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The Final Countdown (song)

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"The Final Countdown"
Song
B-side"On Broken Wings"

"The Final Countdown" is a song by Swedish rock band Europe, released in 1986. Written by Joey Tempest, it was the first single from the band's third studio album which was also named The Final Countdown. The song reached No. 1 in 25 countries,[4] including the United Kingdom, and was certified gold in the United Kingdom in 1986.[5] In the United States the song peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 18 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

Origin and recording

The song was based on a keyboard riff which Joey Tempest had written, as early as 1981 or 1982,[6] on a Korg Polysix keyboard which he had borrowed from keyboardist Mic Michaeli.[7][8] In 1985, bassist John Levén suggested that Tempest should write a song based on that riff.[6] Tempest recorded a demo version of the song and played it for the other band members.[9] At first the members expressed mixed reactions to it, including guitarist John Norum: "When I first heard the synth intro to 'The Final Countdown', my reaction was: 'No, this is nuts. We just can't use this.' Thank God they didn't listen to me."[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 by David Bowie's song "Space Oddity".[10] The sound of the keyboard riff used in the recording was achieved by using a Yamaha TX-816 rack unit and a Roland 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 album The 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 company Epic Records suggested, however, that it should be the first single, the band decided to release it.[12]

As Tempest stated:

"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]

Release and reception

"The Final Countdown" was released in the spring of 1986 and became the most successful song from The Final Countdown on the American rock charts as well as the band's most recognizable and popular song.[14] It appeared on Billboard magazine's Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching the top 10. The following week it debuted on the Album Rock Tracks, where it peaked at No. 18 in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its 20th week. The band's next hit was "Superstitious," which achieved a higher chart position on the Album Rock Tracks.

In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart, peaking at number five and becoming the band's highest charting song in that country. "The Final Countdown" reached number three in the UK, eventually spending two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in December, and was the only single from the album that charted in the UK top 10. "The Final Countdown" reached number 1 in 25 countries,[4] including France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Italy.

Music video

File:Europe The Final Countdown music video.jpg
A still from the music video for "The Final Countdown".

The music video, directed by Nick Morris, contains footage from two concerts the band did at Solnahallen in Solna, Sweden on 26 and 27 May 1986, as well as some extra footage filmed at the sound checks for those concerts.[9]

Live performances

The song has been a regular in Europe concerts ever since its live debut on the premiere of their Final Countdown Tour in April 1986. One of the most memorable performances of the song took place in Stockholm, Sweden on 31 December 1999, as part of the Millennium 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.[15][16]

Personnel

Chart positions

Order of precedence
Preceded by Austrian number-one single
1 December 1986 – 15 December 1986 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"You Want Love (Maria, Maria)" by Mixed Emotions
Preceded by Belgian Ultratop 50 Flanders number-one single
11 October 1986 – 25 October 1986 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Belgian VRT Top 30 Flanders number-one single
11 October 1986 – 25 October 1986 (3 weeks)
Preceded by Dutch Top 40 number-one single
27 September 1986 – 18 October 1986 (4 weeks)
Preceded by European number-one single (first run)
25 October 1986 (1 week)
Preceded by European number-one single (second run)
29 November 1986 – 31 January 1987 (10 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Irish Singles Chart number-one single
27 November 1986 – 4 December 1986 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
UK Singles Chart number-one single
6 December 1986 – 13 December 1986 (2 weeks)
Preceded by French number-one single
8 November 1986 – 27 December 1986 (8 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by German number-one single
13 October 1986 – 3 November 1986 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Italian number-one single
13 December 1986 – 7 February 1987 (9 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Si può dare di più" by Gianni Morandi, Enrico Ruggeri and Umberto Tozzi
Preceded by Single Top 100 number-one single
6 September 1986 – 11 October 1986 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Swiss number-one single
5 October 1986 – 16 November 1986 (7 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Polish number-one single (first run)
6 December 1986 – 20 December 1986 (3 weeks)
Preceded by Polish number-one single (second run)
3 January 1987 – 17 January 1987 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Ulica miasta" by Aya RL
Preceded by
"Krew Boga" by Kult
 Polish number-one single (third run)
7 February 1987 – 14 February 1987 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by South African number-one single
7 March 1987 – 4 April 1987 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Spanish number-one single
31 January 1987 – 4 April 1987 (10 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Swedish number-one single
28 May 1986 – 25 June 1986 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Single Top 100 best-selling single of the year
1986 		Succeeded by
"Sailin' Home" by Piet Veerman
1987

