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Printablelastdecember said: NDRU said: I think most one hit wonders actually had more than one hit, generally just because of the popularity of the first. But The Sun Always Shines on TV isn't nearly as memorable as Take ON Me, and they've evolved into proper one hit wonders, just like Men Without Hats (who remembers Antarctica?)
That said, I know some people really like them, kind of like another one hit wonder Echo & the Bunnymen. I jokingly refer to John Lennon (solo work, not Beatles) as the bigges OHW of all time, as people seem to only ever play Imagine. Well a-Ha is a one hit wonder in America but nowhere else in the world. They have 15 top 10 singles in the uk and equal success in many other countries, especially Germany and South America, where they are like the second coming. Believe it or not Take On Me was not their biggest hit in the UK, it wasnt a Number one there. as if anywhere else matters!!   My Legacy
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NDRU said: lastdecember said: Well a-Ha is a one hit wonder in America but nowhere else in the world. They have 15 top 10 singles in the uk and equal success in many other countries, especially Germany and South America, where they are like the second coming. Believe it or not Take On Me was not their biggest hit in the UK, it wasnt a Number one there. as if anywhere else matters!! I hope thats a joke?? America is about the worst musically "We went where our music was appreciated, and that was everywhere but the USA, we knew we had fans, but there is only so much of the world you can play at once" Magne F | |
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lastdecember said: NDRU said: as if anywhere else matters!! I hope thats a joke?? America is about the worst musically of course it's a joke, but more about our attitude than our music. I think America's contribution to popular music is pretty respectable (at least historically). My Legacy
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If anyone wants to catch up with A-ha but with less obvious tracks, I would recommend these 10 for starters!:
Scoundrel Days Out Of Blue Comes Green Waiting For Her Seemingly Non stop July Locust You'll never get over me Minor earth, major sun Lifelines Birthright The Summers of our youth . |
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SquirrelMeat said: If anyone wants to catch up with A-ha but with less obvious tracks, I would recommend these 10 for starters!:
Scoundrel Days Out Of Blue Comes Green Waiting For Her Seemingly Non stop July Locust You'll never get over me Minor earth, major sun Lifelines Birthright The Summers of our youth Very good choices, its impossible for me to narrow it to 10. But i will say that the emrgence in this group by MAGS (Magne Furuholmen) who mainly is the keyboard/paino/guitars guy, over the last 3 albums has become the most important member and songwriter and vocals and really is the reason why to me this band is on another level than others from the 80's. "We went where our music was appreciated, and that was everywhere but the USA, we knew we had fans, but there is only so much of the world you can play at once" Magne F | |
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lastdecember said: Well before all the Beatles fans go nuts, calm down and think a moment. It always bugs me that alot of "Beatles Fans" didnt grow up on the Beatles, so despite me liking the Beatles i cant take ownership and understand what they were, even though i have heard all their stuff and watched them, the fact that i didnt live through their time excludes me from that ownership which is where my comparison comes in here.
