a-ha: The Movie takes on much more than the one song you know
The ubiquitous hit “Take On Me” is just a starting point in a deeper documentary about the perfectionist ’80s band
Film Reviews A-ha
To be a fan of a-ha in the United States during the late ’80s and early ’90s was to invite the same joke over and over: “Oh, is their greatest hits album an EP?” Not that a-ha ever stopped recording, or being successful in most parts of the world. But here, with the one song—you know the one—that’s used by so many movies and TV shows as shorthand for ’80s cheese, they’re best known as the band that tests your falsetto during karaoke. The same band that is often unfairly called a one-hit wonder still holds a Guinness World Record for highest concert attendance after a 1991 show in Rio de Janeiro, and by this critic’s estimation also did the second-best James Bond theme song, “The Living Daylights.” (The best, of course, is Duran Duran’s “A View To A Kill.”)
So a-ha: The Movie is not a documentary version of That Thing You Do, but it does acknowledge much of the world’s perception of the band even as it dutifully repairs their legacy. For the first half, we’re treated to numerous versions of “Take On Me,” from the original riff in a very different song to numerous (correctly) rejected incarnations, including the first single version that flopped. At least domestically, most ticket buyers will (perhaps rightfully) expect that. But what follows and surrounds the irresistible hook of that chart-topping tune is the story of a band, in their own words, that doesn’t follow either a rise-and-fall Behind The Music script or simply lean into nostalgia. It’s a compelling tale of three perfectionists who consider music to be their bond, but don’t work together very well unless they have to.
In the ’80s, singer Morten Harket was probably pinned up on almost as many European teenage girls’ walls as Tom Cruise and George Michael. It was never a role he sought, except to the extent that it attracted the attention of record labels at the beginning of the band’s career. In fact, when a-ha play live, it’s keyboardist Magne Furuholmen who acts as the frontman, bantering with the crowd and running the show. Meanwhile, guitarist Pål Waaktaar-Savoy is arguably the behind-the-scenes boss, though he hates the spotlight. Harket’s pipes encompass a magnificent vocal range, which is one reason the chorus of “Take On Me” not only stands out but endures so well: It begins low and ends super-high, spanning octaves most other rock stars can not.
The movie doesn’t try to make the case for the band’s greatness, largely because it doesn’t need to; as previously mentioned, their accomplishments set worldwide benchmarks. But it does offer some theories about why their music stalled in the U.S., and why Bono’s (possibly unintentional) crib from “The Sun Always Shines on TV” in U2’s “Beautiful Day” is exponentially better known here than the original. According to a-ha, their marketing error in the U.S. was to advance “Manhattan Skyline” as a single, with tempo changes and vocal shifts they hoped would give the trio their own “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The movie shows how they may have fought too hard with their label in this and a few other circumstances (who argues with John Barry over his credit for a Bond theme?), and capitulated too easily elsewhere (there’s a reason you only remember the videos that used rotoscoped animation, and it’s not because there weren’t others).
At one point, the movie leaps forward to the present day to show the band’s perfectionist nature in real time as they prep for MTV Unplugged. It’s a rare instance of Harket being the difficult one on camera after years of playing it effortlessly cool for magazine covers. Waaktaar-Savoy may be the control freak, and Furuholmen the resentful “little brother,” but it’s here we learn that Harket can tire of his own voice, and hates being forced to hit those high notes for too long.
Director Thomas Robsahm, who helmed the Norwegian documentary series Punx and produced 2022 Oscar nominee The Worst Person In The World, followed a-ha around for four years, enticed by the prospect of documenting the recording of their next album. That part never happened. The band broke up and reunited in that time, and still can’t agree to record anything new. Furuholmen seems to be the main holdout, thanks to a very personal reason he reveals toward the end of the film that goes far deeper than mercurial personalities or arguments over songwriting credit.
Cleverly utilizing a style of rotoscoping that’s similar to the band’s early videos, Robsahm creates flashbacks in real environments using drawn-in figures, occasionally also using it for interstitial shots he clearly wishes he had in live-action. That said, an astonishing volume of media survived from the band’s early analog days, but after achieving their biggest hit with their very first single, this film more than satisfactorily fills in gaps for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Are there omissions? Sure. The movie doesn’t reveal the story of how the band got their name (Wikipedia is your friend here), nor why they record exclusively in English, though it’s safe to assume the latter was originally a targeted marketing decision. Waaktaar-Savoy, who married an American, speaks English only to the camera (He also now spells his first name “Paul”), while Harket and Furuholmen stick to Norwegian, though they speak both languages.
