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===2015 deluxe edition===
===2015 Deluxe edition===
;Disc 1 <ref name="rhino.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/A-ha-hunting-high-and-low-deluxe-edition |title=A-Ha &#124; Hunting High And Low (Deluxe Edition) |publisher=Rhino |date= |accessdate=5 November 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717000000/http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/a-ha-hunting-high-and-low-deluxe-edition |archivedate=17 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://A-ha.com/news/articles/20825/ |title=Upcoming special releases &#124; The Official Website of a-ha |publisher=A-ha.com |accessdate=5 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322005022/http://a-ha.com/news/articles/20825/ |archivedate=22 March 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
;Disc 1 <ref name="rhino.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/A-ha-hunting-high-and-low-deluxe-edition |title=A-Ha &#124; Hunting High And Low (Deluxe Edition) |publisher=Rhino |date= |accessdate=5 November 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717000000/http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/a-ha-hunting-high-and-low-deluxe-edition |archivedate=17 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://A-ha.com/news/articles/20825/ |title=Upcoming special releases &#124; The Official Website of a-ha |publisher=A-ha.com |accessdate=5 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322005022/http://a-ha.com/news/articles/20825/ |archivedate=22 March 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
# "[[Take On Me]]" – 3:48 (Waaktaar/Furuholmen/Harket)
# "[[Take On Me]]" – 3:48 (Waaktaar/Furuholmen/Harket)

Revision as of 12:34, 9 October 2019

This article is about the album. For other uses, see Hunting High and Low (disambiguation).

Hunting High and Low
Studio album by
A-ha
Released1 June 1985 (1985-06-01)
Recorded1984–1985
StudioEel Pie (Twickenham, London)
Genre
Length37:19
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
A-ha chronology
Hunting High and Low
(1985) 		Scoundrel Days
(1986)
Singles from Hunting High and Low
  1. "Take On Me"
    Released: 16 September 1985 (3rd UK release)
  2. "Love Is Reason"
    Released: 1985
  3. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
    Released: 16 December 1985 (UK)
  4. "Train of Thought"
    Released: 24 March 1986 (UK)
  5. "Hunting High and Low"
    Released: 2 June 1986 (UK)

Hunting High and Low is the debut studio album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. It was released on 1 June 1985 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a huge commercial success, reaching high positions on charts worldwide and peaking at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, eventually selling more than 11 million units worldwide. The album was recorded at Eel Pie Studios in Twickenham, London, and produced by Tony Mansfield, John Ratcliff and Alan Tarney.

In all, five singles from the album were released, though not all were released internationally: "Take On Me", "Love Is Reason", "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.", "Train of Thought" and "Hunting High and Low". The group was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 1986, making A-ha the first Norwegian band to be nominated for a Grammy.

As part of a re-release of their first two albums, Hunting High and Low was expanded and remastered in 2010.

Music

"Take On Me" was the first single released by the band. An early version was recorded and released in late 1984 with an early music video. The song became a #3 hit in A-ha's native Norway but failed to chart in the United Kingdom. The band went back into the studio to re-record the song for the Hunting High and Low album, but a second UK release in early 1985 was again ignored. Before releasing their single in the United States, the band undertook the production of a new music video for the song, working with director Steve Barron. Barron had previously created hit videos for Toto, Thomas Dolby, Culture Club and Michael Jackson, but the A-ha video was unlike any of his earlier work. A plot-driven amalgamation of live-action and rotoscope-style animation by husband-and-wife team Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger, it drew inspiration from Patterson's animated film Commuter and the film Altered States. The innovative video for "Take On Me" was first broadcast on local Boston music video station V-66, and soon after given heavy rotation on MTV.

The single debuted in Billboard the week of 13 July 1985, and was heading into the U.S. top twenty when it was given an international release, including a second release in Norway and a third shot at the UK market. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, spending 27 weeks on the charts and becoming the tenth-biggest single of 1985,[1] and this time going to number two in the United Kingdom and number one in Norway. In all, the song reached number one in 36 countries, becoming one of the world's best-selling singles of all time with nearly 9 million copies sold.

The second single for most of the world was "The Sun Always Shines on TV" ("Love Is Reason" had failed to hit the Norwegian Top 40 earlier in the year), and the band followed its massively successful music video with another critically acclaimed clip for the song. Starting off as a sequel of sorts, Harket breaks away from his happy ending to join his band in performance amidst mannequins at a rural church, Saint Albans in Teddington, which has since become an art gallery. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." improved upon the first single's success in the United Kingdom, hitting number one and remaining there for two weeks in January 1986. It was a top-10 hit nearly everywhere it was released except in the United States, where it peaked at #20 and would be the band's last major hit to date in that country. The single sold 5 million copies around the world. The track was remixed as a dance version, which was a top-5 hit on the U.S. Dance chart, and B-side to the single and remix was the otherwise unreleased "Driftwood."

"Train of Thought" saw limited release as the third single in Europe. It was not released as a 7" in the United States but received rock radio play and a set of remixes again made the dance charts. Waaktaar based the lyrics for this song on existentialist authors and poets Gunvor Hofmo, Knut Hamsun and Fyodor Dostoevsky, his favourites at the time. It was A-ha's third consecutive Top 10 single in the United Kingdom and Ireland, reaching #8 and #5 respectively, and charting well in Germany and Sweden. World sales hit 500,000 copies.

The last single from the album was "Hunting High and Low", released in June 1986. The single saw its highest chartings in France, where it peaked at number four,[2] and the United Kingdom, where it was number five.[3] The single was released in the United States but did not make the Hot 100. An extended version was available on 12" vinyl, but the midtempo track did not see dance chart success.

Coldplay, a band influenced by A-ha, has been known to perform "Hunting High and Low" in concert.

The "Take On Me" video was nominated for eight 1986 MTV Video Music Awards, and at the third annual ceremony 5 September 1986, the video won six awards, including Best New Artist and Viewer's Choice.[4] "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." was nominated for an additional three awards, winning two, for a total of eight wins. Even as the total number of categories has nearly doubled, only one other artist to date has won as many MTV Awards in a single year. Peter Gabriel won nine the following year for "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time," two videos which progressed further down the roads A-ha ventured in groundbreaking use of animation in music video.

In 2002, "Take On Me" was ranked at number eight on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders, although this status is slightly misleading as it reflects A-ha's lack of mainstream success in the United States; the group was by no means a one-hit wonder elsewhere or in career terms. In 2006, "Take On Me" was ranked number 24 on VH1's Greatest Songs of the 1980s.[5]

The cover photograph was taken by Just Loomis and was nominated in 1986 for a Grammy as "Album Cover of the Year."

The band released a live version of "The Sun Always Shines on TV" in 2003.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Billboard[7]
Record Collector[8]
Uncut[9]
The Village VoiceC−[10]

Hunting High and Low was a-ha's breakout album. Upon its release in May 1985, Hunting High and Low peaked at number 15 on the Billboard's Top 200 album chart. The album granted A-ha international recognition. Hunting High and Low got 3x platinum status in the UK and Platinum status in the United States and Germany, and Gold status in Brazil, and the Netherlands.The album reached #11 in the European top-100 albums sales chart.

The album peaked at 15 in the U.S., according to Billboard music charts and has sold about 1.8 million copies in the U.S. It peaked at 2 on the UK charts (re-enter at number 83 in 2015), and hit 1 in Norway. The album has been certified platinum in the United States and 3x platinum in UK.[11] On the Billboard 200, Hunting High and Low held the record for the highest-charting album by a Norwegian artist until Do It Again by Norwegian duo Röyksopp and Swedish singer Robyn (which peaked at number 14).[12]

Beginning with the single "Take On Me", A-ha's debut album sold more than eight million copies worldwide and spawned two number one hits. In the fall of 1986, "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV" were nominated for 11 MTV Video Awards combined, and A-ha won eight of these.[13]

