Video Review: A-Ha—Take on Me
Hello, and welcome to A Few Songs’ 100th post!
To commemorate this momentous tumblrversary, today’s Free For All Friday choice is the music video that gets my vote for the greatest of all time. Just about everyone knows A-ha’s classic “Take On Me.” It’s a staple at sporting events and present in a wide range of listeners’ music libraries. The song is 100% pure, uncut 80′s synth pop and truly is one of the best tracks of the decade.
Its accompanying video, directed by Steve Barron, stands as its equal in every way. It’s a visually brave, surprisingly sweet story about a woman (Bunty Bailey) who falls in love with a motorcycle racer (A-ha’s lead singer, Morten Harket). The catch is, Harket is a character in a pencil-drawn comic book. As the video opens, we see the opening panels of the comic play on the screen. Bailey reads the book alone at a table in a diner until, suddenly, the pictures on the pages start to move. She sees Harket wink at her after winning a bike race, then his pencil drawn hand reaches out to her and pulls her into the world of the comic. The video’s genius is in its use of rotoscoping — a technique by which animators trace over live-action footage to create a pencil-drawn effect. Unintentional comic relief comes from the requisite shots of the band performing the song intercut with the story, complete with goofy stage presence and painfully 80′s hair.
The two most thrilling visual moments in the video involve the juxtaposition of the rotoscoped imagery against normal live action footage. It’s particularly impressive at the end as Harket breaks out of his comic book universe into the real world. The effect is almost indescribable, but it is genuinely awe-inspiring to watch, even today. If you haven’t had the chance to see this incredible music video, do yourself a favor, take four minutes, and experience it. “Take on Me” was revolutionary when it came out, and even though it’s not as novel as it used to be, it’s still a visually arresting, sweetly rendered love story paired with one of the best songs of the 80′s.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
See the original Tumblr post here