Nevertheless, it further heralds an advancing wave of documentaries (including Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers) that capture musical luminaries that first excited Gen-Xers. It’s awesome the boomers can choose from so many films about The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and many more, but for children of the 1980s, even one a-ha film in the last four decades feels like a real gift. Especially since its biggest accomplishment may be to celebrate their longevity to fans, and raze the notion of the group as a nostalgia act (even if they refuse to record any new albums). After all, they’re still on tour as of this moment, with a date at the Hollywood Bowl in July. Can we get Erasure: The Movie next? Asking for a friend.
60 Comments
“Stay on These Roads” is their best song IMO.
It’s kind of not fair that they had that one and “Out of Blue Comes Green” on the same album. Spread the aching beauty around, fellas!
I really like “The Sun Only Shines On TV”. And the video is pretty good, although not as good as their classic “Take On Me” one, which it is a sequel to.
“I Wish I Cared” for me.
they have a bunch of so good power ballads. I cannot avoid loving “crying in the rain”, but “the sun only shines on tv” is my crying on the discoteque moment.
There’s at least one absolute tearjerker soaring ballad on every album and I love them for it. I’ve been a fan for so long that I prefer the original mix of “Hunting High and Low” over the remaster with the so-unnecessary strings in the bridge (even with the oh-so-80s fake “horns”), and I knew this documentary was in the works but I had no idea the movie had been released. Thanks for the heads-up!
I only found out “Crying in the rain” was a cover years later .
I absolutely love “Stay on These Roads.” Another one of theirs that doesn’t get enough attention is “Sycamore Leaves,” which is more disturbing and dark than most of their output.
Did “Living Daylights” get a U.S. release as a single? I don’t remember hearing it on the radio, but a Pretenders song featured in the movie got a shit-ton of spins. You’re absolutely right that it and “A View to a Kill” rival each other for top Bond theme, but that might be my bias toward ‘80s music speaking (Garbage’s theme for The World is Not Enough is up there, thanks to Shirley Manson’s awesomeness).
The best Bond themes are Carly Simon’s “Nobody does it better” and Sheena Easton’s “For your eyes only”
Well half of that statement is correct (sorry Sheena) 😀.I mean Gladys Knight’s Licence to Kill is infinitely better……IMO obvs.
While I am not a fan of modern Bond movies ( and love the 70s/80s themes) Chris Cornell’s “You know my name” is really really good.
People ‘round these parts hate it, but I think it’s one of the most perfect Bond themes for its movie, most which are, let’s face it, just “I don’t fucking know, just to try fit the movie title in the lyrics if you can”. But You Know My Name really did encapsulate what Bond was in Casino Royale: a blunt object in a Savile Row suit.“The coldest blood runs through my veins – you know my name”
None of the re-evaluation justifies their being such dicks to John Barry. Duran Duran at least had the right attitude about getting to work with him.
even the Adele one is one of my top Bond songs.
Acoustic version of Living Daylights goes so much harder than the OG. I will die on this hill.
I like The Living Daylights, but it isn’t powerful or bombastic enough to be a proper Bond theme IMO. The only exception to that rule is You Only Live Twice, which is so pretty (and lyrically appropriate) that it works anyway.
The biggest problem that I have with the Craig era Bonds (And I have many problems with them), is boring and forgettable the theme songs are. Even SKYFALL is just a lame sound-alike of classic tunes. (I always call it the original version of Weird Al’s SPY HARD, that fell through a wormhole and was released decades after the parody.)
I always liked “Another Way to Die” and found it quite memorable. But that’s even more of a minority opinion than my stance on “The Living Daylights.”
The Living Daylights is one of my top 5. Partly because the first 30 minutes or so of that movie are perfect. There’s an achingly nostalgic “late Cold War” vibe to the first act. The song is perfect for it. But I don’t think it was released as a single here. And yeah that Pretenders song is a JAM.
sorry if I’m wrong but isn’t this the band where the story was that the singer stalked the woman in the video?
Never heard that. Do you have a source?
No.
Apparently she was even in their next video…I wonder why that’s the story
Check it out sometime, it’s hilarious. Their next video is “The Sun Always Shines on TV” and is a direct sequel to the Take On Me video, and it’s a sad one. The guy from the comic book turns back into a comic book and runs away in pain immediately.
Stalked? What a strange word to use for a young couple in love. They dated for some time. She was his girlfriend.
Duran Duran yes. a-ha no. Carly Simon clearly yes. Madonna no, but that goes without saying.
“Nevertheless, it further heralds an advancing wave of documentaries (including Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers) that capture musical luminaries that first excited Gen-Xers.”Oh yeah all those Gen-Xers that weren’t born yet or were in diapers went crazy over Kimono My House. Keep Sparks out of articles about a-ha. Blegh.
I like the doc it’s nice to see two siblings in rock music who actually like working together and get along like brothers should.
“…that’s used by so many movies and TV shows as shorthand for ’80s cheese.”That seems REALLY reductive. The song remains popular to this day because it was synth pop/rock perfection, and even kids who were pretending to be too cool to like it at the time were secretly rocking out to it at home. Plus that hall of fame video.
