The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
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| “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.” | |||||
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| Single by a-ha from the album Hunting High and Low |
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| B-side | Driftwood | ||||
| Released | 1985 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12" | ||||
| Recorded | 1985 | ||||
| Genre | Synthpop New Wave |
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| Length | 5:06 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Pål Waaktaar | ||||
| Producer | Alan Tarney | ||||
| Certification | UK: Silver[1] | ||||
| a-ha singles chronology | |||||
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| 2003 release chronology | |||||
| "Did Anyone Approach You?" (2002) |
"The Sun Always Shines On T.V. a-ha Live" (2003) |
"Celice" (2005) |
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| 2003 cover | |||||
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"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian band a-ha, from their debut album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985. It stayed at number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1986. The single was re-released in 2003 with some minor success in Eastern Europe.
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[edit] Origin and recording
Paul said
"… we wrote 'The Sun Always Shines On T.V.,' that Andrew Wickham's secretary felt was a hit. She convinced him to make room for it. When we recorded it, we were really sick with influenza. Magne and Morten were lying in the studio on camping beds with high fevers."[2]
[edit] Release and Reception
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." was released in the spring of 1985 and became the most successful song from Hunting High and Low with "Take On Me" on the rock charts and one of the band's most recognizable and popular songs. The song peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the British Singles Chart. The song was a-ha's last Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hit, peaking at #20 on the Hot 100.
Tim DeGravine of Allmusic called the song "
The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is just as thrilling. Starting as a sad ballad, it explodes into something much more, as chugging guitars and operatic synths keep pace with Harket's evocative vocal stylings. If ever a 1980s song qualified as Wall of Sound, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." would be it."[3]
A-ha performed this song at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 1998 along side the new song, "Summer Moved On."[4]
[edit] Music video
The music video opens with a continuation of the "Take on Me" video, featuring rotoscoped animation.
The love story between Morten Harket and Bunty Bailey is given an unexpectedly bitter end. The two lovers are admiring each other in a dark forest when Harket's hand starts reverting to its animated state. Soon enough, his whole body is consumed by the animation. Hunched over, Harket sees his beloved for the last time as she bites her lip, knowing that she will never see him again. After exchanging painful glances, Harket runs into the distance and a blue explosion swallows him up, sending him back to his comic book world. The girl is left all alone in the forest.
Only at this point does the song begin, and the rest of the video has a-ha performing in an English cathedral "accompanied" by mannequins. Actually the cathedra had never been properly been used as such. It is located in London, England.[5]
[edit] Live version
A live version of "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." was the first and only single to be taken from the a-ha album How Can I Sleep With Your Voice In My Head. The original version of the song appeared on their first album Hunting High and Low. The live music video was directed by Lauren Savoy .
[edit] Track listing
- "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (Live - Single Edit)
- "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (Live - Album version)
- "Scoundrel Days" (Live)
- "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (Live) (Video Clip)
[edit] Chart
[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
| Year | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | US Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 | |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 2 | |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 8 | |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 7 | |
| British Singles Chart | 1 | |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 | |
| French Singles Chart | 10 | |
| German Singles Chart | 5 | |
| Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 5 | |
| 2003 | Hungarian Singles Chart | 9 |
| Preceded by "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys |
UK number one single January 19, 1986 |
Succeeded by "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.bpi.co.uk/
- ^ The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
- ^ Allmusic
- ^ Allmusic
- ^ Allmusic
- ^ Norwegian Singles Chart. VG-lista. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ American Single Charts. VG-lista. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ American Single Charts. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ British Single Chart. UK Top 40. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Swedish Singles Chart. Hitlista. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ French Singles Chart. Palmares. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Austrian Singles Chart. Austria Top 40. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Swiss Singles Chart. Schweizer Hitparade. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Irish Singles Chart. The Irish Chart. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ German Singles Chart. Charts-Surfer. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Italian Singles Chart. hitparadeitalia. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ [1]
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