a-ha, Take On Me (The Literal Version)

Via: Viral Video Charts Position #4 on 10/8/08

Above is a pretty clever variation on the pretty clever original Take On Me by those snab fellers in the Norwegian band a-ha, from their first abum Hunting High And Low. (1985) It was a huge number one hit in europe and the states, and the song owes some of it's chart success to the unique music video, directed by Steve Barron, which utilizes extensive rotoscoping. In addition, it was doing a certain amount of groundbreaking in the fledgling MTV format.

I have to admit some things here:

I was fascinated with the visual impact of this thing, even though I couldn't have begun to tell you that Rotoscoping was being used here.

I actually owned a copy of the 12" import, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

Music television actually consisted of just that, Music Television. This was long before the reality trash that it sooner than later became.

Unlike my contemporaries who might not want to admit it publicly, I watched and listened to A LOT of it in the beginning.

As far as the actuality of truly new music went, there was a fair amount of New Wave stuff that I liked, as long as it wasn't pure Synthpop.

It took me 23 years to learn that the band was from Norway.