Happy Anniversary: a-ha, “Hunting High and Low”
Today marks the 28th anniversary of the title track from a-ha’s debut album, Hunting High and Low, being released as the fourth and final UK single from that particular record, but as it happens, yesterday marked the 29th anniversary of the album itself.
There aren’t many who would argue against the theory that a-ha is best known for their first single, “Take on Me,” which is wise, because not only is it their biggest hit, it’s so much bigger than any of their other hits that – at least here in the States – it has effectively eclipsed everything else the band has ever done in their career. If you think we’re understating things, then mull this over: before performing their final concert on December 4, 2010, the band released nine studio albums and three live albums while earning 14 top-20 singles in the UK, nine of which actually made it into the top 10.
With that said, however, even in countries where a-ha found substantial long-term success, Hunting High and Low still remains their most instantly-familiar effort, with all four of its UK singles – “Take on Me,” “The Sun Always Shines on TV,” “Train of Thought,” and the title track – among those top-10 hits we mentioned a moment ago. It’s particularly impressive that “Hunting High and Low” proved to be so successful, considering how long its parent album had been out by that point, but it actually hit #5 on the UK singles chat, making it a bigger hit than its predecessor. (“Train of Thought” only hit #8.) The song also clearly made an impression on the members of Coldplay, who have been known to cover “Hunting High and Low” in concert on occasion.
To celebrate the anniversaries of both Hunting High and Low the album and “Hunting High and Low” the single being released, check out our deluxe reissue of the album, which provides you with as much of an education about the band’s initial success as you could ever hope to want…and after you listen to that, go check out some of a-ha’s other albums, won’t you? They might not have been as successful in the States as they were elsewhere, but they’re absolutely still worth investigating.
