Wiki
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Release Date
1984
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Length
2 tracks
Take on Me was originally released in 1984, and was mixed by Tony Mansfield, but failed to make an impact in the United Kingdom. The group re-recorded the song with the help of producer Alan Tarney, releasing the new version in late 1984: this release peaked at number three in Norway but failed to reach audiences abroad. The record is quite rare and features Take on Me (Original version) - the original and quite different version of the song produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff with a-ha. The B-side is And You Tell Me. The 12"-record (1984) features the following tracks: Take On Me (long version), And You Tell Me and Stop! And Make Your Mind Up.
In the United States, Warner Bros. invested in the revolutionary second video for "Take on Me," which used Tarney's version of the song. The new video was released to dance clubs and television a month before the record was available in stores or played on the radio.Wide exposure on MTV made the song quickly soar to the top position of the Billboard Hot 100 on 19 October 1985. It remained on the chart for twenty-three weeks, and ended up at the tenth position of the 1985 year-end chart.
The second edition of Take On Me was released in April 1985. The 7'' release contains the following tracks: Take on me (this version of the song, produced by Alan Tarney, was the one that eventually caught on) and Love is Reason. The 12" release features Take On Me (Extended Version) that was also produced by Alan Tarney plus Love is Reason and Take on me (Single Version).
In Brazil there was a promo 12" which comes in a yellow WEA sleeve. It featured Take On Me (Extended Version) (side 2, track 2). The disc label claims that The Sun Always Shines On TV is the second track on side 2, but this is incorrect.
Take on Me was released for the third time in the United Kingdom in September 1985. The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number fifty-five, peaked at number two for three weeks, and received a gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In Norway, a-ha's native country, "Take on Me" reentered the VG-lista singles chart, reaching a new peak of number one, a year after it was first released. The single was largely successful across the rest of Europe, reaching the top of the Eurochart Hot 100 for nine weeks, topping the singles charts in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and reaching the top three in France and Ireland. The 7'' single features Take on Me and Love is Reason. The 12'' single contains Take On Me (Extended Version), Love Is Reason and Take On Me.
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