a-ha

In America A-ha was known almost exclusively for their debut hit, "Take on Me," but in Europe and elsewhere the Norwegian synth-pop band had a long, successful career. Singer Morten Harket, keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, and guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy first came together in Oslo in 1982 and ultimately relocated to London to pursue a record deal. They eventually signed with Warner Bros, and "Take on Me" was first released as a single in 1984, flopping everywhere but Norway. The following year, a new version was released in conjunction with the trio's debut LP, Hunting High and Low and an innovative, animated video. The song became an international No. 1 hit and one of the defining songs of the era, and the video remained one of the most beloved of the '80s. Later that year, the single "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." made it to No. 20 in the U.S. and that was pretty much it for A-ha's American career. But the rest of the world would continue to love the band for decades to come. Their other two '80s albums, Scoundrel Days and Stay on These Roads, were huge international successes as well. But following the poor sales of 1993's Memorial Beach, A-ha hung it up for a while, the members pursuing their own projects. In 1998 they began to play live again, and eventually started recording once more, releasing Minor Earth Major Sky in 2000. A-ha went on to release three more LPs in the 2000s before splitting up in 2010. However, the band reunited in 2015, releasing the album Cast in Steel and returning to the stage again.