a-ha: ranking highs and lows

21/09/2025

‘And what am I supposed to rank now?’

Dear a-ha friends,

At a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows we are extremely proud to present another episode of the podcast that celebrates the wonderful music of A-ha, where our guest this time is none other than Pål Waaktaar-Savoy!

Pål was kind enough to join us for a couple of hours to rank – in a semi-structured kind of way – his most memorable experiences from the making of Hunting High and Low. Get ready for an exclusive behind-the-scenes view as we talk to Pål about the songs, the people, the fans, and the ups and downs 🎶🎸

Among other things, you will hear about the effect of 500 black-and-white posters, a balcony that threatened to collapse, a later hit song that borrowed chords from Driftwood, the curse of free clothes, the best position from which to listen to the album, how modesty cost Pål a quality guitar, the maximum amount of hissing that can be accepted in a studio, a producer with bat ears, and how to programme a Linn Drum in the time it takes to play a ping-pong match. 🏓

We couldn’t be happier to share this conversation with you, and we hope that you will enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it.
They say: “Never meet your heroes.” We say: “Then you need to get yourself some better heroes.”

This episode as well as the previous ones can all be found here:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows/id1602079523
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fQN4fVnSXLwQj6nuZoLG1
Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows--5277221
Pocketcasts: https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows/196c4700-4872-013a-d6ae-0acc26574db2

Or find all the links here: www.linktr.ee/rankingaha

As always: if you enjoy this podcast, please make sure to subscribe to it wherever you listen, like our Facebook and Instagram pages, share the episode with other fans, and, if you feel like it, give us a rating and a comment. It all helps us to get the show out to other fans who might not have discovered it yet.

Enjoy Pål’s stories about the making of Hunting High and Low.

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

‘Love is ranking enough’



Waaktaar Morten Harket Magne Furuholmen

19/09/2025

"Was that somebody ranking? It wasn't us for sure"

Dear a-ha friends,

At first glance it might look like Peter the Producer got a lot of new gear to help improve sound quality, but if you look closer at the person in the middle it's actually another guy whose name also starts with P... 🎸🎶🎼

Yesterday we found ourselves in the crazy situation that none other than Pål agreed to spend a bit of time - which in the end became 2½ hours - with us! And not only that; we even managed to get him to rank some stuff in a slightly disorganized but extremely generous way. So a huge thank you goes out to Pål!

But really, a huge THANK YOU also goes out to all of you guys and gals (or gals and guys, we don't discriminate) for all your support, downloads, comments, discussions etc. over the years. If you hadn't been so cool, supportive and encouraging over the years, we probably wouldn't have continued like this. And then we wouldn't have had the pleasure of sharing the upcoming episode with you. So it's one big happy a-family! You really are the best! 🌟

Meanwhile, if you haven't done it already, find the post below with the link to the voting for the best songs from Hunting High and Low, which will be the topic of the episode following this one.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you vote, make sure you scoll to the bottom of the last page and hit the "SUBMIT" button. That way we are certain that your votes are counted. 📊

Stay tuned!

JP, Jesper, and Peter the Producer

"He grabs a pile of rankings from a small suitcase"

A-ha Waaktaar Morten Harket Magne Furuholmen Savoy

11/09/2025

"How can you say / That I didn't vote? / You know I did!"

Dear A-ha friends,

We are OVERWHELMED by the many votes we have already received for our "Rank the best songs from Hunting High and Low" poll, which eventually will result in an episode of our a-ha: ranking highs and lows podcast. THANK YOU! 🙏You truly are the best!

But we also know, that things move fast in the world of SoMe, so in case you missed it here's a reminder that there's still time to vote as the poll closes on 21st September at 3pm CET. ⌚📅

40 years fly by just like that! So why not pause and take a minute to reflect? Let us know your favourites! Here is the link to the poll: https://forms.gle/BhKqDfc9LtnLg3e57

We also invite you to leave comments in the poll about what the songs and the album have meant to you, which we will incorporate in the podcast, so better start voting! 📝

We want to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of a-ha's iconic debut album with fans all over the world, and what better way of doing that by letting you - our listeners - vote for the highs and lows from... well, Hunting High and Low? We can't think of one...

