a-ha: ranking highs and lows

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a-ha: ranking highs and lows A fan podcast and blog project where we hunt for the highs and lows in a-ha’s unparalleled catalogue by ranking all a-ha songs from worst to best!

Take us on whether you are a hardcore fan or a casual listener who is curious to discover new favourites.

"Don't throw you rankings away"Dear a-ha friends and ,let's first and foremost wish the man behind the most iconic synth...
01/11/2024

"Don't throw you rankings away"

Dear a-ha friends and ,

let's first and foremost wish the man behind the most iconic synth-riff in the world a happy birthday! And no, it's not the guy from Europe who did the keyboard riff for The Final Countdown; it is of course none other than the original MF - Magne Furuholmen!

The weird thing is of course that although it's Magne's birthday, he's the one who's handing out gifts! Maybe it's a Norwegian thing? First and foremost, his new single 'Living With Ourselves' is out today. Check it out if you haven't already.

Secondly, Magne has also already released several episodes of his new podcast series, which is a conversation with writer/author Ørjan Nilsson - which we suppose is fair since we're a bit slow to release new episodes of a-ha: ranking highs and lows. You can find Magne's podcast on most major platforms like Spotify and the like. We've listened to the first few episodes, and they are very Magne-ish, which means tongue-in-cheek but also honest, warm and down to earth.

Here at the a-ha: ranking highs and lows office we're soon going to compete with Magne for your attention! We're slowly getting our act together and should be releasing a new episode or two before Christmas. Nothing like a bit of competition from one of the heroes to get our creative juices flowing, eh?

In the meantime, though, since this is a bit of a Magne-focused update, why not ponder this question:

"a-ha has already covered Magne's song Dragonfly (on the Lifelines album), but which a-ha song would you like to hear Magne do a cover or a new version of?"

We hope you're all doing well, and we look forward to connection with you again!

All the best from,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"I don't know, but it's been said / Rankings travel far from heart to head / Maybe, maybe"

“I’m trying to keep my 1993 setlist dry”Dear a-ha friends,JP’s been in the attic and has dug out the setlist from a-ha’s...
19/04/2024

“I’m trying to keep my 1993 setlist dry”

Dear a-ha friends,

JP’s been in the attic and has dug out the setlist from a-ha’s concert in Copenhagen on 9th September 1993.

If you could choose only 3 of the 16 songs to be played live tonight by a-ha at a mini-gig in your livingroom, which 3 songs would you pick? (“The Blood…” was the first song of the show even if you can’t really see the title on the setlist).

Tell us in the comments below!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

“Is it live or just to play my worries away?”

"Oh don't you feel so small / Danish is tough for all"Dear a-ha friends,As mentioned last week here's something for the ...
18/04/2024

"Oh don't you feel so small / Danish is tough for all"

Dear a-ha friends,

As mentioned last week here's something for the small select group of our listeners who understand Danish. Peter the Producer and JP have a weekly podcast called Goes to 11 - uaktuelle musikhitlister where they take turns making their own charts based on a theme of their choice. This week's episode is JP's take on the 11 best songs from a-ha in the 1990's which is ONLY fun if you understand Danish. But at least it's a nice picture, right?

The order of songs is not the same as in season 1 of Ranking Highs and Lows where that horrible concept of "compromising" played a role, as JP and Jesper had to reach an agreement, so here it's just JP's choice (as it looks now; we all know that favourites move up and down, and sometimes maybe even out west or to Memphis).

We WILL come back with something in English for all our patient listeners. We'll get together on Sunday to discuss a few themes and make some plans, so keep us on speed dial!

All the best wishes from

JP and Peter the Producer (and of course Jesper who will be the first to argue with the list...)

"Half of a dictionary / Tells half a story"

I denne udgave af musikpodcasten ‘Goes to 11’ deler JP ud af sit hjerteblod, når han præsenterer de bedste sange fra a-ha i 1990’erne. Måske er bruttolisten beskeden, hvad kvantitet angår, men til gengæld er kvaliteten af nettoresultatet uhørt høj - i hvert fald hvis man skal tro JP.

