a-ha - Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)

What this video is

Released in 2010 as a-ha's final single before their December 4, 2010 dissolution after 25 years, this video functions as a self-conscious cultural artifact of closure. The reunion of Steve Barron with the band — 25 years after 'Take On Me' made both Barron and a-ha internationally iconic — transforms the video into a meditation on the MTV era itself. By projecting archival footage of their canonical 1980s videos…

Why it matters

A landmark document of synth-pop's long arc from 1980s commercial peak to dignified 2010 farewell. The video is significant as one of the rare instances of a defining MTV-era director returning to the format to close a chapter he helped open, giving it unique historiographical value as a bookend…

The director

Born in Dublin, Ireland (4 May 1956), Barron began as a camera assistant on major 1970s productions including Superman (1978) and A Bridge Too Far (1977). He pioneered 35mm film use in music videos and founded production company Limelight, which became the…