Talk:Morten Harket

Broke Up
a-ha didn't split in 1993. They played for Lillehammer Paralympics in 1994.

a-ha split in 1993, but reformed for a performance in 1994 (Lillehammer Paralympics).

a-ha never officially split in 93 / 94. They simply took a pause.

Validity of Record
Is there any citation for the 20-second note hold? Was this done in concert? There is no semblance of an extended vocalization in the studio version.

Info from UK Top 40 hit recordbase:

http://www.everyhit.com/record7.html

Added a cleanup, some of the grammar and tone of the article need to be fine-tuned. Plurals need to end with an -s Nonac22 (talk) 09:43, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

Longest Note Held In A Hit This record is held by Morten Harket, lead singer with group A-Ha. In "Summer Moved On" (no. 33, June 2000) he holds a vocal note for 20.2 seconds. Click here to hear it (Real Audio).

Runner-up, and the man responsible for the longest note held on a solo single is Bill Withers. In his 1978 (and 1988) hit "Lovely Day", he holds a vocal note for 18 seconds. We're told that the note is the 'E' above 'middle C'. Click here to hear it (Real Audio).

The longest note held by a woman, is found in "Dim All The Lights," Donna Summer's 1979 hit (16 seconds). Click here to hear it (Real Audio).

Actually, there is a longer note held by a woman and, to my knowledge, anyone...Melba Moore, in her 1986 #1 R&B hit "Falling" holds said note (G5) for 22 seconds. Video She also holds a 25-second note (A6) on a track called "Together Forever" from her 1978 "Melba" disc. Video 74.108.160.14 (talk) 23:46, 28 May 2013 (UTC)(MMace)

It is worth pointing out that a number of recent dance tracks have utilised digital 'stretching' techniques to give the impression of extended vocals. We have management / record company confirmation that the notes being held in the above tracks were all done in 'real time' and represent genuine vocal skill. Click here to hear Morten Harket perform the "Summer Moved On" note live (really) at the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

You can also hear it on the Valhall concert DVD. ( Preceding comment unsigned )

It might be of interest that the (male) singer of "Chime Bells" re-released on the 1992 EMI "Yodelling Crazy" compilation album holds a single note for 40 seconds (in a 143 second song). everyhit.com might not count that as a "hit" but it is a commercial recording. 81.139.41.251 23:24, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Morten's long note was nearer 19 seconds at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, but I think it's close enough for us accept the studio-recorded 20.2 as genuine. If that's not good enough there is footage on YouTube of at least 3 separate live performances (probably more) in which he holds the note for around 20 seconds. I've personally seen a-ha perform Summer Moved On live twice, and I didn't actually time the note on either occasion (I think it would make the poor guy nervous if his audience suddenly started staring at their stopwatches), but if it was under 20 seconds it was certainly mightily close. One of the most astonishing aspects of his live performances of the song is the brevity of the pause for breath between the 20(ish)-second note and the high note which follows it. Useless trivia: the a-ha tribute band's lead singer has been recorded holding the note for close to 17 seconds.Contains Mild Peril (talk) 02:34, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

Where was he really born then?
Look this: http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morten_Harket. This article is only a stub but it says he was born in Heggedal near Asker. Nothing with "Kongsberg" here. So what is true now? Can't seem to believe WP of his home country is so wrong ... -andy 80.129.87.66 06:51, 10 October 2006 (UTC)

It says "Kongsberg" seems to be OK --Hans.Mayer70 (talk) 23:24, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

Vocal range?
OK, so we know he's got a good vocal range, but how many octaves can he cover? Anybody know? This would definitely be relevant. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.67.93.133 (talk) 22:01, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

I wondered about that myself. 5 is quite an extraordinary claim, and while I wouldn't actually be hugely surprised if it's true, I'd like a reliable source. Contains Mild Peril (talk) 00:03, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm really skeptical about 5 octaves too; it would put him on par with Mariah Carey. The page for Take On Me say that he had almost 2.5 octaves in this song (A2 to E5), and I think it takes some real evidence to claim double that range for this amazing singer. SJFriedl (talk) 05:35, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Take On Me is actually slightly over 2½ octaves (check it on a keyboard: A2 to E5, which is correct, is 2 octaves and 7 semitones), but I agree, we need some evidence for a claim of 5 octaves. He has a recorded range of at least three and a third octaves (C#2 in The One You Are, F5 in a live solo performance of Take On Me), but it's quite a jump from that to five. I've read similar claims about many singers, including Mika who said himself that it's not true and his range is really more like 3½ octaves. I think such misinformation often originates in tabloids, but when it is unsourced some readers might make the mistake of thinking that it is the singer himself who exaggerates his range.

