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Rating: Little preamble:
Year 1994, "Shapes That Go Together" is released as a single on the occasion of the winter Olympics in Lillehammer and A-ha concludes their "Memorial Beach Tour" after 29 dates. The members of A-ha begin their solo careers, and A-ha, although not officially, disband. Unexpectedly, in 1998, on the stage of the Nobel Peace Prize, as if by magic, Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy appear together to perform a new track ("Summer Moved On") along with the legendary "The Sun Always Shines On TV"... and thus begins the new course of the band.
The album Minor Earth Major Sky comes to light in July 2000 and presents a cover which, in my opinion, is incredibly interesting and decidedly full of meanings: it shows the fuselage of an airplane without the section intended for passengers, the tail, and the wings... in a liner, the fuselage is the part that houses the crew and is usually the most robust area of the plane itself, almost as if wanting to cut ties with a past where the band was weighed down in their "flight" by an entire series of "uncomfortable passengers," the music business, the media, the weight itself of being icons of the '80s...
The album starts immediately with the title track Minor Earth Major Sky (Furuholmen-Savoy), a track with a classic pop rhythm with a captivating bass line and decidedly electronic sounds, maniacally perfect in execution; the atmosphere and also the effects applied to Harket's voice give the track an almost muffled sound. The video accompanying the track is definitely worth watching... there are many different versions of MEMS, among which the Black Dog mix stands out in particular, giving the track a more "hard" imprint.
Little Black Heart (Furuholmen-Savoy) is a track with very sophisticated and refined pop sounds where Morten's voice and the choirs create an atmosphere I would describe as melancholic in the verses and hopeful in the chorus and variation... "you say it will get better, everything is fine but I have never felt the dark like this night..." what can I say: a splendid track!!!
Velvet (Waaktaar & Lauren Savoy) is a previously written track and published for Paul and his wife Lauren's parallel band Savoy: a sweet and sensual pop ballad where Paul's guitar gently caresses the listener's ears without ever overdoing it, and Lauren's choirs accompany Morten's always (perhaps even too much!!!) perfect voice. It should be noted that the video accompanying the song is decidedly in contrast with the atmosphere of the track itself, but personally, I found the basic idea of the video extremely brilliant, even if on the verge of unpleasantness for the theme addressed...
We then arrive at Summer Moved On (Waaktaar Savoy) rearranged for the album in a way very different from the '98 performance; it's a classic pop song with an evocative atmosphere, still with deep electronic sounds that blend with classical instruments in a homogeneous but dynamic manner; Morten's voice is greatly highlighted, not so much for the note held for 20.2 seconds but for the decidedly exciting interpretation; the video accompanying the single is shot in Spain; the single (the first extracted from this album) has sold over one and a half million copies and helped relaunch A-ha on the international market (especially in Germany).
The Sun Never Shone That Day (Paul & Lauren Savoy) is a track with a more sustained rhythm compared to the previous ones and with more genuine sounds as far as the arrangement is concerned; the track strongly splits between verse and chorus in a typical and characteristic canvas for this band that always offers something original and (almost) never predictable.
To Let You Win (Harket-Haverd Rem) is an interesting example of Morten Harket's artistic evolution: an essential and bare instrumental execution with Morten singing in almost baritonal tones in a slow and deep track that only slightly opens in the variation, remaining somewhat suspended in the center of the album like something hidden, submerged, gloomy.
The Company Man (Furuholmen-Savoy) is a genuinely light pop song with a sustained rhythm, the classic filler with a significantly ironic text. Forgettable!!!
Thought That It Was You (Harket - Ole Sverre Olsen) evokes almost Christmas-like sounds (perhaps it's the jingling? who knows!!!) the track is valid, but personally, I found the arrangement not very good, too simplistic for another potentially good Pop track that actually gave its best in live versions. It's a pity someone wanted to meddle (Niven Garland?)
I Wish I Cared (Furuholmen) is a small masterpiece! A slow pop track completely electronic where all of Morten's vocal qualities are enhanced by Magne's unleashed creative flair, who, in a state of grace, can exploit modern musical technologies without losing that human compositional genuineness that makes music something global and appealing to all. The video accompanying the track is the first in history made completely in flash. For me, this track is magnificent.
Barely Hanging On (Waaktaar Savoy) oops... a genuinely three-quarters arrangement but not well-cared for and not very original either in execution or in post-production, left somewhat like that, in the middle of the album, almost meaningless... a light pop filler but listenable.
