Take On Me#A1 version

"Take On Me" originated from Pål Waaktaar's and Magne Furuholmen's previous band Bridges, who first composed a number called "Miss Eerie" when they were 15 and 16 years old, but felt too much like a bubblegum ad.{{cite web|url=http://www.a-ha.com/ABOUT/AHA_fullStory.aspx?PostID=105|title=Chapter 2: The Early Years — Self-confidence, Determination and Lots of Hard Work|work=A-ha.com|access-date=12 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408072225/http://www.a-ha.com/ABOUT/AHA_fullStory.aspx?PostID=105|archive-date=8 April 2009}}{{Cite episode |title=Take On Me til topps i USA |trans-title=Take On Me to the top in the USA |url=http://tv.nrk.no/serie/tidsvitne/DKOS60000214/sesong-2/episode-4 |access-date=12 January 2015 |series=Tidsvitne |network=NRK |date=8 January 2015 |season=2 |number=4 |time=3:23 |language=no}}{{cite web |url=http://www.tv2.no/a/6051904 |title=Magne Furuholmens Take on Me-riff |date=26 September 2014 |access-date=25 March 2015 |publisher=tv2.no}} Initially the band felt the riff was too pop-oriented for their band, thus the first version of the song was more "punky" in an attempt to offset the riff.{{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlTHJJX7QVU|title=a-ha – The Making of Take On Me (Episode 1) |date=1 November 2019|publisher=YouTube |author=a-ha }} The first take of the song was inspired in part by Doors member Ray Manzarek and his "almost mathematical but very melodic, structured way of playing".{{cite magazine |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=The Secret History of a-ha's Smash "Take On Me" |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-secret-history-of-a-has-smash-take-on-me-95480/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=14 May 2010 |access-date=17 November 2019}} Waaktaar considered the song too poppy for their intended dark style, but Furuholmen recalled thinking it was "quite catchy".

Soon after, Bridges disbanded. Waaktaar and Furuholmen relocated to London to try their hand in the music industry there but returned to Norway after six months of disappointment. They were joined by their school friend, singer Morten Harket, who heard the song and said the keyboard riff had the character of a universal hit sound. The three began working on demos, including a new version of the song, which was renamed "Lesson One" before it evolved into "Take On Me". In January 1983, the band returned to London in search of a recording contract. They intended the song to show off Harket's vocal range, which led to his vocals "doing this spiralling thing".

The band moved into an apartment in London and began contacting record companies and publishing houses. After a few meetings with various A&R personnel, they signed with the publishing house Lionheart. A-ha returned to Norway to earn some money; when they returned to London, they left Lionheart out of frustration.{{cite web|url=http://www.a-ha.com/ABOUT/AHA_fullStory.aspx?PostID=106|title=Chapter 3: The Story of A-ha|work=A-ha.com|access-date=10 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624181342/http://www.a-ha.com/ABOUT/AHA_fullStory.aspx?PostID=106|archive-date=24 June 2009}} They decided to record new demos, and chose the studio of musician and producer John Ratcliff, intending to re-record five songs. The band signed with Ratcliff, who introduced them to manager Terry Slater. With this encouragement, the band managed to complete some songs, including "Take On Me". After a few meetings, Slater signed them with Warner Bros. Records UK.

The band met with producer Tony Mansfield, an expert in the use of the Fairlight CMI, who mixed the demos with electronic instrumentation. The sound was not what A-ha had hoped to achieve, and the album was remixed again. The band rushed to release "Take On Me" as a single in the United Kingdom but the single only charted at 137, the lowest-charted of all A-ha songs. After this, Warner Brothers' main office in the United States decided to invest in the band, and gave them the opportunity to re-record the song.

The instrumentation included a Yamaha DX7 and PPG Wave, with Furuholmen playing the main melody on a Roland Juno-60. A LinnDrum drum machine was used on the second and third releases, with acoustic cymbals and hi-hat overdubbed. Harket sang the lead vocal using a Neumann U 47 microphone as well as a Neve microphone pre-amp and Neve equaliser.{{cite magazine|last=Buskin|first=Richard|title=Classic Tracks: A-ha – Take On Me|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar11/articles/classic-tracks-0311.htm|access-date=20 March 2011|magazine=Sound on Sound|date=March 2011}}

In 2020, former Warner Brothers UK and Reprise executive Andrew Wickham appeared in A-ha's official anniversary documentary A-ha: The Making of Take On Me, to explain how the song's success was due to several parties realising the band's true value. He detailed how the song finally became the worldwide smash hit still widely recognised today. In 1984, he was the international vice-president for Warner Bros Records America, and their A&R man in London. He said, "I got a call from Terry Slater... I couldn't believe my ears (at the band's audition) when I heard Morten Harket sing. I thought, how can somebody who looks like a film star sound like Roy Orbison? I thought, this is unbelievable."{{Cite web |last=Longi |first=Astrid |date=2023-11-09 |title=How A One-Hit Wonder Maintained A $60 Million New Worth After Moving To London |url=https://www.thethings.com/morten-harket-one-hit-wonder-maintained-a-60-million-new-worth-after-moving-to-london/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=TheThings |language=en}}

Wickham immediately signed A-ha to Warner Brothers America, after learning several previous attempts had failed to make "Take On Me" a commercial success. The next release was not successful either and featured a very ordinary performance video. He authorised considerable investment in the band: on Slater's recommendation, producer Alan Tarney was commissioned to refine the song. The new recording achieved a cleaner and more soaring sound and a coda section instead of the earlier quick fade-out; the song was soon completed and re-released in the UK, but the record label's office in London gave them little support, and the single flopped for the second time.

