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The Final Countdown (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Final Countdown" is a rock
song by the Swedish
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
. It is considered by some to be the band's most recognizable and popular song. The song reached No. 1 in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom
, and was certified gold in the United Kingdom in 1986. In the United States
the song peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard
Hot 100
and 18 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song appears in the 2010 video games NHL 11
and NHL Slapshot
.
had written as early as 1981–82, on a Korg Polysix
keyboard he borrowed from keyboardist Mic Michaeli
. In 1985, bassist John Levén
suggested that Tempest should write a song based on that riff. Tempest recorded a demo version
of the song and played it for the other band members. At first the members expressed mixed reactions to it. "When I first heard the synth intro to 'The Final Countdown', my reaction was: 'No, this is nuts. We just can't use this,'" guitarist John Norum
said, "Thank God they didn't listen to me." "Some of the guys in the band thought it was too different for a rock band," Tempest said, "But in the end I fought hard to make sure it got used."
The song's lyrics were inspired by David Bowie's
song "Space Oddity". 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
. "I made a brassy sound from the JX-8P and used a factory sound from the Yamaha, and just layered them together," Michaeli said.
When it was time to choose the first single from the album The Final Countdown, Tempest suggested the song "The Final Countdown". Originally the band had never planned to release the song as a single, and some members wanted "Rock the Night
" to be the first single. "The Final Countdown" was written to be an opening song for concerts, and they never thought it would be a hit. But when their record company Epic Records
suggested that it should be the first single, the band decided to release it.
As Tempest stated:
magazine's Billboard Hot 100
chart, reaching the top 10. The following week it debuted on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, where it peaked at number eighteen in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its twentieth week. The band's next hit was "Superstitious
," which achieved a higher chart position on the Mainstream Rock Tracks.
Outside of the United States, the single was released worldwide. In Canada
, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart
. It remained in the top 10 for three weeks and became the band's highest charting song in Canada. "The Final Countdown" reached the UK Top 3, eventually spending two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
in December, and was the only single from the album which would chart in the UK top 20. "The Final Countdown" reached number 1 in 25 countries, including France
, Germany
, Ireland
, Sweden
and Italy
.
The song enjoys notable popularity in many sports arenas and stadiums; 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. It was also frequently used in the American television show Arrested Development as the opening theme of G.O.B.'s magic show. The song was used for the American commercial of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
and was used as an entrance theme for professional wrestler Bryan Danielson
in Ring of Honor
. It was the unofficial song of the Eurobasket 1987 held in Athens, Greece (it was the main song theme played during the time-outs) and it is still heavily associated with both the introductions of the Detroit Pistons
at their home games at The Palace of Auburn Hills
as well as the surprise and unprecedented victory of the Greek Men's Basketball team over the team of the Soviet Union in the last seconds of that Cup final (1987). It has been used as the opening theme for Henry Green's weekly radio show "Radio Therapy" on WQLT for several years and continues to see widespread airplay on similar Classic Hits and Classic Rock radio stations. On The Singing Bee
, it was used preceding the final round, called "The Final Countdown." The song has been used in the video games SingStar '80s, Saints Row 2
and Lego Rock Band
. In 2010, the song was used in trailers
for the third series of the 1980s-set BBC One
television drama Ashes to Ashes
. Radio DJ Benny Bashan on Israel's Galei Tzahal station has a daily portion of his show called "The greatest song ever, chosen by people who think that The Final Countdown is the greatest song ever". Listeners are invited to call in and vote for their favorite song, with the only qualifier being that they must be fans of The Final Countdown.
The song was named the 66th best hard rock song of all time by VH1
. Blender
included it as the 27th worst song ever, and both VH1 and Blender included it at 16 on the list of the "Most Awesomely Bad Songs...Ever".
The video
, directed by the acclaimed Nick Morris
, contains footage from two concerts the band did at Solnahallen in Solna
, Sweden on May 26 and 27, 1986, as well as some extra footage filmed at the sound checks for those concerts.