I was a teenager when “Take on Me” was a hit, and I would say it’s mainly the groundbreaking video accompanying a catchy tune. On the synth pop pantheon, I would put Alphaville’s “Forever Young” or various Depeche Mode, Yaz, or Erasure songs above that.
Yeah, basically that has Vince Clark’s name in the liner notes.
I admit I rate Erasure above a-ha. But I rate Erasure above most.
Pretty sure I’m clear that I do not approve of any reduction of it. But such perspectives have been shoved in my face. South Park’s Aspen episode is the most notable, but Cobra Kai has also put that one to shame since.
I’ve always thought that the band Flock of Seagulls was the go-to reference for 80’s cheese. You know the song. You know you do.
But their main hits (I Ran – probably the one you’re talking about, Space Age Love Song and Wishing) have all aged very well. They were so ridiculous looking at the time that it was hard to take them too seriously, but those are solid tunes with great grooves underneath.
Maybe I’m showing my age here, but I think the three best Bond themes ever were Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger”, Wing’s “Live and Let Die” and Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better”. If Radiohead’s “Man Of War” was used for a Bond theme, I think that would have been in the top 4 easily:
If we are talking best Bond themes that weren’t, Muse’s Supremacy is #1…Also, who knew that Ace of Base, Blondie, Alice Cooper, and Johnny freaking Cash had submitted songs for Bond movies?!?https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/10-rejected-james-bond-themes/
Is that the one that got passed over for the sleeping aid that was the Sam Smith song (who seems like a perfectly nice person, but god their music is distilled dullness in a bottle)?
Is that the one that got passed over for the sleeping aid that was the
Sam Smith song (who seems like a perfectly nice person, but god their
music is distilled dullness in a bottle)?Nope. The video I linked was “Man of War” and was written and recorded around the time of OK Computer and was their first attempt. Give it a whirl. It’s a great track.
You’re thinking of “Spectre” which they did later and was not a great Bond theme.
Couldn’t have been as shitty as “Writing’s on the Wall.”
I think Tina is a damn good heir to Dame Shirley with Goldeneye, filling her diamante heels nicely.They need to get Bassey back for the next Bond. I’m not joking. She’s still got it. Seven decades of hits.
Oh yeah, Tina’s was great too. Love her and Shirley.
I too would like Erasure The Movie. Not that it’s needed, really, since those two are pretty accessible. But any chance for more footage of Vince and Andy dressed as ABBA is okay in my book.
I think that movie would get them…a little respect.
Living Daylights is easily in my top five Bond theme songs. I’ve always felt Bond songs, like most everything else about a Bond movie, should encapsulate everything that is pop and trendy of that particular year/time etc. While A View To A Kill certainly has that 80’s sound, The Living Daylights brought it to the next level and paired very well with the introduction of Dalton as the new Bond. License to Kill is a good theme song as well, but it throws back to earlier style and is not as easily recognizable as 1980’s as the afore mentioned.
So, current Bond themes show us that the trendy pop s0und of the current era is slow draggy ballads that you forget how they go five minutes after hearing them? Makes sad & mopey sense.
The 1st album Hunting High and Low is an 80s pop perfection
I want to get a peek of the alternate universe where a-ha became a post-punk/garage rock band.
Sorry, best we can do is…
Harket’s pipes encompass a magnificent vocal range, which is one reason the chorus of “Take On Me” not only stands out but endures so well: It begins low and ends super-high, spanning octaves most other rock stars can not.It’s from yodeling across the fjords growing up.I mean, I assume that’s what most Norwegians do.
It’s from yodeling across the fjords growing upI thought Norwegians only pined for the fjords.
Only when they’re feeling blue.
Ah, Morton Harket, who’s most famous music appearance in the recent years was a non-singing role in an Armstrong & Miller song ripping the piss out of the middle class:
A-ha actually has a new album on the way. ‘True North’, recorded in the northern part of Norway, will be released as a live album and a movie in the fall of 2022.
Video, not movie.
I’m always fascinated by how certain bands are seen as one hit wonders, just because they are in certain parts of the world. Just a few days ago I heard a (lame) joke about Jamiroquai being famous for only one song in the US, although nearly every single and album went Gold and/or platinum in the UK and many other parts in Europe.
Also there are other bands who had one hit single, but did very well with several of their albums. How do you call them?
We could call them Jimi Hendrix and Lou Reed. Each had only one top 40 single in the US, unfortunately.
also did the second-best James Bond theme song, “The Living Daylights.” This is the correct take.
The Sun Always Shines On TV is a brilliant tune, that’s what this doc should have been titled, actually. Their version of ‘Crying in the Rain’ by the Everly Bros. also awesome.