I’m off to Oslo in December and this is one of the tracks that I can’t wait to see live:
No-one does melancholy with as much clarity as Morten does melacholy.
Tag: a-ha
Tickets please!
How exciting – look what I got in the post last night:
Two of them, in fact.
Now there’s just a couple of flights to organise, a reasonably priced hotel room in Oslo (is there such a thing?) and a couch here and there in the UK.
Oh, and if you’re reading this, Mr Carter – as you should be – you’re proving rather difficult to get hold of!
Oh Emm Gee
Those of you fortunate enough to know me will be aware that I am rarely lost for words. Any potential struggling around in difficult social situations can usually be avoided by my finding some witty or pertinent remark, about 5% of which land me in trouble. But it’s worth taking the chance. Usually.
Mrs 6k hit the speechless nail on the head with her Christmas gift for me this year, though.
In fact, speechless was just part of the reaction. I was stunned, overwhelmed, overcome and speechless. All at the same time.
It took a strong brandy or eight before I could even react at all.
Of course, those who are fortunate enough to know Mrs 6k will be aware that she has always been known for her imaginative ideas in the field of gifting.
But this time she completely outdid herself with a couple of tickets to a little farewell concert in December 2010.
Just 341 sleeps to go. Oh Emm Gee.
Choked
I’m in shock. Mildly, anyway. I just got this in my email from a-ha’s official website:
With the current album ‘Foot of The Mountain’ enjoying both commercial success and critical acclaim, A-ha has decided to call it a day.
As a consequence, A-ha will not be releasing any further albums in the future.
The band would like to thank their fans and everyone who has contributed to their amazing journey, and say:
‘We’ve literally lived the ultimate boy’s adventure tale, through a longer, more rewarding career than anyone could hope for.
Doing this now will give us a chance to get more involved in other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else – and of course through new constellations in the field of art and music. We are retiring as a band, not as individuals.
Change is always difficult and it is easy to get set in one’s ways. Now it is time to move on.’
Wow. We shared a quarter of a century together.
You were my first compact disc, you came to my school discos, you kept me sane on wet Lake District holidays.
You popped in while I was at University, you played at my wedding (on CD, because we couldn’t afford to fly you to Cape Town and still have the lamb on the menu) and at the birth of my child (as an mp3 file, for obvious reasons); a child that I then named after your lead singer.
You are my most played band on iTunes. By a country mile.
And now you leave me for humanitarian work and politics? Politics??
Gutted.
Morten Harket 1959-2009
…and beyond, I hope. But at least I got your attention.
Yes, Morten Harket, lead singer of Norwegian synth-pop supergroup a-ha turns 50 today. And what better way to mark the occasion on 6000 miles… that the ground-breakingly brilliant video for their 1985 hit, Take on Me:
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EXxMlIExpo 650 390]
Amazing to think that this was 24 years ago and that a-ha are still going strong, having just released their ninth studio album. I don’t mind admitting that I’ve been a huge fan from those early days and still love their music today.
Happy Birthday, Morten.