"Train of Thought" is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released in March 1986 as the fourth single from their debut studio album, ''

Hunting High and Low ''Hunting High and Low'' is the debut studio album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha, released on 1 June 1985 in the United States and 28 October 1985 in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a huge commercial success, reachin ...

'' (1985). The lyrics for this song were based on the existentialist authors and poets

Gunvor Hofmo Gunvor Hofmo (30 June 1921 – 17 October 1995) was a Norwegian writer, often considered one of Norway's most influential modernist poets. Background Gunvor Hofmo was born in Oslo, Norway. Her parents were Erling Hofmo (1893–1959) and Bertha B ...

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, Point of view ...

and Fyodor Dostoevsky – Pål's favourites at the time. It was A-ha's third consecutive top-10 single in the UK, reaching number eight. It was not a pop hit in the United States, but a 12-inch single featuring a remix of the song appeared on the

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

charts. The single sold 500,000 copies worldwide. Another remix by Steve Thompson was released in 1986.

Music video

The music video was directed by Candice Reckinger and Michael Patterson. The video concept was designed by the same producers who brought "

Take On Me "Take On Me" is a song by the Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha. The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. The 1985 international hit version was p ...

" into the video mainstream. The black-and-white footage and animation in the "Train of Thought" video actually predated the "Take On Me" single, and was the inspiration for the animation in the "Take On Me" video. It originated as Patterson's student film at

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

called Commuter, which went on to influence a generation of MTV videos. Most of the video was the old animated footage, interspersed with live parts with a-ha filmed during a break in the band's tour.

Track listings

7-inch single: Warner Bros. / W 8736 United Kingdom # "Train of Thought" (Remix) - 4:14 # "And You Tell Me" (Original Version) - 1:51 * Track 1 is remixed by Alan Tarney & John Hudson. * Track 3 is also known as "Remix 7'' Version" and is remixed by Alan Tarney & John Hudson. 12-inch single: Warner Bros. / W 8736 T United Kingdom # "Train of Thought" (U.S. Mix) - 7:04 # "And You Tell Me" (Original Version) - 1:51 # "Train of Thought" (Remix 7'' Version) - 4:14 * Track 1 is also known as "Steve Thompson Mix". * Track 3 is also known as "Remix" and is remixed by Alan Tarney & John Hudson. 7-inch single: Reprise Records. / 928 736-7 Europe # "Train of Thought" (Album Version) - 4:14 # "And You Tell Me" (Demo Version) - 1:51 * Track 1 is mixed by Alan Tarney & produced by Tony Mansfield 12-inch single: Reprise Records. / 0-20455 New Zealand # "Train of Thought" (Steve Thompson Mix) - 7:04 # "Train of Thought" (Dub Version) - 8:31 # ""Train of Thought" (Remix) - 4:14 # "And You Tell Me" (Demo Version) - 1:51 * Track 1 is also known as "U.S. Mix". * Track 3 is also known as "Remix 7'' Version" and is remixed by Alan Tarney & John Hudson. * The original version of "Train of Thought" can be found on the ''

'' album and was produced by Tony Mansfield.

Charts

References

1985 songs 1986 singles A-ha songs Songs written by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy Song recordings produced by Tony Mansfield Warner Records singles Animated music videos Knut Hamsun Adaptations of works by Fyodor Dostoyevsky {{1980s-single-stub