, Sweden on December 31, 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.
, Freezepop, After Forever
, Dannii Minogue
, Gigatrón, Geoff Downes
, The Protomen
, Norther
, Dispatched
, the Toy Dolls
, Immolation
, Leif Garrett
, Furillo, Vision Divine
, The Delegates
, Grimethorpe Colliery Band
, Stone
, and the Latvian cello band Melo-M
. Slovenian avant-garde group Laibach
made a rework of the song for their NATO album, they also recorded a promo clip. Contrary to popular belief, the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom
has never done a cover version of the song - the wrongly credited versions are usually those by Norther and Dispatched.
On June 25, 2008, Hump Day Dance Party hosts Rev. Flavor and Dr. Drase played two hours of versions of "The Final Countdown" in celebration of their last radio show broadcast on WLUW 88.7 FM Chicago
. For the occasion they asked bands to contribute covers of the song. Versions played that night included various 8-bit (music) covers, "The Final Crackdown" by Drop the Lime
, a version translated into Polish and done by the group J+J+J, a live beatbox
/freestyle rap
version with Chicago rapper Sharkula
& Yea Big, a cover by the band Dr. Murderer, a freestyle version done by Treasure Mammal live from his car, a version by the band Autumn on Acid, a "sad" banjo version by Rick Franklin, and a re-edit mashup
by Greek radio personality Steve Damien. The hosts closed out the show with a live version played in-studio with a 10-person band including members of the Blue Ribbon Glee Club, the Hidden Mitten, and the Maybenauts.
Classic Rock 101
released a parody titled The Financial Meltdown, based on the 2008 financial crisis as part of their Twisted Tunes, which is played every day to reflect current issues.
British band Eskimo Disco recorded a cover used in the 2009 film Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel
.
A cover by a band called Deep Sunshine has brought an additional notoriety to the song : Deep Sunshine's live performance 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 for its lack of artistic value.
The song is included in Rock of Ages
, a Broadway musical which pays homage to 1980s rock music.
The Gadget Show
's Ortis Deley
sung it as his competition entry in the 2011 Gadget Show Live convention
, Franz Schumann
, Paul Diamond, Bryan Danielson
, Flex Armstrong and Sara Del Rey
have used "The Final Countdown" as entrance music.
The song is featured extensively in the show Arrested Development. The character Gob Bluth (Will Arnett
) uses it as the theme song to his illusion act.
The Detroit Pistons
have used "The Final Countdown" as their introduction music since the Bad Boys era.
The sitcom Scrubs
used this on a ukulele as the semi-main character Ted quits during season 9.
The stage theme of Infinity Mijinion in Megaman X6 is inspired by the song.
"The Final Countdown" is used as the entrance anthem for the home games of the French football team A.J. Auxerre.
In 2009, Virgin Trains
used this song in an advert to promote their services.
"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 story was confirmed by Tempest during an interview with the American rock radio show The Tour Bus. 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!"
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
band Europe
Europe (band)
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
released in 1986. Written by Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...
, it was the first single from the band's third studio album which was also named The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown (album)
The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 26 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling over 3 million units in the United States alone, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and reaching high...
. It is considered by some to be the band's most recognizable and popular song. The song reached No. 1 in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and was certified gold in the United Kingdom in 1986. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the song peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and 18 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song appears in the 2010 video games NHL 11
NHL 11
NHL 11 is an ice hockey video game celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the NHL series. The game was developed by EA Canada, published by EA Sports, and released in North America on September 7, 2010, with all other regions receiving the game within two weeks...
and NHL Slapshot
NHL Slapshot
-Features:Reference: * Peewee to Pros: Players are able to create their own 12-year-old hockey players or choose from a range of actual NHL players such as Wayne Gretzky, Alexander Ovechkin, Roberto Luongo, and Sidney Crosby...