Tim DiGravina of AllMusic Guide said "It's a cohesive album with smart pace changeups, and it rarely fails to delight or satisfy a listener's need for a synth pop fix... One can't escape the feeling that Hunting High and Low is a product of the 1980s, but with highs like 'Take On Me' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV,' and no lows in sight, A-ha's debut is a treat worth relishing."[13]

The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[14]

The album has sold more than ten million copies worldwide.[15]

Hunting High and Low Tour

In June 1986, A-ha began a world tour which went through to February 1987. The band had never played a single concert when "Take On Me" shot to #1 in America; soon it could boast a 16-country, 113-city tour under its belt along with countless interviews and television appearances.[13]

Remaster

On 6 May 2010, the band announced the remaster and re-release of the album. The two disc album will comprise the original album and four 12" tracks on one disc, while the second will feature 19 rare demos and unreleased songs from this era.

On 6 July 2010 the albums Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days were released as deluxe editions in the United States through Rhino Records and both albums debuted in the Top 40 on the Billboard Top Internet Sales Chart; Hunting High and Low at #34 and Scoundrel Days at #36.[16]

Hunting High and Low (remaster) charts: #39 Germany, #32 Norway, #27 Hungary, #165 UK

Scoundrel Days (remaster) charts: #52 Germany, #27 Norway, #190 UK

Track listing

All tracks are written by Pål Waaktaar, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Take On Me" (Waaktaar/Furuholmen/Harket)3:48
2."Train of Thought"4:14
3."Hunting High and Low"3:45
4."The Blue Sky"2:36
5."Living a Boy's Adventure Tale" (Waaktaar/Harket)5:00
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Sun Always Shines on T.V."5:08
2."And You Tell Me"1:51
3."Love Is Reason" (Waaktaar/Furuholmen)3:04
4."I Dream Myself Alive" (Waaktaar/Furuholmen)3:06
5."Here I Stand and Face the Rain"4:30

2015 Deluxe edition

Disc 1 [17][18]
  1. "Take On Me" – 3:48 (Waaktaar/Furuholmen/Harket)
  2. "Train of Thought" – 4:14
  3. "Hunting High and Low" – 3:45
  4. "The Blue Sky" – 2:36
  5. "Living a Boy's Adventure Tale" – 5:00 (Waaktaar/Harket)
  6. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." – 5:08
  7. "And You Tell Me" – 1:51
  8. "Love Is Reason" – 3:04 (Waaktaar/Furuholmen)
  9. "I Dream Myself Alive" – 3:06 (Waaktaar/Furuholmen)
  10. "Here I Stand and Face the Rain" – 4:30
  11. "Take On Me" (Original 1984 7" Version)
  12. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (Extended Mix)
  13. "Train of Thought" (U.S. Mix)
  14. "Hunting High and Low" (Extended Remix)
Disc 2
  1. "Take On Me" (demo)
  2. "Train of Thought" (demo)
  3. "Hunting High and Low" (demo)
  4. "The Blue Sky" (demo)
  5. "Living a Boy's Adventure Tale" (early version)
  6. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (demo)
  7. "And You Tell Me" (demo)
  8. "Love Is Reason" (demo)
  9. "I Dream Myself Alive" (demo)
  10. "Here I Stand and Face the Rain" (demo)
  11. "Stop! And Make Your Mind Up"
  12. "Driftwood"
  13. "Dot the I"
  14. "The Love Goodbye"
  15. "Nothing to It"
  16. "Go to Sleep"
  17. "Monday Mourning"
  18. "All the Planes That Come In on the Quiet"
  19. "Never Never"
  20. "What's That You're Doing to Yourself"
  21. "You Have Grown Thoughtful Again"
  22. "Lesson One" (Autumn 1982 "Take On Me" demo)
  23. "Presenting Lily Mars"

There are also four bonus download-only tracks on each release, available in most countries:

  1. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (extended version)
  2. "Take On Me" (Instrumental Mix)
  3. "Hunting High and Low (slow version demo)
  4. "Take On Me" (1984 12" Mix)

