Happy 35th Anniversary to a-ha’s debut album Hunting High And Low, originally released in the US June 1, 1985 (and in the UK October 28, 1985).
The ‘80s were a decade that needed to be seen to be believed. “Excess was the order of the day” and whilst that adage was probably most visible in the fashion of the decade, it also definitely crossed over into pop culture and music.
Whilst said aesthetics shone as the epitome of excess and for the most part, the music too, it was also the decade that saw some of music’s finest artists deliver some of their best and most influential work—excessive or otherwise. One artist whose debut has stood the test of time from its birthplace in the heart of the ‘80s is Norwegian super group a-ha with Hunting High And Low.
The sonic beauty of this album has both been much discussed and also, in many ways, deemed incredibly underrated. It has been thirty-five years since the Norwegian trio sold in excess of 11 million copies worldwide, and the argument of classic vs classical still persists.
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, the band’s guitarist and word maestro for all the album’s tracks as either the sole writer or co-writer, seems to have drawn on the operas and classical music that his parents introduced him to as a child in Oslo. The instrumental usage is evident throughout the album, but one only needs to start with the album’s namesake “Hunting High And Low” to get the full effect. As lead singer Morten Harket puts his beautiful vocals on full display in this almost made-for-film ballad, the flute-synth interlude is not only unexpected, but brings about a type of welcomed nostalgia.
When one thinks of ‘80s production, this album is as ‘80s as it gets. Not that there is anything wrong with that and as it has been often said, everything old is new again. But Hunting High And Low is a true testament to the new wave sound of the ‘80s—whether you like it or not. a-ha’s most recognizable song, “Take On Me” is the embodiment of all things ‘80s. I mean, who can forget that film clip? Harket is depicted as a comic book character being tailed by bad guys, separated from his flesh and blood lover (former model, Bunty Bailey). I personally loved (and still love) this track, mainly due to the then state-of-the-art video, which transported me (and many others) to another dimension that was laden with a romantic innocence. The video for “Take On Me” went on to win six awards at the 1986 MTV Video Awards.
The album’s third single “The Sun Always Shines On T.V.” (“Love Is Reason" was the album’s lesser known second single, failing to chart, therefore many assumed the aforementioned track was the second single released) continued the band’s success with a number one spot on the UK charts. The video again capitalized on the success of “Take On Me,” picking up two more awards at the MTV Video Awards again in 1986. But it also served as the second song in what would go on to become a trilogy with the album’s fourth single “Train Of Thought” rounding it out.
“Train Of Thought” actually predated “Take On Me,” and became the inspiration for the band’s smash hit video. With its comic animation waling a similar line as “Take On Me,” it made perfect sense that this track not only came full circle, but also brought the trilogy to a close. Yes, it is hard to ignore Harket’s beauty and those cheekbones (is it just me, or does this man exude some kind of Bowie-esque vibe?), but it is equally as hard to ignore that voice. It is believed that his range can span five octaves and one only needs to listen to pretty much any track to hear that breathtaking rock-opera falsetto that rarely, if ever, is out of tune.
With half of the album’s ten tracks being released as singles, it would be easy and almost justified in thinking that the remainder of the LP is comprised of fillers. Wrong. ‘80s pop can unfairly get a bad wrap at times, many times in fact, more often than not being cited as repetitive and somewhat unoriginal. Hunting High And Low breaks that mold by showcasing a distinct and identifiable individuality in each song. Linear is a word that is used a lot with your typical pop song, but on this album we are exposed to a-ha’s fearless ability to move in many directions, as shown in their variable synth settings and usage of classical instruments in and over that new wave sound.
So, here we are, thirty-five years later and Hunting High And Low has not only stood the test of time, but has gone on to become a resplendent classic. Although the band reunited in 2015 for what was to be a “two-year period,” (delivering their tenth studio album Cast In Steel), that time frame has well and truly expired. Even with the band’s keyboardist Mags Furuholmen adamant that an Abba reunion would probably be more believable, we can only hope that whatever magic drew them together to create back in 1984/1985, will resurface once again.
Until then, love is reason.
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