.
Origin and recording
The song was based on a keyboard riff that vocalist Joey TempestJoey Tempest
Joey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...
had written as early as 1981–82, on a Korg Polysix
Korg Polysix
The Korg Polysix is a six voice programmable polyphonic synthesizer released by Korg in 1981.- Features :The synthesizer's main features are six-voice polyphony , 32 memory slots for patches and cassette port for backing up patches, and an arpeggiator.On its release it was, along with the Roland...
keyboard he borrowed from keyboardist Mic Michaeli
Mic Michaeli
Gunnar Mathias "Mic" Michaeli is the keyboardist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Like many of the other Europe members he grew up in Stockholm suburb Upplands Väsby...
. In 1985, bassist John Levén
John Levén
John Gunnar Levén is the bassist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Levén and vocalist Joey Tempest are the only band members who have performed on all of Europe's studio albums....
suggested that Tempest should write a song based on that riff. Tempest recorded a demo version
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of the song and played it for the other band members. At first the members expressed mixed reactions to it. "When I first heard the synth intro to 'The Final Countdown', my reaction was: 'No, this is nuts. We just can't use this,'" guitarist John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
said, "Thank God they didn't listen to me." "Some of the guys in the band thought it was too different for a rock band," Tempest said, "But in the end I fought hard to make sure it got used."
The song's lyrics were inspired by David Bowie's
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
song "Space Oddity". The sound of the keyboard riff used in the recording was achieved by using a Yamaha TX-816
Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
rack unit and a Roland JX-8P
Roland JX-8P
The Roland JX-8P was a 61-keyboard 6-note, velocity and aftertouch sensitive polyphonic synthesizer released by Roland in 1984 to compete against the Yamaha DX7. In many aspects, the JX-8P delivers classic "fat" Roland synth sounds just like instruments as Jupiter-8, Jupiter-6, MKS-80 and the...
synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. "I made a brassy sound from the JX-8P and used a factory sound from the Yamaha, and just layered them together," Michaeli said.
When it was time to choose the first single from the album The Final Countdown, Tempest suggested the song "The Final Countdown". Originally the band had never planned to release the song as a single, and some members wanted "Rock the Night
Rock the Night (song)
"Rock the Night" is a single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. The song was written by vocalist Joey Tempest in 1984 and premiered on the band's Wings of Tomorrow tour the same year....
" to be the first single. "The Final Countdown" was written to be an opening song for concerts, and they never thought it would be a hit. But when their record company Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
suggested that it should be the first single, the band decided to release it.
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."
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 and as well as the band's most recognizable and popular song. It appeared on BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, reaching the top 10. The following week it debuted on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, where it peaked at number eighteen in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its twentieth week. The band's next hit was "Superstitious
Superstitious (song)
"Superstitious" is a 1988 single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was the first single released from the album Out of This World. It charted at #31 in the Billboard Hot 100, #9 at the Mainstream Rock Tracks and #34 in the UK Singles Chart....
," which achieved a higher chart position on the Mainstream Rock Tracks.
Outside of the United States, the single was released worldwide. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
. It remained in the top 10 for three weeks and became the band's highest charting song in Canada. "The Final Countdown" reached the UK Top 3, eventually spending two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in December, and was the only single from the album which would chart in the UK top 20. "The Final Countdown" reached number 1 in 25 countries, including France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The song enjoys notable popularity in many sports arenas and stadiums; 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. It was also frequently used in the American television show Arrested Development as the opening theme of G.O.B.'s magic show. The song was used for the American commercial of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, known in Japan as , is a sports video game developed by the Sega Sports R&D Department of Sega Japan. It was published by Nintendo for Japan and by Sega for North America, Europe and all other regions. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic...
and was used as an entrance theme for professional wrestler Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
in Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
. It was the unofficial song of the Eurobasket 1987 held in Athens, Greece (it was the main song theme played during the time-outs) and it is still heavily associated with both the introductions of the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
at their home games at The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...
