a-ha emerged from Norway in the early '80s, moved to London and, in 1985, released "Take On Me", one of the decade's biggest hits. The song hit #2 in the UK charts and #1 in the USA, helped by the wide exposure on MTV of its video, which fused live action and animation.
The follow-up hit, "The Sun Always Shines on TV" became a UK number one in early '86, helping the album "Hunting High and Low" into the top ten.
Their second album, "Scoundrel Days", released in 1986 challenged the media perception of the band as a teeny bop sensation. After a world tour, a-ha supplied the soundtrack to the James Bond flick The Living Daylights.
The changing nature of the music scene in the late '80s led to a decline in a-ha's fortunes leading the band to take seven years off after three albums in 1993. They returned with a new single, "Minor Earth Major Sky" in the summer of 2000.
The album "Lifelines" sold well in Europe in 2002 and was followed by a lengthy tour, documented on the live album "How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head", released in 2003. The band celebrated their 20th anniversary the following year, releasing "Singles 1984-2004", which put them back on the UK Top 20 Albums chart.
The band performed as part of the Live8 event in Berlin in July 2005. In November 2006, they released the new album "Analogue", which was supported by a worldwide tour.