a-ha
I wish I had an a-ha icon.
You all have figured out by now how much I have loved a-ha for so long. I was a 12 year old when I saw them in a teen magazine (I'd had a crush on Ralph Macchio at the time and had bought a magazine for him and there were articles about a-ha.) I convinced my mom to get me the Scoundrel Days Cassette - the video for Take On Me was on MTV but we didn't have cable so I hadn't seen it. Until that point it was all (mostly) country music for me. Scoundrel Days was definitely not country but it had this passion, this pain, amazing melodies, brilliant singing and the songs completely changed my perspective on music.
My favorite song from my favorite album has these lyrics:
"The Swing Of Things"
You say the world's an eventful place
You give me news
I don't want to know
You say that I should care
That I should speak my mind
Oh, but how can I speak of the world
Rushing by
With a lump in my throat
And tears in my eyes
Oh, have we come to the point of no turning back
Or is it still time to get into
The swing of things
Let us walk through this windless city
I'll go on till the winter gets me
Oh, "sleep..." you wrote "sleep, my dear"
In a letter somewhere
Oh, but how can I sleep with your
voice in my head
With an ocean between us
And room in my bed
Oh, have I come to the point where I'm losing the grip
Or is it still time to get into
The swing of things
Oh, when she glows in the dark
And I'm weak by the sight
Of this breathtaking beauty
In which I can hide
Oh, there's a worldful out there
Of people I fear
But given time I'll get into
The swing of things
Yes, when she glows in the dark and
I'm struck by the sight
I know that I'll need this for the rest of my life
What have I done
What lies I have told
I've played games with the ones that
rescued my soul
Oh, have I come to the point where I'm losing the grip
Or is it still time to get into
The swing of things
__
For a depressed, anxious teenager, a song that speaks to that deep darkness inside you is a powerful release because *someone* understands. Of course, it didn't hurt that all three members were handsome, older men who were charming in all their articles. With a lack of positive male role models in my life, the men of a-ha became my ideal men. I spent hours imagining what they would be like and creating daydreams about them. When I had a chance to go abroad for a summer at 16 years old, I chose Norway.Which led to a whole new outlook on the world for me as well.
In their 25 year career, a-ha and its members, Magne, Morten and Paul experimented and pursued other projects as well. I love Magne F's work but Morten's voice is beyond brilliant and Paul's talents in his band Savoy is undeniably amazing as well. I first saw a-ha live on video tape and then DVD. In London, in 2008, they did a special concert with their individual work and a 4 song bit at the end as a-ha. That was the first time I saw them truly as people. They had lived in my imagination for so long, it was a bit of a shock to the system.
However, this Chicago concert was the ultimate a-ha concert for me. I was close to the stage, tall enough to see everything and make short eye contact with the band. I danced, I clapped, I screamed and I sang. Knowing it may be the last time made it even more bittersweet when it ended. I wanted so much to meet them and yet at the same time, I'm afraid to meet these heroes of mine.
I'm 35 now and its been a very long journey from when I was that 12 year old girl falling into infatuation with a-ha and their music. I've carried them with me, literally in the music and figuratively in my imagination and they have marked me forever, in a good way.
Wish me luck on getting to Tromso to see them in September when I will also be able to see my host family.
You all have figured out by now how much I have loved a-ha for so long. I was a 12 year old when I saw them in a teen magazine (I'd had a crush on Ralph Macchio at the time and had bought a magazine for him and there were articles about a-ha.) I convinced my mom to get me the Scoundrel Days Cassette - the video for Take On Me was on MTV but we didn't have cable so I hadn't seen it. Until that point it was all (mostly) country music for me. Scoundrel Days was definitely not country but it had this passion, this pain, amazing melodies, brilliant singing and the songs completely changed my perspective on music.
My favorite song from my favorite album has these lyrics:
"The Swing Of Things"
You say the world's an eventful place
You give me news
I don't want to know
You say that I should care
That I should speak my mind
Oh, but how can I speak of the world
Rushing by
With a lump in my throat
And tears in my eyes
Oh, have we come to the point of no turning back
Or is it still time to get into
The swing of things
Let us walk through this windless city
I'll go on till the winter gets me
Oh, "sleep..." you wrote "sleep, my dear"
In a letter somewhere
Oh, but how can I sleep with your
voice in my head
With an ocean between us
And room in my bed
Oh, have I come to the point where I'm losing the grip
Or is it still time to get into
The swing of things
Oh, when she glows in the dark
And I'm weak by the sight
Of this breathtaking beauty
In which I can hide
Oh, there's a worldful out there
Of people I fear
But given time I'll get into
The swing of things
Yes, when she glows in the dark and
I'm struck by the sight
I know that I'll need this for the rest of my life
What have I done
What lies I have told
I've played games with the ones that
rescued my soul
Oh, have I come to the point where I'm losing the grip
Or is it still time to get into
The swing of things
__
For a depressed, anxious teenager, a song that speaks to that deep darkness inside you is a powerful release because *someone* understands. Of course, it didn't hurt that all three members were handsome, older men who were charming in all their articles. With a lack of positive male role models in my life, the men of a-ha became my ideal men. I spent hours imagining what they would be like and creating daydreams about them. When I had a chance to go abroad for a summer at 16 years old, I chose Norway.Which led to a whole new outlook on the world for me as well.
In their 25 year career, a-ha and its members, Magne, Morten and Paul experimented and pursued other projects as well. I love Magne F's work but Morten's voice is beyond brilliant and Paul's talents in his band Savoy is undeniably amazing as well. I first saw a-ha live on video tape and then DVD. In London, in 2008, they did a special concert with their individual work and a 4 song bit at the end as a-ha. That was the first time I saw them truly as people. They had lived in my imagination for so long, it was a bit of a shock to the system.
However, this Chicago concert was the ultimate a-ha concert for me. I was close to the stage, tall enough to see everything and make short eye contact with the band. I danced, I clapped, I screamed and I sang. Knowing it may be the last time made it even more bittersweet when it ended. I wanted so much to meet them and yet at the same time, I'm afraid to meet these heroes of mine.
I'm 35 now and its been a very long journey from when I was that 12 year old girl falling into infatuation with a-ha and their music. I've carried them with me, literally in the music and figuratively in my imagination and they have marked me forever, in a good way.
Wish me luck on getting to Tromso to see them in September when I will also be able to see my host family.