final countdown

"The Final Countdown" is a 1986 hit single released by the Swedish hard rock band Europe. It was the first single released internationally from the album The Final Countdown, and was number 1 in 26 countries, selling more than 8 million copies worldwide.

The song is based on an old keyboard riff that vocalist Joey Tempest composed as early as around 1981-82, on a Korg Polysix keyboard that he borrowed from keyboardist Mic Michaeli. The lyrics were inspired by David Bowie's song "Space Oddity".

Originally the band had never planned to release the song as a single, and some band members wanted "Rock the Night" to be the first single off the album. They wrote "The Final Countdown" because they wanted it to be an opening song for concerts; they never thought about it being a hit. But when their record company Epic Records had suggested that it should be the first single, the band decided to release it.

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 December 31, 1999, as part of the Millennium celebrations.

Credits

• Written by Joey Tempest
• Produced by Kevin Elson
• Lead and background vocals by Joey Tempest
• Guitar by John Norum
• Keyboards by Mic Michaeli
• Bass by John Levén
• Drums by Ian Haugland

Samples

Cover Versions

The song has been covered by various artists, both local and famous; including Dannii Minogue, Geoff Downes, Laibach, Norther, Dispatched, the Toy Dolls and Vision Divine. Contrary to popular belief, the metal band Children of Bodom have never done a cover version of the song. [1]

Indie-Pop group Of Montreal used the song as the introduction to their hit song "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games" during their Winter 2006 US Tour.

Trivia

• The song is featured prominently in the television show Arrested Development as the beginning to the character GOB's magic act and his cellphone's ringtone, he also plays it during his 'buried alive' illusion to commemorate at his father's funeral.
• "The Final Countdown" was played at the closing ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
• In 1999 the dance remix "The Final Countdown 2000" was released. It was produced by Brian Rawling, who previously had a hit with Cher's "Believe".
• The song is the theme song for the NBA team Detroit Pistons, and it's featured in the player introduction ceremonies prior to Piston games.
• Japanese pro wrestler Keiji Mutoh used it as his theme song early in his career. Nosawa Rongai also used it as his theme song when he was known as Space Lone Wolf. Indy wrestlers Bryan Danielson and Sara Del Rey currently use it as their entrance song.
• It was used to celebrate Greece's first place in Eurobasket '87 and is still strongly associated with that victory. It is still used today by Aris (the team where Nikos Galis, Greece's MVP in Euro '87 belonged at the time) to celebrate victories. Since then, it was used when Greece won 2005 Eurobasket, and after winning the FIBA Semi-Final in 2006.
• It is synonymous with the celebration in Partit Nazzjonalista mass meetings in Malta.
• It was used in an advertisement of the Brazilian Air Force in the second half of the '80s, in the Brazilian TV network.
• Because of its heavy emphasis on synthesizer solos, The Final Countdown has been made into MIDI-format files found in various user-made maps for Duke Nukem 3D.
• A Japanese-language version of the song is one of the Japanese opening theme songs for Toei, Bandai, and Disney's Japanese anime "Disney Duel Monsters: Final Countdown"
• It is also the first backing track for the Air Training Corps Unofficial Rheindahlen Summer Camp 2006 Video. The video is of Air cadets at JHQ Rheindahlen from the 16th August to the 23rd August 2006 and the song was played numerous times throughout the week. It can be found on Google Video by searching Rheindahlen 2006.
• "The Final Countdown" was played on the arena organ during the first stoppage of play in the final minute of the third period in all games of the hockey tournament in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• It was rated number one on VH1's 100 Worst Metal Songs.
• It topped New Zealand Music Channel C4's Countdown of Best One Hit Wonders of All Time
• The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based hip-hop supergroup, Wizzerds of Rhyme, used the song as their pre-show anthem at concerts. The song was chosen both for its ability to fire up the audience as well as for its length, which allowed the band more time to prepare backstage.

External links

• Lyrics