Minor Earth Major Sky

2000 studio album by A-ha

Minor Earth Major Sky

Studio album by

A-ha

Released| 14 April 2000
Recorded| 1998–2000
Genre|

* Pop rock
* synth-pop
* new wave

Length| 58:42
Label| WEA
Producer|

* A-ha
* Kjetil Bjerkestrand
* Millenia Nova
* Ras
* Roland Spremberg
* Andre Tanneberger
* Pål Waaktaar

A-ha chronology
| Memorial Beach
(1993)  | Minor Earth Major Sky
(2000)  | Lifelines
(2002)

|
|

Singles from  Minor Earth Major Sky

1. "Summer Moved On"
Released: 25 March 2000[1]
2. "Minor Earth Major Sky"
Released: 10 July 2000
3. "Velvet"
Released: 14 September 2000
4. "The Sun Never Shone That Day"
Released: 21 September 2000

Minor Earth Major Sky (stylised as minor earth | major sky) is the sixth studio album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 April 2000 by WEA.

## Background and release

[edit]

Following the release of a-ha's fifth studio album, Memorial Beach (1993), the band decided to go on a hiatus. In 1998, the band was invited to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Paul Waaktaar-Savoy had written "Summer Moved On" especially for this performance.[2] They also performed "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.". This performance was a-ha's comeback into the world of music and the band decided to return to the studio.

Almost the entire album was remixed by producer Niven Garland at the record company's insistence to make it more radio-friendly for the band's German market.

"Summer Moved On", "Minor Earth Major Sky" and "Velvet" were commercially released as singles. "I Wish I Cared" was an Internet download single, accompanied by an Internet-only music video—one of the first of its kind.

The aircraft cockpit on the cover art is from a Boeing 707.

Backing vocals for the track "Velvet" were provided by Simone Larsen of Norwegian band D-Sound.

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic|  link
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [3]
Musicfolio|  link

### Commercial performance

[edit]

Minor Earth Major Sky debuted at number one on the Norwegian Albums Chart, and became the band's first number one album in Germany. The album peaked at number 27 on the UK Albums Chart, but was not released in the U.S. This album was certified platinum in Norway and Germany and gold in Austria, Spain and Switzerland.

## Track listing

[edit]

Standard versionNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Minor Earth Major Sky"| Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen| Boogieman, Roland Spremberg, a-ha[a], Kjetil Bjerkestrand[a]| 5:25
2.| "Little Black Heart"| Furuholmen, Waaktaar-Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 4:35
3.| "Velvet"| Waaktaar-Savoy, Lauren Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 4:21
4.| "Summer Moved On"| Waaktaar-Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 4:38
5.| "The Sun Never Shone That Day"| Waaktaar-Savoy, Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 4:40
6.| "To Let You Win"| Morten Harket, Håvard Rem| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 4:24
7.| "The Company Man"| Furuholmen, Waaktaar-Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 3:15
8.| "Thought That It Was You"| Harket, Ole Sverre-Olsen| Bjerkestrand| 3:50
9.| "I Wish I Cared"| Furuholmen| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 4:23
10.| "Barely Hanging On"| Waaktaar-Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 3:56
11.| "You'll Never Get Over Me"| Waaktaar-Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a]| 5:40
12.| "I Won't Forget Her"| Waaktaar-Savoy| Boogieman| 4:44
13.| "Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count"| Waaktaar-Savoy| Waaktaar-Savoy| 4:51

Japanese version (bonus track)No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

14.| "Summer Moved On" (remix)| Waaktaar-Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a], C.L.A.S.S. Production[b]| 6:00

Russian version (bonus tracks)No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

14.| "Minor Earth Major Sky" (Black Dog mix)| Waaktaar-Savoy, Furuholmen| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a], R.A.S[b], Island Brothers[b]| 4:07
15.| "Velvet" (Stockholm mix)| Waaktaar-Savoy, Savoy| Boogieman, Spremberg, a-ha[a], Bjerkestrand[a], Palaar Suna[b]| 4:16

2019 deluxe edition (disc two)No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Minor Earth Major Sky" (Early Version)| 5:50
2.| "Little Black Heart" (Alternate Mix)| 4:35
3.| "Velvet" (Early Version)| 5:18
4.| "Summer Moved On" (Early Version)| 4:38
5.| "The Sun Never Shone That Day" (Early Version)| 4:24
6.| "To Let You Win" (Early Mix)| 4:39
7.| "We Will Never Speak Again" (Demo)| 4:19
8.| "The Company Man" (Early Version)| 4:30
9.| "Life's Not Fair" (Early Version of "I Wish I Cared")| 3:31
10.| "Barely Hanging On" (Early Version)| 3:52
11.| "I Won't Forget Her" (Early Version)| 4:51
12.| "Manhattan Skyline" (Live - Oslo 2001)| 5:51
13.| "Thought That It Was You" (Live - Oslo 2001)| 3:45
14.| "You'll Never Get Over Me" (Live - Oslo 2001)| 6:02
15.| "Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count" (Live Oslo - 2001)| 6:06
16.| "Summer Moved On" (Demo)| 3:34