Vi skal bl.a. høre verdens måske bedste lejlighedssang, vi får historien om dalende succes og stigende konflikter, og vi skal på toilettet i Princes Paisley Park studie. Desuden tager JP tidligt hjem fra sin 9. klasses afslutningsfest for at optage noget fra radioen. Og kunne man egentlig købe noget mad i de danske koncertsale i 1990'erne?

Vi skal også et s**t omkring Baywatch, og vi skal shoppe stereoanlæg hos Føtex i Brønderslev. Heldigvis kommer vi også til JPs første koncert med a-ha, og vi er andenhåndsvidne til en verdensrekord. Og er der for få brasilianere i København?

Vi introducerer også et nyt drukspil, JP døjer med nattesynet og retningssansen, og vi møder en prinsesse med en meget lang næse. Desuden diskuterer vi, hvornår rockstjerner bør stå op om morgenen. Og skal man partout købe pomfritter, når man ser musikvideoer med a-ha?

Således er der forhåbentlig basis for op til flere a-ha-oplevelser for de lyttere, der ikke har lyttet intenst til de tre gutter fra Norge, som i halvfemserne for alvor lagde teenagehysteriet bag sig men til gengæld leverede masser af fremragende sange, hvoraf de bedste denne gang får en tur gennem vores unikke forstærker, som… Goes to 11!

Lyt til afsnittet - eller tidligere episoder - på alle gængse podcastplatforme, f.eks.:
Apple Podcast: http://tiny.cc/goesto11_applepodcast
Spotify: http://tiny.cc/goesto11_spotify
Google Podcast: http://tiny.cc/goesto11_googlepodcast
Spreaker: http://tiny.cc/goesto11_spreaker

Du er naturligvis også mere end velkommen til at byde ind med feedback eller måske give dit bud på den bedste sang fra a-ha i 90’erne.

Så tag roligt med en tur østen for solen og vesten for månen i selskab med Goes to 11 - vi garanterer al den nordiske melankoli, du kan ønske dig - serveret med passion af band såvel som af fan.

De bedste hilsner fra
JP & Peter

“So why didn’t I / Take the Danish language course?”Dear a-ha friends,This is for the native Danish speakers or Danish l...
12/04/2024

“So why didn’t I / Take the Danish language course?”

Dear a-ha friends,

This is for the native Danish speakers or Danish language understanders out there. Next Thursday JP - with Peter the Producer as co-host - will present his personal top 11 of the best songs by a-ha from the 1990’s. As some of you may know, JP and Peter have formed a duo a while back to satisfy their podcasting needs outside of Ranking Highs and Lows. In that context JP has presented his personal top 11 from a-ha’s 1980’s catalogue, and now it’s time to move (out west) to a new decade.

The episode will be released on 18th April and will only be available in Danish. You can find it if you follow us on Goes to 11 - uaktuelle musikhitlister. And then we’ll of course also be back as a trio in not too long. We’re cooking up some ideas and discussing what would be more fun.

Stay tuned!

All the best,

JP and Peter the Producer (and of course also Jesper!)

“Don’t be afraid / It’s a harmless language”

"You draw your own podcasters / and there's room for little else"Dear a-ha friends,We hope you're all keeping well! Firs...
21/03/2024

"You draw your own podcasters / and there's room for little else"

Dear a-ha friends,

We hope you're all keeping well! First of all thanks a lot for the very positive response on our latest episode of a-ha: ranking highs and lows which was a ranking of the songs on Savoys new wonderful album "Under", a collection of songs we still really enjoy. If you haven't listened to the episode - or worse: haven't listened to the album yet - we encourage you to do so :)

Meanwhile we just wanted to share this amazing drawing with you (amazing skills, not amazing models). It's an unexpected gift from our faithful listener Steve Rolls who is a very talented artist! We feel super honoured and also a bit Take On Me-ish... Would it be fair to say that we almost feel animated? And now of course we feel obliged to do some more rankings, so we'll put our heads together and see what we can come up with. Meanwhile we'll bask in the glorious feeling of being published models (okay, yes, WE did the publishing if you want to nitpick, but that's besides the point).