Wickham placed the band on high priority and applied a lateral strategy with further investment. Ayeroff's co-worker John Beug suggested they should base the video on a student animated short he had seen, called "Commuter", by Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger. Director Steve Barron shot and edited the video, where some of the segments were then drawn over by Patterson, while Reckinger did the mattes, creating a revolutionary rotoscope animated music video which took six months in total to make.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcxLyGKw48s&t=367s a-ha - The Making of Take On Me (Episode 2)][https://www.openculture.com/2020/01/watch-a-has-take-on-me-video-newly-remastered-in-4k.html Watch A‑ha’s “Take On Me” Video Newly Remastered in 4K .… and Learn About the Band’s Struggle to Make the Classic Song] The single was released in the US one month after the music video, and immediately appeared in the Billboard Hot 100 and was a worldwide smash, reaching No. 1 in numerous countries.

AllMusic journalist Tim DiGravina described "Take On Me" as "a new wave classic laced with rushing keyboards, made emotionally resonant thanks to Morten Harket's touching vocal delicacy."

{{Listen|pos=right|filename=A-ha-Take on Me.ogg|title="Take On Me"|description=A 23-second sample from "Take On Me", featuring Harket's high-pitched falsetto, with a backing track that mixes acoustic and electric guitars and electronic instrumentation|format=Ogg}}

"Take On Me" is a synth-pop song that includes acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards,{{cite web|last=Sutton|first=Michael|title=Morten Harket > Biography|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p84302|pure_url=yes}}|website=AllMusic|access-date=11 February 2009}}{{cite web|last=DiGravina|first=Tim|title=Album Review: Hunting High and Low|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r24|pure_url=yes}}|website=AllMusic|access-date=11 February 2009}} written at a tempo of 169 beats per minute.{{Cite web|title=Digital Sheet Music: Take on Me|url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0055341|work=Musicnotes|date = 20 November 2006|publisher=Sony/ATV Music Publishing|access-date=11 February 2009}} The lyrics are a plea for love{{cite magazine|last=Eddy|first=Chuck|title=Music Review: East of the Sun, West of the Moon|url=https://ew.com/article/1991/01/18/east-sun-west-moon/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=18 January 1991|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421173443/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,313013,00.html|archive-date=21 April 2009|access-date=8 March 2021|url-status=live}} and constructed in a verse–chorus form with a bridge before the final chorus. The song is written in the key of A major with a chord progression of Bm7–E–A–D–E in the verse, A–C♯m7/G♯–F♯m–D in the chorus, and C♯m–G–C♯m–G–Bm–E in the bridge. Harket demonstrates a vocal range of over two and a half octaves. He sings the lowest pitch in the song, A₂ (the tonic), at the beginning of the chorus, on the first syllable of the phrase "Take On Me". As the chorus progresses, Harket's voice hits ever higher notes, reaching a falsetto{{Cite web|last=Patterson|first=Sylvia|title=A-ha : Summer moved on|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/A-ha/3731|work=NME|date=12 February 2000|access-date=11 February 2009}}{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Paul|title=Carl Newman Talks Guilty, Nicknames, Routine|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/34119-carl-newman-talks-iguiltyi-nicknames-routine/|work=Pitchfork|date=26 November 2008|access-date=11 February 2009|archive-date=18 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318054335/http://pitchfork.com/news/34119-carl-newman-talks-iguiltyi-nicknames-routine/|url-status=dead}} and hitting the song's highest note, E₅, (the dominant) at the end. Rolling Stone has thus noted the song as "having one of the hardest-to-sing choruses in pop history". A mix of a drum machine, the LinnDrum,{{cite web|last=McGuirk|first=Mike|title=A-ha: Artist information|url=http://www.rhapsody.com/A-ha|work=Rhapsody|access-date=1 November 2009}}{{Cite web|title=A-ha: Hunting High And Low album details|url=http://www.a-ha.ru/albums.phtml?band=A-ha&year=1985|work=The Rolling Thunder Website|access-date=1 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091219080734/http://www.a-ha.ru/albums.phtml?band=a-ha&year=1985|archive-date=19 December 2009|url-status=dead}} acoustic guitars, and electronic instrumentation serves as the song's backing track.

The first release of "Take On Me" in 1984 includes a completely different recording; this mix was featured in the first video, which shows the band singing with a blue background.

