Anthony Litwiller

DR. Leonard

English 1201

16 February 2020

Songs Through the Years

One of the best known songs in the history of music is Take on Me by Aha. Recently, the

alternative rock band Weezer, who is known for their famous songs including “Say It Aint So”,

did a cover version and even included their own music video that plays on some unique

comparisons to the old video. While many of the aspects in the songs are the same, there are

some noticeable differences that make each video unique in its own way. The interesting and

thought provoking animation and theme is still there with a new angle to it, but it has a new

world appeal that can include a younger kind of listener to the same music.

In the original version, the song starts off with a woman in a restaurant. She,

while looking down on her luck, is reading a comic book and begins to visualize it moving and

eventually she visualizes herself inside of the book living through the world in the eyes of an

action hero. Although the times inside the comic are stressful, she eventually goes back in to

become a part of the art itself. This whole video is about the way we need to escape our reality,

and the way that some of us are able to. It’s also about love and the way that it can conquer

anything, due to the fact that in the end she is able to get back through to her friend. This video

calls out to those in love, those whose lives aren’t yet exactly what they want them to be. It uses

Pathos to engage with a viewer and use their emotions to create a bond within the video. There is

an obvious inclination towards a younger audience in this video, as the music itself is geared

towards a younger group of people who were known to listen to that music.
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In the new version, the song starts off with a child doing school at his computer,

and the similarities start to show in a way that is magical. Looking bored, there is a knock on the

door and it’s now time for band practice in the living room, which is the kid’s version of the

comic book in the original video. This animates him both figuratively and literally, and he takes

on a new kind of love for this escape. The animation style is very similar and it is an immediate

feeling of longing nostalgia that is part of the emotional response that this video is supposed to

convey to you. This video reminds us what it’s like as children with passions and escapes, and

the way that when we are children, we tend to forget about in the long run. Obviously this video

is using an audiences emotions and memories to make this video relevant, and to make us

remember what those emotions are similar to.

Through the way it makes us feel, these videos stay relevant. The audience, from my

perspective, is a young audience of all races and money levels. I think that a song as difficult to

forget as this song is, is for most kinds of people that listen to music this century too. Through

this, I believe these songs are beautiful together in comparison to eachother.

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Works Cited

“a-ha - Take On Me (Official 4K Music Video)” YouTube, uploaded by A-ha, 6 January

2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914.

“Weezer - Take On Me (Official Video)” YouTube, uploaded by Weezer, 12 February

2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7RwDnZI7Tw.