So stay on these pages and possibly check out Steve's Instagram for more amazing drawings. We'll try to hurry up with the next episode, but don't hold your breath for too long ;)

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"Everything is black and white with you"

“I sure stood out from the rest / I ranked as I walked away”Dear a-ha friends,We’re super excited to share a new episode...
02/03/2024

“I sure stood out from the rest / I ranked as I walked away”

Dear a-ha friends,

We’re super excited to share a new episode of ‘a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows’ with you on the happy occasion that Savoy - Pål’s band outside of A-ha - has released an amazing new album called ‘Under’. You could say that Pål ‘Under’-delivers, but that would be wrong on so many accounts which you’ll hopefully already know from listening to the album or maybe soon when you’ve listened to this episode.

This is the second time we’ve had the chance to ask Pål Waaktaar some questions in relation to doing an episode of Ranking Highs and Lows, which we take as a stamp of approval - or as a sign that he hasn’t really listened to the previous episodes. Either way, in this episode you get to hear Jesper and JP being quite offended, Peter the Producer has unwarranted hopes for a shorter podcast, and we mispronounce Frode Unneland in so many ways that it’s almost Guinness Book of Records-worthy.

We also tip-toe around well-known music terms, we update you on the story of a clothes brand, and JP recalls the time he wore a skirt, and the times he hurt a fly. Meanwhile Jesper recalls the happy day when he found a Portuguese Eurovision song in a 2nd hand record store.

Peter introduces us to the anatomy of a record, and it turns out that The Beatles may be more Savoy than Savoy. Jesper also puts forward some quite weak evidence, JP’s origami joke is received with limited applause, and Peter sneaks in a Bon Jovi reference.

We also wonder about Pål’s order of doing things, we stretch the truth (reprehensible!), correctly identify a flute, and we try to listen behind the facade. JP confesses his love of Little House on the Prairie, and Jesper sets up a rule for how many different styles a song needs to include in order to be epic. And Yngwie Malmsteen pops by as well.

As always you can find the podcast as well as the 15 previous episodes on your preferred podcast app by searching for "a-ha Ranking Highs and Lows" or go straight to the source: https://www.spreaker.com/show/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows

As always please also share your thoughts, comments and reactions below - but please DON’T spoil the ranking for other listeners when you write in the comments section ;)

If you like what you hear then please give us a like and a follow or recommend the podcast to other fans. We still get more followers with each episode (thank you!!) but we know there are still fans out there who we haven’t reached yet, so feel free to share the info about the podcast in fan forums, Instagram or Facebook groups etc. if you feel that’s appropriate. Thanks!

“But when we’re together / I’m always ranking”

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"So I rank in fading innocence / And all my youthful rage"Dear a-ha friends,yesterday we got together in the Ranking Hig...
01/03/2024

"So I rank in fading innocence / And all my youthful rage"

Dear a-ha friends,

yesterday we got together in the Ranking Highs and Lows office (aka Peter the Producer's kitchen) and cooked up a new episode that celebrates the new Savoy album "Under". It's probably not a surprise to anyone when we say that it will take a tiny (??) bit of editing, before it's worthy of being released onto the World Wide Web, where hopefully it will flow down the digital river to a loudspeaker or a headphone near you!

You'd be surprised (or you won't) how much there is to say about a short album like "Under". Pål has used the word "concise" to describe the new collection of songs. Our ranking is everything BUT concise, so there's nothing new there.

What IS new is that Peter the Producer actually managed to get through the recording without questioning the meaning of life and why on Earth he agreed to do another episode, so that's a good sign.

Anyway, if all goes well there's a new episode out this weekend. So get your A-ha, Savoy and Waaktaar on! We guarantee that we over-promise and "Under"-deliver ;)

Meanwhile, if you haven't checked all the 15 previous episodes of the podcast out you still have time to do so.