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"Here I stand and face the rank"

Morten Harket Magne Furuholmen Waaktaar

08/09/2025

"I'll always be ranking highs and lows"

Dear a-ha friends,

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hunting High and Low, A-ha’s iconic debut album, we invite you - the smartest fans we know - to take part in a special poll from a-ha: ranking highs and lows.

This is your chance to rank the songs from this landmark record and let us know which tracks you love the most. Your votes will help shape our dedicated anniversary episode, where we reveal the ultimate fan ranking of Hunting High and Low (plus maybe a bit more... tease-tease-tease!).

The poll closes Sunday 21st September at 3pm CET, so get your voting done in time! Click on the link below and join the celebration!

To the voting: https://forms.gle/oxCsPnajd9vj5i8T9

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"Rank me / How can it be?"



Morten Harket Magne Furuholmen Waaktaar A-ha

05/09/2025

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

Dear a-ha friends,

Normally we only promote ourselves - it's a dog eat dog eat dog podcast world out there - but this time we can promote ourselves AND what we believe will be one of next year's highlights: The A-ha UK Fan Meetup 2026, expertly arranged and managed by Laura Swan.

The event takes place in Nottingham on 13 June 2026, and as some you already know, JP and Jesper will be there as well as part of the entertainment. Maybe we'll do a quiz, maybe we'll rank some stuff (we're looking to beat the 4½ hour episode record by ranking e.g. the snacks from worst to best), maybe something else. Also, a man with an actual talent - a-ha photographer Stian Andersen - will be there, too.

We really look forward to meeting some of our dear listeners in real life. The tickets are going faster than ice cream on a hot summer's day, so head over to A-ha UK Fan Meetup 2026's page and get yourself sorted.

See you soon - also for more podcasting, we hope!!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter "the stay-at-home" Producer

"We shall meet, I know"

28/08/2025

"Forced to choose and without help"

Dear a-ha friends,

First of all: Thank you for the incredible reception, download figures, and lovely comments following the episode about "Morten's 30 best vocal performances". If we didn't already know (but we did) that we have the kindest AND smartest listeners, we certainly do now (again, we already did!).

So let's do a simpler voting this time. You're going to a desert island, and you can only bring ONE of these three album bundles with you (hey, we didn't write the airline rules, but they only allow four CDs or LPs on their plane - it's better not to ask).

So, use the reaction button and select the bundle you are taking with you. And the comments section is of course open for... well, comments!

We'll be back with more rankings later. After all, this is a year to celebrate with Hunting High and Low turning 40!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"They're leaving me no choice"

A-haMorten HarketWaaktaarMagne FuruholmenI FEEL A-HAGrupo da Página A-ha South America

23/08/2025

‘You said that you were weak and I was strong / But I wasn’t strong enough / To let you rank’

Dear A-ha friends,

We wanted to celebrate Morten and his amazing voice, we asked for your help, and you delivered!

So here they are: Morten Harket’s 30 best vocal performances as voted for by you, the listeners of a-ha: ranking highs and lows - all nicely packaged in almost 3 hours of Morten (and a-ha) madness!

Apart from featuring the top 30 incredible performances by Morten, this episode also asks (and partially answers) the following questions:

- Is it annoying if someone sings the menu at a restaurant?
- Are Danes generally just smarter?
- What’s easier to create: A poll or a Pål?
- Does JP really never get any phone calls?
- Did we break the record for most frequent use of the word “goosebumps” in a single podcast episode?
- How many pushups can Jesper do in one set (according to himself)?
- Are we more a Miranda or a Samantha?
- Does ChatGPT do Peter’s homework?
- Is there an interlude?
- How many foreign names did we mispronounce?
- Can anyone hold a single note for 6 minutes?
- And much, much more...

It’s been an absolute pleasure and a lot of fun making this episode, reading all your thoughtful comments, and now sharing the results with you. We owe you all a big thank you for taking part in the voting and/or listening to the episode. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!

