Stay on These Roads explained

Stay on These Roads
Type:studio
Artist:A-ha
Cover:Stay_on_These_Roads_album_cover.jpg
Released:3 May 1988
Recorded:1987–1988
Studio:RG Jones, London
Genre:
Length:43:36
Label:Warner Bros.
Producer:Alan Tarney
Prev Title:Scoundrel Days
Prev Year:1986
Next Title:East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Next Year:1990

Stay on These Roads is the third studio album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 3 May 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. Six singles were released from the album.

Recording

A Synclavier, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Yamaha DX-7, Roland D-50, and Roland Juno-60 or Roland Juno-106 synthesizers were used in the recording of this album, as was a Yamaha RX-5 drum machine.

Release and reception

The album peaked at number 148 on the US Billboard 200. It was another big hit by A-ha internationally, selling over 4 million copies worldwide. Stay on These Roads achieved Platinum status in Brazil and Gold in the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany and Double Platinum status in France. It reached number two in the European top-100 albums sales chart.

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said "in the U.K., the album became the group's third straight to peak at number two, though it charted for a shorter period than the first two albums, and there were four Top 25 hits—the title track, 'The Blood That Moves the Body,' 'Touchy!,' and 'You Are the One'." Also included was a re-recording of A-ha's 1987 theme from the James Bond movie The Living Daylights, which, in its single version, was a U.K. number five that missed the U.S. charts. In the positive review of the NME, David Quantick writes : "Life is sad and so is Pal Waaktaar. Pal, writer or co-writer of all these songs, seems over-run by melancholy. His lyrics are about crying, going away and yearning, and even the happier songs seem riddled with resignation rather than out-and-out pop joy".

Lead single "Stay on These Roads", number one in Norway, was a hit across Europe, including top-five showings in the UK, France, Austria and Ireland and top-ten chartings in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. Stay on These Roads includes three more hit singles, "The Blood That Moves The Body", "Touchy!" and "You Are the One", though a final single, "There's Never a Forever Thing", was released only in Brazil.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy; music composers listed below.

Side one
  1. "Stay on These Roads" – 4:45 (Furuholmen, Harket, Waaktaar)
  2. "The Blood That Moves the Body" – 4:06 (Waaktaar)
  3. "Touchy!" – 4:34 (Furuholmen, Harket, Waaktaar)
  4. "This Alone Is Love" – 5:15 (Furuholmen, Waaktaar)
  5. "Hurry Home" – 4:37 (Furuholmen, Waaktaar)
Side two
  1. "The Living Daylights" – 4:47 (Barry, Waaktaar)
  2. "There's Never a Forever Thing" – 2:53 (Waaktaar)
  3. "Out of Blue Comes Green" – 6:42 (Waaktaar)
  4. "You Are the One" – 3:51 (Furuholmen, Waaktaar)
  5. "You'll End up Crying" – 2:06 (Waaktaar)

2015 Deluxe edition

Disc 1
  1. "Stay on These Roads" (2015 Remastered)
  2. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (2015 Remastered)
  3. "Touchy!" (2015 Remastered)
  4. "This Alone Is Love" (2015 Remastered)
  5. "Hurry Home" (2015 Remastered)
  6. "The Living Daylights" (2015 Remastered)
  7. "There's Never a Forever Thing" (2015 Remastered)
  8. "Out of Blue Comes Green" (2015 Remastered)
  9. "You Are the One" (2015 Remastered)
  10. "You'll End up Crying" (2015 Remastered)
  11. "Stay on These Roads" (Extended Remix)
  12. "You Are the One" (12" Remix)
  13. "The Living Daylights (Extended Version)
  14. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (Extended Remix)
  15. "Touchy!" (Go-Go Mix)
Disc 2 - Demos & Alternate Versions
  1. "Stay on These Roads" (Early Version)
  2. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (Demo)
  3. "Touchy!" (Original Mix)
  4. "This Alone Is Love" (Demo)
  5. "You Are the One" (Early Version)
  6. "Cold River" (1987 Demo)
  7. "Hurry Home" (Demo)
  8. "I'll Never Find Streetful City" (Demo)
  9. "The Living Daylights" (Demo)
  10. "There's Never a Forever Thing" (Demo)
  11. "Out of Blue Comes Green" (Alternate Mix)
  12. "You'll End up Crying" (Demo)
  13. "You Are the One" (Alternate Version)
  14. "Touchy!" (Demo)
  15. "Umbrella" (Rendezvous Demo)
  16. "Thus Ended Our Love Affair" (Demo)
  17. "There's Never a Forever Thing" (Acoustic Version)
  18. "Evitar" (Demo)
  19. "You Are the One" (Demo)
  20. "Sail On My Love" (Writing Session)

Personnel

A-ha

Production and Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (Australian Music Report)[1] 52
European Albums (Music & Media)[2] 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[3] 12
French Albums (IFOP)[4] 3
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[5] 5
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[6] 2
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[7] 18

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)! scope="col"
Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 51
European Albums (Music & Media)[9] 16
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 21
French Albums (Top 30)[11] 16

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . illustrated . St Ives, N.S.W. . Australian Chart Book . 1993 . 13 . 0-646-11917-6.
  2. Eurochart Hot 100 Albums . . 5 . 21 . 21 May 1988 . 24 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
  3. Book: Pennanen, Timo . Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 . fi . 1st . Helsinki . . 2006 . 978-951-1-21053-5.
  4. Web site: Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste . InfoDisc . fr . 19 January 2019. Select "A-HA" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  5. News: Ísland (LP-plötur) . . is . 19 August 1988 . 44 . 1021-8254 . Timarit.is.
  6. Hits of the World . . 100 . 24 . 11 June 1988 . 77 . 0006-2510 . World Radio History.
  7. Book: Salaverrie, Fernando . September 2005 . Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 . Spanish . 1st . Madrid . . 84-8048-639-2.
  8. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 1988 . nl . . 24 January 2016.
  9. 1988 Year End Eurocharts – Top 100 Albums . Music & Media . 4 . 51/52 . 1 January 1989 . 30 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
  10. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1988 . de . Offizielle Deutsche Charts . 24 January 2016.
  11. Book : Top 50, Top D'Or 89, Filipacchi éditeur, janvier 1989, page 81.

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