Their first single went to No 1 around the world, propelled by a ground-breaking animated video, and they went on to sell more than 30 million albums before calling it a day in 1994.

But now a-ha are back with a bang. The Norwegian band, who shot to global prominence in 1985 with Take On Me, have garnered rave reviews for their latest album, Foot of the Mountain, winning over a wave of new fans who were not even born the last time they climbed the chart’s heights.

Their reappearance with a hit comes amid a slew of 1980s artists returning to the stage. In March Spandau Ballet announced that they were reforming, Kajagoogoo are to tour the country next month, and there are even rumours that Adam Ant is to relaunch his career.

Morten Harket, a-ha’s implausibly youthful lead singer, said that the band had emulated Abba, their fellow Scandinavians, in reaching out to a new generation.

He said: “We do have audiences who weren’t born when we started out. The biggest example of that would be Abba, who have been around longer than anyone can remember, but the kids love them.

“I don’t think you can explain a success like this by just looking to the diehard fans. We do have diehards and they play a very active part in the band, but I think this success has also come from other people.

“Our audience is really widespread, and it’s always been like that. Our early songs were all about teenagers but our fans were always from a wider base.”

Despite their first three albums reaching No 2 in the British charts and huge success in their native Norwegian market, the band slipped out of the limelight and have not had a Top Ten album in this country since Stay on These Roads in 1988.

Gennaro Castaldo, of the retailer HMV, said: “A bit like Take That, a-ha left the scene when they still had a big fan base hungry for more. They have been able to tap into that a second time around and, of course, a lot of those original fans now have kids of their own they can share their passion for the band with.

“People have never really been embarrassed about liking their music either. There are lots of dads and boyfriends out there who have enjoyed the band’s music as a bit of guilty pleasure, but now feel it’s OK to be more open about it.

“The band, and Morten in particular, still look amazingly youthful, which is helping them connect with a younger audience, and the band are now well set for a hugely lucrative live tour.”

The group will return to the British stage in November, with three dates confirmed including an evening at the O2 arena in Greenwich, southeast London.

Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, has declared a-ha to be a huge influence on his band. He said: “I put a-ha’s first record on. I just remembered how much I loved it. It’s incredible songwriting.

“Everybody asks what inspired us, what we’ve been trying to steal from and what we listened to when we were growing up. The first band I ever loved was a-ha.”

Tim Rice-Oxley, the bassist and main songwriter of Keane, described Take On Me as “quite possibly the best pure pop single of all time”.

Foot of the Mountain is guaranteed to finish up in the Top Five and could challenge for second place in the album chart when it is announced on Sunday afternoon.

Midweek sales figures showed that the Michael Jackson collection, The Essential, will again top the chart, but the battle for No 2 is being keenly fought between the Mercury Prize-nominated Florence and the Machine, a-ha and Paolo Nutini.

In the singles chart, the Black Eyed Peas are likely to rise to the top spot with I Gotta Feeling, followed by JLS, the X Factor finalists, and Kanye West, the hip-hop star.

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