The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff.

The 1985 international hit version was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985).

In the United States in October 1985, the single topped Billboard's Hot 100, bolstered by the wide exposure on MTV of director Steve Barron's innovative music video featuring the band in a live-action pencil-sketch animation sequence.

"Take On Me" originated from Pål Waaktaar's and Magne Furuholmen's previous band Bridges, who first composed a number called "Miss Eerie" when they were 15 and 16 years old, but felt too much like a bubblegum ad.

[6] The first take of the song was inspired in part by Doors member Ray Manzarek and his "almost mathematical but very melodic, structured way of playing".

[7] Waaktaar considered the song too poppy for their intended dark style, but Furuholmen recalled thinking it was "quite catchy".

Waaktaar and Furuholmen relocated to London to try their hand in the music industry there, but returned to Norway after six months of disappointment.

[3] They were joined by their school friend, singer Morten Harket, who heard the song and said the keyboard riff had the character of a universal hit sound.

[8] They decided to record new demos, and chose the studio of musician and producer John Ratcliff, intending to re-record five songs.

[8] The band met with producer Tony Mansfield, an expert in the use of the Fairlight CMI, who mixed the demos with electronic instrumentation.

After this, Warner Brothers' main office in the United States decided to invest in the band, and gave them the opportunity to re-record the song.

Wickham immediately signed A-ha to Warner Brothers America, after learning several previous attempts had failed to make "Take On Me" a commercial success.

He authorised considerable investment in the band: on Slater's recommendation, producer Alan Tarney was commissioned to refine the song.

Ayeroff's co-worker John Beug suggested they should base the video on a student animated short he had seen, called "Commuter", by Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger.

[9][10] The single was released in the US one month after the music video, and immediately appeared in the Billboard Hot 100[8] and was a worldwide smash, reaching No.

AllMusic journalist Tim DiGravina described "Take On Me" as "a new wave classic laced with rushing keyboards, made emotionally resonant thanks to Morten Harket's touching vocal delicacy.

"[2] "Take On Me" is a synth-pop song that includes acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards,[11][12] written at a tempo of 169 beats per minute.

[7] A mix of a drum machine, the LinnDrum,[17][18] acoustic guitars, and electronic instrumentation serves as the song's backing track.

[11] The first release of "Take On Me" in 1984 includes a completely different recording; this mix was featured in the first video, which shows the band singing with a blue background.

[22][23] The idea of the video was suggested by Warner Bros. executive Jeff Ayeroff, who was pivotal in making "Take on Me" a globally recognised music hit.

Prior to that date, only four songs from the 20th century had reached that mark ("November Rain" and "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen)—making "Take On Me" the fifth video from that time period to do so, and the first Scandinavian act to achieve this.

[30] It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic-book style representing motorcycle sidecar racing, in which the hero (Morten Harket) is pursued by two opponents (Philip Jackson and Alfie Curtis).

Believing the customer left without paying the bill, she angrily crumples the comic book and throws it into a bin.

At the same time, his image appears in the woman's hallway, seemingly torn between real and comic form, hurling himself repeatedly left-and-right against the walls, eventually falling to the floor in his attempts to shatter his two-dimensional barrier.

[22] The crew of the video were director Steve Barron,[22] producer Simon Fields,[22] cinematographer Oliver Stapleton,[34] editor Richard Simpson from Rushes Film Editing,[35] and animators Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger.

[45] Wide exposure on MTV[43] helped propel the single to the top of Billboard's Hot 100, reaching number one in the issue dated 19 October 1985 (its fifteenth week on the chart).

[50] In Norway, A-ha's native country, "Take On Me" re-entered the VG-lista singles chart, reaching number one a year after it was first released.

On 27 August 2015, fellow Norwegian musician Kygo released a remixed version via iTunes to help promote the rollout of the Apple Music streaming service.

Wallach makes an appearance as the lead singer of a 1980s pop cover band that features Sebastian Wilder, one of the film's two protagonists.

On 11 October 2019, the Dutch DJs Lucas & Steve released "Perfect", a single that greatly adopts on the music of "Take On Me".