A-Ha “Take On Me” is More than Just a Music Video

Every so often, I fall down a music video rabbit hole. I’m sure we all do it- watching every possible version of a particular song, because it’s on our minds. That’s what happened to me just the other night, and I’m seriously glad it did, because A-Ha’s “Take On Me” is so much more than just a music video. It’s ART.

Obviously, we’re not talking about the FIRST version of the music video, released in 1984, which was SO FREAKING DIFFERENT. Like….absolutely completely different.

We’re talking about the second video, released in May of 1985, with its absolutely GORGEOUS mix of animation and live action, bringing a dreamscape romance to life.

Starring Bunty Bailey as the girl, A-Ha lead singer Morten Harket as the hero, and Philip Jackson as one of the two villains chasing the hero around. Chances are you’ve seen the video more than once. [But did you know- Bailey was Harket’s girlfriend at the time?!]

Harket is freaking otherworldly. His voice, his elfin features….how could you NOT want to cross scribbly line universes to race with him??

Here’s the 4K official video from A-Ha’s YouTube channel:

As it turns out, A-Ha revisited the making of and subsequent hit of “Take On Me” in a three-part YouTube video last year, and it’ll make you love the music video even more.

Like this moment where Bailey and Harket sit down at the same table in the same cafe from the video, over 30 years later!

The Making of A-Ha’s “Take On Me”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

We would be remiss if we didn’t also include this amazing acoustic version from MTV’s Unplugged 2017:

….and that time at DragonCon a group did a recreation of the music video during the Masquerade: