The Sun Always Shines on TV

A very good, and sadly overlooked song from the 80s. I think this song is more of a breakup song or dealing with someone's disillusion after a breakup of a relationship. "The sun always shines on TV" is more a reference to how this is not a perfect world and life doesn't turn out how you always want it, leading to feelings of emptiness and disappointment. There is definitely a wish for escapism and that something is missing from life. Much like the rest of the Hunting High and Low album, there is a somber mood in spite of the synth-pop sound. And as an aside, I should have kept my promise to myself to marry the first woman I found who knew this was the follow-up single to Take on Me. But that's not really here nor there or really has anything to do with song.

I cannot believe that the follow-up to “Take On Me”—“The Sun Always Shines On TV”—has no comments. For shame, for shame. The song, I think, surpasses “Take On Me” in many ways, and it’s a-ha at their best. I believe that this song is fully immersive only when one has seen the music video. In it, you see the true conclusion to the glorificent video of “Take On Me”, and should not be missed. If you’re a hopeless romantic like me, you may feel downhearted and even disconsolate. If their storybook love could fail, what chance do we mere mortals have? I highly recommend the downloading of the video(s). The rest of the video is great, too, featuring a host of mannequins positioned in a way that makes them seem as if they were the orchestra of the song (and yet we all know it’s Mags’ handiwork). Also, it boasts a great performance by a-ha, as well as a mystery musician on the drums. Now, the song. I think that the verses are pretty self-explanatory: it’s about inner conflict and the strife to find some form of resolution; it’s about the search for a place where past ailments will be gone. Self-doubt and fear of what one has become pulsates from this song. The remedy? A significant other to wash away the pain, to silently hold him as he bides his time before realizing that everything’s all right. The term “the sun always shines on TV”—that’s something of a puzzling thing, isn’t it? I always took it like this: on television, happy endings abound, but in real life, darkness occurs, as well as reckless acts of happenstance that end in sorrow. But, in the song, Morten is reaching that almost fantasy-like state of euphoria, and all he needs is his better half to caress him, to promise her love to him, even if he doesn’t really understand the magic behind it (“how can it be?”). Wow. I didn’t even know I could analyze the song like that. Kudos for me! Five stars from my iPod, okeday?

I picked up this on songfacts.com: "Phil Waaktaar, a-ha's guitarist and writer of this song is quoted in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh as saying: The Sun Always Shines On TV was written on one of those down days. Me and Mags (Furuholmen, keyboards) were in a hotel watching English television on a rainy day and the guy announcing the program says, 'It's a rainy day but, as always, the sun always shines on TV.' The song is about the power of television and the way television presents life." Great Song BTW....

Seems it's about someone who is hoping for a better tomorrow, yet finds only darkness and despair. Nothing within will shine, yet the sun always rises in dreams.

To me this song represents suffering from Anxiety "I reached inside myself and found Nothing there to ease the Pressure of my ever worrying mind All my powers waste away I fear the crazed and lonely Looks the mirror's sending me these days" The Sun always shines on tv is someone who is so anxious and depressed they stay in with only the TV on.

Only one comment on this awesome song?? In my opinion, this song is MUCH better than "Take on me". It has more power in it!

I heard it once on VH-1 Classic and I have loved it ever since.

My mother would always play this album when I was a chillun. I loved this song but could only relate to the line about the sun shining on the tv which was real annoying as a kid as you couldn't see the cartoons properly. This is my favourite A-ha song by far.

OMG! I can barely remember the video but I just recently bought there greatest hits, love this song and hunting high and low s well. But here's what I think this song means a release or trying to break free from someone and everything is best seen through the eyes of the tv, hence the sun always shine... its a way to escape. Another one is porn. I can't help but wonder if there is a great satisfaction to the person when he insert a vhs (8os) of his favorite star in his vcr and press play. The lyrics clearly suggest others but those are my top two.

I love this song. It's so beautiful. I think he's talking about how he is in love with a celebrity and it pains him that he'll never get to be with her. For me, i could adapt this easy to cybernetic love, but replacing 'TV' with 'PC ' ^_-