How A-ha Turned a Synth Riff Into a Global Smash (Eventually)
Norwegian synth-pop and new wave band A-ha found incredible success with their debut album, Hunting High and Low, released in 1985.
Three singles came from the album: the title track, The Sun Always Shines on T.V., and, of course, the unforgettable Take On Me.
Looking back, it may seem as though everything fell into place instantly for the three Norwegian musicians. In reality, the road to success was anything but straightforward.
Take On Me, their biggest hit, was initially met with little enthusiasm. The song was released twice without making the impact the band had hoped for.
Only after it was re-recorded and paired with an extraordinary music video did it become a worldwide sensation.
The Riff That Started It All
The story of Take On Me began before Morten Harket had even joined the band. At first, all they really had was the distinctive synth riff. Hearing it helped convince Morten to join, and the riff would eventually become one of the most recognisable hooks in pop music.
It had a similar effect on Andrew Wickham, an A&R executive at Warner Bros., who signed A-ha after hearing a rough version of the song.
But record-company arrangements complicated matters. Warner Bros. represented the band in the U.S., while their U.K. release was handled by WEA. The early recording wasn’t quite right, and the original low-budget video failed to make an impression.
After two unsuccessful releases, the band were understandably frustrated. It seemed that Take On Me had become lost in record-company politics.
Fortunately, the American label recognised that the song deserved another chance.
Three Releases, One Breakthrough
The track was re-recorded, and a new video was commissioned. This time, the combination proved irresistible.
The video was the brainchild of creative director Jeff Aeroff and was directed by Steve Barron, whose other notable work includes Billie Jean, Summer of ’69, and Money for Nothing.
The creative team settled on rotoscoping, a technique in which animators trace over filmed footage frame by frame. It was painstaking work, taking 16 weeks to complete and involving around 3,000 images.
The result was unlike anything the pop audience had seen. The video moved between animation and reality, telling a romantic story in which Morten Harket and Therese Bunty Bailey are drawn into a comic-book world and pursued by a sinister motorcycle gang.
It was visually striking, emotionally engaging, and perfectly suited to the song’s energetic synth riff and soaring chorus.
Heavy rotation on MTV helped turn the third release of Take On Me into a worldwide hit. The song reached #1 in eleven countries, and A-ha became global stars seemingly overnight.
A Video That Became as Famous as the Song
The success of Take On Me is a great example of how a music video can transform a tune’s fortunes. The re-recording mattered, but the visual concept gave audiences another reason to return to the track.
The video wasn’t simply a band performance with some clever editing. It created a world around the song, with a memorable story and a visual style that people hadn’t seen before.
In the playlist above, you’ll find a three-part documentary featuring people involved in making the video, offering a closer look at how the rotoscoping technique brought it to life.
The song’s popularity has endured, too. When it was released digitally years later, it sold 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone—a reminder that its appeal extended far beyond its original MTV-era success.
Life After Take On Me
A-ha’s debut album, Hunting High and Low, sold around 10 million copies, cementing their place among the biggest acts of the decade.
The band continued releasing albums after their breakthrough, but none matched the extraordinary impact of those early years and the global phenomenon that was Take On Me.
For guitarists, the song is a useful reminder that an unforgettable tune doesn’t need a complicated arrangement to make its mark. That instantly recognisable riff, the forward-driving rhythm, and the lift into the chorus are what makes it work.
Learning Take On Me adds a defining ’80s hit to your repertoire—and a song whose story is almost as memorable as its melody.
A-ha Tunes | Related Pages
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You | Chords + TAB
You can learn to play Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E | E | Emaj7 | Emaj7 |
You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Take On Me | Chords + TAB
You can learn to play Take On Me by A-ha using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| Bm | E | A | D C#m |
We’re talking away, no, I don’t know what I’m to say…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Take On Me (A-ha) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
A-ha on the web