Personnel

  • Morten Harket – lead & backing vocals
  • Magne Furuholmen – keyboards, bass programming, backing vocals
  • Pål Waaktaar – guitars, drum programming, backing vocals
  • Claire Jarvis – oboe (track 5)
  • Bobby Hata – mastering
  • John Ratcliff – production, remixing, keyboards & backing vocals (track 8)
  • Alan Tarney – production (tracks 1, 6)
  • Tony Mansfield – production (tracks 2–5, 7, 9, 10)
  • Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff – art direction, design
  • Neill King – engineering
  • Jeri McManus – art direction, cover design, design
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Just Loomis – photography

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[41] Gold 100,000*
France (SNEP)[42] Platinum 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[43] 3× Gold 750,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[44] Gold 10,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[45] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[46] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[48] — 228,000[47]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[49] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[51] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Billboard Archived 14 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Steffen Hung. "French Singles Chart". Lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  3. ^ "British Singles Chart". Everyhit.com. 16 March 2000. Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  4. ^ "Best Music from the 1980s". 80s Music Lyrics. Archived from the original on 9 April 2002. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  5. ^ "VH1 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  6. ^ DiGravina, Tim. "Hunting High and Low – a-ha". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  7. ^ "a-ha, 'Hunting High and Low/Scoundrel Days (Remastered Deluxe Edition)'". Billboard. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  8. ^ Elliott, Mark (December 2015). "A-Ha – Hunting High and Low". Record Collector (447). Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  9. ^ "a-ha: Hunting High and Low". Uncut: 83. [A] tidy album with more than a touch of Japan and Peter Gabriel about it.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (7 January 1986). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  11. ^ id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
  12. ^ Ask Billboard: With Nico & Vinz, Norway Continues U.S. Chart Invasion | Billboard
  13. ^ a b c "A-ha biography". Archived from the original on 8 March 2008.
  14. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  15. ^ "Hunting High and Low". Archived from the original on 18 December 2008.
  16. ^ "Deluxe albums enter US Billboard charts | The Official Website of a-ha". A-ha.com. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  17. ^ "A-Ha | Hunting High And Low (Deluxe Edition)". Rhino. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  18. ^ "Upcoming special releases | The Official Website of a-ha". A-ha.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  19. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 13. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  20. ^ "Austriancharts.at – a-ha – Hunting High and Low" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0595". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – a-ha – Hunting High and Low" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  23. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 10. 15 March 1986. p. 17. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 29 January 2019 – via American Radio History.
  24. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  25. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 29 January 2019. Select "A-HA" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – a-ha – Hunting High and Low" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Charts.nz – a-ha – Hunting High and Low". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – a-ha – Hunting High and Low". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – a-ha – Hunting High and Low". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  30. ^ "Swisscharts.com – a-ha – Hunting High and Low". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  32. ^ "a-ha Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  33. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2010. 28. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  34. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 28 December 1985. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 29 January 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1986" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  36. ^ "Hot 100 of the Year 1986 – European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 29 January 2019 – via American Radio History.
  37. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1986" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  38. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1986". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  39. ^ "Top Albums of 1986". everyHit.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  40. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – A-ha – Hunting High and Low" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  42. ^ "French album certifications – Aha – Hunting High and Low" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 29 October 1987. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  43. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (A-ha; 'Hunting High and Low')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  44. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1989". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  45. ^ "Dutch album certifications – A-ha – Hunting High and Low" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 7 February 2019. Enter Hunting High and Low in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  46. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – A-ha – Hunting High and Low". Recorded Music NZ. 27 April 1986. Retrieved 24 January 2016.[dead link‍]
  47. ^ "I en egen klasse" [In a separate class]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 5 December 1998. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  48. ^ "Norwegian album certifications – A-ha – Hunting High and Low" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  49. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 949. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  50. ^ id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
  51. ^ "American album certifications – A-ha – Hunting High and Low". Recording Industry Association of America. 17 March 1986. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
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