1993 - dark is the night...

January 1993      

12       The Norwegian weekly magazine "Hjemmet" features a long interview with Camilla Malmquist Harket about how it is to be Morten's wife.
14       John Barry talks about the James Bond film soundtracks, including "The Living Daylights", on UK "Radio 1".

February 1993      

a-ha are in negotiations with the Olympic Organisation Committee (LOOC) about doing the Olympic title song.

13       The restaurant "Figaro" in Oslo reopens with a ceremony featuring different artists. Morten invites Swedish singer Carola to the show and they sing "Let It Be Me" together. Morten also sings Queen's "Love Of My Life" and all artists join in and sing the final song "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". Other artists to perform include Torhild Sivertsen, Vestlandsfanden, Rune Larsen, Lars Andreas Larsen, Hans Theesink and the tenor Stein A. Torsen.
27       TV2 broadcasts the programme "Artistgryte, på Figaro-Aker Brygge" which features interviews plus the artists performing at the re-opening of "Figaro". Morten's performances of "Let It Be Me", "Love Of My Life" and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" are included.

March 1993      

16       News spreads that Morten, together with Sigvart Dagsland and Karoline Kruger, will take part in two church concerts during the olympic games in Lillehammer.
Morten is one of the speakers (together with leader of Europeisk Ungdom, Anders Hornslien, leader of Ungdom mot EF, Hallvard Ingebrightsen and Katrine Fangen of DH Sogn og Fjordane) in front of 400 pupils in their final year of secondary school at the EF-conference in Molde, Norway. He was invited by NHO (Næringslivets Hovedorganisasjon, the main organisation of business). The main subjects of the conference are racism and fear of strangers. Morten's very personal speak lasts for approximately one hour.
25-25 April       Magne, Kjell Nupen and photographer Per Fronth exhibit paintings at Galleri Bi-Z in Kristiansand, Norway. The project started with talks between the three artists before they met for a week of intensive work at Nupen's studio in Tvedestrand. They worked individually, but used the same monotype technique (graphic prints with just one original piece) and at the end had enough material to fill the gallery. Kjell Nupen's based his work on non-figuratives, Per Fronth's worked on landscapes and Magne with insects, erruptions, dragons and angels. At this exhibition, Magne exhibits 30 of his new pieces under the title "Monsters" which include pictures called "Monstre en duel", "Tête de Monstre" and "Dialogue des Monstres".

There are a limited number of WEA "a-ha" telephone cards produced in Germany.

April 1993      

3       In Andenes (Nordland), the "Rock mot Rus" (Rock against Drugs) festival takes place on 2nd and 3rd April. Morten is the main attraction on the second day and joins teenage group "Black Roses" on the song "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". Morten also presents an award, together with organiser Svein Spjelkavik, to the winning band of the amateur competition, "Ill Treat". After the festival, there is a press conference, at which Morten says the festival should try to get competitors from foreign countries as well as from all parts of Norway.

The double CD "Norske filmklassikere" featuring 60 film songs is released in Norway on Polygram. "Kamilla og Sebastian" is one of the tracks included.

10       At the anniversary show "Ti år med Carola" which takes place at Studio 1 in Stockholm, Morten appears as surprise guest and sings the duet "Det regnar i Stockholm" with Carola. This show is braodcast live on Kanal 1 on Swedish TV.
14       Morten and Camilla's first baby daughter, Anna Katharina Tomine Harket (known as Tomine), is born.

The Norwegian music magazine "Beat" features a-ha as their cover story.

MTV News and MTV Coca Cola report state that a-ha will record the official theme for the Olympics.

21       "MTV News At Night" broadcasts an interview with Morten at the Silo Museum of Modern Art in Oslo.
30       The Norwegian newspaper "VG" prints an exclusive interview with a-ha about their new album which was done while they were in the USA.
"Dark Is The Night" is released in Germany.

May 1993      

"Dark Is The Night" is released in Norway; it goes to number 4 in the charts and stays in the Top 100 for 6 weeks.

Photographer Per Fronth, who had an exhibition with Magne and Kjell Nupen in Kristiansand, is exhibiting some of his work in New York. One of his photo-paintings shows a-ha as neo-classical Greek philosophers in togas.

10       a-ha fly to Nice in France ready for interviews the next day.
11       In Monte Carlo, the soundcheck for the "World Music Awards" takes place and a-ha are there for their rehearsal. In the afternoon a-ha do some interviews for the German magazines "Bravo" and "Popcorn" and are filmed for "Bravo TV" (RTL2).

