A-ha

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A-ha

A-ha is a Norwegian New Wave Band. They are the best selling Norwegian band around the world with a total of 75 million albums and singles sold. Throughout their career, A-ha has officially released 32 singles, 13 of them became top ten singles in the UK, and 14 singles have been number one on the radio lists over the world. Their biggest break came upon the released of their first single, "Take On Me".

About

A-ha was formed in Norway in 1983 by, "Pal Waaktar" and "Magne Furuholmen", former members of Bridges. "Morket Harket" joined the duo. They left Norway for London in order to make a career in a music business. They spent playing in various Scandinavian bands, including Spider Empire, Soldier Blue and Bridges. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the bands were very popular in South America, especially in Brazil. The band sold out some of the largest stadiums in the world.

In 1983, they signed a recording contract under Warner Bros. Records. They released their first single in that same year but did not get any attention from the public until it was been remixed and released again in 1985. The single sold 9 million copies worldwide and reached #1 at the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in the UK Singles Chart. The single won 7 categories in the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. Their second single, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." reached #20 in the Billboard Hot 100. These are all included in the debut album, Hunting High and Low, which was released in June 1985. The album sold 8 million copies worldwide and a Certified Platinum.

Their second album, Scoundrel Days was released in 1986. It spawned one single, "The Swing of Things". In 1987, they did the title song for the James Bond film, "The Living Daylights". In 1988, they issued their third album, Stay on These Roads. Their released their fourth album, East of the Sun, West of the Moon in 1990. It features their rendition of "Crying in The Rain". In 1992, their next album, Memorial Beach was released but failed to hit the chart. It contains the single, "Move To Memphis".

Tensions within the band had always been high and while they recorded the 1994 single, Shapes That Go Together, things finally fell apart and the band split up. The members have pursued their own career by releasing solo albums and forming new band. The trio reformed after seven years. They released their next album, Minor Earth Major Sky in 2000. The album featured the first fully web-based animated flash music video, "I Wish I Cared" and the single, "Summer Moved".

In 2001, the song "Velvet" was used in the film One Night at McCool's and featured on the soundtrack. In 2002, their next album, Lifelines was released in 2002. The album sold well in Europe. Their next album, How Can I Sleep With Your Voice in My Head was released in March 2003.

They celebrated their 20th anniversary with the released of their compilation album, The Definitive Singles Collection: 1984-2004 in 2004. The album reached #13 in the UK Albums Chart. Their latest album, Analogue was released in 2005 with the singles, "Celice" and "Cosy Prisons".

Awards & Certifications

Certifications

Chart Toppers

News

Tours & Concerts

There are no current tour and concert schedules for A-ha.

Announcements

There are no announcements as of this time

Discography

Albums

Hunting High and Low June 1985 Warner Bros.	Scoundrel Days 1986 Warner Bros.	Stay on These Roads 1988 Warner Bros.	East of the Sun, West of the Moon 1990 Warner Bros.
Memorial Beach April 1992 Warner Bros.	Minor Earth Major Sky July 17, 2000 Deep Culture	Lifelines May 14, 2002 Wea	How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head March 25, 2003 Wea
Analogue November 4, 2005 Universal International

Singles

Compilations & Live Releases

Best in Brazil 1991	Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of A-Ha September 22, 1998 Wea	Minor Earth Major Sky (Singles Box Set) March 27, 2001 Wea	Singles 1984-2004 January 11, 2005 Warner
Trilogy: Hunting High and Low/Scoundrel Days/Stay on These Roads January 3, 2006 Wea	Works August 7, 2007 Wea

Other artists

Similar artists

Influences

Trivia

• During the promotion of a-ha in the USA in the 1980s, the American media often compared Morten Harket's looks to the looks of a young Elvis Presley and James Dean.

• In 1989, a-ha played in Rio de Janeiro at the Praça da Apoteose (the place where the Rio carnaval takes place annually). The organizers expected an audience of 40,000; however 100,000 showed up.

• In 1991, a-ha set a Guinness Book World Record by playing for the largest paying audience in the world: 198,000 people.

Reviews

External Links

• A-ha Official Website

• A-ha Myspace Page