a-ha (part I)

 

To say the truth, I was thinking a lot about this message in my blog, for a long time I couldn't decide should I share this feelings or not. Finally, I've decided to write about them here. I suppose, it's easy to guess that a-ha is my favourite band, I've already written it in this blog, but now it's time to tell more about there role in my life. 

In 1987 even before my birth my dad served in the army on the boundary between Russia and Norway. During 2 years of service he used every possibility to listen to international music. I must say that during the 80's USSR started to become more opened to international things and almost everyone was interested in western music, literature, movies... culture in general, my dad wasn't an exception. So he started to listen to norwegian radio, a-ha was on the pic of their popularity, so every hour you could listen to Take on me or The Sun Always Shines on TV. I still keep the tape with all their songs which dad has recorded for me, it's very old and the sound is terrible, but it's a great memory for me, my father and a-ha. 

It was the story of how my father has met a-ha, but my story of acquaintance with their music had just begun from this event. I think in 1999 I've heart Take on me for the first time, and it wasn't performed by a-ha. Some boys band of 90's were singing this song, they even created a clip, but it was awful. My dad saw me watching this video and got very surprised, he asked me if I knew the band who had performed Take on me in 1985. I told him that I didn't, and after 10 minutes passed I was listening to Take on me performed by a-ha. I remember it very well, to say the truth, I wasn't surprised or amazed, I liked the melody and voice, for me then it was just a simple melody from the 80's. It wasn't a love from the first hearing, but I remembered well how their CD looked like and after a month or two I'v found it and listened to the whole CD. It was a collection of the best songs, and then I felt in love with their music. I've been listening to them for the whole days, I remember very well how I liked Take on me and Cry Wolf, I was a bit depressed by The Sun Always Shines on TV and Here I Stand and Face the Rain, and what romantic mood I had while listening to Crying in the Rain. 

In 2000 the band united again, it was the year of the album Minor Earth Major Sky, it was the first album I've been expected to listen to. Dad has bought to me, and I've been listening to it, watching videos on TV, I was so exited to listen and watch Minor Earth and Velvet, I remember how it was made me feel creepy all over. One day I've heard Summer Moved On. It was the best lyric song I've ever heard. I've fallen in love with everything, with the music, with the lyrics, with the voice, with every note and every tone. I was done. Since then I've been admiring their music and everything they  have been doing.  

In 2002 a-ha created the album Lifelines. It was the start of my obsession. To say the truth, I don't feel myself very comfortable with a term "fan", everybody calls me a-ha fan, but it's not true. Every person who loves their music is an individual, everyone has his own opinion about it, everyone loves something special about them, everyone has his own memories and feeling connected with their music. 

I'm very careful with a term 'fan', 'cause usually everybody gets a strange feeling of danger connected with this word, I'm not a crazy fan, I won't ever get to the stage to hug the person I admire, I prefer to speak to them. 

Anyway, I admired their music. They've helped me very much in learning English, I remember myself translating the lyrics from a-ha's songs, I was trying to catch the right meaning of every word. I was listening to every song trying to understand the meaning of this amazing connection of the words, notes, melody and voice, I do remember very well the unstoppable desire to understand the sense of what they were trying to say to us and of what they wanted us to feel. It seemed to me that if I managed to understand them, I could get my aim or sense of something that I would do in the future. They helped me. I think the mix of their work and art helped me to find my own lifeline which I still try not to let go and I will always be grateful to them for their music and help.


* All the photos presented in this message I've made myself on the 11th of November 2010.