| "The Final Countdown" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byEurope | ||||
| from the albumThe Final Countdown | ||||
| B-side | "On Broken Wings" | |||
| Released |
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| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter | Joey Tempest | |||
| Producer | Kevin Elson | |||
| Europe singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Final Countdown" onYouTube | ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"The Final Countdown" | ||||
"The Final Countdown" is a song by the Swedishrock bandEurope, released in 1986. Written by their lead singerJoey Tempest, it was based on a keyboard riff he made in the early 1980s, with lyrics inspired byDavid Bowie's "Space Oddity". Originally intended only to be a concert opener, it is the first single and title track from the band'sstudio album of the same name.
The music video byNick Morris, made to promote the single, has received over 1.3 billion views onYouTube. The video features footage from the band's two concerts atSolnahallen inSolna, Sweden as well as extra footage of the sound checks and footage fromStockholm.
The song "Pictures", from the 2017 albumWalk the Earth, is a sequel to "The Final Countdown".
The song was based on a keyboard riff whichJoey Tempest had written, as early as 1981 or 1982,[6] with aKorg Polysix keyboard which he had borrowed from keyboardistMic Michaeli.[7][8] In 1985, bassistJohn Levén suggested that Tempest should write a song based on that riff.[6] Tempest recorded ademo version of the song and played it for the other band members.[9] At first, the members expressed mixed reactions to it, including guitaristJohn Norum who was put off by the synth intro but later said that he was glad that they didn't listen to him.[10] Tempest described their uncertainty: "Some of the guys in the band thought it was too different for a rock band. But in the end, I fought hard to make sure it got used."[10]
The song's lyrics were inspired byDavid Bowie's song "Space Oddity".[10] The sound of the keyboard riff used in the recording was achieved by using aYamaha TX-816 rack unit and aRoland JX-8P synthesizer,[11] as described by Michaeli: "I made a brassy sound from the JX-8P and used a factory sound from the Yamaha, and just layered them together."[11]
When it was time to choose the first single from the albumThe Final Countdown, Tempest suggested the song "The Final Countdown".[9] The band had not originally planned to release the song as a single, and some members wanted "Rock the Night" to be the first single.[9][10] "The Final Countdown" was written to be an opening song for concerts, and they never thought it would be a hit.[9] When their record companyEpic Records suggested, however, that it should be the first single, the band decided to release it.[12]
As Tempest stated in 2005:
It's always a nice feeling. Sometimes, you hear it on the streets or someone has it on their mobile phone or something… it's a nice feeling! Actually, I did an interview about a year ago with a newspaper from America and they talked about how much it's been used in sports in America… which I didn't know so much about. Apparently, it has been used a lot and it was nice to hear. The ironic thing, though, is that the song was actually written for the fans. It was over six minutes long and was never meant to be a hit or anything like that. It was meant to be an opening for the 'live' show. We were putting out our third album and we wanted a really 'grand' opening for the show. So, I had that 'riff' tucked away in a drawer since my college years and I took it out, found a tempo for it, wrote lyrics, and it turned out to be a great opening for that album and for the show, as well. Nowadays, we don't rehearse it, but when we play it live, it is still just so amazing! It does communicate so well with the audience and we really love playing it.[13]
In 2009, Tempest told the BBC's Liam Allen, "I can trace bands likeUFO in it, sort of a galloping theme likeIron Maiden had onThe Number of the Beast album on quite a few songs. I wanted to make a combination of guitars and keyboards. That was a statement on that and it sort of worked out nicely."[14] It is set in the key ofF♯ minor.[15]
"The Final Countdown" became a success on the charts worldwide after its release during 1986 and 1987, reaching number one in 25 countries (including the UK, where it spent two weeks at the top and is Europe's only Top 10 hit to date),[16] and is widely regarded as the band's most popular and recognizable song. The single reached number 8 on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, and is the most successful song from thealbum on theAlbum Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 18 (and charting for 20 weeks).[17]
The song is also the band's highest-charting single in Australia and Canada, peaking at number 2 and at number 5.
