35 years after the original shook things up, A-ha has released a new 4K version of “Take On Me”
When A-ha’s “Take on Me” appeared in 1985, jaws dropped. No one had seen this sort of mix of live action and film. The technique is known as “rotoscoping,” a very time-consuming process where an artist draws over over the live-action film, frame-by-frame. This meant that”Take On Me” had to be shot on 35 mm film rather than videotape.
When it appeared on YouTube in 2010, it got a second wind and is now approaching one billion views. When that happens–and it will–A-ha will be the first act from Europe to hit that mark.
“Take On Me” has now been remastered and issued in 4K. They also posted this video to show the differences between the new version and the original.
Here’s the full updated version.