ABSTRACT
"Take on Me" is loved by fans and audiences all over the world, which is borne out by a wealth of readily available covers, remixes and re-arrangements. The chapter considers vocal compulsion in conjunction with a range of lyrical properties. Pondering over vocal compulsion also leads to thoughts about authenticity in a performance. Ultimately, Morten Harket's vocal compulsion is in itself a principle device for exhibiting emotion and marking out a-ha's sonic signature. The link between melody and visual representation is a very special one; it documents a recorded event that is framed by its contextual surroundings. Harket's vocal compulsion becomes a powerful response to the banal storyline via an array of signifiers, targeting the viewer's voyeuristic demands. The mise-en-scene, made vivid by rotoscoping, glamorizes the handsome hero in relation to the somewhat quirky, ravishing female, who is projected as stable yet vulnerable.