20       Morten is interviewed on "MTV Most Wanted" and they show the premiere of the video for "Dark Is The Night". Fan, Sabine Clement from Belgium, calls the studio to ask Morten a question. Two slightly different versions of the video for "Dark Is The Night" are produced. The second version, produced for the US market, features more shots of the band and cuts out scenes of Morten breaking out of his own body and the man with sticks attached to his body.

22       On "MTV Expo" more of the interview with Morten at the museum in Oslo, Norway is broadcast along with the video for "Dark Is The Night".

 

24       "Dark Is The Night" is released in the UK and other countries. The video for this single is darker to fit the song, but it fits in less well with MTV's style of videos and hence doesn't get much airplay. The album "Memorial Beach" is released in Norway; it goes to number 1 and stays in the Top 100 for 10 weeks. The live video "Live In South America" is also released in Norway.
a-ha do a one off promotional gig in front of 600 people at London's Subterrania Club. The set list for this show is "I've Been Losing You", "Move To Memphis", "The Sun Always Shines On TV", "Cold As Stone", "Angel", "Early Morning", "Hunting High And Low", "I Call Your Name", "The Blood That Moves The Body", "Stay On These Roads", "Dark Is The Night" and "Scoundrel Days". This gig was at first planned to be secret but turned out to be not so, the money from the gig goes to the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre. The band for this gig and the forthcoming shows is the same as for the '91 tour; namely Sigurd Køhn on saxophone, Per Hillestad on drums and Jørun Bøgeberg on bass guitar.
25       a-ha fly from England to Germany to do a 4 day promotional tour for their new single. They do lots of radio and press interviews.
26       In Cologne, Germany a-ha are again interviewed for Radio and are guests on "WDR1" on the show "Hitchips". a-ha go to Hamburg, Germany and over dinner they are given a gold record for selling over 250,000 copies of "Headlines And Deadlines".
27       a-ha are interviewed on "Okay Radio" and "NDR". In the evening a-ha are interviewed on "Radio Hamburg"; they do an acoustic version of "Angel" and Morten reads the traffic news in German.
28       The Norwegian newspaper "Dagbladet" has a big cover feature on a-ha in their Friday supplement because of the band's 10th anniversary and their new album. "Memorial Beach" is released in Germany. The "MTV News" report on the "World Music Awards".
a-ha fly from Hamburg to Berlin for more radio-promotion. In Berlin, a-ha are interviewed for "Radio 100,6", "Radio Fritz", "Radio Energy" and "City Radio Berlin".
In the evening a-ha fly to Paris.
29       On the French TV show "La une est á vous", a-ha perform "Dark Is The Night".
30       "Dark Is The Night" enters the UK charts at number 22; it stays for 3 weeks in the Top 75. The night-time UK TV show "The Big E" broadcasts a recorded interview with a-ha and clips of the new video for "Dark Is The Night".
31       The "World Music Awards" are broadcast on UK TV.

June 1993      

a-ha are feature of the month in a big German Recordstore "WOM", they are on the cover of the WOM-magazine and featured on the plastic bags from the shop.

Morten records the old song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for the new movie "Coneheads" in a studio in Woodstock over a period of two days. The director of the film is Steve Barron who asked Morten to sing this song which ends up being chosen, by the film company, as the end song for the movie. The song is produced by Stephen Hauge. Other included on the film soundtrack include Guns N' Roses' guitarist Slash, Paul Simon, REM, Soft Cell and K.D. Lang.

2       Some more of the interview with Morten (and Magne) at the museum in Oslo, Norway is shown on "MTV" News and News at Night. "Dark Is The Night" is performed with live vocals in the "Top Of The Pops" studio in London (broadcast 3 June).
3       a-ha's performance of "Dark Is The Night" is brodcast on UK TV.

 

