Autumn is an evocative season in the history of a-ha, and that is not merely a matter of historical sentiment. It's also about their lives right now. Yes, it arrives on the back of some fresh summertime memories too: of playing the Live8 concert in Berlin and then summoning reportedly the biggest public gathering in Norwegian history in gnerparken in Oslo in late August, "just us and 120,000 of our closest friends," as Magne Furuholmen puts it. All that, echoing to the endorsements of the a-ha cataogue by such notables as Chris Martin and Robbie Williams.

You can tick off the timelines for yourself. Autumn 1980, Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy present their first record to the world (or at least a very tiny percentage of the world) as members of a band called Bridges. Autumn 1983, with Morten Harket installed as frontman of the trio to be known forevermore as a-ha, they land a worldwide record deal with Warner Brothers.

Autumn '85, Take On Me becomes not only their anthem but practically a theme tune for '80s pop itself, underpinned by the debut album Hunting High and Low. Autumn '86, its famed and undying promo clip wins four titles at the MTV Video Music Awards, and a-ha begin to carve a life outside its clutches, releasing the predominantly self-produced sophomore album Scoundrel Days.

By the fall of 1990, they rack up their 13th top 30 single in a row in the UK, the "second home" where they'd served pre-fame apprenticeship. This season in '94, an unannounced, five-year band hiatus is opening the safety valve to individual expression. Come '98, a-ha are confirming a reunion that led to 2000's Minor Earth, Major Sky and on to 2002's Lifelines. That's a deliberately quickfire flick through a-ha's past, simply because their present is too vital.

That's the secret to what happens next in a-ha, and like their legions of fans, they're excited about the sense of perspective. "It's been a lot easier for us because we are just who we are today," says Morten. "I like the fact that we are about something a little different. What I find interesting about life is the ever-changing mood, and that nothing really can stay the same, you have to play with it and respond. This can be a very interesting line of work to be in."