A-ha’s stripped-down, slowed-down performance of “Take On Me” from back in 2017 is going viral… for good reason It’s a haunting version of the smash hit…
Every once in awhile something from the past comes storming back onto our feeds. The latest? An MTV Unplugged performance with A-ha performing a slower tempo version of their 1984 smash hit “Take On Me” from the group’s debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985) for MTV Unplugged. Despite being filmed back in 2017 for the MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice album, it’s doing the rounds again and for good reason: the acoustic rendition with simple instrumentation is pure, unplugged magic.
The original 1984 version of “Take On Me” with the famous sketch animated video was an ’80s monster hit that is still pretty enjoyable today (if not a little earwormy—good luck once it gets stuck in your head), topping countless “Best Of The 80s” lists.
MTV Unplugged featured some incredibly memorable stripped-down performances over the years, particularly Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam. In 2017 the Norwegian synth-pop band performed a lesser-known arrangement of the song live on the island of Giske for an MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice album, which featured 17 different unplugged performances. This version of “Take On Me” is significantly different than the original with A-ha dropping the electric piano as well as the tempo for a stripped-down version that is incredibly haunting… and popular. As of this writing, the video has 98 million views on YouTube.
Enjoy the nostalgia.
