You’ve heard it. Thousands of times. In grocery stores, at weddings, in that one Family Guy skit, and definitely on every "80s Night" playlist ever conceived by a local DJ. But when you really sit down to listen to a-ha Take on Me, you aren't just hearing a synth-pop relic; you’re engaging with one of the most statistically improbable successes in music history.
It’s easy to dismiss it as bubblegum. The high note, the denim, the sketch-pad animation—it’s all so very 1985. However, there’s a weird, dark complexity under the hood that most people ignore because they’re too busy trying (and failing) to hit Morten Harket’s high E.
The Song That Refused to Die
Most hits follow a trajectory: release, climb, peak, nostalgia. "Take on Me" didn't do that. It failed. Twice.
The original 1984 version—produced by Tony Mansfield—is almost unrecognizable if you’re used to the radio edit. It’s thin. It’s clunky. It features a Toytown-style keyboard riff that feels more like a nursery rhyme than a global anthem. When it was first released in the UK, it sold next to nothing. Most bands would have packed it in right then, headed back to Oslo, and found day jobs. But a-ha, consisting of Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy, were stubbornly convinced they had a masterpiece.
They re-recorded it with Alan Tarney. They added the "blue-eyed soul" vocal delivery. They leaned into the LinnDrum. Still, it didn't ignite. It took a massive gamble from Warner Bros. executive Jeff Ayeroff and a $100,000 music video budget—a staggering amount at the time—to turn the song into the cultural behemoth we know.
Honestly, the song is a masterclass in persistence. Without that third attempt, the "listen to a-ha Take on Me" experience wouldn't exist for us today. It would be a footnote in a crate-digger’s collection.
That Riff is More Sophisticated Than You Think
Magne Furuholmen actually wrote the core riff when he was 15 years old. He played it on a flute-like organ. Pål Waaktaar-Savoy hated it at first, calling it "too poppy."
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If you strip away the 80s gloss, the song is built on a very clever harmonic structure. It’s in A Major, but it spends a lot of time flirting with its relative minor. This creates that specific "Nordic melancholy" that defines the band’s later, darker work.
- The Verse: It’s nervous. The bassline jumps around.
- The Bridge: It builds tension using a series of ascending chords that mirror the lyrical uncertainty.
- The Chorus: Total release.
When you listen to a-ha Take on Me, notice the percussion. It isn't just a standard 4/4 beat. There’s a syncopation in the synth-brass stabs that keeps the energy from flattening out. It’s jittery. It’s anxious. It’s the sound of a guy trying to convince a girl to take a chance on him before the moment vanishes.
Morten Harket’s Vocal: A Technical Nightmare
Let’s talk about the voice. Morten Harket has a five-octave range. Most pop singers have two, maybe three if they’ve had a good breakfast.
In "Take on Me," he covers two and a half octaves in just the chorus. He starts in a low, almost conversational baritone during the verses: "Talking away / I don't know what I'm to say." Then, the leap happens. The "In a day or TWOOOOO" is a full-voiced belt that transitions into a crystalline falsetto.
It’s incredibly hard to sing. If you've ever been to karaoke, you know this. You see the confidence in a person’s eyes when the song starts, and then you see the sheer terror when the chorus arrives. Harket makes it sound effortless, but if you listen closely to the isolated vocal tracks—which are available on various anniversary editions—you can hear the physical strain and the precision of his breath control.
The Video: Beyond the Pencil Sketches
You can't talk about the song without the video. Directed by Steve Barron, the "rotoscoped" animation took months to complete. Each frame was hand-drawn over live-action footage.
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But why did it work? It wasn't just the tech. It was the narrative. It’s a meta-commentary on escaping reality. The girl (Bunty Bailey) literally leaves a greasy spoon cafe to enter a romantic, idealized comic book world. It’s a literal representation of what music does for us.
Interestingly, the "villains" in the video are motorcycle racers who look genuinely menacing. There’s a sense of real peril. When the hero is banging against the walls of the comic panels, trying to get out, it’s a surprisingly claustrophobic moment for a pop video.
The "MTV Unplugged" Revelation
If you want to truly listen to a-ha Take on Me and understand its DNA, you have to hear the 2017 MTV Unplugged version.
It’s slow. It’s mournful. It sounds like a funeral march for a relationship that never happened. Without the 170 BPM tempo and the bright synths, the lyrics finally breathe. "I'll be gone in a day or two" suddenly sounds like a threat of mortality rather than a romantic invitation.
This version went viral for a reason. It proved that the song wasn't just a product of 1985 production techniques. It’s a well-written composition that holds up even when you strip it down to a piano and a cello. It highlights the "Sveve" (floating) quality that Norwegian critics often use to describe a-ha's sound.
Common Misconceptions About the Band
A lot of people think a-ha was a one-hit wonder. In the U.S., that’s largely true in terms of chart positions, though "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." did okay.
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But in Europe and South America? They are gods.
- They held the world record for the largest paying audience at a concert (198,000 people at Rock in Rio in 1991).
- They’ve released 11 studio albums, many of which are moody, alternative rock records that sound more like Radiohead than Duran Duran.
- Coldplay’s Chris Martin has repeatedly cited them as one of his biggest influences, even calling Morten Harket "the most beautiful man you've ever seen" and a "genius."
When you listen to the song now, try to hear it through that lens—not as a fluke, but as the starting gun for a forty-year career of high-level musicianship.
The Impact on Modern Pop
The "Take on Me" DNA is everywhere. You hear it in The Weeknd’s "Blinding Lights." You hear it in the synth-wave revival. You hear it in every indie band that uses a Roland Juno-60.
The song created a blueprint for the "melancholic banger"—a track that makes you want to dance while feeling slightly sad about your life choices. It’s a specific vibe that Robyn, Lorde, and Dua Lipa have all utilized.
Actionable Steps for the True Fan
If you want to go deeper than just a casual Spotify play, here is how you should actually engage with this piece of music history:
- Find the Extended Mix: The 12-inch version has a much longer intro that allows the synths to build layered textures you miss in the radio edit.
- Watch the "Making Of" Documentary: Seek out the 3part YouTube series "a-ha - The Making of Take on Me." It features the original animators and the band talking about how close they came to failing.
- Compare Versions: Listen to the 1984 "Tony Mansfield" version back-to-back with the 1985 "Alan Tarney" version. It’s the best education you can get on how production can make or break a hit.
- Explore "Hunting High and Low": Don't stop at the single. The full album is a masterpiece of mid-80s atmospheric pop. Tracks like "The Blue Sky" and "Here I Stand and Face the Rain" show the band's range.
The song is a miracle of 1980s engineering and sheer Norwegian willpower. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the third time really is the charm, and that a great melody can survive even the most dated production if the soul of the song is intact. Next time you listen to a-ha Take on Me, forget the pencil sketches for a second. Just listen to that vocal climb and the way the world seems to lift off the ground when the chorus hits. It’s still magic.