File:TakeonMe video.png in a scene from the music video, which features them in a pencil-sketch animation / live-action combination (rotoscoping).|alt=]]

The second video, directed by film director Steve Barron, is the far more widely recognised video for the song. It was filmed in 1985 at Kim's Cafe and on a sound stage in London.{{cite web|url=http://a-ha.com/discography/videos/|title=Take On Me|work=A-ha.com|access-date=26 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409035652/http://a-ha.com/discography/videos/|archive-date=9 April 2011}} The video used a pencil-sketch animation and live-action combination called rotoscoping, in which the live-action footage is traced using a frame-by-frame process to give the characters realistic movements.{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/160872-american-pop-matters-ron-thompson-the-illustrated-man-unsung-2495833587.html|work=PopMatters|date=2 August 2012|title='American Pop'... Matters: Ron Thompson, the Illustrated Man Unsung|author=Maçek III, J.C.}}Keating; Pizer; Fig Leaf Software, 2002. p. 247. Approximately 3,000 frames were rotoscoped, which took 16 weeks to complete.Billboard vol. 97 no. 26 (29 June 1985), p. 37.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11485702|title=Taking on A-ha classic|publisher=BBC|access-date=10 October 2010|date=7 October 2010}} The idea of the video was suggested by Warner Bros. executive Jeff Ayeroff, who was pivotal in making "Take on Me" a globally recognised music hit.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlTHJJX7QVU a-ha – The Making of Take On Me (Episode 1)]

The music video was remastered to 2160p (4K) in 2019 from the original 35mm film and released on YouTube, while retaining its original URL and upload date of 6 January 2010. The remaster also contains new sound effects (revving motorbikes etc.) not featured on the original clip.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/a-ha-remaster-4k-take-on-me-music-video-931947/|title=A-ha Release Remastered 4K Version of Classic 'Take on Me' Video|last=Blistein|first=Jon|date=30 December 2019|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=29 May 2021}} On 17 February 2020, the music video reached one billion views on YouTube. Prior to that date, only four songs from the 20th century had reached that mark ("November Rain" and "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen)—making "Take On Me" the fifth video from that time period to do so, and the first Scandinavian act to achieve this.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8551358/a-ha-take-on-me-billion-streams-youtube|title=A-ha's 'Take On Me' Passes One Billion Streams on YouTube|last=Brandle|first=Lars|date=19 February 2020|magazine=Billboard|language=en-US|access-date=29 May 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Rice |first1=Nicholas |title=A-ha's 'Take on Me' Moves Past One Billion Streams on YouTube |url=https://people.com/music/a-ha-take-on-me-billion-streams-youtube/ |website=People |access-date=29 May 2021 |date=19 February 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Lauren M. |title=Music video for 'Take On Me' hits one billion views on YouTube |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/19/us/take-on-me-1b-trnd/ |publisher=CNN |access-date=29 May 2021|date=20 February 2020}} By September 2024, the music video had received 2 billion views on YouTube.{{Cite magazine |last=Aniftos |first=Rania |date=2024-09-25 |title=A-ha's 'Take on Me' Is the First Music Video From the 1980s to Reach 2 Billion YouTube Views |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/a-ha-take-on-me-first-music-video-from-1980s-2-billion-youtube-views-1235784375/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawFigs9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeJIk_uoSeVYeeLbOqMKVldp8I__5nTkkG7SjYs5iLmiD4dNCT9vs82uuQ_aem_FZ9YLRxaD6ejCSdKz0oyJQ |access-date=2024-09-29 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}

The video's main theme is a romantic fantasy narrative.Fiske, 1994. p. 118. It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic-book style representing motorcycle sidecar racing, in which the hero (Morten Harket) is pursued by two opponents (Philip Jackson and Alfie Curtis). It then cuts to a scene in a cafe, in which a young woman (Bunty Bailey) is reading the comic book. As she reads, the waitress brings her coffee and the bill. The comic's hero, after winning the race, seemingly winks at the woman from the page. His pencil-drawn hand suddenly reaches out of the comic book, inviting the woman into it. Once inside, she, too, appears in the pencil-drawn form as he sings to her and introduces her to his black-and-white world which features a sort of looking-glass portal where people and objects look real on one side and pencil-drawn on the other.

Back in the cafe, the waitress returns to find the woman missing. Believing the customer left without paying the bill, she angrily crumples the comic book and throws it into a bin. This causes the hero's two opposing racers to reappear as villains, one of them armed with a large pipe wrench. The racers smash the looking glass with the pipe wrench, trapping the woman in the comic book. The hero punches one of the thugs aside and retreats with the woman into a maze of paper. Arriving at a dead end, he tears a hole in the paper wall so that the woman can escape as the menacing opposing racers close in on him and they raise their pipe wrench to his face while he pulls out a pipe wrench of his own. The woman, now back in the real world and found lying beside the trash bin to the surprise of cafe guests and staff, retrieves the comic from the bin and runs home where she attempts to smooth out the creases of the crumpled pages in order to read what happens next.

The next panel shows the hero, lying seemingly lifeless, and the woman begins to cry. However, he then wakes up and tries to break out of his comic-book frames. At the same time, his image appears in the woman's hallway, seemingly torn between real and comic form, hurling himself repeatedly left-and-right against the walls, eventually falling to the floor in his attempts to shatter his two-dimensional barrier. (This scene is largely patterned after a climactic scene in the 1980 film Altered States.) He escapes from the comic book by becoming human, and as he stands up he breaks into a smile. The woman also smiles as she rushes towards him.