This episode as well as the previous ones can all be found here:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/dk/podcast/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows/id1602079523
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fQN4fVnSXLwQj6nuZoLG1?si=4bcff9f51f0043a9
Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/a-ha-ranking-highs-and-lows--5277221
Pocketcasts: https://play.pocketcasts.com/podcasts/196c4700-4872-013a-d6ae-0acc26574db2
Or find all the links here: www.linktr.ee/rankingaha

Remember to like and share the podcast if you think it could be interesting for other fans. Or give us a review where you listen to podcasts.

And let’s continue to make this 40-year anniversary of Hunting High and Low a special one and keep celebrating the wonderful music of a-ha.

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

‘I'm coming home / No more ranking’



Waaktaar Magne Furuholmen

20/08/2025

"We're ranking by the seat of our pants / We'll rank somewhere else tomorrow"

Dear friends,

The teasing is almost over, and we can soon reveal what our listeners - meaning YOU - consider to be Morten's best vocal performances. We got together last night, and JP had brought some of his old posters to set the mood. No wonder Peter the Producer looked so happy when he found out what/who was on the B-side. As for JP, what else is there to say than "Verdammt, ich lieb' dich!" (our German listeners will understand!) 💘

We had a lot of fun recording this episode, and there were so many fantastic comments to the songs from all the voters, so it was a real pleasure. We hope you can sense that once we get the editing done over the next couple of days, so expect something in your podcast feed sometime over the weekend! 🎤

Also, the harsh sunlight☀️ from behind means that JP's biceps look less impressive in this photo than normal. And yes, JP is writing this update...

What else is there to say? Well, we are honoured to have been announced as "special guests" at the A-ha UK Fan Meetup 2026 in Nottingham next year, where we will be doing an a-ha quiz and some other stuff (maybe a ranking of the best a-ha fan meetups??). We didn't even ask where we rank on the list of preferred guests speakers, but we assume it's somewhere between "guy who once saw Pål in a fish'n'chips shop near Camden before he got famous" and "woman who claims to have been Morten's sister's hairdresser in 1987", but we'll take it!! Laura Swan is doing a brilliant job organizing the event and has already announed another guest who's been close to the band for 20 years, so check it out!

So, tune in later this week and let's continue to celebrate the vocal brilliance of Morten and - as always with a-ha: ranking highs and lows - the wonderful music of A-ha!

All the best,

JP, Jesper, and Peter the Producer

"Rank accounts are easy to empty"

Magne Furuholmen Waaktaar

28/07/2025

"Start the simulator / Give your ranks a stir"

Dear a-ha friends,

Thank you for the overwhelming response and participation in our poll where we asked you to pick your favourite vocal performances by Morten in an a-ha song. You were asked to pick up to 10 A-ha songs where you felt that Morten's voice is at its peak - based solely on your completely subjective assessment. And you delivered!

Over the coming weeks we will slowly reveal the songs ranked from 50 to 31 here on Facebook and Instagram. This will serve as the 'warm up' before we release an episode of the podcast dedicated to "The 30 best vocal performance by Morten Harket".

We've had hundreds of responses and elaborate comments explaining why certain vocal performances stand out to you. And to kick it all off, we've asked ChatGPT to summarize all your comments to see if it could summarize what it is you find so special about Morten's voice. In true Scandinavian style we've asked it to be relatively objective and not overly emotional in its summary, and it's identified four key qualities that consistently stand out:

1) Technical ability – Morten’s control, range, and seamless transitions between chest voice and falsetto are repeatedly praised. His ability to hold long notes with precision is notable.

2) Emotional expression – Listeners highlight how his voice conveys vulnerability, longing, strength, and sincerity, often creating a deep emotional connection.

3) Tonal richness – Fans appreciate the contrast between his pure falsetto and the depth of his baritone, as well as the texture, phrasing, and nuance in his delivery.

4) Presence and connection – Whether live or recorded, many describe his voice as intimate and personal—creating shared emotional experiences that last for decades.