as well as the surprise and unprecedented victory of the Greek Men's Basketball team over the team of the Soviet Union in the last seconds of that Cup final (1987). It has been used as the opening theme for Henry Green's weekly radio show "Radio Therapy" on WQLT for several years and continues to see widespread airplay on similar Classic Hits and Classic Rock radio stations. On The Singing Bee
The Singing Bee (US game show)
The Singing Bee is a karaoke game show that originally aired on NBC and now airs on CMT. Combining karaoke singing with a spelling bee-style competition, this show features contestants trying to remember the lyrics to popular songs...
, it was used preceding the final round, called "The Final Countdown." The song has been used in the video games SingStar '80s, Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2 is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the second title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row in 2006. It is succeeded by Saints Row: The...
and Lego Rock Band
Lego Rock Band
Lego Rock Band is a music video game and part of the Rock Band series developed by Harmonix Music Systems, but also incorporates elements from other Lego video games as developed by Traveller's Tales. The game is published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games...
. In 2010, the song was used in trailers
Teaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
for the third series of the 1980s-set BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
television drama Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
. Radio DJ Benny Bashan on Israel's Galei Tzahal station has a daily portion of his show called "The greatest song ever, chosen by people who think that The Final Countdown is the greatest song ever". Listeners are invited to call in and vote for their favorite song, with the only qualifier being that they must be fans of The Final Countdown.
The song was named the 66th best hard rock song of all time by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
. Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
included it as the 27th worst song ever, and both VH1 and Blender included it at 16 on the list of the "Most Awesomely Bad Songs...Ever".
Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by the acclaimed Nick Morris
Nick Morris
Nick Morris is a film maker who began his career in the 1980s with music videos for "The Final Countdown" by Europe, "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister and "Every Time You Go Away" by Paul Young...
, contains footage from two concerts the band did at Solnahallen in Solna
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
, Sweden on May 26 and 27, 1986, as well as some extra footage filmed at the sound checks for those concerts.
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 StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden on December 31, 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.
Cover versions
The song has been covered by various artists, both local and famous; including the London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
, Freezepop, After Forever
After Forever
After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death grunts. In February 2009, it was announced that After Forever had disbanded.-Biography:...
, Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
, Gigatrón, Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
, The Protomen
The Protomen
The Protomen is an American rock band best known for composing original concept albums loosely based on the popular video game series Mega Man...
, Norther
Norther
Norther is a Finnish Melodic Death Metal band from Helsinki, Finland.-History:Norther was originally formed by Kristian Ranta, Jukka Koskinen, Tuomas Planman, Petri Lindroos and Toni Hallio in the year 1996 after various of early stage band formations. The band kicked into gear with its debut...
, Dispatched
Dispatched
Dispatched was a Swedish melodic death metal band from Södertälje formed in 1992.-Biography:Dispatched was formed just before New Year's Eve, 1991 by Daniel Lundberg and Krister Andersson. Jonas Kimbrell and Emanuel Astrom joined the band later that same year...
, the Toy Dolls
Toy Dolls
The Toy Dolls are an English punk rock band formed in 1979. Departing from the angry lyrics and music often associated with punk rock, The Toy Dolls worked within the aesthetics of punk to express a sense of fun, with songs such as "Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead", "My Girlfriend's Dad's a Vicar" and...
, Immolation
Immolation (band)
-History:The band formed in May 1986 by Andrew Sakowicz and Dave Wilkinson under the name Rigor Mortis . The name was changed to Immolation in April 1988, after the Warriors of Doom demo which was recorded as Rigor Mortis and Demo I which was recorded as Immolation...
, Leif Garrett
Leif Garrett
Leif Garrett is an American singer and actor. He became famous in the late 1970s as a teen idol, but received much publicity in later life for his drug abuse and legal troubles.-Early life:...
