Take on Me is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha, first released in 1984. The original version was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. A new version was produced by Alan Tarney for the group’s debut studio album Hunting High and Low (1985). The song combines synthpop with a varied instrumentation that includes acoustic guitars, keyboards, and drums. It is considered to be the band’s signature song.
The original “Take on Me” was recorded in 1984 and took two versions and three releases to chart in the United Kingdom, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart in October 1985. In the United States in October 1985, it became the only A-ha song to top the Billboard Hot 100, assisted by wide exposure on MTV of its innovative music video, directed by Steve Barron. The video features the band in a live-action pencil-sketch sequence. The video won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.
“Take on Me” was originally released in 1984, and was mixed by Tony Mansfield, but failed to make an impact in the United Kingdom. This release peaked at number three in Norway but failed to reach audiences abroad. The group re-recorded the song with the help of producer Alan Tarney, releasing the new version in 1985.
In the United States, Warner Bros. invested in the revolutionary second video for “Take on Me,” which used Tarney’s version of the song. The new video was released to dance clubs and television a month before the record was available in stores or played on the radio. Wide exposure on MTV made the song quickly soar to the top position of the Billboard Hot 100 on 19 October 1985 (its fifteenth week on the chart). It remained on the chart for twenty-seven weeks, and ended up at the tenth position of the 1985 year-end chart. As of June 2014, the song has sold 1,463,000 digital copies in the US after it became available for download in the digital era.
“Take on Me” was released for the third time in the United Kingdom in September 1985. The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number fifty-five, peaked at number two for three consecutive weeks, held off the top spot by Jennifer Rush’s “The Power of Love”, and received a gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
In Norway, A-ha’s native country, “Take on Me” reentered the VG-lista singles chart, reaching a new peak of number one, a year after it was first released. The single was largely successful elsewhere, reaching the top of the Eurochart Hot 100 for nine weeks, topping the singles charts in 36 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and reaching the top three in France and number two in Ireland. The success of “Take on Me” lies also in its sales, as the single would go on to sell over 7 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Take on Me Lyrics (1985)
Talking away
I don’t know what I’m to say
I’ll say it anyway
Today is another day to find you
Shying away
I’ll be coming for your love. OK?
Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I’ll be gone
In a day or two
So needless to say
Of odds and ends
But I’ll be stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is OK.
Say after me,
“It’s no better to be safe than sorry.”
Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I’ll be gone
In a day or two
Oh, things that you say. Yeah.
Is it life or just to play my worries away?
You’re all the things I’ve got to remember
You’re shying away
I’ll be coming for you anyway
Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I’ll be gone
In a day
Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I’ll be gone
In a day
Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
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