Shapes That Go Together
Encyclopedia
Shapes That Go Together is a song by Norwegian
band A-ha
.
album did not appear, and solo albums began to be released, it was feared that this was to be A-ha's last song. Ironically entitled "Shapes That Go Together", there was a significant amount of discord within the band at the time of the song's release.
This single was the official song of the Paralympics '94
which was held at Lillehammer
, Norway
. The single was written by Magne Furuholmen
and Pål Waaktaar, who from now onwards refers to himself as Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
, produced by Christopher Neil
and arranged by A-ha and Kjetil Bjerkestrand.
This song was released in February 1994. It reached #27 on the charts in the UK, and was in the charts for three weeks total. Also reached #57 in Germany, #28 in Poland and #15 in Japan.
Originally the single was not released on an album until 10 years later when it was placed onto The Singles: 1984-2004 hits album and a year later appearing on the UK version The Definitive Singles Collection 1984-2004
which is practically the same album with just a few track differences. The song, as well as its B-side "Cold As Stone", is also placed in the new compilation 25
.
The German-made disc is silver and green depicting the Paralympics emblem, while the A-ha-logo and track listings are printed in white letters. It has sold 275,000 copies worldwide.
The second 5" CD-single is a limited edition numbered CD. It comes in an album style case with a card insert. The front is in various shades of pinks and purples instead of greens and blues , but has the same cover design. It contains three 4½" × 4½" photographic prints, one of each band member (taken from the video "Dark Is The Night"). The spine is black with white titles. The CD is silver `matte effect' with black titles and A-ha-logo. The back cover of the CD is black with white text and has the same group picture as on the back of the 7".
CD2
The "Cold As Stone" remix on CD 1 was originally created as a potential follow-up to the "Lie Down In Darkness" single in the US. Unfortunately that single did not chart, so this was the only known release of the remix until the 2010 compilation "25" was released.
The live tracks on CD 2 are taken from the video "Live In South America".
tones, it is also one of the few times you see a backing band with drummer and bass player.
The video was not commercially available.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
band A-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
.
Background
When a new A-haA-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
album did not appear, and solo albums began to be released, it was feared that this was to be A-ha's last song. Ironically entitled "Shapes That Go Together", there was a significant amount of discord within the band at the time of the song's release.
This single was the official song of the Paralympics '94
1994 Winter Paralympics
The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation...
which was held at Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The single was written by Magne Furuholmen
Magne Furuholmen
Magne 'Mags' Furuholmen is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the guitarist and keyboardist of the pop band A-ha.-A-ha:Furuholmen has been the keyboardist with A-ha since their formation in 1982, though he also plays guitar...
and Pål Waaktaar, who from now onwards refers to himself as Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist in the Norwegian pop band A-ha...
, produced by Christopher Neil
Christopher Neil
Christopher Neil is a British record producer, songwriter, singer and actor.He has worked with Celine Dion, a-ha, Dollar, Paul Nicholas, Kim Criswell, Morten Harket, Mike + The Mechanics, Johnny Logan, Marillion, The Moody Blues, The Other Ones, Paul Carrack, Rod Stewart, Gerry Rafferty, Cher,...
and arranged by A-ha and Kjetil Bjerkestrand.
This song was released in February 1994. It reached #27 on the charts in the UK, and was in the charts for three weeks total. Also reached #57 in Germany, #28 in Poland and #15 in Japan.
Originally the single was not released on an album until 10 years later when it was placed onto The Singles: 1984-2004 hits album and a year later appearing on the UK version The Definitive Singles Collection 1984-2004
The Definitive Singles Collection 1984-2004
The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004 is a greatest hits album from Norwegian band A-ha, released on 11 April 2005. Despite the title, the album contains tracks from 1985-2002. The album contains 17 of their hits plus an enhanced video for the song Take on Me. The tracklisting on this album...
which is practically the same album with just a few track differences. The song, as well as its B-side "Cold As Stone", is also placed in the new compilation 25
25 (a-ha album)
25 is a-ha's latest compilation album. It was released in Norway on July 19, 2010, in Germany and central Europe on August 6, and in the UK and other parts of Europe on October 4....
.
The German-made disc is silver and green depicting the Paralympics emblem, while the A-ha-logo and track listings are printed in white letters. It has sold 275,000 copies worldwide.
The second 5" CD-single is a limited edition numbered CD. It comes in an album style case with a card insert. The front is in various shades of pinks and purples instead of greens and blues , but has the same cover design. It contains three 4½" × 4½" photographic prints, one of each band member (taken from the video "Dark Is The Night"). The spine is black with white titles. The CD is silver `matte effect' with black titles and A-ha-logo. The back cover of the CD is black with white text and has the same group picture as on the back of the 7".
Tracklisting
CD1- "Shapes That Go Together" (4:13)
- "Cold As Stone (Remix)" (4:32)
- "Shapes That Go Together (Instr. Version)" (4:23)
CD2
- "Shapes That Go Together" (4:13)
- "Slender Frame (Live)" (4:05)
- "Touchy!Touchy!Touchy! is the third single to be released by A-ha from the Stay on These Roads album. The bassline on this song was recorded using a Yamaha DX7...
(Live)" (6:46) - "Rolling Thunder (Live)" (6:13)
The "Cold As Stone" remix on CD 1 was originally created as a potential follow-up to the "Lie Down In Darkness" single in the US. Unfortunately that single did not chart, so this was the only known release of the remix until the 2010 compilation "25" was released.
The live tracks on CD 2 are taken from the video "Live In South America".
Music video
The music video to "Shapes That Go Together" is directed by Barry Maguire. It was a simple Black and White Studio film with SepiaSepia (color)
Sepia is a dark brown-grey color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.The word sepia is the Latinized form of the Greek σηπία, sēpía, cuttlefish.-Sepia in human culture:...
tones, it is also one of the few times you see a backing band with drummer and bass player.
The video was not commercially available.
Chart
| Country | Position |
|---|---|
| UK | 27 |
| Germany | 57 |
| Poland | 28 |
| Japan | 15 |