different videos (whether live performances or actual music videos). Appreciate the info and suggestion!
@@mattsnider2667 Would be interesting for you to return to watch the music videos after your tour of their albums. And a lot of their live tracks, especially from the 90's add a huge amount to their charisma and range. Should be a boon to your channel too...
@@theMaster... Indeed, that's sort of the plan, though I still may need some time to implement that upgrade (I have a tech-savvy friend who's supposed to come see if he adjust my setup at some point, though he lives far away, so it may take a while to schedule). But cheers, appreciate the insight!
@@mattsnider2667 You have plenty of time, you're only about halfway through their studio albums! B-)
This album...oh man! Such a terrible shame that Morten didn't agree with the direction the band was taking with Memorial Beach. I call bullshit - his voice is amazing on it but for some peculiar reason it didn't sit well with him. I can understand why Paul and Magne were disappointed - especially Paul. But hey, at least the album exists as a testimony to what they are capable of. Unfortunately we will never get to hear this side of a-ha again - so enjoy every second of this masterpiece!
Morten was right. Although I love Memorial Beach, it was a terrible failure and resulted in their 7 year hiatus. You can't start with something like Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days / Stay on these Roads, and then keep that fan base by going as dark as they did. They were very fortunate to be able to return to a reasonable high again with their return album Minor Earth Major Sky. Memorial Beach could have killed them entirely. I personally love the album though...
@@theMaster... I'm not sure about that. Most a-ha fans hold this album in high regard. Everyone I know loves this album. The fan base is intact.
Actually this is for me the finest of A-ha's work. the fans that were into scoundrel days loved memorial beach. Even there is this deep feeling that the biggest masterpiece would have been the following album after this one. should have been released on 1995 or 1996. Pal had prepared a lot already apparently. i feel haunted by this album that was never recorded...somehow I feel it exists...somewhere.. at least we know one song that would be there, probably as one of the singles. it is called Velvet. and will be released by the band in 2000 come back. but with the new sound of minor earth, very far from the artistical direction of memorial beach. there are at least 5 songs on this album which would be hard not to be on my top 10 A-ha songs.
@@JesperHellvik I think it was a financial failure. I used to work in a music store and when it came for me to choose the music to play instore I'd play Memorial Beach and sold a few copies on people walking in hearing the Memorial Beach track and buying it for that alone. Sadly good music is not always successful and the music market was shifting.
Brit-pop was not quite on the rise yet and their more thoughtful tone and style was on the wain. Blur and this new band Oasis were about to break the UK scene wide open. But boybands were also becoming a major money maker.
I call Bullshit with you! Holy crap, how the world would have sucked without Memorial Beach! Maybe Morten was more about trying to do what was popular? This is totally just a guess and my own opinion, but I felt he did this with his looks starting with this album. Before this album around Scoundrel Days and East of the Sun, to me, Morten looked genuine. By Memorial Beach, he was really sexed up and from then on out, always felt like a perfect GQ model type to me, like maybe he was losing himself to appeal to the media and fans? Maybe he was the same about music, doing what was more popular than what was genuine to him? I have tried listening to a few of his solo albums, but have a hard time with many songs. There are some truly amazing ones that feel genuine, but more that feel…made to be like other popular stuff at the time? Many covers pushing his looks, pin up photos everywhere. So many with that higher softer voice. Hardly any with that deep gravelly/scratchy one. Again, totally just a thought of mine. Could be no base for reality there. Just feel that way.
I am so in love with East of the Sun and Memorial Beach it is insane. I do like a lot of other stuff, but those songs could never even come close to touching what these albums do for me.❤
In this journey don't forget "angel in the snow" and "memorial beach" two absolutely beautiful songs
I'm not allowed to like this video 😉
This is my least favorite of all the a ha albums I think they were shooting at the usa market and dark is the night the only cut i enjoyed on this album and nearly broke in the usa way preferred the no album single follow up to this album shapes that go together that brough a ha back to there brilliant perfect pop sound and bsck up the uk singles chart well to 25 if I try