, Furillo, Vision Divine
Vision Divine
Vision Divine is a progressive power metal band formed in Italy in 1998.-History:Originally a solo project from Olaf Thörsen...
, The Delegates
The Delegates
The Delegates were a novelty song group who scored a hit in the United States in 1972. The "band" was actually Bob DeCarlo, the morning disc jockey at KQV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bob was approached by Nick Cenci and Nick Kousaleous, local Pittsburgh record moguls, to make a novelty record...
, Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Grimethorpe Colliery Band
The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band...
, Stone
Stone (band)
Stone was a thrash metal band formed in Kerava, Finland in the mid-1980s. They released four albums and one live album during the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disbanding in 1991 to pursue different musical directions. Stone reunited to play a final set of concerts in 2000, but parted ways...
, and the Latvian cello band Melo-M
Melo-M
Melo-M is a Latvian instrumental cello rock trio consisting of three classically trained cellists: Kārlis Auzāns, Valters Pūce, and Antons Trocjuks...
. Slovenian avant-garde group Laibach
Laibach (band)
Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
made a rework of the song for their NATO album, they also recorded a promo clip. Contrary to popular belief, the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
has never done a cover version of the song - the wrongly credited versions are usually those by Norther and Dispatched.
On June 25, 2008, Hump Day Dance Party hosts Rev. Flavor and Dr. Drase played two hours of versions of "The Final Countdown" in celebration of their last radio show broadcast on WLUW 88.7 FM Chicago
WLUW
WLUW is a college radio station owned and operated by Loyola University Chicago, serving Chicago, Illinois and its northern suburbs. WLUW was founded by Jim Wagner and Michael Russo in the 1970s and they ran the station until Loyola University offered more funding and support...
. For the occasion they asked bands to contribute covers of the song. Versions played that night included various 8-bit (music) covers, "The Final Crackdown" by Drop the Lime
Drop the Lime
Drop the Lime, is an electronic producer and DJ and founder of dance label Trouble & Bass. Drop the Lime's new material and DJ sets also feature live vocals on original compositions....
, a version translated into Polish and done by the group J+J+J, a live beatbox
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
/freestyle rap
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
version with Chicago rapper Sharkula
Sharkula
Sharkula a.k.a. Thig a.k.a Brian Wharton a.k.a. Thigamahjigee is a Chicago-area rapper. His lyrics are known for being scatterbrained, discontinuous, free-associative, non-violent, apolitical and random. He is also known as a flâneur for promoting himself via use of flyers and stickers scattered...
& Yea Big, a cover by the band Dr. Murderer, a freestyle version done by Treasure Mammal live from his car, a version by the band Autumn on Acid, a "sad" banjo version by Rick Franklin, and a re-edit mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
by Greek radio personality Steve Damien. The hosts closed out the show with a live version played in-studio with a 10-person band including members of the Blue Ribbon Glee Club, the Hidden Mitten, and the Maybenauts.
Classic Rock 101
CFMI-FM
CFMI-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 101.1 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 75,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver...
released a parody titled The Financial Meltdown, based on the 2008 financial crisis as part of their Twisted Tunes, which is played every day to reflect current issues.
British band Eskimo Disco recorded a cover used in the 2009 film Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel is a 2009 science fiction comedy film directed by Gareth Carrivick from a script by Jamie Mathieson, starring Anna Faris, Chris O'Dowd, Marc Wootton and Dean Lennox Kelly....
.
A cover by a band called Deep Sunshine has brought an additional notoriety to the song : Deep Sunshine's live performance was captured on video and later became a variation of a Rickroll on Fark.com
Fark.com
Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. As of June 2009, the site boasts approximately four million unique visitors per month, which puts it among the top 100 English language websites...
, receiving over 1 million views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The video has been entitled "Worst cover ever" on YouTube, its success stemming for its lack of artistic value.
