Memorial Beach

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Memorial Beach
File:A-ha Memorial Beach.jpg
Studio album by
A-ha
Released14 June 1993
Recorded1991–1993
StudioPaisley Park, Chanhassen, Minnesota, US
Genre
Length49:33
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
A-ha chronology
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
(1990) 		Memorial Beach
(1993) 		Minor Earth Major Sky
(2000)
Singles from Memorial Beach
  1. "Dark Is the Night"
    Released: 24 May 1993
  2. "Angel in the Snow"
    Released: 6 September 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[2]
Music WeekStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[3]
QStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[4]
Smash HitsStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[5]

Memorial Beach is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 June 1993 by Warner Bros. Records.

Background

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The album was recorded primarily in the United States at Prince's Paisley Park Studios outside Minneapolis. Memorial Beach featured three UK Top 50 singles for the band, "Move to Memphis" (released as a single in 1991, almost two years before the album), "Dark is the Night for all" and "Angel in the Snow". While the album did not chart on the U.S. Billboard 200 and would be the band's last to be released there, the single "Dark Is the Night" peaked at #11 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart,[6] their last U.S. charting to date. Q magazine listed the album as one of the 50 best albums of 1993: "If ever a band deserved reappraisal on the back of an album then it was a-ha!"

"Angel in the Snow" was written by Pål Waaktaar for his bride, Lauren, as a wedding gift. Recording the album was, according to Morten Harket, "A rather dark and heavy period for the band", despite this, Magne Furuholmen has said, "I dig Memorial Beach, and 'Dark is the Night for All' is the high point, the best thing on the disc."

JD and Jevetta Steele from the American gospel group The Steeles contribute backing vocals on the songs "Move to Memphis" and "Lie Down in Darkness". French actress Béatrice Dalle appears in the music video for the song "Move to Memphis".

Some lyrics from "Locust" were reused on Savoy's (Waaktaar's other band) 2004 single "Whalebone".

The album front cover, back cover and booklet includes pictures of the band taken at a photo shoot at Atalaia Beach, in Aracaju, Brazil, during the band's 1991 tour.

This was the last album to feature the original a-ha logo until they reunited for the second time for Cast in Steel (2015).

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Pål Waaktaar, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dark Is the Night for All" 3:46
2."Move to Memphis"
4:22
3."Cold as Stone" 8:19
4."Angel in the Snow" 4:13
5."Locust" 5:09
6."Lie Down in Darkness" 4:32
7."How Sweet It Was" 6:00
8."Lamb to the Slaughter"Furuholmen4:20
9."Between Your Mama and Yourself" 4:16
10."Memorial Beach" 4:36

Personnel

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a-ha

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Additional Musicians

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  • Jørun B. Bøgeberg – bass guitar
  • Per Hillestad – drums
  • J.D. Steele – backing vocals (2,6)
  • Jevetta Steele – backing vocals (2,6)
  • Kathy Wilson – backing vocals (2,6)

Production

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  • A-ha – producers
  • David Z – producer, engineer
  • David Friedlander – engineer
  • Sverre Henriksen – engineer
  • Brian Poer – engineer
  • Jamie Staub – engineer
  • Djinji Brown – second engineer
  • Mike Cyr – second engineer
  • Derek Davis – second engineer
  • Derek Duffy – second engineer
  • Robert Opsahl-Engen – second engineer
  • Eivind Skovdahl – second engineer
  • Rod Hui – mixing
  • Pål Waaktaar – mixing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, NY)
  • Lyn Bradley – art direction, design
  • Jeri Heiden – art direction, design
  • Per Fronth – original artwork
  • Just Loomis – photography
  • Terry Slater – management

Charts

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Chart performance for Memorial Beach
Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 132
European Albums (Music & Media)[8] 25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 17
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[10] 27
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 39
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 39
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 17

References

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  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r184437
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  6. ^ Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
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  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – a-ha – Memorial Beach" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – a-ha – Memorial Beach". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – a-ha – Memorial Beach". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  13. ^ "Swisscharts.com – a-ha – Memorial Beach". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 December 2020.

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