This week in 1985, A-Ha went to #1 with one of the greatest one-hit wonders of all-time, "Take On Me." The song included an absolutely insane hook, which can only be described as high-grade, velvet synth-pop from the old country with a little pinch of falsetto thrown in at the end—just for good measure.

 

The song is also a lesson in persistence. Its first release only sold 300 copies. Its second release, only a few thousand more. The song flopped on its third release as well. It was only after the song got a bizarre and award-winning pencil-stop animation video, in which angry mechanics chase a couple of teenagers through a black-and-white maze did the song put A-Ha into a world of Los Del Rio.

 

As of this writing, the song has over 1.3 billion views on YouTube. To say the song has remained popular throughout the years is a massive understatement.

 

It's a lot like this month's economic indicators, which continue to show the Rapid City area is as popular as it has ever been. In fact, The Wall Street Journal rated Rapid City as the #2 market in the country for real estate and amenities just this week. With over $802 million in gross sales last month and a year-to-date $280 million in valuation, the data agrees. Add in an average weekly-wage of almost $900 a week and another 212 housing units last month, the region enters the slower winter season with some added pop. Did we mention the unemployment rate is 2.9%?

 

It will be interesting to see if that inertia can sustain itself through winter season. Traditionally, the three months of summer (and the tourist season) account for a significant amount of sales tax dollars for the area. If the numbers hold through much of the winter, it's probably a signal that a post-pandemic Rapid City is a national treasure, but not a national secret, and definitely not a one-hit wonder.