Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Manhattan Skyline (song)

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Released
  
16 February 1987

Recorded
  
1986

Format
  
7" 12"

Genre
  
New wave rock

B-side
  
"We're Looking for the Whales" (Live in Croydon)

Length
  
4:52 (Album Version) 4:21 (Single Version) 6:49 (Extended Remix)

"Manhattan Skyline" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was the third single from their Scoundrel Days album, and reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart.

Contents

The song was co-written by keyboardist Magne Furuholmen and guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. The song starts with Furuholmen playing a Roland Juno-60 with Preset Number " 16 ", The Harpsichord - in F major, before kicking into a hard rock-style chorus with a guitar riff in D minor. In the official A-ha biography, The Swing of Things 1985-2010 by Jan Omdahl, Furuholmen said: "Manhattan Skyline" was perhaps one of the most inspired cut and paste projects that Paul and I did. I wrote the quiet part. Paul wrote the rock part. I thought I was doing a classic when I worked on the opening riff. Well, okay, it is a classic, actually."

The B-side, "We're Looking for the Whales", was recorded at a concert at Fairfield Halls, Croydon in London on 19 January 1987.

The single version omits the lyric "you see things in the depths of my eyes that my love's run dry" that is present twice on the album version during the song's main chorus.

Video

On January 30, 1987 A-ha filmed the “Manhattan Skyline” video in a London studio. The music video was directed by Steve Barron and was inspired by newsprint, featuring a connect-the-dots animation of the band, a crossword puzzle, a printing press, and articles from newspapers from around the world.

The newspaper at the end is one of Norway's largest papers, "Aftenposten."

7": Warner Bros. / W 8405 United Kingdom (1987)

  1. "Manhattan Skyline" (Single Edit) - 4:21
  2. "We're Looking for the Whales" (Edit) (Live in Croydon) - 3:50
  • Track 2 recorded Live at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, January 19, 1987.

    • 12": Warner Bros. / W 8405TW United Kingdom (1987)

    1. "Manhattan Skyline" (Extended Remix) - 6:49
    2. "We're Looking for the Whales" (Full) (Live in Croydon) - 6:44
    3. "Manhattan Skyline" (Album Version) - 4:52
  • Track 1 remixed by Mags Furuholmen, Pål Waaktar and Gerry W.W. Kitchingham.
  • Track 2 recorded Live at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, January 19, 1987.
  • The Norwegian indie folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience released an acoustic cover version of "Manhattan Skyline" in 2001.
  • Scottish comedian Limmy featured the song in his popular sketch "Benny Harvey RIP".

    • References

    Manhattan Skyline (song) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA