Check out the mtv, circa 1986

a-ha is a Norwegian band who were most popular in the UK and the USA during the 1980s, but continued to be globally successful in the 1990s and 2000s. The trio, composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (known as Pål Waaktaar until 1991) and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1983 and left Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business. The origin of the name a-ha comes from the title of an early song. After checking dictionaries in several languages, they found out that “a-ha” was an international way of expressing recognition, with positive connotations. It was short, easy to say and unusual.

Sales (of Take on Me)were aided in the US by a music video on MTV that mimicked the climactic scene from the Ken Russell film Altered States. The video used a sketchy animation / live action combination called “Rotoscoping” (in which the video is first shot on normal video, then each frame is hand-traced over to give the animated effect) that tells a fantasy thriller story to the song. a-ha was also nominated for Best Video for “Take On Me” at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1986.

Read more here