4       In the morning, Morten is interviewed on the bed with Paula Yates on the UK TV show "The Big Breakfast". After some rehearsals in the afternoon, a-ha appear on the live German TV show "Elf 99" in Berlin, where they are interviewed and do an acoustic version of "Angel".
5       a-ha go from Berlin to Bitterfeld, where they are guests on the nature show "Wir nehmen die Natur in Schutz" ("We Take Care Of Our Nature"), and perform "Dark Is The Night"; this show is broadcast on German TV. "The Chart Show" shows the video for "Dark Is The Night".
The Weekend Edition of "MTV News" shows more of the interview with Magne and Morten at the museum of modern art in Oslo and the video for "Dark Is The Night".
6       a-ha leave Berlin for Rome, Italy, where Morten is interviewed on the TV show "Superclassifica Show" and a-ha perform "Dark Is The Night".
The Weekend Edition of "MTV News" again shows clips of the interview of Morten and Magne at the Museum in Oslo.
"Dark Is The Night" reaches its highest position of number 19 in the UK charts.
6?       The German TV show "Bravo TV" (RTL2) broadcasts "5 Fragen an A-ha" where fans ask Morten five questions in Monte Carlo.
7       In Rome, Italy, a-ha are interviewed on the Italian Radio station, "Radio Dimensione Suono". Afterwards, a-ha fly to Paris.
8       "Dark Is The Night" is released in Japan on 3" CD. In France, a-ha are interviewed for "Rien à crier".
9       a-ha are interviewed and perform a live version of "Dark Is The Night" for the show "Studio 22" on the French Radio station "RTL" (broadcast 12 June?). They are also interviewed on "Inter Radio" and on the TV show "Giga".
11       A grill-party, followed by a "secret gig" for 200-300 invited guests, is held at the Månefisken Kulturverksted, Oslo, Norway ("The Moonfish club"). This is to celebrate the release of a-ha's new album "Memorial Beach". They perform new and old songs at the gig, together with backing band Sigurd Køhn, Jørun Bøgeberg and Per Hillestad. Magne has problems with his keyboards during the show preventing him from using all of the equipment. Clips from the soundcheck and gig are shown on Norwegian NRK News "Dagsrevyen".
12       At the Grand Hotel in Oslo, a-ha meet the Norwegian press for interviews. The German channel "Premiere" shows a report on a-ha on the programme"Airplay", which features some videos, an old interview from Dallas (6 September 1986), some new interviews with a-ha in Monaco (May 1993) and in the studio.
13?       Bravo TV news shows clips of an interview in Monte Carlo (12 May 1993) entitled "a-ha! Vollgas für das Comeback".
13       In Milan, Italy, a-ha are interviewed on "RTL 102,5".
14       a-ha are interviewed on the Italian Radio stations "RTL 102,5" and "Rete 101".
The album "Memorial Beach" is released in the UK and other European countries; it is produced by David Z and a-ha, mixed by Rod Hui and Pål and features Jørun Bøgeberg on bass and Per Hillestad on drums. There is also a video released containing concert footage from "Rock In Rio II" and the concerts a-ha did in South America in May and June 1991, as well as backstage footage. The video is called "Live In South America" and was filmed by Lauren Waaktaar-Savoy.

 

"MTV" run a competition to win a part in the video for a-ha's next single "Angel".

a-ha are interviewed for Argentinian TV, the special "From Los Angeles to Argentina" is shown later this year.

July 1993      

The planned promotional tours of America in July and South America in August and October are cancelled.

1       Morten withdraws his ownership from Figaro in Oslo and sells the restaurant.
3       Morten speaks about alternative energy on "MTV's" "Planet Alert Weekend".
6       On the Italian TV show "Festival Bar", a-ha perform "Dark Is The Night".
9       There are a-ha specials on the Dutch Radio shows "Paperclip" and "Popshow".
23       The film "Coneheads", directed by Steve Barron, has its premiere in the USA. Morten contributes the song, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (cover version of the 1967 hit by Frankie Valli), to the soundtrack album.

An article on a-ha is printed in the UK magazine "Rock World".

August 1993      
     
20       "Angel" is released in Germany, there is no promotion done for this single and it fails to chart.
28       Morten is the secret guest on the "Amandashow" which ends the week long film festival in Haugesund, Norway. During the rehearsals, Morten is referred to as "Ola Ola" when it is time for his performance. Later in the evening, at the Amanda show in the Maritim Hall, Morten performs "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", he also plays the part of Ola in a fictive film which is shown. The Amandashow is broadcast live in Norway (NRK) and Iceland. After the show, Morten attends the VIP-party in one of the saloons of the hotel Maritim.
30       The filming of director Marius Holst's debut film, "Ti kniver i Hjertet" (English title "Cross my heart and hope to die", German title "Zehn Messer ins Herz"), begins in Oslo. Magne together with Kjetil Bjerkestrand (under the name "Timbersound") are responsible for the whole soundtrack of this film. The Norwegian writer Lars Saabye Christensen wrote the manuscript, the main parts in the film are played by Kjersti Holmen, Martin Dahl Grafalk, Jan Holmen, Jan "Devo" Kornstad and Reidar Sorensen.
"MTV" competition winner, Sabine Clement, joins a-ha on the film set for the first day of filming of a-ha's music video "Angel" on Silvertown Bridge, Docklands, East London.

