Western Music Exploration #46: Let's Get Lost in the World of Comics with a-ha's 'Take On Me'!

The music video for a-ha's 'Take On Me' was innovative, moving back and forth between reality and the world of comics.
It made us, the viewers, feel like we had somehow wandered into that world too.

They are a trio from Norway. This song was released in 1985 as their effective debut single and immediately hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
At the time, it was a huge surprise that an unknown group from a country where pop music wasn't very popular suddenly released a global smash hit.

The song is a techno-pop track with an impressive synth-driven rhythm from the intro.
Morten Harket's falsetto-infused vocals, which made him immensely popular due to his handsome looks, are beautiful, and Magne's keyboard solo has a wonderful sense of speed. It makes you feel like you're being taken somewhere far away.

The lyrics are surprisingly poignant.
'Take on me. Take me on. I'll be gone in a day or two—'
—Is this a final ultimatum of love, or a love letter written with the resolve to depart?
Either way, it depicts that moment just one step before moving on to what comes next.

And, above all, what made this song famous was its music video. It was cutting-edge for a rotoscope animation at the time.
A girl in the real world is drawn into the comic by the protagonist, Morten, and they go back and forth between reality and the comic. The sight of Morten sacrificing himself to save her from the villains is truly moving.

This video won six awards at the MTV Video Music Awards.
I just checked YouTube, and it has been viewed 2.18 billion times. Wow, that's incredible...

While this song is a-ha's biggest hit, they have had a long career since. They disbanded once in 2010, but they are active again now.
They are definitely one of the bands I want to see live if they come to Japan again.

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