a-Ha to the masses here in America are a one-hit wonder, well lets analyze that term first one-hit wonder. Technically what is a "hit", someone said anything Top 40 is a hit technically, OK well then a-Ha isnt a one-hit wonder in America, they techincally are a two hit wonder in America with their second single "Sun always shines on TV" peaking at number 25 in 1986. But to the rest of the world a-Ha actually is a band that has sold 75 million records (singles and albums combined) and they have logged 64 number one positions in different countries for various songs and albums, and logged 14 top 10 hits in the UK, with the last one coming in 2006. So where does the Beatles reference come in to play? Well to me the Beatles were always a group that grew, though i didnt live through them anyone afar can see the change in music and look and attitude. Well to me a-Ha clearly represent this to me, and since i have lived through their career i can own that. If you take a-Ha from 1983(forming)-1988, a-Ha was this band that were poster boys, and they had alot of hits during this time (not unlike the Beatles during their early career). Then on to 1989-1992, a-Ha threw away the Keyboards, got acoustic, two members had beards during one album (sound familar) and the tone was serious, this is when fans started to drop off, once again not unlike the Beatles. Well during 1994-1998 a-Ha took a break, worked solo, side projects, artwork,poetry books,photography (sound familar) and from 1998-ongoing they have done their best work ever, not unlike the Beatles in their final days. So at this point, a-Ha "the one hit wonders" have recorded 8 studio albums (9 on the way) 2 compilations, 1 double live album, and the members have combined to record 11 solo albums, and not only this a-Ha are in the Guiness book not once but twice. One for longest note ever held on record and in concert, and once for playing to the largest PAYING crowd. So u can see why they are to me "the Beatles" because i have been a part of their journey, for the Beatles i can only sit back and watch it as a highlight, its not the same as living it. Your comparison sucks, there was never a time where the hits dropped off from the Beatles. | |
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kdj997 said: lastdecember said: Well before all the Beatles fans go nuts, calm down and think a moment. It always bugs me that alot of "Beatles Fans" didnt grow up on the Beatles, so despite me liking the Beatles i cant take ownership and understand what they were, even though i have heard all their stuff and watched them, the fact that i didnt live through their time excludes me from that ownership which is where my comparison comes in here.
a-Ha to the masses here in America are a one-hit wonder, well lets analyze that term first one-hit wonder. Technically what is a "hit", someone said anything Top 40 is a hit technically, OK well then a-Ha isnt a one-hit wonder in America, they techincally are a two hit wonder in America with their second single "Sun always shines on TV" peaking at number 25 in 1986. But to the rest of the world a-Ha actually is a band that has sold 75 million records (singles and albums combined) and they have logged 64 number one positions in different countries for various songs and albums, and logged 14 top 10 hits in the UK, with the last one coming in 2006. So where does the Beatles reference come in to play? Well to me the Beatles were always a group that grew, though i didnt live through them anyone afar can see the change in music and look and attitude. Well to me a-Ha clearly represent this to me, and since i have lived through their career i can own that. If you take a-Ha from 1983(forming)-1988, a-Ha was this band that were poster boys, and they had alot of hits during this time (not unlike the Beatles during their early career). Then on to 1989-1992, a-Ha threw away the Keyboards, got acoustic, two members had beards during one album (sound familar) and the tone was serious, this is when fans started to drop off, once again not unlike the Beatles. Well during 1994-1998 a-Ha took a break, worked solo, side projects, artwork,poetry books,photography (sound familar) and from 1998-ongoing they have done their best work ever, not unlike the Beatles in their final days. So at this point, a-Ha "the one hit wonders" have recorded 8 studio albums (9 on the way) 2 compilations, 1 double live album, and the members have combined to record 11 solo albums, and not only this a-Ha are in the Guiness book not once but twice. One for longest note ever held on record and in concert, and once for playing to the largest PAYING crowd. So u can see why they are to me "the Beatles" because i have been a part of their journey, for the Beatles i can only sit back and watch it as a highlight, its not the same as living it. Your comparison sucks, there was never a time where the hits dropped off from the Beatles. Its not a comparison of HITS, i really cant explain this anymore, just go back a few posts and see what ONE person finally figured out that i meant, PEOPLE please analyze. "We went where our music was appreciated, and that was everywhere but the USA, we knew we had fans, but there is only so much of the world you can play at once" Magne F | |
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OK here it is an Explanantion for the VERY last time so please read.
