A Homage To A Living Legend

I never thought Morten Harket would last forever. I supposed that one day, like most other legends, he would bow out gracefully, but his music would live on.

Morten Harket is 65 years young, and the last thing I expected was to learn that my beloved lead singer of the greatest band alive had Parkinson’s disease.  That news came as a shock last month, not only to me, but also to all A-ha lovers and aficionados. Words of disbelief and concern spread quickly across the various A-ha and Morten Harket fan sites and fan clubs. And with them came the inevitable question: What does it mean for A-ha?

For 40 years since “Take On Me” took over the radio waves all over this planet, creating millions of fans practically overnight, that band and the trio that brought it to life have been ingrained in my life. I had been “Mrs. Harket” to all my girlfriends in college, and his posters were plastered on my dorm room walls. His handsome face was the last thing I saw before falling asleep and the first thing I saw when I woke up. My first attempt at writing a novel at the university library was all about A-ha. For every occasion in my life, there is a fitting song by A-ha.

Morten Harket’s voice is sublime, sweet as an angel’s in one song, and grave and deep in another. A delight to the ears, and a balm for the heart. I have traveled to Oslo, Norway, and Bochum, Germany, from my home country of Haiti, to see my boys play, 30+ years after I first saw them perform in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Years later, I caught a sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall with my daughter. It was her first A-ha concert. The experience is never short of astounding and magical.

My daughter Laura and I attended a sold-out A-ha concert at Radio City Music Hall in April 2022. It was her first A-ha show. They did not disappoint.

Some of my favorite A-ha compositions, written by his incredibly gifted fellow band members Pål Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen, are The Sun Always Shines On TV, Lifelines, Summer Moved On, Hunting High And Low, I’ve Been Losing You, This Alone Is Love, Let You Win (by Morten Harket), I Thought That It Was You,  How Sweet It Was, Cold as Stone, Foot Of The Mountain, Living At The End Of The World ( also by Morten Harket), and Shadow Endeavors. I’m sure I’ll kick myself in the morning for not having mentioned yet another brilliant song from one of their 11 studio albums.

Morten Harket has also released several solo albums, demonstrating that he is not only an extremely talented singer but also a brilliant songwriter and composer. Some of my favorite solo compositions are You Were Safe With Me, Los Angeles, Letter From Egypt, Spanish Steps, Christmas Card, and Whispering Hearts. One notable song is his 1996 composition, Jeg Kjenner Ingen Fremtid, written in his native Norwegian, and whose lyrics, by Norwegian poet Håvard Rem, I do not understand. Still, the melody is haunting and captivating, the voice mesmerizing, the chords reminiscent of the lone guitar in the wildly popular song from the late ‘80s, “Wicked Game”, by Chris Isaak. Witchcraft, I say.

Morten Harket, for those of you who are late to this, is the rock star after whom my beloved Logen Anders is modeled in “Nonstop Oslo: A Fan’s Fantasy Tale”.   The man that Vivienne Bernard has been enamored with for most of her adult life. A trip to Oslo, Norway, to see her favorite band in concert at home brought Vivienne more surprises than she was prepared for.

Morten Harket has known about his diagnosis for a while, seeking the best treatment on the planet, so I am certain that he is well taken care of. He and his family have lived with his declining health privately for years until it became important that he share the news with his adoring and loyal fans. We all deserved to know, and he honored that. And like the man with a generous heart and spirit that we have come to love and respect, he has asked that his fans trust that he is in the best care, and that we should continue living our lives the best we can, and take care of this planet while we still can.

Despite the diagnosis, we remain confident that Morten will continue to bring us beautiful music with A-ha and as a solo artist. But for now, he states that he doesn’t feel like singing because the disease has affected his vocal cords. And this is heartbreaking, because Morten’s voice is everything. But, in his stoic manner, he shares that he has made peace with that because Morten Harket, the legend, is more than a singer and songwriter. He is a thoughtful communicator, a philosopher, a lover of mankind, an activist for social justice, a talented craftsman, and so much more.

There remains, however, hope in words unspoken, at least in my heart, that he will indeed bring to fruition many of his projects, the array of songs that he’s been working on prior to his diagnosis. It isn’t easy to snuff out talent like that. It is God-given and, therefore, resilient. Until then, I wish him courage and endurance as he learns to navigate his new life.

Forever in our hearts.

Morten Harket, a living legend. The Voice.