Foot of the Mountain (song)

"Foot of the Mountain" is the first single from the A-ha album of the same name. It was used as the official anthem of the 2009 World Championships in Athletics held in Berlin.^[1] The single reached #3 in Germany, and is the highest charting single of the band in that country since Take On Me in 1985.^[2]

Release

"Foot of the Mountain", was released exclusively as a download single in selected territories of Mainland Europe.^[3] In Germany, a physical 2-track CD Single was released. In the UK, a so-called digital bundle was released.

Promotion

May 2009 saw the band performing the song on the show Germany's Next Top Model^[4] hosted by Heidi Klum and on The Dome (dubbed "Europe's biggest music show") together with fellow Norwegian Alexander Rybak. On 11 June 2009 at 8:13 CEST the music video premiered simultaneously on four major German networks, namely ProSieben, Sat.1, kabel eins and N24. It was also made available for streaming on the major German website Myvideo.de, a page with 228 million monthly hits.^[2]

Track listings

German 2-track physical single

"Foot of the Mountain" (Radio Edit) - 3:44
"Foot of the Mountain" (Album Version) - 3:57 ^[5]

UK Digital Bundle

"Foot of the Mountain" (Radio Edit)
"Foot of the Mountain" (Album Edit)
"Foot of the Mountain" (Bohème7 Remix)
"Foot of the Mountain" (Erik Ljunggren Remix)
"Foot of the Mountain" (Video)

Chart positions

#1 (Poland)
#3 (Germany)
#8 (Norway)
#16 (Lithuania)
#28 (Austria)
#33 (Switzerland)
#59 (Europe)
#66 (UK)

Year-End Charts (2009)

Country	Position
Germany ^[6]	40

Single performance on Norwegian radio 2009

A-ha's "Foot of the Mountain" was the most played song on Norwegian radio in 2009, with 122:32:39 of playing time ( Hours, minutes, seconds ), beating Donkeyboy "Ambitions", 122:02:18, Beyoncé Knowles "Halo", 118:03:28, Taylor Swift "Love Story", 115:23:19, Röyksopp "The Girl And The Robot", 113:26:57, The Killers "Human", 112:45:13, Katy Perry "Hot 'n' Cold", 111:32:53, Eric Hutchinson "Rock & Roll", 110:12:42, Paperboys "Lonesome Traveller", 109:48:39 and Lady Gaga "Poker Face", 109:27:11. First time a Norwegian artist has been on top of the list.^[7]

Music video

The music video for the track, co-directed by Olaf Heine and Mik Rahner, was shot in Berlin, Hamburg and along the Baltic coast of Pomerania. The video concentrates on singer Morten Harket with only small cameos being made by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen. In a documentary entitled 'A-ha - The Success Story', songwriter Paul Waaktaar-Savoy stated that although he loved living in New York he "often wondered whether I would be happier out in the open, by the foot of the mountain," when asked about the song's chorus. In the same interview, co-writer Magne Furuholmen said his contribution to the song, the verses, were about "urban clutter."^[8] In the video, these angles are made a point of as Harket moves from a claustrophobic Berlin to the open landscapes of Pomerania. The video was made commercially available in Germany on a special edition of the Foot of the Mountain album. ^[1]

References

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

A-ha

Magne Furuholmen Morten Harket Paul Waaktaar-Savoy

Studio albums	Hunting High and Low Scoundrel Days Stay on These Roads East of the Sun, West of the Moon Memorial Beach Minor Earth Major Sky Lifelines Analogue Foot of the Mountain Cast in Steel

Compilation albums	Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of a-ha The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004 25 Time and Again: The Ultimate a-ha

Live albums	A-ha Live at Vallhall – Homecoming Grimstad Benefit Concert How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head Ending on a High Note: The Final Concert

EPs	45 R.P.M. Club Twelve Inch Club Scoundrel Club Road Club

Box sets	Minor Earth Major Box

Tours	Ending on a High Note Tour

Related articles	Discography Awards Savoy List of tours Apparatjik

Book Category

A-ha singles

Hunting High and Low	"Take On Me" "Love Is Reason" "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." "Train of Thought" "Hunting High and Low"

Scoundrel Days	"I've Been Losing You" "Cry Wolf" "Maybe, Maybe" "Manhattan Skyline"

Stay on These Roads	"The Living Daylights" "Stay on These Roads" "The Blood That Moves the Body" "Touchy!" "You Are the One" "There's Never a Forever Thing"

East of the Sun, West of the Moon	"Crying in the Rain" "I Call Your Name" "Early Morning"

Headlines and Deadlines – The Hits of A-ha	"Move to Memphis" "The Blood That Moves the Body '92"

Memorial Beach	"Move to Memphis" "Dark Is the Night" "Angel in the Snow" "Lie Down in Darkness"

Minor Earth Major Sky	"Summer Moved On" "Minor Earth Major Sky" "Velvet" "The Sun Never Shone That Day" "I Wish I Cared"

Lifelines	"Forever Not Yours" "Lifelines" "Did Anyone Approach You?"

How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head	"The Sun Always Shines on TV (Live)"

Analogue	"Celice" "Birthright" "Analogue (All I Want)" "Cosy Prisons"

Foot of the Mountain	"Foot of the Mountain" "Nothing Is Keeping You Here" "Shadowside"

25	"Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)"

Ending on a High Note	"Summer Moved On (Live)"

Non-album Singles	"Shapes That Go Together"

Book Category

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