KUALA LUMPUR: Norwegian pop trio A-ha’s classic 1985 music video for Take On Me has passed the one billion views threshold on YouTube.
Billboard magazine reported today that this feat has earned the Norwegian electro-pop group's members Morten Harket, Paul Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen a special place in history books.
The music video for Take On Me is one of the few pre-1990s music videos to join the billion-views club alongside Guns N’ Roses' November Rain and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
A-ha has also become the first continental European act to accomplish this feat, and the first pop outfit too.
And Take On Me stands alone as the only video from its era to use the rotoscoping illustration technique.
Take On Me was originally released in 1984, but failed to make a lasting impression.
The following year it was relaunched with its groundbreaking, Steve Barron-directed music video, which blends pencil-sketch animation and live action.
The music video was filemd at Savoy Cafe in London, and features a romantic fantasy narrative.
It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic book representing motorcycle racing, in which the hero, Harket, is pursued by two opponents, one of whom is British actor Philip Jackson.
It then cuts to a scene in a cafe, in which British model and actress Bunty Bailey, reads the comic book.
Harket winks at Bailey from a page and his hand reaches out of the book, inviting Bailey into it.
Once inside, Bailey also appears in pencil-drawn form, as Harket introduces her to his black-and-white world.
Soon, Harket's enemies reappear. Harket and Bailey flee and he tears a hole in the wall so that she can escape back into the real world.
Later, when Bailey takes the comic book home, Harket reappears and the duo embrace.
At the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for Take On Me won Best New Artiste In A Video, Best Concept Video, Most Experimental Video, Best Direction In A Video, Best Special Effects In A Video, and Viewer's Choice.
The video was a huge hit with the MTV generation and it launched A-ha into the big league.
The single went to Number 1 in 36 countries.
Speaking to Billboard late last year, Furuholmen paid tribute to the clip’s longevity.
“Obviously the video is unique and it has some features that stand up and stand the test of time. It’s hand drawn which makes it what it is,” he said.
“The song also seems to resonate with people across time. It’s just very fortunate to have such a big song in our catalogue. We probably spent a few years talking it down, trying to get people to focus on new stuff we’re doing. At
this point, certainly speaking for myself, I’m just surprised and proud that the song has done so well and still finds an audience.”
To celebrate, Rhino Records has launched a range of special collectables, including a VHS tape of the clip, an exclusive print signed by all three bandmates, and a three-print collection sketched by the video’s original animators
Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger, who painstakingly created 10,000-plus drawings for the animated parts.
Take On Me officially reached one billion views on YouTube at 8.20pm GMT on Feb 17 (4.20am on Feb 18 Malaysian time) and was recently restored and upgraded to 4K resolution.
The music video