You'd Never Guess That This Totally Random 80s "One-Hit-Wonder" Has Sold 100 Million Records And Sold Out Stadiums For Decades

In 2002, VH1 compiled a definitive list of the 100 greatest one-hit wonders of all time. The criteria VH1 used for a "one-hit wonder" were simple: Any musician or band that only had one top 20 hit song in the United States.

You could definitely argue that it is not fair to exclude international success, but even with that slightly biased point of view, VH1's top 10 one-hit wonders aren't too surprising.

In the top 10, you've got the Baha Men with "Who Let the Dogs Out" at #6, Gerardo with "Rico Suave" at #9, and, of course, Los Del Rio's "Macarena," which comes in at #1. Actually, I want you to take a look at the full list of the top 10 one-hit wonders of all time:

1. #1: Los del Río — "Macarena" (1996)
2. #2: Soft Cell — "Tainted Love" (1982)
3. #3: Dexys Midnight Runners – "Come On Eileen" (1983)
4. #4: Right Said Fred — "I'm Too Sexy" (1992)
5. #5: Toni Basil — "Mickey" (1982)
6. #6: Baha Men — "Who Let the Dogs Out?" (2000)
7. #7: Vanilla Ice — "Ice Ice Baby" (1990)
8. #8: a-ha — "Take On Me" (1985)
9. #9: Gerardo — "Rico Suave" (1990)
10. #10: Nena — "99 Luftballons" (1984)

Sure, maybe the order of some of these could be moved around slightly, but even people outside of the United States would probably agree that this is a pretty great compilation of the biggest one-hit wonders of all time.

I also don't think it's unreasonable to assume that the career path of a one-hit wonder looks like an upside-down hockey stick… only with a much sharper downside. The vast majority of one-hit wonders have a very brief shining moment at the top, then disappear into obscurity. Artists who were on top of the charts and selling out stadiums could easily be back to flipping burgers within a year. This harsh reality is twice as true for one of the top 10 one-hit wonders of all time.

But hidden among the novelty hits and flash-in-the-pan fads was a group that refused to fade away.

Of the 10 "one-hit-wonders" above, can you guess which one has sold more than 100 million albums? That's more than Depeche Mode, Motley Crue, Green Day, and even Bob Marley! More impressively, they didn't just sell these records during their brief time on the charts, but over the last several decades of consistent commercial success. As if that's not impressive enough, their farewell tour (which took place 25 years after their "one hit" was on the charts) spanned four continents with 73 mostly sold-out shows in 25,000-50,000 person venues.

Any guesses as to which artist from the above list pulled this off? Is it the Baha Men? No. Is Rico Suave still king somewhere? Hopefully not. Take out your pencils and sketch book, because you are about to have a serious a-ha moment.

From Oslo to MTV: The Birth of A-ha

A-ha, which is actually stylized with a lower-case "a-ha", was formed in Oslo, Norway, in 1982. Unlike most bands that have decades-long careers, a-ha's main lineup has remained largely intact for more than 30 years. The founding members are Morten Harket on vocals, Magne Furuholmen on keyboards, and Pål Waaktaar on guitar.

For their band name, they originally set out to find a word that would be easily pronounceable in both Norwegian and English. When that proved impossible, vocalist Morten Harket spotted a song in guitarist Pål Waaktaar's song book that was temporarily titled "a-ha". Years later, Morten would explain that "It was a terrible song but a great name". And the name stuck. The trio spent the next six months living in London, writing songs, working on demo tapes, and trying to get a record deal, without success. They eventually returned to Oslo.

One of the songs that appeared on a very early demo tape was titled "Lesson One". Lesson One, which would eventually become "Take on Me" and was largely based on a track called "The Juicy Fruit Song" that Furuholmen and Waaktaar had composed while in a previous band.

