Before kicking off Europe’s Time Capsule 40th Anniversary tour on September 30, Joey Tempest talked about the band’s ‘The Final Countdown‘ in a chat with The Guardian. He mentioned the title track’s tone and roots while talking about the album by saying:
“Some people think ‘The Final Countdown’ was our first release, but there were two albums before it. We’d done a lot of touring, been to a lot of record companies, heard ‘no’ from a lot of people. Our hair was too long, the guitars were too loud. I don’t know if ‘The Final Countdown’ is a happy or sad song.”
He traced the roots of the song’s rhythm in Scandinavian music and British heavy metal by explaining:
“It’s got a positive feel, but it’s melancholic. It’s used for weddings and also funerals. I think that’s born out of being Scandinavian. In old Finnish and Swedish music, the minor chord was very important. But it’s also got that ‘galloping’ feel of British heavy metal by the likes of Iron Maiden and UFO. The producer wanted a four-on-the-floor rhythm, but I stuck to my guns – that would have been too straight. That galloping rhythm makes you want to jump.”
Reflecting on the release and success of ‘The Final Countdown,’ the singer went on:
“We released ‘The Final Countdown’ in ’86, but nothing much happened at first. Then we got a fax saying it was No. 1 in the Netherlands, and all the other countries followed. Some people thought I got a bit cocky. But I was actually thinking: ‘What the heck do we do now? We’ve got to keep this going, and I’ve got to get back to writing.'”
John Norum, who joined the recent chat with Tempest, also shared his thoughts about ‘The Final Countdown’ by saying he didn’t like its melody at first. The guitarist explained that he didn’t want to work on the song as it had a Depeche-Mode-like sound, although it grew on him. Then, he shared:
“I like the song a lot more now than I did in the ’80s. And we play it so much better now. It swings. It has a better groove. And it’s much heavier now because we tune it down a half step, which makes it darker. I think we have better songs, but ‘The Final Countdown’ is up there, at least in the Top 10. Or maybe the Top 15.”
To celebrate Europe’s 40th anniversary, the band will reportedly perform selections from its 11 studio albums, including ‘The Final Countdown.’ The tour will consist of 18 scheduled performances across European countries from Switzerland to the UK, with two nights at the London Palladium.
You can listen to the all-time classic below.