October 1993      
     
2       Magne and Heidi's second son, Filip August, is born.
13       Magne is at the newly built Sandvika Storsenter shopping mall to prepare for the next day's opening. He was responsible for the art in the entrance area and covered the walls with black abstract figures, along the lines of those at his earlier exhibition in Tvedestrand. He decorated with this a mini art gallery that will be a "shop window" for the Henie Onstad Senter . (Note: the walls have been repainted in the mean time.)
14       The Sandvika Storsenter opens officially and the well kept secret that Magne was responsible for decorating the entrance area is revealed.
14       "Take On Me" is voted 9th best video out of 100 in the American magazine "Rolling Stone".
15       Morten and Frederic Hauge are involved in a campaign to free electric cars of road tolls. They repeatedly drive one of Bellona's electric cars over the toll border at Majorstua in Oslo without paying. There is a feature on this demo on Radio Norway.
15?       MTV's "News at Night" reports on Morten's Electric Car Demo.
30       An article on a-ha is printed in the UK magazine "Hello".

 

At the end of October, Morten goes to Israel to shoot two short films for the songs "Natten" and "Salome" in and outside Jericho. These are two songs off Morten's forthcoming Norwegian solo album and will be shown at Norwegian cinemas before the main movie. In the film for "Salome", Morten plays the part of John The Baptist. Håvard Rem is also in Israel and gets to know Morten better (they have met a couple of times before). After this trip to Israel, Håvard sends some lyrics to Morten and goes to the Maledives with Morten where they write together.

Magne takes one month paternity leave to spend as much time as possible with his family and his newborn son. After this, Magne and Pål spend the next few months in the recording studio.

November 1993      

4       José Ramos-Horta is in Bergen for his Rafto award celebration. In the afternoon, he holds a lecture about the history and current situation of East Timor in the Auditorium Maximum at Norges Handelshøyskole in Bergen. Morten does a short speech to introduce José Ramos-Horta. In the evening, there is a ceremony at the theatre Den Nasjonale Scene, where José Ramos-Horta is presented with the Rafto-award. Morten and Thorolf Rafto's (the man the award is named after) son, Egil Rafto, introduce José Ramos-Horta. Other artists attending include Karoline Kruger and Sigmund Sæverud.
On the Norwegian TV-show "P.S.", Morten is interviewed about the political situation in East-Timor. He has been active raising awareness about East Timor after hearing about the situation by a Canadian professor of Human rights whilst in Monte Carlo earlier in the year.
5       Morten attends the Norwegian TV show "Rondo". He is interviewed about his forthcoming Norwegian album "Poetenes Evangelium", his cars, East Timor and God. Morten and Kjetil Bjerkestrand perform "Salome" and "Natten".
6-7       "MTV" have a special weekend playing their "200 Best Videoclips of all time"; "Take On Me" is at number 11.
8       Morten is interviewed for the programme "Norsk på Norsk" on NRK radio.
9       A press conference is held at Aschehougs in Oslo for the release of "Poetenes Evangelium". The artists who participated in this project are present: Håvard Rem, Øyvind Varkøy, Kjetil Bjerkestrand, Erik Hillestad of Kirkelig Kulturverksted, Geir Mork and Halfdan Freihov of Aschehoug and Morten Harket. "Poetenes Evangelium" ("The Poet's Gospel-Jesus' life in Norwegian poems") is released in form of a book and a CD in Norway. The basis for the lyrics for the songs come from an anthology which Norwegian poet Håvard Rem already released in 1991 at Bokklubbens Lyrikvenner. It includes poems by Jens Bjørneboe, Inger Hagerup, Kai Skagen, Erik Fosnes Hansen, Georg Johannesen, Arnold Eidslott and Håvard Rem himself. The book is re-released at Aschehougs and 12 of the poems are published as songs, released on CD by Kirkelig Kulturverksted. Øyvind Varkøy is responsible for writing the music, the arrangements come from Kjetil Bjerkestrand and Morten is singing. Ths CD is exclusively sold in Norway by agreement between Kirkelig Kulturverksted and Warner Music.
There is an interview on NRK's "XL".
16       Morten is interviewed on Radio Norway about the album "Poetenes Evangelium".
25       The Italian TV show, "Telelombardia TV" broadcasts an interview with a-ha.
The two short films "Natten" and "Salome" have their premiere at the "Gimlekino" in Oslo. They are made by Focus Film A/S and shot in and outside Jericho. Morten and bellydancer Siv Øksnes have the main parts as well as 12 year old Haissan Ali Ibrahim. The films are four minutes long and will be shown as pre-films at the cinemas in the whole of Norway.

