A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’ crosses 1 billion views on YouTube
Norwegian band A-ha's classic 1985 music video for "Take On Me" garnered a special place in the music history after it crossed one billion views on YouTube, Billboard reported.
The video from the electro-pop trio -- Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen and Morten Harket – officially passed the one billion views mark on Monday.
The video is one of the three from the pre-'90s music era to join the billion-views club, the other two being "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.
A-ha is the first continental European band to accomplish this feat, and the only band from pop genre. Also, "Take On Me" is the only video from its era to use the "rotoscoping" illustration technique, according to the Billboard report.
Originally released in 1984, "Take On Me" could not make a lasting impression, until it was relaunched with the groundbreaking music video the following year, directed by Steve Barron, which blended pencil-sketch animation with over 10,000 drawings, and live action.
The video became a huge hit among the MTV viewers and spearheaded A-ha into the big league. The single peaked number one on the charts in 36 territories, and images of its band members soon became plastered on bedroom walls of fans and the front pages of music titles across the world.
A-ha, formed in Oslo in 1982 by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen and Morten Harket, rose to fame during the mid-1980s and continued its global success in the 1990s and the 21st century.
Their debut album "Hunting High And Low" ranked No. 2 in the UK charts and No. 15 in the US, and also produced "The Sun Always Shines on TV," a top-20 hit. The band also sold over 55 million albums in its career so far.
"Obviously the video is unique and it has some features that stand up and stand the test of time. It's hand drawn which makes it what it is," Magne Furuholmen, the band's keyboardist, told Billboard towards the end of 2019.
"The song also seems to resonate with people across time. It's just very fortunate to have such a big song in our catalogue. We probably spent a few years talking it down, trying to get people to focus on new stuff we're doing. At this point, certainly speaking for myself, I'm just surprised and proud that the song has done so well and still finds an audience," he said.
Rhino Records, to celebrate the feat, has launched a range of special collectables, including a VHS tape of the clip, an exclusive print signed by all three bandmates, and a three-print collection sketched by the video's original animators Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger.
"Take On Me" was recently restored and upgraded to 4K resolution.
A-ha also kicked off a rare tour of Australia yesterday with an open-air show at Kings Park & Botanic Garden that was sold-out.
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