We'll be back real soon!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"Grab my hand / When rankings go sideways / As they sometimes will"

"And you yourself have hopes / To rank some songs today"Dear A-ha and Savoy friends,We hope you are well and that you've...
26/02/2024

"And you yourself have hopes / To rank some songs today"

Dear A-ha and Savoy friends,

We hope you are well and that you've been enjoying the new Savoy album 'Under' during these past weeks. We know we have! So much, in fact, that we're getting together later this week to record a new episode of a-ha: ranking highs and lows which is dedicated to 'Under'.

If you haven't listened to 'Under' already we strongly recommend you to do so. It's a really great album that both feels fresh and new while at the same time incorporating some of those things that make it trademark Savoy or Pål. And if you haven't listened already maybe the upcoming episode can be an appetizer.

We've even been lucky enough once again to ask the man himself, Pål Waaktaar, some questions about the new album. That's of course a bit of an honor. Luckily some of the questions must have made sense, because we got some useful answers, which we'll of course also include in the upcoming episode. So thanks a lot to Pål for agreeing to do that - it feels like another stamp of approval for our small fan project. But that won't stop us from being critical where we feel it's fair when we rank the songs on the album. After all, Denmark was ranked as the least corrupt country in the world in 2023, and we plan on keeping it that way. Of course we won't object to Savoy playing a concert in our living room, but hey - that's just an idea completely unrelated to anything else.

And if you've already listened to 'Under' why not share your favourite(s) from the album in the comments below?

We look forward to recording the next episode (JP and Jesper do at least, Peter the Producer is a bit more hesitant, but self-sacrifice is in our genes...) and even more so to share it with you all.

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"Life and times of a wannabe / You are not who you rank"

"Lonely ranker / On a bike / Whizzes by / In the morning light"Dear a-ha friends,the Danish post office thingy finally d...
02/02/2024

"Lonely ranker / On a bike / Whizzes by / In the morning light"

Dear a-ha friends,

the Danish post office thingy finally decided to do what Savoy also did today: Release 'Under'! Yay!!

In other words it's all about the new album here in one of the three Ranking Highs and Lows offices today. As those of you who have listened to season one of a-ha: ranking highs and lows might remember, Jesper used to work in a post office during his studies, and honestly, we could have used an a-ha or Savoy fan on the inside this week to release our shipments sooner. The Danish customs are slow and charge pretty much the same amount as the price of the albums. But, but that's all in the past, and the album is already spinning!

Huge congratulations to Pål Waaktaar, Lauren and Frode with the release of the new album and really, also congratulations to all the a-ha fans out there. We know that a lot of you love Savoy as much as we do - and some still have to come around to it - and we hope that the album will be well-received.

We will of course be doing a ranking of 'Under' in due time once we've had a chance to actually let it get under our skin. As with many of Pål's (and a-ha's) songs there are immediate favourites but it's often the songs that at first shine less bright that end up becoming the durable favourites. So we won't rush it. Plus, as you can see, there are both an orange, a lime-green and a black version to listen to, and who knows if they are the same?!? We can't wait to do a combined top 30 of 'Under' and put the orange version of "Coming Down" at number 10 and the lime-green at number 5 with the logical reasoning "I just love how lime-green sounds"...

We hope you'll be able to find 'Under' on your streaming service if you haven't ordered or received the vinyl yet. So far we're at least loving what we're hearing :)

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"Never an option to move to L.A / To rank on a hilltop and soak up some rays"

"Loneliness can be ignored / and ranking's shown me how"Dear a-ha friends,It's been less than a week since we released t...
24/01/2024

"Loneliness can be ignored / and ranking's shown me how"

Dear a-ha friends,

It's been less than a week since we released the latest episode of a-ha: ranking highs and lows, which was a ranking of the songs from the 'MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice' album, so with the risk of suddenly flooding your SoMe channels we just want to say a huge "THANK YOU" to all of you for the very positive reception it got. We really appreciate the kind words, the engaged comments, the challenges and - of course - the download numbers! We are almost done with the internal arguing about who got more support for their individual choices from you guys, but in the end it doesn't matter (except of course it does!).