December 1993      

3       Manager Alf Wigen presents the program for "Olympiske netter". Sixty seven concerts that will take place in four towns (Lillehammer, Hamar, Gjøvik and Oslo) during the three weeks of the Olympic games, starting 29 January 1994. Artists performing include a-ha, Dance with a stranger, Iggy Pop, Randy Crawford, The September When, The Dubliners and Karin Bremnes.
9       There is an interview with a-ha broadcast on Italian TV, "TV Music".

10       Morten is invited to Dan Børge Akerø's Norwegian TV show "Scene 2" (TV2) at the ABC-Theatre in Oslo. Prior to the show, Morten had been secretly filmed and the comedian duo Arne Hjeltnes and Paal Tarjei Aasheim pretended that the elevator at the Oslo Plaza broke down with them (Morten, "piccolo" and "drunk") inside. This is broadcast during an interview with Morten on the TV show, he also has to ride on an exercise bike to make a camera work, in order to show his environmental interests!
11       At the Oslo Spektrum, a traditional Christmas concert takes place and features artists such as Morten Harket, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Erik Bye, Ole Paus, Iver Kleive, Christine Stø, Sondre Bratland and Oslo Gospel Choir, with special guest Thor Heyerdahl who gets the Worldwide International Prize. The profit of 200,000 NOK from the concert goes to Strømmestiftelsen and Worldview International Foundation to supply water to people in areas where they are without. Morten sings three songs from Poetenes Evangelium ("Natten", "Fra Templet" and "Engelen") and joins the Oslo Gospel Choir for the Christmas song "Hvor Kribben Stod". As tradition, the last song "Deilig er Jorden" is sung by all artists and the audience. TV2 records the concert and broadcasts it in three half an hour parts on Tuesdays during the next weeks.
13       There is an interview with Morten and Magne broadcast on Italian TV, "TV Music".
14       TV2 broadcasts the first of three programmes on the traditional Christmas concert at Oslo Spektrum with Morten.

a-ha do 5 days of publicity for TV and Radio in Beirut and their single climbs to the top of the charts.

17       Mot Laselle, Lebanon, Beirut.
18       Mot Laselle, Lebanon, Beirut.
19       A special "Olympiabox" is released in Norway with the title "Norske bilder - sounds and visions of Norway" (price 1,000 NOK). It consists of a 40 page book with famous paintings and long presentations of the artists and 4 CD albums, devided into "Klart Vann" (Jazz and "Fusion-music"), "Grønt Gress" (folk music), "Frisk Luft" (pop, rock music and country) and "Hvit Snø" (classical music). a-ha are included on the third CD, together with Bel Canto, DeLillos, Anne Grete Preus, Jonas Fjeld, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Lynni Treekrem, September When, Dollie deLuxe, Steinar Albrigtsen, Eriksen, Dance With A Stranger, Monroes, Stage Dolls, Åge Aleksandersen, Gitarkameratene, Claudia Scott, CC Cowboys and Pogo Pops.
21       TV2 broadcasts the second programme on the traditional Christmas concert at Oslo Spektrum with Morten.
27       The Norwegian press publishes a list of the best selling albums of 1993 in Norway, "Memorial Beach" is at number 6 (46,400 copies sold).
The German version of "Kamilla og Tyven I" (Kamilla und der Dieb) is shown on German TV (ZDF).
28       The second Kamilla film "Kamillas Freund" is shown on German TV (ZDF).
TV2 broadcasts the third and final programme on the traditional Christmas concert at Oslo Spektrum with Morten.
29       The nominations for the Spellemannspris are published. a-ha are nominated in the pop category with "Memorial Beach". The other nominations are The Rambelins with "Into the Woods" and Pogo Pops with "Cash".

Morten performs two songs "Elisabeth Synger Ved Johannes Døperens Død" and "Engelen" at a café in Norway. Håvard Rem reads two of his poems, "Morgen" and "Dissipelen". In the same café, Morten again sings "Elisabeth Synger Ved Johannes Døperens Død" and "Engelen" and is interviewed by an NRK-reporter. It is a programme for the Frelsesarmé and is broadcast on the show "Gudesens Konditori" (TV2).

The album "Memorial Beach" is featured in the line up of the best 50 albums of 1993 the UK magazine "Q".      

Also in 1993:

NRK shows a special about "Poetenes Evangelium". Morten sings "Natten", "Fra Templet" and another song in the studio plus there are several interviews with Morten, Håvard Rem, Jens Bjørneboe and other.

Morten signs a contract with Warner Brothers US for a solo album.

Camilla and Jakob appear in a French advert for "Freedent" chewing gum.      

Winter 1993-94:

Continue the story: 1994