The story is concluded in the opening of "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." music video.{{cite book |first1=Stan |last1=Hawkins |first2=Jon Mikkel Broch |last2=Alvik |chapter=A-ha's 'Take On Me': Melody, Vocal Compulsion, and Rotoscoping |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHF0DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Take%20On%20Me%22%20%22sun%20always%20shines%20on%22%20music%20video%20-wikipedia&pg=PA91 |title=The Routledge Companion to Popular Music Analysis: Expanding Approaches |year=2019 |editor-first1=Ciro |editor-last1=Scotto |editor-first2=Kenneth |editor-last2=Smith |editor-first3=John |editor-last3=Brackett |page=91 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |location=New York City |lccn=2018022353 |isbn=978-1-138-68311-2}}

At the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for "Take On Me" won six awards—Best New Artist in a Video, Best Concept Video, Most Experimental Video, Best Direction in a Video, Best Special Effects in a Video, and Viewer's Choice—and was nominated for two others, Best Group Video and Video of the Year.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1986/|title=MTV Video Music Awards – 1986|date=5 September 1986|publisher=MTV|access-date=10 May 2009|archive-date=22 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622133625/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1986/|url-status=dead}} It was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Video at the 13th American Music Awards in 1986.{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1986/amas.htm|title=13th American Music Awards|date=27 January 1986|access-date=9 February 2009}}

The second music video was produced by Limelight Productions. The crew of the video were director Steve Barron, producer Simon Fields, cinematographer Oliver Stapleton,{{cite web|url=http://www.open2.net/castandcrew/laundrette.html|title=OU on the BBC: Cast And Crew – My Beautiful Laundrette – OpenLearn – Open University|website=Open2.net|access-date=3 May 2010|archive-date=7 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807144659/http://www.open2.net/castandcrew/laundrette.html|url-status=dead}} editor Richard Simpson from Rushes Film Editing,Laurent Labuche: A-ha, la vérité sur un groupe de légende. Paris 2003, p. 47 and animators Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger.

The music video and song have often been referred to in cover versions, films, TV programmes and video games. The Family Guy episode "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do" includes a licensed, re-edited version of the video.{{cite web |url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/family-guy-recreates-ha-s-take-me |title='Family Guy' recreates a-ha's "Take on Me" |first=Joe |last=Strike |date=29 August 2005 |access-date=9 December 2018 |publisher=Animation World Network |archive-date=9 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209212749/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/family-guy-recreates-ha-s-take-me |url-status=dead }} Volkswagen created a television advertisement inspired by the video.{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/popcandy/2013/09/18/volkswagen-take-on-me/2830907/ |title=Video: Volkswagen gets inspired by A-ha's 'Take on Me' |first=Whitney |last=Matheson |date=18 September 2013 |access-date=9 December 2018 |work=USA Today}} The video was also one of the first to be made into a so-called literal music video.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rocking-literally-the-story-behind-take-on-me-head-over-heels-video-parodies-20081016 |title=Rocking Literally: The Story Behind "Take on Me," "Head Over Heels" Video Parodies |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=6 October 2008 |access-date=26 March 2011 |first=Caryn |last=Ganz |archive-date=15 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515074517/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rocking-literally-the-story-behind-take-on-me-head-over-heels-video-parodies-20081016 |url-status=dead}} The visuals of the video were used as an homage for Paramore's music video for "Caught in the Middle".{{cite web|last=Zimmerman |first=Lee |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/06/watch-haley-williams-and-co-run-from-large-fruit-i.html |title=Watch Hayley Williams and Co. Run from Large Fruit in "Caught in the Middle" Video :: Music :: News :: Paramore |date=26 June 2018 |work=Paste |access-date=10 July 2018}}

In 2021, Rolling Stone listed "Take On Me" at number 14 on their list of the 100 greatest music videos.{{Cite magazine |last1=Sheffield |first1=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |last2=Browne |first2=David |last3=Conteh |first3=Mankaprr |last4=Ehrlich |first4=Brenna |last5=Fear |first5=David |last6=Fontoura |first6=Maria |last7=Freeman |first7=Jon |last8=Garber-Paul |first8=Elisabeth |last9=Greene |first9=Andy |display-authors=1 |date=30 July 2021 |title=The 100 Greatest Music Videos |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-music-videos-1194411/a-ha-take-on-me-4-1195764/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731060955/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-music-videos-1194411/a-ha-take-on-me-4-1195764/ |archive-date=31 July 2021 |access-date=5 March 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}

File:A-ha_at_Irving_Plaza_1_-_Flickr_-_Whistling_in_the_Dark.jpg

"Take On Me", mixed by Tony Mansfield, was originally released in 1984 but failed to make an impact in the United Kingdom. This release peaked at number 3 in Norway{{cite web|url=http://norwegiancharts.com/archiv.asp?todo=show&woche=47&jahr=1984&sparte=s|title=A-ha – Take On Me (Song)|work=VG-lista|publisher=Verdens Gang|access-date=10 February 2009}} but failed to reach audiences abroad.{{cite web|last=Hayes|first=Kevin|title=A-ha > Biography|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3491|pure_url=yes}}|website=AllMusic|access-date=10 February 2009}}{{Cite web|title=a-ha – Take On Me at Discogs|website=Discogs|year=1984 |url=http://www.discogs.com/a-ha-Take-On-Me/master/197374|access-date=5 July 2015}} The group re-recorded the song with the help of producer Alan Tarney, releasing the new version in 1985.

