EUROPE's JOEY TEMPEST Still Loves Performing 'The Final Countdown': 'It Is 'A Great Song' To Play Live. It Is Fantastic.'

In a new interview with Barry Robinson of Classic Album Review, vocalist Joey Tempest of Swedish hard rock veterans EUROPE was asked if he ever gets tired of performing "The Final Countdown", which has proven to be a far more enduring song than any of the band's other tracks. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "It's a strange relationship [we have with that song]. It has its own life and lives out there. And we don't listen to it privately at home. I asked the [other] guys [in EUROPE] the other day, actually, 'So, do you mind playing it?' No, they all love playing it live. So the relationship we have with that song is with the audience in the live setting. So therefore the relationship to the song is okay. We actually enjoy playing it live. Listening to it at home, no. Of course, you can hear it maybe on an advert that we've approved or a Formula One... My dad was into Formula One, and he was so proud when they used it for those kind of things, and that's kind of nice and heartwarming for me, too. London Symphony Orchestra recorded it, and my dad was, like, 'Oh, this is so awesome.' So that was quite nice. It's been used for a lot."

Tempest added: "It doesn't matter if we play a family festival in Denmark or a heavy metal festival in Germany, people give us energy back, and we give energy with that song. And people gravitate towards the stage, and it is a great song live. It is fantastic."

Asked what advice — as an artist — he would give to his younger self now if he could go back to that time, four decades ago, when he was making "The Final Countdown" album, Joey said: "As an artist, well, it's difficult because you evolve over so many years. 'Cause if I was nitpicky, I would start thinking, 'Why did you write that? Why didn't you write that lyric line instead, and why didn't you change that?' Whereas today I would've changed it. But I've always had the philosophy that you do the best you can at the time with what you've got, with the knowledge you've got. And we revisited it the other day for rehearsal, and it was quite fun. There were some songs I liked, actually. I liked 'Time Has Come'. I haven't played that in a long time. And 'Love Chaser' was quite interesting. What advice [would I give myself]? I don't know. I would just say to all younger selves to relax a bit. [Don't take things so] seriously. Because we became so big with that third album that I had sort of become so serious: 'We have to do the next one. We have to concentrate.' Today I would say, 'Relax a little bit. It's okay.'"

Back in 2022, EUROPE's music video for "The Final Countdown" surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The Nick Morris-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009, contains footage from two concerts EUROPE played at Solnahallen in Solna, Sweden on May 26 and May 27, 1986, as well as some extra footage filmed at the soundchecks for those gigs.

"The Final Countdown" was the first single released from EUROPE's third studio album, "The Final Countdown", in 1986. The band's most recognizable and popular song, it reached No. 1 in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom. 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 single was certified gold in the United Kingdom in 1986.

Eight years ago, Tempest was asked by Australia's Wall Of Sound if he knew "The Final Countdown" would be a smash when he was writing it and recording it. He responded: "It is a good question. I did the demo at home with this song and we had the ideas for it for so long. It was a one-minute demo since high school for me. On the third album, we decided to record the song and we were talking about writing around this main keyboard riff. Initially, it was really a soundtrack-type song and not a hit single, and I guess this was good for it. I remember playing the demo for the guys and they really saw the song so strong and it built from there. [But] no, we never knew that this was going to be such a big hit. We opened the album and the tour with this song, but we really thought this was not the one to be the initial single."

According to Tempest, "The Final Countdown" still stands as "one of our strongest albums and it was one of the albums that stands out; it opened up a lot of doors for the band. You know, 'Wings Of Tomorrow' was a little more naïve and stronger in that regard. But personally, I think we have done better albums, especially in the last [few] years. The three last albums are our strongest, but obviously it was something that belonged in that era and something so important to our career and history."

EUROPE's new studio album, "Come This Madness", was released on September 25 via Silver Lining Music. The LP was recorded at RMV Studio, the Stockholm-based recording facility founded by Benny Andersson and Ludvig Andersson. The album features special guest appearances from Tobias Forge (GHOST) and Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH) and was produced by acclaimed producer Tom Dalgety (GHOST, RAMMSTEIN, PIXIES, THE CULT, OPETH),who became a true creative force throughout the process, deeply embedded in the band's writing and recording, shaping the album's sound from the ground up. To bring the project to its final stage and complete their vision, the band turned to one of rock's most respected recording legends Mike Fraser (AC/DC, VAN HALEN, METALLICA, THE CULT, LOVERBOY) to mix the record.

EUROPE will embark on an extensive run of live dates, including a major tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of "The Final Countdown". Kicking off in Glasgow on September 30, "The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour" promises to unite the legacy that defined them with the renewed energy, driving them forward today.

Photo credit: Andy Ford