"Early Morning" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, which was released in 1991 as the third single from their fourth studio album, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990). It was written by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen, and produced by Ian Stanley.[2] "Early Morning" reached number 78 in the United Kingdom and number 29 in Ireland.[3][4] A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by Michael Burlingame, while the video's black-and-white footage was directed by Lauren Savoy.[5]
| "Early Morning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by A-ha | ||||
| from the album East of the Sun, West of the Moon | ||||
| B-side | "East of the Sun" | |||
| Released | February 1991[1] | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Ian Stanley | |||
| A-ha singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Early Morning" on YouTube | ||||
Recalling the song in 2015, Furuholmen revealed it references the Doors, who had been "childhood heroes" to the band.[6]
Critical reception edit
Upon its release as a single, Music & Media wrote, "The band continue their brand of easy recognisable pop tunes which EHR programmers will welcome with open arms."[7] Julian Cope of NME picked "Early Morning" as one of the magazine's "single[s] of the week" and commented that it "could be from the second Doors album".[8] Derry Journal remarked that A-ha had, despite releasing "some extremely dodgy records in the past", "this time around put a record out that is definitely worth the critical acclaim they have received" and added, "Should be a hit if there [are] still any A-ha fans about."[9] In a retrospective review of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, Sassan Niasseri of Rolling Stone said the song "tells of murder and suicide, backed by a psychedelic-sounding bass drumming a la The Doors."[10] Paul Sinclair of Super Deluxe Edition described it as "wistful adult pop".[11]
Track listings edit
- 7-inch and cassette single
- "Early Morning" – 2:59
- "East of the Sun" – 4:47
- CD and 12-inch single
- "Early Morning" – 2:59
- "East of the Sun" – 4:47
- "Train of Thought" – 4:11
Personnel edit
A-ha
- Morten Harket – vocals
- Paul Waaktaar-Savoy – guitars
- Magne Furuholmen – keyboards
Additional musicians
- Jørun Bøgeberg – bass guitar
- Per Hillestad – drums
Production
- Ian Stanley – producer
- Nick Davis – recording, mixing
Other
- Knut Bry – photography
- Bill Smith Studio – design
Charts edit
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (Official German Charts)[12] | 52 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[3] | 29 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[4] | 78 |
References edit
- ^ "a-ha – Early Morning". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "East of the Sun, West of the Moon – a-ha". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Early Morning". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ a b "a-ha: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "a-ha – Headlines And Deadlines – The Hits Of A-ha (DVD)". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "a-ha – East Of The Sun West Of The Moon (CD, Album, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 12. 23 March 1991. p. 12.
- ^ Cope, Julian (2 March 1991). "Singles". New Musical Express. p. 19. ISSN 0028-6362.
- ^ "New Record Releases". Derry Journal. 12 March 1991. p. 54. Retrieved 23 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Review: A-ha – East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon". Rolling Stone. Germany. 8 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "Single File / A-ha: Dark Is The Night". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "a-ha – Early Morning" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 June 2021.