Oh, and after we released the MTV Unplugged episode we also learned that the instrument known by most as "the Mozart piano" or "17th century piano" apparently is called a harpsichord which sounds like a made-up name, so we'll stick with "Mozart piano"...

On a different and much more exciting note: Tiger Records, who are shipping the upcoming new Savoy album 'Under', have sent us a note that our orders have been shipped, which means that we might even receive the albums before the release date (2nd February). Try guessing how excited we are! If you guessed "totally x10" you'd be correct! We know not everyone is into the whole resurgence of the vinyl movement, but IF you are, or if you'd just like to own a physical copy or some cool wall art, then you can order the album here: https://tigernet.no/releases/967136-under

Unfortunately we haven't heard anything about a CD version of 'Under' yet (let alone a cassette release which is apparently where the REALLY cool kids get their music from these days...) but who knows? So basically what we wanted to say was: "Don't just walk away". There are more rankings to come very soon, and ANY release from a-ha, Pål/Savoy, Morten og Magne is worth celebrating.

So thanks again if you've already listened to the latest episode, and thank you in advance to those of you who are planning on doing so. We'll be back with more before you know it.

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"There's a bar room down the street / Where we meet /
Where we pick up girls and take 'em ranking"

“I reached inside myself and found / Nothing there to ease the pressure / Of my ever-ranking mind”Dear friends,We’re exc...
20/01/2024

“I reached inside myself and found / Nothing there to ease the pressure / Of my ever-ranking mind”

Dear friends,

We’re excited to share a new episode of ‘a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows’ with you. This time we’ve ranked the songs from ‘MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice’ album, which we hope you’ve all had a chance to listen to. Otherwise maybe this episode can serve as an introduction.

This time we go shopping for instruments with Mozart, Jesper invents a new superhero, and JP shares opinions about musical arrangements of which he has no clue. We also encounter a large selection of instruments that we give the wrong names. And how many choruses does Lifelines have now?

We try to remove the feeling of hope from several songs, JP abandons computers for note-taking, and Jesper guesses 81 songs in 1 second, while Peter has his eyes on the strings section. And how much is Jesper’s kidney really worth?

JP also quotes himself more than once, Jesper shares strong opinions about collaborations in music, and Peter serves a bitter soup. Jesper also grows thoughtful again and JP can’t say he likes it. And where is ‘You Are the One’?

And of course we also find the time to rank the 21 songs on the MTV Unplugged album, so all in all we consider this a success as that was the whole point of this episode. Sometimes we forget, but that’s where Peter steps in.

As always you can find the podcast as well as the 14 previous episodes on your preferred podcast app by searching for "a-ha Ranking Highs and Lows" or go straight to the source: https://www.spreaker.com/show/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows

And please do share your thoughts, comments and reactions below - but please DON’T spoil the ranking for other listeners when you write in the comments section ;)

If you like what you hear then please recommend the podcast to other fans. We still get more followers with each episode (thank you!!) but we know there are still fans out there who we haven’t reached yet, so feel free to share the info about the podcast in fan forums, Instagram or Facebook groups etc. if you feel that’s appropriate. Thanks!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

“Hundred thousand rankings, I'm the one they blame”

A-ha Waaktaar Magne Furuholmen

"And there's just thing left to raaaaaaaaaaaaaaank"Dear a-ha friends,Even if it doesn't look like it from the picture, a...
19/01/2024

"And there's just thing left to raaaaaaaaaaaaaaank"

Dear a-ha friends,

Even if it doesn't look like it from the picture, all three members of the a-ha: ranking highs and lows group or, as the young people among you would say, "posse" (mind you, Oxford Dictionary describes posse with the example "tea was handed round by a posse of mothers". NOT very rock 'n' roll...)... Anyways, we got together last night and ranked some songs. Pleasantries were exchanged (not many), arguments were had (also not too many), and insults were thrown (plenty).

Now there's just some editing to be done (also plenty) which should happen over the weekend, so maybe there's a new episode coming out this Sunday if everything goes according to plan (does it ever?).

