Take on Me
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Take on Me" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by a-ha | ||
| from the album Hunting High and Low | ||
| Released | 1985 | |
| Format | 7" single, 12" single | |
| Recorded | 1985 | |
| Genre | Synth-pop | |
| Length | 3:46 | |
| Label | Reprise Records | |
| Writer(s) | Magne Furuholmen Morten Harket Paul Waaktaar-Savoy |
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| Producer(s) | Alan Tarney | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| a-ha singles chronology | ||
| "Take on Me" (1985) |
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (1986) |
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"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian band a-ha. The song is a track from a-ha's first album, Hunting High and Low, released in 1985. The music video for the song first aired in 1985 on local Boston music video station V66, and then subsequently on MTV. The innovative video was an amalgamation of rotoscope-style animation and live-action. The video was inspired by the animated film "Commuter" created by Michael Patterson and the movie Altered States.
An extended mix of this song appears on the Japan-only 45 R.P.M. Club EP. The music video of another a-ha song, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.", forms a sequel of sorts.
Contents |
[edit] Video summary
The saga of the video begins as a blonde young woman (played by actress Bunty Bailey[1]) is in a coffee shop (London's Kim's Café), reading a comic book about competitive motorcycle racing.
After winning the race, Morten Harket (who plays the winner of the race) winks at the girl; she raises her eyebrows. He then reaches his black and white cartoon hand through the comic book pulling the girl into his animated world with his band in tow. Through a creative effect they both view each other through a comic frame which shows them (and the band members) alternately in live-action and animation.
The waitress, coming back for the bill, angrily crumples up the comic book in retaliation for what appears as a stiffing and throws it into the trash. As this happens, two of Harket's competitors in the race come back for revenge. One, wielding an adjustable spanner, smashes the comic frame. Harket punches one of the henchmen, and retreats with the girl down a maze created by the crumpling. Harket tears a hole for the girl to escape through, as he faces the two with his own monkey wrench. The entire coffeeshop peers over the counter at the heavily newspaper-print stained girl lying next to the waste-paper basket. The startled girl grabs the crumpled comic book and runs out of the coffeeshop to her room, where she tries to smooth out the creases.
One of the panels shows Harket lying unconscious, and she begins to cry. Harket then comes back to life - appearing in the girl's room - smashing himself against the wall as he flashes back and forth between animated and live-action. Eventually, he becomes the latter, and the girl and Harket embrace.
[edit] Awards and accomplishments
The single reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. It also hit number two in the UK and number one in a-ha's native Norway. The video was nominated for Best Video at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 5, 1986.
In 2006 the song was ranked at number 24 on VH1's "Greatest Songs of the 1980s".
[edit] Trivia
- The very first version of "Take on Me" was called "The Juicyfruit Song", and was recorded during a rehearsal in 1981 by Bridges, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen's former band.
- In 1985 in Mexico the opening notes of "Take on Me" were used like a jingle for a TV campaign announcing stockings "Frescannon"
- Bunty Bailey was the name of the actress who played the girl reading the comic book in the video "Take on Me". She also dated Morten Harket for a brief period of time.
[edit] Covers
The following artists have covered the song
- Boy band A1 reached number one in the UK with a version in 2000.
- Cap'n Jazz on their compilation Analphabetapolothology.
- Captain Jack
- Grindcore band Japanische Kampfhörspiele.
- J-Pop singer Utada Hikaru performed "Take on Me" in Bohemian Summer 2000.
- Letters Lost covered the song on the album "You Are My Biggest Fan"
- Madonna, performed a Latin cover version on Saturday Night Live in 1985.
- Punk band MxPx on On The Cover.
- Ska band Reel Big Fish's version was used in the BASEketball soundtrack (1998) as well as the SEGA videogame Samba de Amigo.
- Spanish folk/metal band Mago De Oz covered "Take on Me" as a b-side for their "Diabulus in Musica" single in 2006.
- Italian Power Metal band Vision Divine covered "Take on Me" on their 2002 album Send Me an Angel.
- Strangers With Candy performed a snippet cover of this song on an MTV show called Cover Bands.
- American punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes covered "Take on Me".
- New York ska punk band Choking Victim recorded a cover of the song entitled "Corporate Tra$h," which has also been performed by No-Cash.
- German Nu-metal band Emil Bulls, both as a single and on their full length Angel Delivery Service.
- Singer Kanye West has incorporated "Take on Me" in his live performances.
[edit] Homages, parodies and references
- The music video was parodied in the Family Guy episode "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do", in which Chris Griffin is pulled into Morten Harket's comic world during a trip to the supermarket. After dancing to the song for a short time and getting chased by the monkey wrench-wielding henchmen, Chris falls out of the milk shelf through a shelf of eggs and when Lois asks, "Where have you been?", he replies, "I DON'T KNOW!"
- Chris Kattan sings along to this song in Corky Romano.
- The song, and a variation of the music video, was featured in one of the first American arcade releases of the Korean dance simulation game Pump it Up, covered by the house band BanYa.
- In the South Park episode "Asspen", the song can be heard in the background when the boys and their parents arrive in Aspen. It is also sung by Mr. Slave in the closing credits.
- The song is featured in The Simpsons episode "Future-Drama". It can be heard at Bart and Lisa's future prom.
- In a recent Weebl and Bob episode, Weebl sings a parody of the song ("Bake Me Three"). [2]
- Kanye West is known to do a small dancing bit to "Take on Me" during his live performances. video
- The webtoon Bonus Stage has an episode titled "Revenge of the Pathetic", in which Evil returns with his latest scheme, "THE HAT LASER!" When he is about to battle Phil and Joel, he says "Fine! Take me on! I'll be gone! In a day or two!" (Reference to the song's lyrics)
- The music video was also parodied as the intro to the Danish television show Zulu awards 2005, where Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen is sitting and watching it on a hotel obviously swearing at the lack of competence, while they get provided for by the shows host, comedian and actor Jan Elhøj, in which he got dragged into the music video and make his entree for the show while breaking out in the end of the music video.
- The music video "Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park appears to follow the same style of "a living comic book".
[edit] External links
- ^ Myspace webpage for actress Bunty Bailey (the female lead in the "Take on Me" music video)
- ^ Weebl and Bob parody
| Preceded by: "Oh Sheila" by Ready for the World |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (a-ha version) October 19, 1985 |
Succeeded by: "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston |
| Preceded by: "Music" by Madonna |
UK number one single (A1 version) September 9, 2000 |
Succeeded by: "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" by Modjo |