In the United States, Warner Bros. invested in the revolutionary second video for "Take On Me", which used Tarney's version of the song. The new video was released to dance clubs and television a month before the record was available in stores or played on the radio.{{Cite news |last=Van Matre |first=Lynn |date=1985-11-03 |title=Rockin' video is here to stay, but the big picture isn't clear |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-rockin-video-is-here-to/164555539/ |access-date=2025-02-02 |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=22, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-rockin-video-is-here-to/164555609/ 23] Section 13 |via=Newspapers.com}} Wide exposure on MTV helped propel the single to the top of Billboard's Hot 100, reaching number one in the issue dated 19 October 1985 (its fifteenth week on the chart). It remained on the chart for twenty-seven weeks{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/a-ha/chart-history/hsi/|title=a-ha Take On Me Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2 July 2018}} and ranked ten in the 1985 year-end chart. As of June 2014, the song has sold 1,463,000 digital copies in the US after it became available for download in the digital era.{{cite news |url=https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/chart-watch-maroon-5-beats-coldplay-211508183.html |title=Chart Watch: Maroon 5 Beats Coldplay |last= Grein |first= Paul |work=Chart Watch (Yahoo Music) |date=25 June 2014}} To celebrate 65 years of the Hot 100, in 2023 Billboard staff ranked the 500 Best Pop Songs that graced the chart since 1958, placing the song at number 26.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-pop-songs-all-time-hits/96-naughty-by-nature-o-p-p-2/ |title=The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List |magazine=Billboard}}

"Take On Me" was released for the third time in the United Kingdom in September 1985. The record debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 55 and in late October reached number 2, where it remained for three consecutive weeks, held off the top spot by Britain's biggest single of the year, Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love". On 14 August 2020 it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

In Norway, A-ha's native country, "Take On Me" re-entered the VG-lista singles chart, reaching number one a year after it was first released. The single was largely successful elsewhere, reaching the top of the Eurochart Hot 100 for nine weeks, topping the singles charts in many countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and reaching the top three in France and number two in Ireland.

7-inch: MCA / MCA-9146 United Kingdom (1984)

1. "Take On Me" (original version) – 3:18
2. "And You Tell Me" – 1:48

• Track 1 is produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff with A-ha.

12-inch: MCA / MCA-9146T United Kingdom (1984)

1. "Take On Me" (long version) – 3:46
2. "And You Tell Me" – 1:48
3. "Stop! And Make Your Mind Up" – 2:57

• Track 1 is produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff.

7-inch: MCA / MCA-9006 United Kingdom (1985)

1. "Take On Me" (single version) – 3:49
2. "Love Is Reason" – 3:04

• Track 1 is produced by Alan Tarney.
• Track 1 is the same version as the album version.

12-inch: MCA / MCA-9006T United Kingdom (1985)

1. "Take On Me" (extended version) – 4:50
2. "Love Is Reason" (LP version) – 3:04
3. "Take On Me" (single version) – 3:49

• Tracks 1 and 3 are produced by Alan Tarney.
• Track 3 is the same version as the album version.

7-inch: MCA / MCA-29011 United States (1985)

1. "Take On Me" – 3:46
2. "Love Is Reason" – 3:04

• Track 1 is produced by Alan Tarney.
• Track 2 is produced by John Ratcliff with A-ha.

12-inch: Warner Bros. / PRO-A-2291 (Promo) United States (1985)

1. "Take On Me" (long version) – 4:47 (a.k.a. "Extended Version")
2. "Take On Me" (single version) – 3:46

• Tracks 1 and 2 are produced by Alan Tarney.

Credits adapted from Sound on Sound.

• Morten Harket – lead vocals
• Magne Furuholmen – Roland Juno-60 and PPG Wave synthesisers, backing vocals
• Pål Waaktaar – guitars, PPG Wave and Yamaha DX7 synthesizers, LinnDrum programming, hi-hat and cymbal, backing vocals
• Neill King – engineering (1984 version)
• Alan Tarney – production
• John Ratcliff – producer and re-mixing (1984 version)
• Barry Grint – mastering