You'll Never Get Over Me (Waaktaar Savoy) a genuine pop ballad with guitars and bass in evidence, somewhat repetitive but pleasant; Mrs. Savoy pleasantly accompanies the choirs in a performance without much commitment but always good of Harket.
I Won't Forget Her (Waaktaar Savoy) seems to have come directly from an '80s B-side, all electronic in a very repetitive and uninspired pop track where someone had fun trying to make a decent song out of it, without succeeding in my opinion... quite frankly I skip it outright and would gladly scrape it off the CD...
Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count (Waaktaar Savoy) well, A-ha may not always nail the single but are masters at knowing how to close each of their works worthily, and this time too, they do so with a Pop ballad where Waaktaar's guitar takes center stage with an almost Dylan-esque, poignant rhythm; it seems like a classic from the '70s that explodes in the chorus, reminding us that we are now in the new millennium. Towards the end of the song, Magne's keyboard starts to prevail with a maniacal riff in closing, accompanied by the phrase "I Was Around..." repeated until the abrupt closure that leaves me stunned and with goosebumps at least...
The album has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, 1 million in Germany alone, where it managed to place three singles always in the top ten on the charts (Summer Moved On, Minor Earth Major Sky, and Velvet). It is produced by Andreas "Boogieman" Herbig and Roland Spremberg and co-produced by A-ha and Kjetil Bjerkestrand. It is the first album where the band members do not appear on the cover.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Minor Earth Major Sky (05:25)
I can`t see me in this empty place
Just another lonely face
I can`t see me here in outer space
It's so hard to leave a trace
And I try and I try and I try
But it never comes out right
Yes I try and I try and I try
But I never get it right
It's a
Minor earth major sky
I can't see me in this lonely town
Not a friendly face around
Can you hear me when I speak out loud
Hear my voice above the crowd
And I try and I try and I try
But it never comes out right
Yes I try and I try and I try
But I never get it right
It's a
Minor earth major sky
Minor earth major sky
And I try and I try and I try
But it never comes out right
Yes I try and I try and I try
But I never get it right
It's a
Minor earth major sky
Minor earth major sky
02 Little Black Heart (04:36)
I never saw sunlight
Burn as bright
I never felt darkness
The way I feel it tonight
You say it's getting better
You say it's alright
But I never felt darkness
Like I feel it tonight
Little black heart
Raindrops on my window
I can't tell them apart
Like the few things forgiven
In my little black heart
You say it's getting better
We just never got it right
But I never felt darkness
The way I feel it tonight
Little black heart
Some day we will shine
Like the moon in the morning
Like the sun when it's dawning
Yes the sun when it's dawning
The sun
Some day we will shine
Like the moon in the morning
Like the sun when it's dawning
Yes the sun when it's dawning
The sun
Raindrops on my window
I can't tell them apart
Like a few things forgotten
And a few things ignored
You say it's getting better
You say it's alright
But I never felt darkness
The way I feel it tonight
Little black heart
My little black heart
03 Velvet (04:19)
Her skin is like velvet
Her face cut from stone
Her eyes when she's smiling
Will never reach home
But hear how she sings
Her touch would be tender
Her lips would be warm
But when we're together
I'm always alone
But hear how she sings
Her skin is like velvet
So I went to her home
Her place like a palace
With things you can't own
Her skin is like velvet
And hear how she sings
Hear how she sings...
Yaeh, she sings
And hear how she sings
Hear how she
04 Summer Moved On (04:37)
Summer moved on
And the way it goes you can't tag along
Honey moved out
And the way it went leaves no doubt
Moments will pass
In the morning light I found out
Seasons can't last
And there's just one thing left to ask
Stay
Don't just walk away
And leave me another day
A day just like today
With nobody else around
Friendships move on
And until the day you get along
Handshakes unfold
And the way it goes no one knows
Moments will pass
In the morning light I found out
Seasons can't last
So there's just one thing left to ask
Stay
Don't just walk away
And leave me another day
A day just like today
With nobody else around
Don't just walk away
With nobody else around
Seasons can't last
And there's just one thing left to ask
Stay
Don't just walk away
And leave me another day
A day just like today
Stay
Don't just walk away
With nobody else around
Summer moved on
06 To Let You Win (04:23)
You know I always had the strength to fight
But I got tired of the wars at night
Thinking they would end if I gave in
But I wasn't strong enough
... To let you win
I knew the fight but I didn't know the cost
And how to stop the weheels when they're in spin
I thought you couldn't love a man who'd lost
No, I wasn't strong enough
... To let you win
It used to scare me to wake up wondering
If I'd forgotten what I was fighting for
You said that you were weak and I was strong
Well, I wasn't strong enough
... To let you win.
