REVIEW · Songs & Albums
a-ha’s “Take On Me”: A Boundary Crossed in Sound and Drawing
Karaoke codes
The synth riff gives “Take On Me” its shape first. A short melody remains in the ear before Morten Harket’s voice traces another course. The repeating foundation and upward-reaching singing create tension within familiarity. Its introduction and high chorus are easily remembered separately, but within the song they also reveal each other’s movement.
a-ha - Take On Me (Official Video) [4K]
A Distance Made by Sound
The synth establishes a returning shape, while the vocal suggests reaching further above it. That difference prevents the bright electronic sound from remaining a lightweight backdrop. A voice seeming to address somebody introduces an emotional direction into the repeated musical form.
In Steve Barron’s video, that distance appears as the boundary between live action and drawing. Characters from different worlds attempting to meet give the musical tension a visible scene. A feeling of reaching across space becomes an event involving two distinct visual environments.
An Encounter Remade in 1985
The familiar video was not the first attempt. According to a-ha’s official account, a first video appeared in 1984; the song was rerecorded in 1985, with Barron directing its second video. Changes in both recording and visual interpretation lie behind the familiar combination of live action and drawing.
That history makes “Take On Me” more than a classic that arrived already complete. A song bearing the same name acquired another face through different sounds and images. The synth figure, Harket’s voice and the video connecting two worlds now come to mind together, but they are the result of accumulated choices. Recognition by ear and scenes remembered by sight reinforce each other.