### Notes

[edit]

* ^[a] signifies a co-producer
* ^[b] signifies a remixer

## Personnel

[edit]

### A-ha

[edit]

* Morten Harket – vocals
* Magne Furuholmen – keyboards, string arrangements
* Paul Waaktaar-Savoy – guitars, string arrangements

### Additional musicians

[edit]

* Sven Lindvall – bass (2, 13)
* Jørun Bøgeberg – bass (11)
* Frode Unneland – drums (1, 7)
* Per Lindvall – drums (3, 10, 13)
* Per Hillestad – drums (11)
* Kjetil Bjerkestrand – string arrangements
* Norwegian Radio Orchestra – strings
* Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra – strings
* Vertavo String Quartet – strings (11)
* Simone Eriksrud – vocals (3)
* Lauren Savoy – vocals (11)

### Technical and design

[edit]

* a-ha – arrangements [4]
* Jon Marius Aareskjold – engineer, Pro Tools operator
* Jan-Erik Kongshaug – engineer
* Ulf Holand – engineer
* Niven Garland – mixing (1, 2, 3, 5, 7–13)
* Andreas Herbig "Boogieman" – mixing (4, 6)
* Kjetil Bjerkestrand – Pro Tools operator
* Magne Furuholmen – art direction
* Kjetil Try – art direction
* Henrik Haugen – logo artwork
* Bjørn Opshal – photography

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Minor Earth Major Sky | Chart (2000)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] | 169
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] | 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] | 22
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] | 55
European Albums (Music & Media)[9] | 3
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] | 39
French Albums (SNEP)[11] | 41
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[13] | 7
Irish Albums (IRMA)[14] | 54
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] | 53
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] | 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] | 40
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[18] | 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] | 36
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 3
UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 27

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for Minor Earth Major Sky | Chart (2000)  | Position

|

European Albums (Music & Media)[22] | 55
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 15
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] | 63

## Certifications

[edit]

Certifications for Minor Earth Major Sky Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Germany (BVMI)[25] | Platinum  | 300,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26] | Gold  | 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[27] | Gold  | 25,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Stavenes-Dove, Siri (1 April 2000). "a-ha, It's Those Norwegians Again". Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 14\. p. 1.
2. ^ interview on "a-ha live at valhall homecoming" DVD, 2001
3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 30\. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
4. ^ a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky
5. ^ "Response from ARIA re: a-ha ARIA chart history, received 22 December 2017". Retrieved 19 January 2019 – via Imgur.
6. ^ "Austriancharts.at – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
7. ^ "Ultratop.be – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
9. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 19\. 6 May 2000. p. 12\. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
10. ^ "a-ha: Minor Earth - Major Sky" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
11. ^ "Lescharts.com – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
13. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2000. 22. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
14. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2000". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
15. ^ ａ〜ｈａのアルバム売り上げランキング [a-ha album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
16. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
18. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 20\. 13 May 2000. p. 13\. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – a-ha – Minor Earth | Major Sky". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
22. ^ "Year in Focus – European Top 100 Albums 2000" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 52\. 23 December 2000. p. 9\. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
23. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2000" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
24. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
25. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (A-ha; 'Minor Earth / Major Sky')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
26. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 954\. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
27. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Minor Earth, Major Sky')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Album entry on a-ha discography site at the Wayback Machine (archived August 14, 2007)

* v
* t
* e

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
* True North

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|

* Live at Vallhall: Homecoming
* How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head
* Ending on a High Note: The Final Concert
* MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice

Extended plays|

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

Box sets|

* Minor Earth Major Box

Singles|

* "Take On Me"
* "Love Is Reason"
* "The Sun Always Shines on T.V."
* "Train of Thought"
* "Hunting High and Low"
* "I've Been Losing You"
* "Cry Wolf"
* "Manhattan Skyline"
* "The Living Daylights"
* "Stay on These Roads"
* "The Blood That Moves the Body"
* "Touchy!"
* "You Are the One"
* "Crying in the Rain"
* "I Call Your Name"
* "Early Morning"
* "Move to Memphis"
* "Dark Is the Night"
* "Angel in the Snow"
* "Shapes That Go Together"
* "Summer Moved On"
* "Minor Earth Major Sky"
* "Velvet"
* "Forever Not Yours"
* "Lifelines"
* "Did Anyone Approach You?"
* "Celice"
* "Analogue (All I Want)"
* "Cosy Prisons"
* "Foot of the Mountain"
* "Nothing Is Keeping You Here"
* "Shadowside"
* "Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)"
* "You Have What It Takes"

Tours|

* Ending on a High Note Tour

Related articles|

* Discography
* Band members
* Awards
* Bridges
* Savoy
* Apparatjik
* The Swing of Things / The Demo Tapes

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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