With the newly polished "Take on Me", the three men returned to London and, after a few more months of wheeling and dealing, they finally landed a contract with Warner Bros. Records. Warner Bros matched the band up with a producer who was heavily influenced by the new electronic music that was coming to life in early 1980s London. Along with this producer, a-ha rushed to release a version of "Take on Me" that was remixed as more of a techno track. The single flopped badly. Fortunately for a-ha, the powers that be at Warner Bros. still believed in them. Warner Bros invited a-ha back into the studio to record their song how they wanted it. More importantly, Warner Bros. also agreed to invest a huge amount of money into what was at the time a revolutionary music video.

The Video That Changed Music

The music video for "Take on Me" was cutting edge at the time. The video magically wove live-action footage with sketch animation. In the video, a cute girl flips through a sketch book at a diner when all of a sudden an animated hand comes out of the book and pulls her into a world that is half sketched/half real life. It was shocking at the time, and honestly, still pretty impressive to this day.

On Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest music videos of all time, "Take on Me" was ranked #4. The music videos above them? #3: Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", #2: Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," and #1: Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

It didn't hurt that the actual song is INCREDIBLY catchy even 30 years later:

The music video with the newly recorded song was released exclusively to television stations and nightclubs a month before the single was available in stores or even on the radio. This was also a revolutionary PR tactic. No song in music history had ever skipped the radio and gone straight to TV before. Thanks to nearly non-stop exposure on MTV, within a month of the song being released on September 16, 1985, it was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remained in the top 10 for the next 23 weeks. "Take on Me" eventually hit #1 in 36 different countries and would go on to sell more than 9 million copies, enough to be one of the biggest-selling singles of all time. The band's debut album "Hunting High and Low" eventually sold more than a million copies worldwide.

A-ha After "Take On Me"

As you now know, "Take on Me" would be the band's only top 20 hit song in America. This is why many people would consider a-ha a one-hit wonder. Their second and third albums did not perform well in the US, peaking at #74 and #148 on the Billboard charts, respectively.

But internationally, they were superstars. Albums like "Scoundrel Days," "Stay on These Roads," and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" went platinum across Europe, South America, and Asia. Their songs were anthems in countries where "Take On Me" was only the beginning. As we mentioned a moment ago, they have sold 100 million albums worldwide.

Through the 1990s and early 2000s, a-ha continued to release new music and perform live. While they never recaptured their U.S. chart success, their international draw only grew stronger.

In 2009, a-ha announced they were calling it quits after nearly three decades together. They released one final album, "Foot of the Mountain," and launched the "Ending on a High Note" world tour in 2010.

Originally planned as a limited run, the tour quickly expanded to 73 shows across four continents. In some cities, venues had to be upgraded due to demand. In Brazil, a planned arena show in Brasília was moved to a 50,000-seat soccer stadium. When all was said and done, the tour grossed an estimated $100 million, making it one of the most successful farewell tours of the decade.

The Comebacks and Reinvention

Of course, a-ha couldn't stay away forever. In the years since their farewell, they've staged multiple comebacks. They released new albums, including "Cast in Steel" (2015) and "True North" (2022), and embarked on acoustic and orchestral tours, including a widely praised MTV Unplugged performance.

Their fan base has only grown with the internet era, as younger generations discover the brilliance of "Take On Me" and dive deeper into the band's catalog. And that iconic music video? It now has over 1.8 billion views on YouTube.

Morten's Voice, Then and Now

A-ha's success always rested on more than clever animation or catchy synths. At its core was Morten Harket's soaring, emotional voice, a voice that helped define an era of pop music and still stuns in live performances.

In June 2025, Harket announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after experiencing vocal issues. He underwent neurosurgery to implant brain stimulation devices, which helped manage symptoms. While he expressed uncertainty about his future as a singer, he remained open about his health and grateful for the decades of music he's shared with fans.

"I really like the idea of just going for it, as a Parkinson's patient and an artist," he said. "It's all up to me. I just have to get this out of the way first."

Legacy of a "One-Hit Wonder"

To call a-ha a one-hit wonder is technically correct, if you only look at U.S. radio charts. But to stop there is to miss one of the most remarkable second lives in pop history.

They outsold Bob Marley. They sold out stadiums long after MTV stopped playing their videos. And they did it with integrity, consistency, and the kind of loyal fan base most acts only dream of.