The unverified claim of a 5-octave range has had a tag for some time and still nobody has supplied a source. Perhaps it's time to remove it? Anyone agree/ disagree? If it does transpire to be true the information can always be added to the article again with a suitable citation. Contains Mild Peril (talk) 10:27, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

The 5 octave claim is most likely from Jan Omdahl's biography "The Swing of Things" (page 340 in the Norwegian edition). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.215.11.12 (talk) 19:09, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

Seriously? Does it actually say that? The book's quite rare and I have sadly failed to get my hands on a copy. Any chance of showing us a photo or scan of the relevant page? Contains Mild Peril (talk) 19:43, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

The 5 octive claim is also made on page 13 of the September 2009 issue of KEYBOARD PLAYER Magazine ( Issue 340) where it says: "...getting the best out of Harket's five octive voice,". And in the English Edition of the book by Jan Omdahl on a-ha," The Swing Of Things" the claim is made on page 340: " a powerful, sensitive and finely-tuned instrument that spans five octives and that has given wings to a-ha's music. "(--Fremmed (talk) 05:30, 24 January 2010 (UTC))

Thanks for that. If it's referenced to independent Reliable Sources it can go back in the article. Contains Mild Peril (talk) 05:53, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Why was mention of the 5-octive vocal range and citations removed from the article?(--Fremmed (talk) 03:37, 4 February 2010 (UTC))

It was considered dubious, although sourced (see User talk:Yngtchie). I have now found the article which quotes Morten as saying "I've never counted", so I've re-added a mention of the 5-octave claim, with citations, and also cited Morten's reply. Contains Mild Peril (talk) 11:49, 7 February 2010 (UTC) Thats good. Thank you!(--Fremmed (talk) 18:20, 8 February 2010 (UTC

"Cannot Hide" a single?
I notice that this song is included in the section "A-ha singles co-written by Morten Harket", but I can't find any evidence of it having been released as a single. There's no mention of it on the A-ha discography page, nor on this | discography wesbite. Does anyone have a source? Has it possibly charted somewhere as a download without a physical release or something? Contains Mild Peril (talk) 07:32, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

Re Personal life
The following was added to the main article by 72.185.40.145 at the end of the personal life section:

"I don't think the above is entirely accurate nor complete. His father was a doctor, and his mother a housewife, one of his girlfriends got him to invest in making "spelt" bread which is an ancient grain that is gluten-free.  One of his sons was a very successful television actor in Norway. I really don't think his family runs a bakery making Scotch pies.  He invested in a nasal spray to help people quit smoking - but that didn't succeed.  He DOES own his own production and management company.  He has some unorthodox ideas that he is quite passionate about. Seems to be a nice guy, but can be a loose cannon.  His voice is as golden as ever.  While married to Camilla, he was rarely home because he travelled a LOT.  Camilla's greatest talent was finding ways to spend all his money.  However, if she did NOT spend his money, there would have been far less touring and albums from a-ha.  I am sure there will be yet another a-ha tour and album even though they have officially disbanded. It would be pointless to cite sources because almost none of the sources available have any idea of what the facts are."

Gaius Cornelius (talk) 08:30, 14 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Why is this unsourced stuff on the discussion page? It's in no way useful.--82.210.244.108 (talk) 15:18, 18 January 2018 (UTC)

EV rules
These sources  state that Harket helped start the proliferation of electric vehicles in Norway. TGCP (talk) 11:28, 23 May 2020 (UTC)

External links modified (February 2018)
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Actor? Producer?
Is Harket an actor? Certainly he has been in two minor roles in three minor films, but the media never refer to him as an actor.

Is Harket a producer? Certainly he has produced some of his own material, but he is not described as a producer in the media. The occupation of producer is defined as producing albums for other people, which does not fit Harket. Binksternet (talk) 19:56, 12 May 2022 (UTC)

Date of Birth
Hi, multiple sources online state that Market was born on September 14, 1959. However, the article says he was born in "1959 or 1960". Is there a reason this hasn't been fixed yet? If not, how do I fix it? I note that in the Article > Edit section it states "birth_date = {birth based on age as of date |49|2009|7|18|mos=1} ... Per WP:BLPPRIMARY: Do not use public records that include personal details, such as date of birth; -->". As a relatively inexperienced editor, this is a bit mystifying and daunting. Cheers :) Mainemce (talk) 03:08, 2 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi @Mainemce. Wikipedia requires citing sources that are non-primary (e.g., birth records, ancestry, etc. are not allowed) and reliable for biographical information like birth date, especially for people currently living. If you have published sources for his date of birth that you believe qualify, reply back to list the links to them and we can evaluate to see if any meet those criteria. – Archer1234 (talk) 03:31, 2 November 2022 (UTC)