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{{col-2}}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Take On Me"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|type=single|artist=A-ha|title=Take On Me|award=Gold|salesamount=100,000|salesref=|certref={{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/80s/1986/M&M-1986-12-27.pdf|title=European Gold & Platinum Awards 1986|magazine=Music & Media|page=33|date=27 December 1986|access-date=10 June 2020}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|relyear=1985|certyear=2024|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=12 August 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|relyear=1985|certyear=2023|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|id=13037|access-date=18 October 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|relyear=1985|certyear=1985|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|award=Gold|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|relyear=1985|certyear=1985|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|award=Gold}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|artist=A-ha|title=Take On Me|award=Gold|salesamount=300,000|salesref=|note=1985–1986 sales|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|relyear=2009|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=2023|id=11526|note=since 2009 sales|access-date=27 October 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|relyear=2009|certyear=2015|certmonth=7|title=テイク・オン・ミー|artist=a-ha|type=single|digital=true|award=Gold}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|relyear=1985|certyear=2024|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|award=Platinum|number=4|id=file_2024-07-25-10-55-03.pdf|access-date=31 July 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|number=3|relyear=1985|certyear=2024|artist=A-ha|title=Take On Me|accessdate=1 October 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1985|certyear=1985|id=6446-993-1|access-date=15 December 2021|note=Physical}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Take On Me|artist=A-Ha|type=single|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=6446-2427-1|date=19 April 2024|access-date=19 April 2024|note=Digital|refname="Aha-BPI"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Take On Me|artist=a-ha|type=single|nocert=true|salesamount=1,463,000|salesref=|access-date=15 December 2021|note=Digital}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

In 2017, A-ha appeared on the television series MTV Unplugged and played and recorded acoustic versions of many of their popular songs for the album MTV Unplugged – Summer Solstice in Giske, Norway, including "Take On Me".{{cite news |last=Hoftun Gjestad |first=Robert |date=23 June 2017 |work=Aftenposten |language=Norwegian Bokmål |title=Etter 30 år med "tension" fant a-ha tonen igjen i kampen mot en felles fiende |trans-title=After 30 years of "tension", A-ha found their sound again, in their fight against a common enemy |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/i/GVyxq/etter-30-aar-med-tension-fant-a-ha-tonen-igjen-i-kampen-mot-en-felles |url-access=subscription}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Take On Me

| cover = Take On Me Reel Big Fish.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Reel Big Fish

| album = BASEketball {{noitalic|and}} Why Do They Rock So Hard?

| released = {{Start date|1998}}

| recorded = 1998

| studio =

| genre = Ska punk

| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=14}}

| label = Mojo

| writer = * Magne Furuholmen

• Morten Harket
• Pål Waaktaar

| producer =

| prev_title = Sell Out

| prev_year = 1997

| next_title = Where Have You Been?

| next_year = 2002

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|QHpU0ZfXZ_g|"Take On Me"}}

}}

}}

In 1998, ska punk band Reel Big Fish covered "Take On Me" for the film BASEketball. The song was later released on the BASEketball soundtrack and the international version of their album Why Do They Rock So Hard?{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Album Review: Baseketball|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r366618|pure_url=yes}}|website=AllMusic|access-date=13 February 2009}}{{cite web|last=Greene|first=Jo-Ann|title=Album Review: Why Do They Rock So Hard?|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r379866|pure_url=yes}}|website=AllMusic|access-date=13 February 2009}} The band also performs the song at concerts.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1424644/19980331/A-ha.jhtml|title=Reel Big Fish Plays Surprise Show, Takes On A-ha|date=31 March 1998|publisher=MTV|access-date=13 February 2009|archive-date=14 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414010934/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1424644/19980331/a-ha.jhtml|url-status=dead}} Reel Big Fish released a video clip for "Take On Me", directed by Jeff Moore,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5925261/reel_big_fish_baits_ska_fans_with_new_disc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414225846/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5925261/reel_big_fish_baits_ska_fans_with_new_disc|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 April 2009|title=Reel Big Fish Baits Ska Fans With New Disc|date=29 July 1998|author=Layne, Anni|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=RealNetworks, Inc|access-date=13 February 2009}} and features the band playing the song while walking down an aisle in the stadium, and playing a game of BASEketball interlaced with clips from the film. An alternative video for the song's international release that contained only the stadium aisle footage was also released. Reel Big Fish also included a live version of the song in their live album Our Live Album Is Better than Your Live Album and live DVD's You're All in This Together and Reel Big Fish Live! In Concert!{{cite web|last=Apar|first=Corey|title=Album Review: Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r849889|pure_url=yes}}|website=AllMusic|access-date=10 May 2009}}

• CD single

1. "Take On Me" – 3:02
2. "Alternative Baby" – 2:56
3. "Why Do All the Girls Think They're Fat?" – 2:22

• Aaron Barrett – celesta, guitar, lead vocals, synthesizer
• Grant Barry – trombone
• Andrew Gonzales – drums
• Scott Klopfenstein – celesta, keyboards, trumpet, vocals
• Dan Regan – screams, trombone
• Tavis Werts – flügelhorn, trumpet
• Matt Wong – bass guitar, vocals