The song is included in Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages (musical)
Rock of Ages is a rock/jukebox musical, with a book by Chris D'Arienzo, built around classic rock hits from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of the decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Asia, among...
, a Broadway musical which pays homage to 1980s rock music.
The Gadget Show
The Gadget Show
The Gadget Show is a British television series focusing on technology and is broadcast on Channel 5. Originally a thirty minute show, it was extended to forty-five minutes, then later to fifty five minutes. Repeats have also aired on the digital channels 5*, Dave and Channel 5's Internet on-demand...
's Ortis Deley
Ortis Deley
Ortis Deley is a British television presenter, radio DJ and actor of Ghanaian/Nigerian descent. He went to Ernest Bevin College in Tooting Bec, London. He is currently one of the presenters of The Gadget Show and presenter of Choice FM on Sunday mornings....
sung it as his competition entry in the 2011 Gadget Show Live convention
Pop culture
Professional wrestlers Keiji MutohKeiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
, Franz Schumann
Franz Schumann
Franz Schumann is a retired Austrian professional wrestler, who was well known for his stint in Catch Wrestling Association.-Life and career:Born on December 27, 1960 in Linz, Austria, Franz Schumann had been a natural wrestler, as he had won several national championships in Austria...
, Paul Diamond, Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
, Flex Armstrong and Sara Del Rey
Sara Del Rey
Sara Amato is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Sara Del Rey. She is a mainstay for Chikara and Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared for many other independent promotions in the United States, including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South, All Pro Wrestling, as...
have used "The Final Countdown" as entrance music.
The song is featured extensively in the show Arrested Development. The character Gob Bluth (Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
) uses it as the theme song to his illusion act.
The Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
have used "The Final Countdown" as their introduction music since the Bad Boys era.
The sitcom Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
used this on a ukulele as the semi-main character Ted quits during season 9.
The stage theme of Infinity Mijinion in Megaman X6 is inspired by the song.
"The Final Countdown" is used as the entrance anthem for the home games of the French football team A.J. Auxerre.
In 2009, Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
used this song in an advert to promote their services.
"The Final Countdown 2000"
In 1999, the dance remixRemix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
"The Final Countdown 2000" was released. It was produced by Brian Rawling, who had previously had success with "Believe
Believe (Cher song)
"Believe" is a song by American recording artist Cher. It was released on November 24, 1998 as the lead single from her twenty-third studio album of the same name. It was written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, and Timothy Powell and produced by Mark...
" by Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
. 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 story was confirmed by Tempest during an interview with the American rock radio show The Tour Bus. 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!"
Personnel
- Joey TempestJoey TempestJoey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...
− vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - John NorumJohn NorumJohn Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
− guitarsElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - John LevénJohn LevénJohn Gunnar Levén is the bassist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Levén and vocalist Joey Tempest are the only band members who have performed on all of Europe's studio albums....
− bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mic MichaeliMic MichaeliGunnar Mathias "Mic" Michaeli is the keyboardist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Like many of the other Europe members he grew up in Stockholm suburb Upplands Väsby...
− keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Ian HauglandIan HauglandHåkan Jan "Ian" Haugland is the drummer in the Swedish rock band Europe. When he was eight months old, he and his family moved to the Swedish suburb Märsta. He joined Europe in the summer of 1984, replacing Tony Reno. Previously Haugland had played in a number of bands, including Trilogy, where...
− drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Chart positions
| Year | List | Peak | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | French Singles Chart | 1 | |
| German Singles Chart | 1 | ||
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 | ||
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 | ||
| Spanish Singles Chart | 1 | ||
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 | ||
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 | ||
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 | ||
| Italian Singles Chart | 1 | ||
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
4 | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
8 | ||
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 18 | ||
| 2000 | Swedish Singles Chart | 6 | |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 12 | ||
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 12 | ||
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
33 | ||
| German Singles Chart | 35 | ||
| UK Singles Chart | 36 |