Idleness is not something Morten Harket can ever be accused of. In his ten year involvement with a-ha, he has been continually participating in several other ventures; of music, of environmental concern, in film and even a brief spell with his culture house ‘Figaro’. Constantly united as a partner in most of these, Poetenes Evangelium, although created by others, became the first real standing of Morten alone and it has paved the way for his second solo LP, to be released in the coming September of ‘94.
Poetenes Evangelium was an album holding a strong spiritual theme, a topic close to the heart of Morten himself who, as everyone knows, is a man with religious sense and strong belief. he may not have written the words or melodies himself, but no one can deny that his vocal gave the edge that filled each of the twelve songs with genuinity and emotion and somehow helped to cross language barrier for the non Norwegian speakers in conveying the albums varying depths of feeling. The second album travels a different path, with new perspective and although it does have a fair amount of ballads, it also holds a variety of intense responses from within Harket himself.
Time Will Pronounce is our first taste, a song aired on MTV in June as part of their Vote Europe Weekend. The text a poem from Russian born poet Joseph Brodskey, ‘Bosnia Tune’ boasts a strong political statement yielding awareness to the everyday society who have chosen to hide from the problems of the world behind a blanket of ignorance. Morten, who write the musical accompaniment himself, decided to perform the particular piece for a friend and states assertively that ‘Time Will Pronounce’ is not a “call for action”, but a comment he needed to make about the way he feels about the war. Politics and music do not often go hand in hand, but being a giver in both areas, it is natural for him to eventually communicate a vital message through the most powerful resource he has .. his voice.
Do all these recent spates of solo ventures indicate that Morten’s involvement with a-ha is wearing thin? The question is perhaps a normal one to a lot of small minded a-ha listeners who can never entertain that Morten has any talent separate to interpreting Pål’s lyric and his charismatic ability to charm the worlds press and audiences alike. With songs like “Take On Me” and “Touchy” more well known for Harket involvement that the two brilliant “Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale” and “Stay On These Roads”, doubt can be cast over his ability to take the place of Magne and Pål as the songwriters of a-ha, but surely the beauty is that what Morten shall offer will be very different in style and therefore free from any a-ha comparison.
Morten’s break free and urge to go it alone may also be a telling reaction to perhaps the divided control within the groups structure. Pål Waaktaar Savoy is an exceptional and perhaps intimidating talent and has been dubbed the dominant force, or ‘BOSS’ of the band. After all, he seems very content and satisfied with his own scope of creative and musical exploration, where as Magne, who is a talented songwriter himself of such classics as “the Way We Talk” and “Lamb To The Slaughter” has been found, not buried inside melodies the more time has progressed, but behind a canvass, cultivating his expression that may not have been freely allowed to flow consistently in his own unique brand of music. What with that and now Morten’s break for musical liberty, maybe Pål should be wondering if it time to lift his dominance just a little to benefit the group who may be starting to lose two vital influences.
Whatever Morten’s reasoning, he is optimistic that it will be a project that works out well. A single due around late August and a round of promotion will set the ball rolling and until then, we shall just have to wait anxiously and with an open mind.
Naturally to many sceptics, Morten Harket shall only ever be the vocalist/front man of a-ha, but to those who really know him, he will always be a warm, giving, intellectual and wise person - a true artist and one of the great contributors of life, the earth and ..... of music!