{{clear}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Take On Me

| cover = Take on Me a1.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = A1

| album = The A List

| B-side = I Got Sunshine

| released = {{Start date|2000|08|28|df=y}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=46}}

| label = Columbia

| writer =

• Magne Furuholmen
• Morten Harket
• Pål Waaktaar

| producer =

| prev_title = Like a Rose

| prev_year = 2000

| next_title = Same Old Brand New You

| next_year = 2000

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|EbCsIKI6HEU|"Take On Me"}}

}}

}}

On 28 August 2000,{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2000/Music-Week-2000-08-26.pdf|title=New Releases – For Week Starting August 28, 2000: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=29|date=26 August 2000|access-date=4 August 2021}} British-Norwegian boy band A1 released a cover of "Take On Me" for their second studio album, The A List.{{cite web|last=Promis|first=Jose F.|title=Album Review: The A-List|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r533657|pure_url=yes}}|website=AllMusic|access-date=13 February 2009}} Despite being panned by music critics, who called it a "lame cover version"{{cite web|title=A1 Biography|url=https://www.nme.com/artists/a1|work=NME|access-date=13 February 2009}} and a "note for note copy" that seems like "a re-release of the original";{{cite web|last=Flynn|first=Jackie|title=A1 – Take On Me|url=http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/l_reviews_s/15078.html|work=Launchcast|date=21 August 2000|access-date=13 February 2009|archive-date=16 March 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050316185318/http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/l_reviews_s/15078.html|url-status=dead}} it was commercially successful, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and Norway.

The music video was directed by Stuart Gosling. It features A1 entering a computer world by putting on virtual reality glasses after finding out about a deadly computer virus. After flying for a distance, they find the virus and destroy it, saving humanity.{{cite web|title=A1, "Take on Me" video|url=https://www.nme.com/video/id/GjOgBqp61MM/search/A1|work=NME|date=7 October 2000|access-date=13 February 2009}} {{dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}} The video was inspired by the 1982 live-action science fiction film Tron.{{Cite web|title=The Wild 1S|url=https://www.nme.com/news/a1/4598|work=NME|date=7 October 2000|access-date=13 February 2009}}

• UK CD1{{cite AV media notes|title=Take On Me|others=A1|year=2000|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=Columbia Records|id=669590 2}}

1. "Take On Me" – 3:31
2. "Beatles Medley (I Feel Fine / She Loves You)" – 3:20
3. "I Got Sunshine" – 3:41
4. A1 multimedia trailers

• UK CD2{{cite AV media notes|title=Take On Me|others=A1|year=2000|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=Columbia Records|id=669590 5}}

1. "Take On Me" (UK 2K Mix) – 3:25
2. "Take On Me" (Metro extended club mix) – 6:02
3. "Take On Me" (D-Bop Saturday Night Mix) – 7:52
4. "Take On Me" (video)

• UK cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=Take On Me|others=A1|year=2000|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Columbia Records|id=669590 4}}

1. "Take On Me" – 3:31
2. "I Got Sunshine" – 3:41

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Weekly charts

{{col-2}}

Year-end charts

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Take On Me"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|artist=A1|title=Take On Me|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2000|certyear=2000|nosales=true|access-date=6 February 2009}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=A1|title=Take On Me|award=Silver|type=single|relyear=2000|certyear=2000|id=6446-2070-1|date=29 September 2000|access-date=23 December 2020}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

On 27 August 2015, fellow Norwegian musician Kygo released a remixed version via iTunes to help promote the rollout of the Apple Music streaming service. His version foregoes the iconic keyboard riffs and instead features a new one.{{cite web |url=http://a-ha.com/news/articles/kygo-releases-remix-of-take-on-me/ |title=a-ha.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201150206/http://a-ha.com/news/articles/kygo-releases-remix-of-take-on-me/ |archive-date=1 February 2016 }} The style of his version has been described as tropical house.{{cite web |url=https://www.youredm.com/2015/08/26/kygo-unveils-his-a-ha-remix-it-might-just-be-his-best-song-yet/ | title=Youredm.com| date=26 August 2015}} As of April 2021, the song has amassed more than 15 million listens on YouTube and 36 million listens on Spotify. The remix preserves Harket's original vocals (albeit with processing effects and a different arrangement).

In the 2015 video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a cassette of "Take On Me" can be obtained as a secret collectible.

A version of this song was performed on the series finale, "Chuck vs. The Goodbye", of the television show Chuck which aired on 27 January 2012. The song was performed by Scott Krinsky and Vik Sahay of "Jeffster" – a fictional band consisting of their characters Jeffrey Barnes ("Jeff-", for Jeffrey), portrayed by Krinsky, and Lester Patel ("-ster", for Lester), portrayed by Sahay.

A cover by D. A. Wallach was featured in the film La La Land. Wallach makes an appearance as the lead singer of a 1980s pop cover band that features Sebastian Wilder, one of the film's two protagonists.{{Cite web|url=https://aaas.fas.harvard.edu/news/la-la-land-features-music-aaas-alumnus-d-wallach|title='La La Land' Features AAAS Alumnus D. A. Wallach|website=aaas.fas.harvard.edu|access-date=16 February 2018|archive-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029083448/https://aaas.fas.harvard.edu/news/la-la-land-features-music-aaas-alumnus-d-wallach|url-status=dead}} The cover was released as part of the album La La Land: The Complete Musical Experience.{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/albums/Various-artists/La-la-land-the-complete-musical-experience|title=La La Land – The Complete Musical Experience by Various Artists|website=Genius|access-date=16 February 2018}}