"The Final Countdown 2000"

"The Final Countdown"
Song
B-side"The Final Countdown" (Original Radio Edit)

In 1999, the dance remix "The Final Countdown 2000" was released. It was produced by Brian Rawling, who had previously had success with "Believe" by Cher. The single release caused minor controversy as the first pressing had a misprint that left out the first "o" in "Countdown," spelling the word "Cuntdown." 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!"[55]

Chart positions

Chart (1999–2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[56] 33
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[57] 12
Germany (Media Control Charts)[58] 35
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[59] 60
Norway (VG-lista)[60] 12
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[61] 6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[62] 33
UK Singles (OCC)[63] 36

Legacy

The song enjoys notable popularity in many sports arenas, stadiums, and venues; public address booths have often played the opening keyboard riff to rally the home crowd; it has also become a staple of high school and college pep bands for this same purpose.[13]

The song was named the 66th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[3] Blender included it as the 27th worst song ever,[2] and both VH1 and Blender included it at 16 on the list of the "Most Awesomely Bad Songs...Ever".[64]

Cover versions

Deep Sunshine's live performance of "The Final Countdown" was captured on video and later became a variation of a Rickroll on Fark.com, receiving over 1 million views on YouTube. The video has been entitled "Worst cover ever" on YouTube, its success stemming from its lack of artistic value.[65][66]

Swedish metal band Sabaton has "The Final Countdown" playing to the crowd just before they enter the stage at their concerts.[67]

American banjo players Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn performed a version of the song in May 2015 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series.[68]

References

  1. ^ Burgess, Mick (9 March 2015). "Review: Europe and Black Star Riders at the O2 Academy Newcastle". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b Template:Wayback. Blender. 4 January 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  3. ^ a b Winistorfer, Andrew (5 January 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list". VH1. Prefix Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Rock group Europe plan comeback". BBC News Online. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Certificatied Award". BPI. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  6. ^ a b 1982–1992 (CD booklet). Europe. Epic Records. 1993. EPC 473589-1. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |titlelink= ignored (|title-link= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Tengner, Anders; Michael Johansson (1987). Europe – den stora rockdrömmen (in Swedish). Wiken. ISBN 91-7024-408-1.
  8. ^ Europe (18 November 2005). Live from the Dark (DVD). Warner Bros. Entertainment.
  9. ^ a b c d e Europe (4 October 2006). The Final Countdown Tour 1986: Live in Sweden – 20th Anniversary Edition (DVD). Warner Bros. Entertainment.
  10. ^ a b c d Ling, Dave (January 2005). "Counting Down Again". Classic Rock (75): 60–67.
  11. ^ a b "Europe: This Is Definitely Not Their Final Countdown". MusicPlayers.com. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  12. ^ Thompson, Erik (October–November 2005). "Hårdrockens Historia 1986". Sweden Rock Magazine (31): 102.
  13. ^ a b Felix, David (14 April 2005). "Interview with Joey Tempest (Lead Vocals – Europe)". Rock Eyez. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1989). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-85112-389-9.
  15. ^ Template:Wayback. RATHOLE.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
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  41. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
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  45. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  46. ^ "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  47. ^ "Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  48. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 47, No. 12, December 26, 1987". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  49. ^ "I singoli più venduti del 1987" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
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  51. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Europe – The Final Countdown". Music Canada.
  52. ^ "Les Singles de Platine" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  53. ^ "French single certifications – Europe – The Final Countdown" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  54. ^ "British single certifications – Europe – The Final Countdown". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Final Countdown in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  55. ^ "Classic Track – The Final Countdown". Rhythm. February 2010.
  56. ^ "Europe – The Final Countdown 2000". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
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  63. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  64. ^ "VH1 & Blender's 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever". Blender. Rate Your Music. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  65. ^ McCarthy, Caroline (27 July 2009). "The top 10 songs the Web brought back". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  66. ^ "It's The Final Countdown Covers". Up Venue. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  67. ^ Carlsson, Martin (24 May 2013). "Eldigt, Sabaton". Expressen. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  68. ^ Modell, Josh (19 May 2015). "Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn cover "The Final Countdown"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
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