Take On Me
| "Take On Me" | |
|---|---|
| A 23-second sample from "Take On Me" | |
 Single stand-alone cover | |
| Composed by: Pål Waaktaar, Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket | |
| Vocals | Morten Harket |
| Genres | Synth-pop, new wave |
| Key | A major |
| BPM | 169 |
| Time signature(s) | Common time |
| Appears in | "Take On Me" (1984, overall) The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023, Super Mario franchise) |
"Take On Me" is a song by Norwegian synth-pop trio a-ha. First released as a single on October 19, 1984, the song was rerecorded a year later on the band's debut studio album, Hunting High and Low, becoming a hit. One minute and 13 seconds of this version are used in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, when Mario, Princess Peach and Toad are transported into the Jungle Kingdom by the driver. As with the other licensed songs in the movie, "Take On Me" is not included on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Composition[edit]
"Take On Me" is a keyboard-led synth-pop and new wave song with acoustic and electric guitars.[1][2] Written in the key of A major, the song is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of of 169 beats per minute.[3] Constructed in a verse–chorus form with a bridge before the final chorus, the song transitions from a chord progression of Bm7–E–A–D–E in the verse,to A–C♯m7/G♯–F♯m–D in the chorus. Morten Harket demonstrates a vocal range of over two and a half octaves on the song, reaching a falsetto as the chorus progresses.
The song was shortened to one minute and 13 seconds when included in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The sample used is mostly from the opening of the song, but after the first verse and chorus, goes straight to the outro.
Lyrics[edit]
We're talking away
No, I don't know what I'm to say
I'll say it anyway
Today is another day to find you
Shyin' away
I'll be comin' for your love, okay?
Take on me (Take on me)
Take me on (Take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or two
(Take on me) (Take on me)
(Take me on) (Take on me)
I'll be gone (Take on me) (Take on me)
In a day (Take me on) (Take on me)
(Take on me) (Take on me)
(Take me on) (Take on me)
(Take on me)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the song plays when Mario, Princess Peach and Toad enter the outskirts of the Jungle Kingdom, in search of Cranky Kong's palace. They are greeted by the driver, who agrees to give them a ride. He revs his kart and says "hop in," accompanied by the opening drums. The trio hop in the back, and he speeds down a narrow, wooden road, driving by mountains, a village and other Kongs. His expression is blank, while Mario and Peach are terrified, and Toad is excited. The song concludes as the trio are ejected form the kart into Cranky Kong's palace.
Many references to Mario Kart are present, such as the driver making Swanky Kong's kart slip on a banana peel and explode, and him using a glider to reach Cranky Kong's palace.
Critical reception[edit]
While one of the most successful songs of the 1980s,[4] "Take On Me" was poorly received in the The Super Mario Bros. Movie for sounding out of place. Gabriela Perez Orta of Daily Titan ranked the song as the soundtrack's worst and felt it tainted "an encapsulating scene and pivoting moment in the storyline between Donkey Kong, Mario and Peach."[5] Peter Glagowski of Flixist thought the song did not fit in with the Mario universe, especially with Koji Kondo's "treasure trove of utterly classic songs that could fill out an entire saga of films."[6] Luke Y. Thompson of Yahoo! Entertainment was also unimpressed, and poked fun at the song as coming from "Hollywood's Obvious Choices 101 folder."[7]
An instrumental track from the film's score by Brian Tyler, "Drivin' Me Bananas," an arranged medley of "Donkey Kong Country Returns," "Simian Segue," "DK Island Swing," and "Theme" from Donkey Kong Country, when played together with the scene in which "Take On Me" is used, was found to align closely with the actions depicted in the scene, which led to speculation that the instrumental track was originally used for the scene before being replaced by the song.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ Sutton, Michael. Morten Harket > Biography. AllMusic.
- ^ DiGravina, Tim. Album Review: Hunting High and Low. AllMusic.
- ^ 20 November 2006. Digital Sheet Music: Take on Me. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ^ Aniftos, Rania (September 25, 2024). A-ha’s ‘Take on Me’ Is the First Music Video From the 1980s to Reach 2 Billion YouTube Views. Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ Gabriela Perez Orta (April 12, 2023). Review: "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" rides high in nostalgia. Daily Titan. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Glagowski, Peter (April 6, 2023). Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Flixist. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ Luke Y. Thompson (April 4, 2023). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review: Lets-a Not Go. Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Zollner, Amelia (April 7, 2023). Fans Make Super Mario Bros. Movie Discovery That Fuels Speculation of a Last Minute Swap. IGN. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