According to ChatGPT, these qualities explain why Morten’s voice is seen not only as distinctive but profoundly moving to us fans. That's probably not far off :) We'll of course dig deeper into the comments when we cover individual songs, but now at least you've got an idea.

More to come in the coming weeks!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"It's alright / Rank all night / We're never gonna see the morning light"

25/07/2025

“Stop! And make your mind up about rankings”

Dear a-ha friends,

The ship has sailed, the train has left the station, the stage has been taken down, and the voting has ended!!

Thank you so much for participating in the poll to find Morten’s best vocal performances in the context of a-ha!

We got a lot of comments that it was an impossible task, but you managed to cast your votes (some of them in steel), and we will now go over the results as preparation for the next episode of Ranking Highs and Lows.

We look forward to sharing the ranking with you and - not least - to be able to respond to comments that challenge the ranking by saying “It’s your own fault!” 😄

Have a wonderful summer! We’ll be back with more.

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

“Hundred thousand rankings / I’m the one they blame”

20/07/2025

VOTING CLOSES ON WEDNESDAY 23rd JULY AT 3:00 PM CET

"One chance to get back to the point where the rankings start"

Dear a-ha friends,

Thanks a lot for the overwhelming support and participation in our "user poll" where we've asked you to help us rank Morten's best vocal performance.

There's still time to join the fun - link in the post below - so cast your votes (in steel) and make your voice heard. We'll review the ranking afterwards and start preparing a podcast episode based on what you've voted for.

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

"You say that I should rank / That I should speak my mind"

A-ha Morten Harket Savoy Waaktaar Magne Furuholmen

'I'll never get over what we rank / It lingers in my head'

Dear a-ha friends,

First of all: Thank you so much for the very warm reception you have given to our so far three guest episodes. We really appreciate all the comments, the interactions (and the many downloads, of course), the enthusiasm and the laughs.

And now we want to do something different again. We want YOU to help us celebrate the one and only Morten Harket and his amazing voice! So we have created a simple poll where you can vote for up to 10 a-ha songs where you think Morten's vocals are extra special. Maybe you've got a soft spot for a soaring falsetto, maybe you enjoy the deep rumbling notes, maybe it's something completely different. And remember: We are not asking for your favourite a-ha song, but your favourite vocals by Morten in an a-ha songs.

Follow the link below, choose the songs, and maybe tells us something about your favourite vocal performance. We'll then use the results of the voting to create a special episode of a-ha: ranking highs and lows sometime after summer. Oh, and of course: Please only join the poll once - no cheating!! :)

https://forms.gle/LNF3xEDFKstwHGy99

We hope you'll join the fun. Let's celebrate Morten!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

'You say that I should rank / That I should speak my mind'

A-ha Morten Harket Waaktaar Magne Furuholmen

09/07/2025

'I'll never get over what we rank / It lingers in my head'

Dear a-ha friends,

First of all: Thank you so much for the very warm reception you have given to our so far three guest episodes. We really appreciate all the comments, the interactions (and the many downloads, of course), the enthusiasm and the laughs.

And now we want to do something different again. We want YOU to help us celebrate the one and only Morten Harket and his amazing voice! So we have created a simple poll where you can vote for up to 10 a-ha songs where you think Morten's vocals are extra special. Maybe you've got a soft spot for a soaring falsetto, maybe you enjoy the deep rumbling notes, maybe it's something completely different. And remember: We are not asking for your favourite a-ha song, but your favourite vocals by Morten in an a-ha songs.

Follow the link below, choose the songs, and maybe tells us something about your favourite vocal performance. We'll then use the results of the voting to create a special episode of a-ha: ranking highs and lows sometime after summer. Oh, and of course: Please only join the poll once - no cheating!! :)

https://forms.gle/LNF3xEDFKstwHGy99

We hope you'll join the fun. Let's celebrate Morten!

All the best,

JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

'You say that I should rank / That I should speak my mind'

A-ha Morten Harket Waaktaar Magne Furuholmen