And you needn't worry: There are still things left to rank. Next time will probably be the new Savoy album, which any follower of Waaktaar - or even A-ha - should be sure to check out. We are super excited at least! So to bridge the time until it's released we hope you'll enjoy the upcoming episode of our podcast. If you have as much fun listening as we had making it then you'll have SOME fun...

Thanks as always for supporting our little hobby. We truly appreciate it. And as long as those download numbers remain strong we can convince Peter the Producer to go another round.

Speak/listen soon!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"You're ranking the songs like a snake"

"I rank too fast / Move too quick"Dear a-ha friends,first and foremost: Happy New Year! We hope you've all had a good st...
12/01/2024

"I rank too fast / Move too quick"

Dear a-ha friends,

first and foremost: Happy New Year! We hope you've all had a good start to 2024. For the keen A-ha and Savoy or Waaktaar fan there's already plenty to be excited about with the soon-to-be-released (and of course: soon-to-be-ranked) Savoy album "Under". Definitely something to look forward to.

But before we get to that we've actually penciled in a new recording day next week so we'll see what comes of it (contrary to what "Butterfly, Butterfly" will have you believe, we actually DO have to pencil it in).

We have 1½ ideas which honestly is at least ½ an idea more than we usually have (some might even argue that it's 3/4 of an idea more than usual, but let us pay no mind to their words and bitter lines...). Also, we should stop using so many parentheses (note to self!).

And of course: Thanks again also for the kind comments and downloads of the latest (or any!) episode of our podcast, which was our take on the 25 best live versions of a-ha's songs. It was almost 3 hours long, and even WE don't like listening to ourselves for that long (actually, that's not entirely true for JP and Jesper...) so kudos to those of you who made it through! We're amazed that you still care, and we truly treasure each and every download, listen, comment, DM, sharing, follow and whatever else type of SoMe-related sign of appreciation we get from you guys! We'll do our best to keep it a bit shorter this time - also for the sake of Peter the Producer's mental well-being.

We can't say exactly when the next episode is out but with a little luck it's maybe already next weekend. So brush up on your English with Danish accent as we get ready to take another dive into the wonderful pool of a-ha's unparalleled catalogue!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"So we shake hands and rank"

""Don't stop ranking", so you've told me / But don't you worry now"Dear a-ha friends,here at the a-ha: ranking highs and...
23/12/2023

""Don't stop ranking", so you've told me / But don't you worry now"

Dear a-ha friends,

here at the a-ha: ranking highs and lows headquarters (there's isn't one, actually; it's just JP sitting at a table in a squeaky chair) we want to first of all say a huge THANK YOU for still engaging with our podcast project by listening, commenting, agreeing, disagreeing, sharing, encouraging etc. despite our irregular release frequency. We really appreciate it enormously! ❤

Also first of all (and yes, you can have two "first of all" and no "second of all" when they are equally important) we would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and/or festive season, which we hope you get to spend with your loved ones. Here in Denmark it's the evening of the 24th that is the BIG NIGHT with presents, more than enough food (duck or goose, pork roast, traditional danish rice pudding etc.) and maybe a couple of a-ha-related gifts under the tree. Well, the "a-ha-related gift"-thingy is not a national tradition as such but it really should be...

And speaking of gifts we'll round of this year with a fun little question: If you could have ANY a-ha song re-recorded in a new version, which one would it be? And in which style? Do you want Scoundrel Days in a speed metal version or maybe Touchy! as a waltz? Or somethings else? Tell us in the comments below.

We're also planning on recording a new episode early in the new year, and even if it's quiet on the a-ha front we're definitely looking forward to the new album ‘Under’ by Savoy which we'll also rank when it's available in February. For us a new Savoy album is like Christmas 2024 coming very early (or 2023 a little late).

So stay tuned and on these roads. And of course there are already 14 episodes of the podcast available so far so check out our linktree at the top of the page our just search for ‘a-ha Ranking Highs and lows’ in your podcast app.

All the best season's greetings from

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

P.S. Yes, the picture has been manipulated even if it looks 100% real. Or 63% at least...