Blender listed "The Final Countdown" as the 27th worst song ever,[18] and both VH1 andBlender included it at 16 on the list of the "Most Awesomely Bad Songs...Ever".[19] VH1 ranked it at number 66 on their list of the best hard rock songs of all time.[2]
Themusic video, directed byNick Morris, contains footage from two concerts the band did atSolnahallen inSolna, Sweden on 26 and 27 May 1986, as well as some extra footage filmed at the sound checks for those concerts.[9]
The song has been a regular in Europe concerts ever since its live debut on the premiere of theirFinal Countdown Tour in April 1986. One of the most memorable performances of the song took place inStockholm, Sweden on 31 December 1999, as part of theMillennium celebrations, as it was the first, and to date only, Europe performance with both of the band's lead guitarists, the original guitarist John Norum and his replacement, Kee Marcello.[20][21]
On "The Final Countdown" album, John Norum played a 1965Fender Stratocaster plugged into a 100-wattMarshall JCM800 as well as aBoss SD-1 and aBoss DS-1.[22] During "The Final Countdown" tour, Norum played a modified Olympic WhiteFender Stratocaster in the music video and on tour. This guitar includes aDiMarzio FS-1 pickup and aDiMarzio HS-3 pickup, a modified Callaham bridge, an extended fret board giving the guitar 22 frets, and anEMG afterburner boost system was installed.[23]
On both the album and on stage, John Levén used a pick on a 1963Fender Precision Bass colored blue and black. He acquired the electric bass in 1984.[24]
The keyboards for "The Final Countdown" album and tour were created using a variety of synthesizers that played the brass riff and backing pads. The bulk of the synth brass was created by using an edited "Stab Brass" preset on theRoland JX-8P and the doubling that with a stock brass sound on theYamaha TX816 (a rack unit containing 8 TF-1 modules) that usedfrequency modulation. Those would simultaneously be played on a Yamaha KX76 midi controller.[citation needed]
The song reached number one in 25 countries,[16] including the United Kingdom, and was certified gold in that country in 1986.[25] In the United States, the song peaked at number 8 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 18 on theBillboard Album Rock Tracks chart.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[66] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[68] | Platinum | 1,000,000[68] |
| Germany (BVMI)[69] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[70] sales since 2009 | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[71] 2003 digital release | Gold | 100,000* |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[72] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Portugal (AFP)[68] | Platinum | 60,000[68] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[73] | Platinum | 20,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Physical and digital combined sales | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "The Final Countdown 2000" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byEurope | ||||
| from the album1982–2000 | ||||
| B-side | "The Final Countdown" (Original Radio Edit) | |||
| Released | 7 December 1999[74] | |||
| Length | 3:47 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter | Joey Tempest | |||
| Producers |
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| Europe singles chronology | ||||
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In 1999, the danceremix "The Final Countdown 2000" was released. It was produced byBrian Rawling, who had previously had success with "Believe" byCher. The band's reaction to the remix was less than enthusiastic. "That remix was a disaster", drummer Ian Haugland said, "I wouldn't pass water on it if it was on fire!"[75] In a 2013 interview withThe National, Joey Tempest commented on the remix, saying, "The band were not happy with it. We were trying to get some other people to do the remix and it just didn't pan out, so it ended up becoming a last-minute thing."[76]
| Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[74] | 33 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[77] | 12 |
| Germany (GfK)[78] | 35 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[79] | 60 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[80] | 12 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[81] | 6 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[82] | 33 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[83] | 36 |
| Chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[84] | 99 |
YouTube Billion Views Award
| Year | Nominee/Work | Award | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Final Countdown | Won | [85] |
The song is a favourite at sporting events; it is also often being played to sports championship events andvictory parades for winning teams at professional sports leagues andcollege tournaments in front of the rally crowds while singing along. It has also become a staple of high school and college pep musical bands for the same purpose.[13]
On 26 December 1987, theHellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ΕΡΤ), used the song as the theme for the documentary "The Road to Glory" aboutEuroBasket 1987, which was won by theGreece men's national basketball team. Since then, the song is considered by fans as the unofficial anthem of the team.[86]
The song was used as entrance music for professional wrestlerBryan Danielson on theindependent circuit and inRing of Honor (ROH) until September 2010, and again occasionally inAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) since 2023.[87]
On 2 October 1990, just a few hours before theGerman reunification, the English segment of international radio broadcaster of formerEast GermanyRBI, played the intro of the song while the female radio announcer says: "Our broadcast came to you from Radio Berlin International, the voice of the disappearing German Democratic Republic".[88]
The most popular radio station in Israel,Galei Tzahal, had a daily program between 2009 and 2015 that one of its regular sections was dubbed: "People who think that 'The Final Countdown' is the best song ever choose the best song ever in their opinion". In which a random fan of the show would have come on air for a short interview about themselves and their relation to the song before they would have been asked what is the best song ever in their opinion - and then 'The final countdown' would have been played in its entirety to seal the interview.[89]
The song and band Europe appeared in a 2015 USA television commercial forGEICO insurance, playing in a lunchroom as a microwave oven's timer is counting down toward zero seconds, saying if you're Europe, "you love a final countdown: it's what you do."[47]
The song became the unofficial theme song for theArrested Development television series character,George Oscar "Gob" Bluth II, who used it as an opening to his magic act.[90]
The song was featured in the teaser trailer for thefourth season ofThe Umbrella Academy.[91]
"The Final Countdown" is a particular favourite of guitaristRitchie Blackmore, who incorporated elements of it into "Gone with the Wind", his 1999 reimagining ofLev Knipper's "Polyushko-polye".[92][93]
American husband-and-wifebanjo-playersBéla Fleck andAbigail Washburn performed an interpretation of the song in May 2015 forThe A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series.[94]Time magazine called out the cover as "really, really lovely."[95]
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