''Minor Earth Major Sky'' (stylised as ''minor earth major sky'') is the sixth studio album by Norwegian band

A-ha A-ha (often stylised as ''a''-h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ros ...

, released on 14 April 2000 by

WEA The Wea were a Miami–Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as being either closely related to the Miami tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of th ...

Background and release

Following the release of a-ha's fifth studio album, ''

Memorial Beach ''Memorial Beach'' is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 June 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. Background The album was recorded primarily in the United States at Prince's Paisley Park Studios outside Minneapolis. ''M ...

'' (1993), the band decided to go on a hiatus. In 1998, the band was invited to perform at the

Nobel Peace Prize Concert The Nobel Peace Prize Concert ( Norwegian and Swedish: '')'' has been held annually since 1994 on 11 December to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The award ceremony on 10 December takes place in Oslo City Hall, while the concert has been ...

Paul Waaktaar-Savoy Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (born Pål Gamst, 6 September 1961) is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. Waaktaar-Savoy is best known for his work as the main songwriter and guitarist in the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, which has sold more than 50 mill ...

had written "

Summer Moved On "Summer Moved On" is a song by Norwegian band a-ha, released as the group's first single in more than six years. The lead single from their sixth studio album, ''Minor Earth Major Sky'' (2000), the song was released in Europe on 25 March 2000 by ...

" especially for this performance. They also performed "

The Sun Always Shines on T.V. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, released as the third single from their debut studio album, ''Hunting High and Low'' (1985). The song was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. In some commercial markets ...

". This performance was a-ha's comeback into the world of music and the band decided to return to the studio. Almost the entire album was remixed by producer Niven Garland at the record company's insistence to make it more radio-friendly for the band's German market. "

", "

Minor Earth Major Sky ''Minor Earth Major Sky'' (stylised as ''minor earth major sky'') is the sixth studio album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 April 2000 by Warner Music Group, WEA. Background and release Following the release of a-ha's fifth studio album, ...

" and "

Velvet Velvet is a type of woven fabric with a dense, even pile (textile), pile that gives it a distinctive soft feel. Historically, velvet was typically made from silk. Modern velvet can be made from silk, linen, cotton, wool, synthetic fibers, silk ...

" were commercially released as singles. "I Wish I Cared" was an Internet download single, accompanied by an Internet-only music video—one of the first of its kind. The aircraft cockpit on the cover art is from a

Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...

. Backing vocals for the track "Velvet" were provided by Simone Larsen of Norwegian band D-Sound.

Reception

Critical reception

Commercial performance

''Minor Earth Major Sky'' debuted at number one on the

Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista is the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from Norwegian and international artists. It is presented weekly in the newspaper '' VG''. The data is collected by Nielsen Soundscan International and based on the sale ...

, and became the band's first number one album in Germany. The album peaked at number 27 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, but was not released in the U.S. This album was certified platinum in Norway and Germany and gold in Austria, Spain and Switzerland.

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a co-producer * signifies a remixer

Personnel

A-ha

Morten Harket Morten Harket (; born 14 September 1959) is a Norwegian singer who is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band A-ha. A-ha has released 11 studio albums as of 2024, and topped the charts internationally after their breakthrough hit "Take On Me" i ...

– vocals *

Magne Furuholmen Magne "Mags" Furuholmen (born 1 November 1962) is a Norwegian musician and visual artist. Also known by his stage name Mags, he is the keyboardist of the synth-pop band A-ha and co-wrote hits such as "Take On Me", "Stay on These Roads", " Manhat ...

– keyboards, string arrangements *

– guitars, string arrangements

Additional musicians

* Sven Lindvall – bass (2, 13) * Jørun Bøgeberg – bass (11) * Frode Unneland – drums (1, 7) * Per Lindvall – drums (3, 10, 13) *

Per Hillestad Per Hillestad (born 25 March 1959 in Øvre Årdal, Norway) is a Norwegian musician (drums) and record producer, known as drummer in Lava and was contributing in releases by a-ha, Vamp, Jonas Fjeld, Bjølsen Valsemølle and Marius Müller. ...

– drums (11) *

Kjetil Bjerkestrand Kjetil Bjerkestrand (born 18 May 1955) is a Norwegian keyboardist, composer, arranger and record producer known as music arranger for artists like Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Keith Emerson, Ian Hunter, Jon Lord, Ute Lemper and a-ha. A ...

– string arrangements *

Norwegian Radio Orchestra The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norwegian, ''Kringkastingsorkestret'', abbreviated as KORK) is a radio orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (''Norsk rikskringkasting AS'', or NRK). Its principal base is the ''Store Studi ...

– strings *

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra The Oslo Philharmonic () is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in 1871, and was esta ...

– strings *

Vertavo String Quartet Vertavo String Quartet is a Norwegian group founded in Hamar in 1984. The four women forming the quartet are Øyvor Volle, Annabelle Meare, Berit Cardas, and Bjørg Lewis. They appeared on the album ''A Portrait of Jon Larsen ''A Portrait of Jon ...

– strings (11) *

Simone Eriksrud Simone Eriksrud (; born 21 August 1970) is a Norwegians, Norwegian musician, singer and composer from Volda Municipality, and a member of D'Sound. She was earlier in her career known as Simone Larsen or just with the mononym Simone. Career In ...

– vocals (3) * Lauren Savoy – vocals (11)

Technical and design

* a-ha – arrangements a-ha – Minor Earth , Major Sky
/ref> * Jon Marius Aareskjold – engineer, Pro Tools operator * Jan-Erik Kongshaug – engineer * Ulf Holand – engineer * Niven Garland – mixing (1, 2, 3, 5, 7–13) * Andreas Herbig "Boogieman" – mixing (4, 6) * Kjetil Bjerkestrand – Pro Tools operator * Magne Furuholmen – art direction * Kjetil Try – art direction * Henrik Haugen – logo artwork * Bjørn Opshal – photography

Background and release

Reception

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

A-ha

Additional musicians

Technical and design

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links