Is there anything quite like summer breaks from grade school? 90 epic days, weightless and free. For me the summer recess of 1985 was life changing. I left 7th grade blissfully unaware of so much that would soon dominate my life. Three months passed and by August and the start of 8th grade, I was a new person.

Music began to exert an even greater influence on me in 1985. My tastes continued to mimic those of my older brother. Through him I learned of two groups that would form the bedrock of my musical ideals: U2 and Simple Minds. I borrowed copies of Under a Blood Red Sky, Sparkle in the Rain, and New Gold Dream 81, 82, 83, 84. For my 13th birthday I was given The Unforgettable Fire and Wide Awake in America, on cassette and Simple Minds' Once Upon a Time on vinyl. The soundtrack to my summer was set.

The watershed of this momentous summer came in the most unusual of places: church camp in California. The seven day trip into the San Bernardino Mountains began with the holy pursuit of girls, glorious California girls. If you've ever been to a church camp, you know how it usually ends - the campground religious conversion.

While reigniting my faith, camp did wonders for my social life.  I watched as one by one the girls from our Arizona group were picked off by California guys festooned in styles never seen in rustic Arizona: Kung Fu Karate slippers, rolled up pant cuffs, popped collars on Polo shirts. The code to meeting girls had been cracked. Fashion was the unlikely answer.

Camp was an awakening. Girls mattered now. They had mattered before, but they really mattered now. And style was important. I had to actually buy trendy clothing to attract women.  8th grade started and I came dressed to impress. Black and white checkered shirt, black pants, cuffs folded and rolled to above the ankles. And it worked. I actually met a girl. Thank you California!

Where does a-ha fit into this? In 1985 there was the ubiquitous "Take on Me" video. For most people their knowledge of a-ha never went further than this song. But my friend Steve had the album, Hunting High and Low, and one weekend in 8th grade I stayed over at his house. Over and over we played that tape while sharing the phone for calls to our girlfriends. A-ha played in the background through it all. The weekend ended and I went out and bought the tape for myself.

A-ha may be known as one hit wonders with an amusing animated video, but they harmonized perfectly with my life then. They could be dismissed as a flimsy version of 80's synth-pop, but a-ha's music on Hunting High and Low is expressive and abounding with emotion. Much of this can be  credited to Morten Harket's dramatic singing. His wide range and "touching vocal delivery" (All Music) added depth to Pal Waaktaar's nuanced songwriting. The album is flush with romantic details, such as the haunting oboes that flutter through "Living a Boy's Adventure Tale" or the mighty orchestral attack on "The Sun Always Shines on TV".

The long phone calls, the secret meetings. In so many ways, I was living a boy's adventure tale. A-ha was my accompaniment through it all. My feelings for the girl may have just been a crush, but my love for a-ha has endured to this day.

Listen to a-ha - "Train of Thought (Extended Version)" (MP3).