This is not a comparison on the work done, the songs done, or the influence of either artist. Its merely a comment of how THE BEATLES are the biggest thing to some, and they would be to me BUT I DIDNT LIVE THROUGH THEIR TIME. The year i was born they broke up,. so i got to know them when they didnt exist anymore. I didnt get to enjoy them on Tv shows like Sullivan etc...and witness the invasion and their growth, all their accomplishments i had to re-discover. For me THE BEATLES have been a-Ha, my favorite band, their growth, their influence on me and on others (coldplay,radiohead etc). The reason they CAN be "The Beatles" to me is that I lived through their time, they began in 1984 and continue on stronger than ever, thats what im pointing out. Im saying that i cant say the Beatles are "that" to me because i didnt live through their time. CASE CLOSED im not explaining it anymore. "We went where our music was appreciated, and that was everywhere but the USA, we knew we had fans, but there is only so much of the world you can play at once" Magne F | |
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A-ha are criminally underrated. In the 80's they were lumped in with all the teeny bopper stuff but were much, much better than that. Pal Waaktar (sp) really knows how to write a melody. I nearly wore out my Hunting High And Low cassette back in the day but my favorite is the Scoundrel Days album especially the title track, Manhatten Skyline and Soft Rains Of April. I really should check out that new Analogue album.
if you've gotta pay for things that you've done wrong I've gotta big bill coming at the end of the day- Gil Scott Heron
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lastdecember said: OK here it is an Explanantion for the VERY last time so please read.
This is not a comparison on the work done, the songs done, or the influence of either artist. Its merely a comment of how THE BEATLES are the biggest thing to some, and they would be to me BUT I DIDNT LIVE THROUGH THEIR TIME. The year i was born they broke up,. so i got to know them when they didnt exist anymore. I didnt get to enjoy them on Tv shows like Sullivan etc...and witness the invasion and their growth, all their accomplishments i had to re-discover. For me THE BEATLES have been a-Ha, my favorite band, their growth, their influence on me and on others (coldplay,radiohead etc). The reason they CAN be "The Beatles" to me is that I lived through their time, they began in 1984 and continue on stronger than ever, thats what im pointing out. Im saying that i cant say the Beatles are "that" to me because i didnt live through their time. CASE CLOSED im not explaining it anymore. I understand you. That's how I feel about Prince. I got to witness the evolution. The Beatles are my favorite (and partly for the reasons you mentioned--the changes they went through) but it all happened before my time. My Legacy
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soulyacolia said: A-ha are criminally underrated. In the 80's they were lumped in with all the teeny bopper stuff but were much, much better than that. Pal Waaktar (sp) really knows how to write a melody. I nearly wore out my Hunting High And Low cassette back in the day but my favorite is the Scoundrel Days album especially the title track, Manhatten Skyline and Soft Rains Of April. I really should check out that new Analogue album.
Exactly, they were lumped into the whole "poster boy" thing. They said in an interview that while the first album was out they were sent on this promo tour and did nothing but pose for pictures, and they said thats not why we got into this, we are a band, so thats really why in 1992 they broke up for a few years and didnt reunite till 1998 and release an album to 2000. You should def get Analogue and Lifelines and Minor Earth Major Sky if you dont have those two either. Over the last 3 albums since 2000 Magne Furuholmen has really emerged as a BIG writing presence and vocal presence on the records, and in my mind is the reason that they are on another level with most of the bands from their time. "We went where our music was appreciated, and that was everywhere but the USA, we knew we had fans, but there is only so much of the world you can play at once" Magne F | |
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A-ha is an excellent band, easily one of the best synth/electronic-pop bands of its era, and their last three efforts are very interesting alternative-pop albums.
The irony is that "Take on me", (their biggest hit) pales in comparison to other classics like "Stay on these roads" (gorgeous ballad), "Sun always shines on tv", "Hunting high and low" (the most underrated ballad of the 80's), "Cry wolf", "I've been losing you", "The swing of things","Manhattan Skyline", "Touchy", "Living Daylights", "Crying in the rain" or the amazing comeback single "Summer moved on". And I saw them live in 2003 and I just have one word to review the concert: awesome!, awesome sound, awesome voice, awesome set-list... Nevertheless, I think A-ha were EXTREMELY popular during the second half of the 80's, but their popularity declined with the rise of alternative pop and techno in the early 90's, but I don't think they are considered "one hit wonders". A lot of people can only say one of two songs of the Beatles ("Yesterday", "Yellow Submarine" and even "She loves you") And yes, nowadays they are major sellers in Europe and some countries of South-America as well.  | |
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