Aha released Stay on These Roads

First posted 1/18/2009; updated 9/12/2020.

Stay on These Roads A-ha

Released: May 1, 1988 Peak: 148 US, 2 UK, -- CN, 55 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK, 0.1 world (includes US and UK) Genre: synth pop

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Stay on These Roads (3/14/88, 5 UK, 56 UK) The Blood That Moves the Body (6/6/88, 25 UK) Touchy! (8/15/88, 11 UK) This Alone Is Love Hurry Home The Living Daylights (6/22/87, 5 UK, 29 AU) There’s Never a Forever Thing Out of Blue Comes Green You Are the One (11/21/88, 13 UK) You’ll End Up Crying Total Running Time: 43:16 The Players: Morten Harket (vocals, guitar) Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitar, bass) Pål Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars, drums, percussion)

Rating: 2.875 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)

About the Album: After 1985’s Hunting High and Low and the international #1 hit “Take on Me,” the Norwegian synth-pop trio a-ha fell off the radar in America with their second album, Scoundrel Days, only managing a #50 peak with the song “Cry Wolf.” With their third album, Stay on These Roads, a-ha seemed ready to redeem themselves as a group who could craft catchy songs that deserved radio attention in the U.S. The singles Touchy! and You Are the One weren’t on par with “Take on Me,” but seemed deserving of at least minor attention in the states. They failed to chart there, but were both top-20 hits in the UK. Even more surprising was the The Living Daylights didn’t even dent the charts, considering its placement in the James Bond movie of the same name. It seemed like a surefire top-40 hit. It was – in Norway – where it became the trio’s fourth #1 song. It was also a top-5 hit in the UK, but in the U.S. it went nowhere. The title cut was also a top-5 hit in the UK and #1 in Norway. It maintained some of the more intriguing, less-poppy sound of some of the material on Scoundrel Days but proved a-ha could still craft very listenable fare even when they were being more serious. While the album only got to #155 on the U.S. Billboard album chart, the band showed they still had an audience in the UK, where Stay on These Roads was their third straight to peak at #2, and in Norway where the album was the band’s third #1.

Resources and Related Links: A-ha’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide