A-ha
a-ha is a Norwegian pop music band. The trio, composed of Morten Harket, Pål Waaktaar, and Magne Furholmen formed in 1983, and left Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business. "Take on Me", their debut single, was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1985 (see 1985 in music); sales were aided in the US by an innovative video on MTV which utilized stop-motion photography. In spite of the single's greater popularity in the US, the album, Hunting High and Low, sold better in the UK. Critics at the time mostly dismissed the band as bubblegum pop.
a-ha's second album was Scoundrel Days (1986 in music), and represented a move towards alternative rock. In 1987 (1987 in music), they provided the title song for the James Bond film The Living Daylights. Stay on These Roads (1988 in music) received more mixed reviews than the previous albums. In spite of a drastic decline in sales in the next few years, a-ha continued to record two more albums, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990 in music) and Memorial Beach (1993 in music).
a-ha split up in 1993, their members focusing on solo activities, but not after coming together in 1994 to perform for the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, including their song composed for the Winter Para-Olympics, "Shapes That Go Together". After a very well-received one-off performance of "The Sun Always Shines on TV" and a new song, "Summer Moved On", at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 1998, the threesome returned to the studio and recorded 2000's (2000 in music) Minor Earth Major Sky, which resulted in a new tour, and a videocast performance of a-ha (with Briskeby) opening the new Vallhall stadium in Oslo. This album and 2002's (2002 in music) Lifelines were both proof of the fact that their fanbase was still there and they were also able to attract new audiences, especially in Central Europe and Scandinavia, where the albums sold extremely well. They appeared again at the Nobel Peace Prize concert, in 2001. ( A live album (from their 2002 tour) with the title How Can I Sleep With Your Voice in My Head was released in March of 2003, preceded by a live single of the 1986 classic "The Sun Always Shines On TV".
Albums
DVDs