Early Morning (song)

This article is about the 1991 A-ha song. For other, see Early Morning (disambiguation).
"Early Morning"
Single by A-ha
from the album East of the Sun, West of the Moon
B-side"East of the Sun"
ReleasedFebruary 1991[1]
Length2:59
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ian Stanley
A-ha singles chronology
"I Call Your Name"
(1990) 		"Early Morning"
(1991) 		"Waiting for Her"
(1991)
Music video
"Early Morning" on YouTube

"Early Morning" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, which was released in 1991 as the third single from their fourth studio album, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990). It was written by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen, and produced by Ian Stanley.[2] "Early Morning" reached number 78 in the United Kingdom and number 29 in Ireland.[3][4] A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by Michael Burlingame, while the video's black-and-white footage was directed by Lauren Savoy.[5]

Recalling the song in 2015, Furuholmen revealed it references the Doors, who had been "childhood heroes" to the band.[6]

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Music & Media wrote, "The band continue their brand of easy recognisable pop tunes which EHR programmers will welcome with open arms."[7] Julian Cope of NME picked "Early Morning" as one of the magazine's "single[s] of the week" and commented that it "could be from the second Doors album".[8] Derry Journal remarked that A-ha had, despite releasing "some extremely dodgy records in the past", "this time around put a record out that is definitely worth the critical acclaim they have received" and added, "Should be a hit if there [are] still any A-ha fans about."[9] In a retrospective review of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, Sassan Niasseri of Rolling Stone said the song "tells of murder and suicide, backed by a psychedelic-sounding bass drumming a la The Doors."[10] Paul Sinclair of Super Deluxe Edition described it as "wistful adult pop".[11]

Track listings

  • 7-inch and cassette single
  1. "Early Morning" – 2:59
  2. "East of the Sun" – 4:47
  • CD and 12-inch single
  1. "Early Morning" – 2:59
  2. "East of the Sun" – 4:47
  3. "Train of Thought" – 4:11

Personnel

A-ha

Additional musicians

Production

Other

  • Knut Bry – photography
  • Bill Smith Studio – design

Charts

Chart performance for "Early Morning"
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Germany (GfK)[12] 52
Ireland (IRMA)[3] 29
UK Singles (OCC)[4] 78

References

  1. ^ "a-ha – Early Morning". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. ^ "East of the Sun, West of the Moon – a-ha". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Early Morning". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b "a-ha: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  5. ^ "a-ha – Headlines And Deadlines – The Hits Of A-ha (DVD)". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. ^ "a-ha – East Of The Sun West Of The Moon (CD, Album, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  7. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 12. 23 March 1991. p. 12.
  8. ^ Cope, Julian (2 March 1991). "Singles". New Musical Express. p. 19. ISSN 0028-6362.
  9. ^ "New Record Releases". Derry Journal. 12 March 1991. p. 54. Retrieved 23 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Review: A-ha – East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon". Rolling Stone. Germany. 8 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Single File / A-ha: Dark Is The Night". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  12. ^ "a-ha – Early Morning" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 June 2021.