The trio, composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (PÃ¥l Waaktaar until his marriage in 1994) and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1982 and left Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business. They chose the studio of musician, producer and soon-to-be-manager John Ratcliff, because it had a Space Invaders machine. John Ratcliff introduced Read more...

"Take on Me" was the first song Morten Harket heard Magne Furuholmen and PÃ¥l Waaktaar play in Asker. At that time the song was called "Lesson One", and the two men were still known as Bridges. After multiple re-recordings and three releases, "Take on Me" became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1985 and was the second-best selling single of 1985. The first version of the song, released in Read more...

a-ha's second album, Scoundrel Days, was released in the midst of the 1986 world tour and represented a move towards alternative rock as synthpop began to fall out of style. Although the album received favorable reviews and sent three singles to become international radio hits, the album's sales didn't match those of its predecessor (except for Switzerland, where it's a-ha's best-selling album). Read more...