07 The Company Man (03:14)
Andy was the company man
Responsible for signing the band
Songs came out of our mouths
And into his hands
Oh yeah
Legal help, yes we had plenty
Bank-accounts are easy to empty
Everybody's trying to help
Everyone is so friendly
Oh yeah
And we all come down
Don't make a sound as we hit the ground
Yes we all fall down
Don't make a sound as we hit the ground
Give us something easy to sing to
Give us something simple to cling to
Something we can all understand
Said the company man
Oh yeah
We sing
And we all fall down
Don't make a sound as we hit the ground
Yes we all fall down
Don't make a sound as we hit the ground
Yes we all fall down
Don't make a sound as we hit the ground
May we all fall down
Don't make a sound as we hit the ground
09 I Wish I Cared (04:21)
To hold me close
or set me free
to trust completely
or let it be
You don't know my destiny
You can't see what I can see
Hey - I wish I cared
Hey - I wish I cared
To love me truly
or let me go
In between
I don't want to know
This is how it has to be
No more us and no more we.
Hey - I wish I cared
Hey - I wish I cared
Once again on the station.
See your face in a crowd.
Comes again the sensation.
You can't hear yourself think,
with their voices inside your head.
Hey - I wish I cared
Hey - I wish I cared
Yes, I really do
10 Barely Hanging On (03:56)
I used to be so sensible on my own
Now I'm so sensitive it's a joke
I'm getting by on decibels like a drug
And greet every brand
New day with a shrug
I'm barely hanging on
I used to be so comfortable in a suit
Almost presentable next to you
I used to be so confident in a crowd
Now I can't say my own name aloud
I'm barely hanging on
And now I guess you're
Wondering why
We never could see eye to eye
Oh but never mind
And now I guess it's hard to see
What has gotten into me
Oh but never mind
I'm barely hanging on
12 I Won't Forget Her (04:44)
I won't forget her
She was once my love
I won't forget her
She was once my love
When I hold you in my arms
Oh yeah
You know I'll let you come to no harm
Oh yeah
But if one day
Much like today
You stop and wonder what I'd prefer
Well, you know that I won't forget her
I won't forget her
She was once my love
Well, you know that I won't forget her
I won't forget her
She was once my love
She was once my love
She was once my love
She was once my love
Did you see it in my eyes
Oh yeah
Did it make you realise
Oh yeah
That on a day
Much like today
My mind will wonder
If she's still there
'Cause you know that I won't forget her
I won't forget her
She was once my love
You know that I won't forget her
I won't forget her
She was once my love
Well you know that I won't forget her
I won't forget her
She was once my love
When I hold you in my arms
Oh yeah
She was once my love
She was once my love
She was once my love
I won't forget her
She was once my love
I won't forget her
She was once my love
I won't forget her
She was once my love
I won't forget her
She was once my love
13 Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count (04:56)
Mary cries out: "for the love of God"
As she's walking out of the laundromat
Down the street and it's the short way home
Feeling special cause she's so alone
But we know:
(The world's full of lonely people)
And it shows
(The world's full of lonely people)
She shrugs her coat off and unlocks the door
Eats her dinner on the kitchen floor
Writes a poem and turns the radio on
Every singer sings the same old song
And it goes:
(The world's full of lonely people)
And it shows
(The world's full of lonely people)
But when she wanted me to go
She just had to let it show
To bring me down if she wanted me to leave
She just wore it on her sleeve
But at least, I was around
But when she wanted me to go
She just had to let it show
To bring me down if she wanted me to leave
She just wore it on her sleeve
At least, I was around
Mary Ellen makes the moment count
As she's looking through old photographs
Pictures taken from an early age
Faces look back at her from the page
And they say
(The world's full of lonely people)
It's ok
(The world's full of lonely people)
It's ok
(The world's full of lonely people)
But when she wanted me to go
She just had to let it show
To bring me down if she wanted me to leave
She just wore it on her sleeve
But at least, I was around
I was around
I was around
I was around
Mary Ellen makes the moment count
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