American rock band Weezer included a cover version of the song in their 2019 covers compilation The Teal Album. An accompanying music video was released on 12 February 2019, in which rock band Calpurnia—led by frontman Finn Wolfhard ("Mike" in the Netflix original series Stranger Things) who also plays a younger version of Weezer's own frontman, Rivers Cuomo—performs the cover. The video, set in 1985 in the "Cuomo Residence", shows Wolfhard (as Cuomo) and the rest of Calpurnia, lip-syncing to the song while "rehearsing" it in the residence's living room; the video features camera work that pays homage to the original video by a-ha.{{Cite magazine |title=Watch Weezer Tap Finn Wolfhard's Calpurnia For New 'Take On Me' Video |url=https://www.musicnewsnet.com/2019/02/calpurnia-stars-in-new-weezer-video-for-a-has-take-on-me.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627000920/https://www.musicnewsnet.com/2019/02/calpurnia-stars-in-new-weezer-video-for-a-has-take-on-me.html |archive-date=27 June 2019 |access-date=21 May 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} Near the end of the video, Wolfhard is shown sitting at a desk in his bedroom, scribbling possible names for his new band on a page of a notebook (the name Weezer is shown as option No.3). He then turns the page to draw what would become Weezer's band logo. The video also features some scenes of Calpurnia playing, filmed with the rotoscoping technique that made the original a-ha video famous.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8498070/weezer-take-on-me-video|title=Weezer's 'Take On Me' Video Features Calpurnia's Finn Wolfhard as Young Rivers Cuomo: Watch|magazine=Billboard|access-date=16 February 2019}} The cover version, set a semitone lower than the original version (i.e. A-flat major), was also used in the closing scene of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, wherein Bikini Bottom was turned into a "sea snail refuge".

On 11 October 2019, the Dutch DJs Lucas & Steve released "Perfect", a single that greatly adopts on the music of "Take On Me". The single features on the vocals of the Dutch X Factor fifth season winner Haris Alagic known by the mononym Haris. Released on Spinnin' Records in the EDM and deephouse style, it was accompanied by an official music video.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84bv7WV0SGo Spinnin' Records YouTube: Lucas & Steve – "Perfect" (feat. Haris) [Official Music Video]] The song was greatly successful on the Dutch Singles Chart as well as on the Polish Airplay Chart and also appeared on the Tipparade of the Belgian charts. There was a successful "Perfect (LUM!X Remix)" released.

In a scene in the video game Last of Us: Part 2 (2020), a acoustic version of Take On Me is played.

The song "Feel This Moment", performed by American rapper Pitbull featuring American singer Christina Aguilera, samples the instrumental riff of "Take On Me".{{cite magazine|first=Jason|last=Lipshutz|url=http://m.billboard.com/v/News/PitbullChristinaAgui/?KSID=048214aa0f619cfc22d9f17d8d5f1bb2&ints_viewed=1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110160821/http://m.billboard.com/v/News/PitbullChristinaAgui/?KSID=048214aa0f619cfc22d9f17d8d5f1bb2&ints_viewed=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 January 2013|title=Pitbull and Christina Aguilera Sample A-ha's 'Take On Me': Hear Song Snippet|date=25 October 2012|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date=13 June 2021}}

The debut single of K-pop boygroup Zerobaseone, "In Bloom", samples "Take On Me".{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/zerobaseone-in-bloom-boys-planet-3465475|author=Gladys Yeo|title=ZEROBASEONE are 'In Bloom' on their debut single|date=10 July 2023|access-date=11 July 2023|website=nme}}

Upon release, the song "Blinding Lights" by the Weeknd has been frequently compared to "Take On Me",{{Cite web |author1=Rob Laing |date=2 March 2023 |title=A-ha interview: "We were convinced that the record company would drop us and everything was over before it began" – the story of Take On Me and their debut album Hunting High And Low |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/aha-interview-hunting-high-and-low-take-on-me |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}} including by both the Weeknd{{Cite web |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=8 April 2020 |title=The Weeknd Goes Track-by-Track (Almost) on 'After Hours' |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/the-weeknd-after-hours-track-by-track-1234574136/ |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} and Morten Harket himself,{{Cite web |last=Ryan |first=Gary |date=2 September 2022 |title=A-ha: "I knew 'The Masked Singer' would be shitty" |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/a-ha-morten-harket-masked-singer-pet-shop-boys-3301940 |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} although the song contains no direct samples or cover elements.

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914 Music video] in 4K resolution
• [https://celemusic.com/take-on-me-sheet-music/ Take On Me sheet music] a-ha

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book

| last = Fiske

| first = John

| title = Reading the Popular

| year = 1994

| publisher = Routledge

| isbn = 0-415-07875-X

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Keating

| first = Jody

|author2=Pizer, Tom

| title = Inside Flash

| year = 2002

| publisher = New Riders

| isbn = 0-7357-1105-4

}}

{{refend}}

{{A-ha}}

{{A1 (band)}}

{{Weezer}}

{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects}}

{{MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1984 debut singles

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