Most people remember the 1985 version of Take On Me for two things: that impossibly catchy synth-pop riff and the pencil-sketch music video where Morten Harket pulls a girl into a comic book. It’s a high-energy anthem. It’s the sound of the eighties. It’s also, if we’re being totally honest, a bit of a mask. For decades, that upbeat production hid a deeply melancholic song about longing and the fragility of human connection.
Then 2017 happened.
When a-ha sat down for their MTV Unplugged session at Giske, Norway, they stripped away the drum machines. They silenced the synthesizers. What remained was a skeletal, haunting ballad that felt like hearing the song for the first time. It wasn't just a gimmick or a "stripped-back" acoustic cover. It was a revelation. It proved that underneath the neon gloss of their debut, a-ha were always master songwriters.
The Giske performance changed everything
Recording at the Ocean Sound Recordings studio in Giske, a-ha decided to lean into the isolation of the Norwegian landscape. It’s a quiet place. Cold. Breathtaking. You can hear that atmosphere in the recording. Magne Furuholmen, the man responsible for that legendary keyboard hook, swapped his synths for a piano. He played it with a deliberate, slow pace that shifted the mood from a dance floor to a funeral—or maybe a wedding. It’s hard to tell which.
The audience was tiny. Only 250 people. You can hear the silence between the notes. It’s heavy.
Morten Harket’s voice is the real star here, obviously. In 1985, he hit those high notes with a youthful, piercing intensity. In the a-ha Unplugged Take On Me version, he’s older. His voice has a bit more grit, a bit more lived-in texture. When he reaches for that final "day or two," he isn't shouting it at the rafters. He’s almost whispering it. It feels fragile, like the whole song might shatter if he breathes too hard.
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A melody reclaimed from the eighties
We often forget that Take On Me failed twice before it became a hit. The original 1984 version was clunky. It didn't have the "hook." It was only after producer Alan Tarney polished it into a pop diamond that it exploded. But for the band, that pop polish was always a bit of a double-edged sword. It made them superstars, but it also pigeonholed them as "teen idols" rather than serious musicians.
Pål Waaktaar-Savoy, the band’s primary songwriter, has often spoken about how their music is inherently darker than people realize. If you look at the lyrics to Take On Me, they aren't exactly "Walking on Sunshine."
"Talking high, tell me all the things you got to say..."
"I'll be coming for your love, okay?"
In the acoustic version, these lines feel desperate. It’s a plea for intimacy in a world that’s moving too fast. By slowing the tempo down to a crawl, the band forced the world to actually listen to the words. It’s a song about the fear of missing out on a soulmate because you’re too afraid to take the leap.
The arrangement uses a subtle string section that swells in the background. It doesn't crowd Morten. It supports him. There’s no big "drop." There’s no payoff other than the emotional release of that final, sustained note. It’s a masterclass in restraint.
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Why this version went viral decades later
You’ve probably seen the YouTube comments. People saying they cried. People saying they played this at their father's funeral. People who hated the original but love this. Why did a 30-year-old song suddenly become the soundtrack to everyone’s emotional breakdown in the late 2010s?
It’s about authenticity.
In an era of Auto-Tune and over-produced TikTok hits, hearing three guys in their 50s play a song perfectly on acoustic instruments is refreshing. It’s raw. The MTV Unplugged format was designed for this, but few bands executed it as well as a-ha. Most bands just play their hits on acoustic guitars and call it a day. A-ha completely reimagined the DNA of their biggest hit.
Even Hollywood noticed. The song found a second life in Deadpool 2. During a particularly emotional scene involving Ryan Reynolds’ character, the acoustic Take On Me plays. It worked because the song now carries the weight of nostalgia and loss. It’s no longer just a song you dance to at a wedding; it’s a song that reminds you of everything you’ve lost and everything you’re still trying to hold onto.
The technical brilliance of the arrangement
Let's nerd out for a second. The original is in B minor/A major and moves at a clip of about 169 BPM. It’s fast. It’s driving.
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The a-ha Unplugged Take On Me version drops the tempo significantly. This allows the harmonic transitions to breathe. When Magne plays those suspended chords on the piano, they hang in the air. You get to hear the dissonance and the resolution in a way the synth-pop version glosses over.
- The Vocals: Morten stays in his lower register for much longer, which builds more tension for the falsetto.
- The Percussion: It’s minimal. A light brush on the snare. It keeps time without demanding attention.
- The Strings: They add a cinematic quality that elevates the song from "pop" to "composition."
It’s interesting to note that the band didn't even want to do "Take On Me" at first. They were worried it wouldn't work without the iconic riff. But by turning that riff into a gentle piano motif, they proved the melody was strong enough to stand on its own.
The legacy of the Giske sessions
The album, titled Summer Solstice, features other gems, but nothing quite reached the cultural heights of the Take On Me rework. It reminded the music industry that a-ha has one of the most consistent discographies in pop history. From Hunting High and Low to Foot of the Mountain, they’ve always been obsessed with melody and atmosphere.
If you haven't watched the video of the performance, you should. The lighting is dim. The band looks focused. There’s a moment toward the end where Morten closes his eyes, and you can tell he’s not just performing—he’s feeling the weight of the song’s history. It’s thirty years of touring, fame, breakups, and reunions distilled into four minutes.
It’s rare for a band to "fix" a song that wasn't broken, but that’s exactly what they did. They took a perfect pop song and turned it into a perfect piece of art.
How to truly appreciate this version
To get the most out of the a-ha Unplugged Take On Me experience, don't just listen to it as background music while you're doing chores. It deserves more than that.
- Use high-quality headphones: The production on the Summer Solstice album is incredible. You want to hear the wood of the piano and the breath in Morten's microphone.
- Watch the live film: Seeing the band's interaction—the nods, the subtle cues—adds a layer of depth to the audio.
- Compare back-to-back: Listen to the 1985 version, then immediately play the 2017 version. The contrast is jarring in the best way possible. It highlights exactly how much the meaning of a song can change based on its delivery.
- Explore the full Summer Solstice set: Songs like "The Sun Always Shines on TV" and "Stay on These Roads" received similar treatments and are arguably just as good, even if they didn't go as viral.
The acoustic version of Take On Me is a reminder that great songs are living things. They grow up. They age. They get a little slower and a little sadder, but if you’re lucky, they become even more beautiful in the process. Stop viewing a-ha as a one-hit-wonder from the eighties and start viewing them as the architects of some of the most enduring melodies in modern music.