in
Music
—
Before the Hit: The Story of How a-ha's 'Take on Me' Failed Twice
The iconic 1985 hit 'Take on Me' by a-ha wasn't an overnight success. It was a complete re-recording of a 1984 single that flopped. This is the story of a song that needed three attempts and a revolutionary music video to become a global anthem.
That opening synth riff is unmistakable. The soaring vocals, the pencil-sketch animation pulling you into a comic book world—a-ha's 'Take on Me' is a cornerstone of 80s pop culture. But what if I told you the global smash you know and love was actually the band's third attempt to make the song a hit? The iconic 1985 version is a story of perseverance, studio magic, and a music video that changed everything.
The First Attempt: A Darker, Unpolished Single
The journey began in 1984. A Norwegian band named a-ha, comprised of Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, and Pål Waaktaar, had a song built around a catchy keyboard riff Furuholmen had written as a teenager. The original version, produced by Tony Mansfield, was released in the UK. It had a rawer, darker, and more brooding synth-pop sound compared to the polished anthem we know today. The result? A commercial flop. The single peaked at a dismal number 137 on the UK charts, and its accompanying simple performance video went largely unnoticed.
A Second Chance and a Third Try
Despite the failure, executives at Warner Bros. saw potential. A second version, a remix by John Ratcliff, was released with another basic video, but it too failed to capture the public's imagination. The label, however, refused to give up. They decided to invest heavily, bringing in veteran producer Alan Tarney to completely re-record the track from the ground up. Tarney saw the song's potential but felt the original lacked power.
It was a great song… The first version was a bit wimpy, to be honest. It needed a bit more balls.- Alan Tarney, Producer
Tarney's production added the punch and pop gloss that the song needed. He beefed up the drum machine, polished the synths, and pushed Morten Harket's incredible vocal range to the forefront, creating the version that would soon conquer the world.
The Rotoscoped Revolution: A Video Changes Everything
With a powerful new audio recording, the band needed a visual to match. Director Steve Barron was hired to create a music video that would break the mold. He pitched a revolutionary concept: blending live-action footage with rotoscoped pencil-sketch animation. Rotoscoping, a painstaking process where animators trace over live-action film frame by frame, had never been used on this scale for a music video. The process took months and created the unforgettable narrative of a woman being pulled into a comic book world. When the video premiered on MTV, it was an absolute sensation. The constant airplay propelled the re-recorded 'Take on Me' to number one in the United States and number two in the UK. The song had finally found its audience, not just through sound, but through a visual story that was as compelling as its melody.
A Legacy Forged in Perseverance
The story of 'Take on Me' is more than just the history of a hit song; it's a lesson in artistic evolution and persistence. The initial failure of the 1984 version wasn't the end but a necessary step. It took the right producer, a visionary director, and a record label's unwavering belief to transform a failed single into one of the most beloved and enduring anthems of its decade. Next time you hear that synth riff, remember the incredible journey it took to get there.