a-ha (note how I lower-cased it, just like they'd have wanted it. Also, note that there's no exclamation point there. a-ha were not suprised. They were blase about the whole experience. Whatever experience you're talking about) hit number 1 with their song Take On Me, which took the world by storm with its quirky video and peppy beat.
How to follow that up? Why not alienate your fan base by releasing a moody, dark, ponderous (but still-fast-paced) single? Sure, why not? Hey, could you also make it about a guy who's probably going crazy or something?
Can do: Hence, a-ha's second top 40 hit, The Sun Always Shines On TV, which peaked at 20 in the United States, despite winning a bunch of awards for the video (a video I can't find on Youtube; this one is a later version of the song and video.)
What did the world want from a-ha? Probably not lyrics like "I fear the crazed and lonely/Looks the mirror's sending me these days." At least not unless they were coupled with a peppy beat -- the dance remix version of Sun hit number 5 on those charts.
Despite all of that, I've still always liked The Sun Always Shines On TV much better than any other song by a-ha. But only because the song helps me avoid the looks the mirror is sending me.
1 comment:
Found the original video on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn6VotRbjiA
But apparently the UK did want that kind of dark song: it hit nr. 1 there.
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