![]() The song also featured on Bang’s Frozen Feelings album (“It wasn’t a very good record,” Bang told All About Jazz in 2010). Known affectionately as ‘Rockepresten’ (Rock priest), the ordained minister later conducted the ceremony at Magne Furuholmen’s wedding in August 1992.ĭuring this busy period in the late 1980s, Harket also contributed backing vocals to ‘Merciful Waters’, an atmospheric – though unremarkable – single released by Jan Bang in 1989. Eidsvåg was a well known Norwegian songwriter, musician and Spellemannprisen award winner, who shared Harket’s interest in theology. The promotional single was credited to Bjørn Eidsvåg with Morten Harket and the Oslo Gospel Choir. One such project was an appearance on ‘Det Er Ennå Tid’, an uplifting track that was used to promote a 1989 Scout convention in Skaugum. His fame with a-ha eventually afforded him the opportunity to indulge in some of his other interests. The job taught me how to cope with extremes, stay calm under pressure, and understand people better.” Harket’s primary passion was music and he briefly fronted Souldier Blue (a band that specialised in blues and soul covers) before eventually teaming up with Pål Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen on his birthday in 1982 to form a-ha. Working there was a very good experience. “So I left to work in a psychiatric hospital. “In the end, there were too many other things I wanted to do,” he later recalled. It was often lazily reported that Harket had aspirations to be a priest, but his theological studies during his formative years did not last long. Harket’s strong moral code stemmed from a firm interest in theology that began at school something which has endured throughout his personal and professional life. But I had discipline and respect for my parents and I think the problems that exist with drugs – which is the worst disease to hit our society – and violence amongst young people is because these things have been lost.” I was rebellious in an introverted way when I was a teenager. I think we have a very cold society and I think the main reason for that is that family life has broken down. ![]() It follows morals that one used to have in that era, because it’s set in the 1940s. The reason I did the film is because I like the people who are doing it and I like what they’re trying to do – they are trying to fill a gap in the films that are out today for kids because there’s hardly any family orientated films… It has standards. I enjoyed acting, but I have no aspirations to become an actor… I did it over ten days or so on my holiday and it was good fun. Harket discussed his work on these successful films with Smash Hits magazine: “The person I play is in his twenties and he’s called Christoffer. He also contributed ‘ Kamilla og Sebastian‘ to the Ragnar Bjerkreim-composed soundtrack, a sentimental ballad that encapsulated the friendship between an orphan and a reformed thief. On the other hand: who’s bigger, Sting or The Police? It depends who you ask.” – Morten Harketĭuring their commercial peak in the 1980s, a-ha were attracting offers to write theme songs for James Bond movies (‘The Living Daylights’), while Harket himself was in demand not only as a vocalist, but also as an actor appearing in Kamilla og Tyven (1988) and its sequel the following year (which also featured Harket’s brother Kjetil). But at the same time it should be said that a-ha could have been much bigger than we’ve actually been. ![]() Headlines and deadlines (1988-1993) “My potential as a solo performer, commercially speaking, isn’t any smaller than a-ha’s. ![]() With his chiselled, boyish looks and distinctive vocals, Harket was certainly the most marketable member of a-ha – but the transition to a successful solo career, following the band’s hiatus in the 1990s, wasn’t without its challenges… Over the years his versatile and adaptable voice has lent itself to several musical genres, including synth-pop, Christian pop, rock, jazz, folk and even drum ‘n’ bass while his interest in theology, nature, environmental issues and politics has frequently seeped into his recordings, giving much of the material a spiritual – and often philosophical – slant. In the second part of our Lifelines series, we take an in-depth look at the solo career of the Kongsberg-born vocalist, uncovering a vast array of projects that stretch back to the late 1980s. As the instantly recognisable voice of a-ha, Morten Harket needs very little introduction.
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