"Another day leaves me ranking"

"Are they ranking back home? I'm so alone"Dear a-ha friends,first and foremost a HUGE THANK YOU for the very kind recept...
06/12/2023

"Are they ranking back home? I'm so alone"

Dear a-ha friends,

first and foremost a HUGE THANK YOU for the very kind reception (and dare we say: nice download numbers ;) ) of the latest episode of a-ha: ranking highs and lows which as most of you have noticed already focuses on the live versions of the songs we know and love.

We only ranked the officially released versions and we only ranked 'real' live songs, so for instance the wonderful NRK Session was excluded as it wasn't recorded in front of an audience. But since some of the live versions are hard to find and don't always appear on various streaming platforms we've been asked to provide a list of the sources for the songs. So here are a couple of images/screenshots that shows what we had to choose from. Who knows, maybe we've missed one or two but it's quite complete. Oh, and of course a lot of the songs appear on several different releases (e.g. songs from a-ha Live in South America are featured on several singles and of course included on the EOTSWOTM Deluxe Edition from 2015, so that would be a source as well).

We know that the latest episode was long and we applaud anyone who made it even halfway through (the tour...) but that's what happens when you get carried away. Hopefully you can find time here and there to work your way through it!

Meanwhile we'll get back to ranking some more stuff. There are some ideas cooking already. More to come in due time!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"Comes the morning and the rankings fade away"

“What can I do? What can I say? She’s waiting for this ranking to explain itself”Dear friends,We’re happy to share a new...
02/12/2023

“What can I do? What can I say? She’s waiting for this ranking to explain itself”

Dear friends,

We’re happy to share a new episode of ‘a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows’ with you as we’re getting into December. Consider it an early Christmas present from us to you. And no, it doesn’t come in another size, colour or shape, but it DOES present our ranking of the 25 best live songs from a-ha, and that’s really a ‘one size fits all’ if you ask us!

In this episode JP praises a-ha’s speed metal phase (brief as it was), and Jesper recalls a visit to the toilet that almost cost him an epic concert opener. Meanwhile Peter suggests that we have a tendency to go in circles, while Jesper is counting nickels. And do Scandinavians really prefer to walk with a stone in their shoe?

Jesper also talks about cold cuts, while JP talks about green circles of light (again with those circles!) and we both shed a tear over the memory of a cancelled concert, while Peter rightfully questions our sanity. Apart from that there is plenty of swooning over guitar and keyboard solos, a discussion about the balance between “loose” and “messy”, and questioning if anyone - including Peter - is paying any attention to any of this. And how many instruments can Jesper imitate with his mouth? (answer: A lot fewer than he thinks!)

We also discuss if saxophone is the missing ingredient in one of a-ha’s best songs, JP tries to bring together some women from the a-ha lyrics to create a new TV show - working title “Arguments & the City” - and Jesper recalls a perplexed concert audience, while JP argues for the pleasure of not getting what you want. We also speculate about non-verbal communication during songs, and Peter invents a new approach to performing music on TV shows. And is there actually a number between 18 and 20?

Among all of this you’ll find 25 awesome live versions of songs from the best band in the world, ranked by JP and Jesper and moderated by Peter, so it’s all well known territory. Maybe you’ve attended hundreds of a-ha’s concerts, maybe you’ve attended none, but this episode hopefully gives you a reminder or a taste of what a-ha can pull off, when they get together on stage and rock it out. So whatever your concert starting point is we hope that you’ll enjoy this episode!

As always you can find the podcast as well as the 13 previous episodes on your preferred podcast app by searching for "a-ha Ranking Highs and Lows" or go straight to the source: https://www.spreaker.com/show/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows

And as always please do share your thoughts, comments and reactions below - but please DON’T spoil the ranking for other listeners when you write in the comments section 😉

And finally of course: If you like what you hear - or if you don’t like it and want others to share the pain - then please recommend the podcast to other fans of a-ha. We know there are still fans out there who we haven’t reached yet, so please feel free to share the info about this episode in fan forums, Instagram or Facebook groups and other social media if you feel that’s appropriate. Thanks!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

“I’ve fixed my ranking for the night”

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