Album · 40 years old this year
The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown is the third studio album by Swedish rock band Europe, released on 26 May 1986 through Epic. It follows their self-titled debut in 1983 and Wings of Tomorrow in 1984, and it brought some changes: keyboardist Mic Michaeli and drummer Ian Haugland joined for the first time, while guitarist John Norum made his last appearance until 2004's Start from the Dark.
Sessions took place in four cities: Zürich, Stockholm, Atlanta and Berkeley. Five singles followed: "The Final Countdown", "Love Chaser", "Rock the Night", "Carrie" and "Cherokee". The title track did the most to bring Europe to a mainstream audience, and the album reached number 8 on the US Billboard 200, with strong chart positions elsewhere. It sits across hard rock, glam metal and softer rock, and it is the record to start with for the band's best-known era.
The Final Countdown: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 39:56Tracklist
- 1The Final CountdownJoey Tempest5:11
- 2Rock the NightJoey Tempest4:04
- 3CarrieMic Michaeli and Joey Tempest4:31
- 4Danger on the TrackJoey Tempest3:46
- 5NinjaJoey Tempest3:47
- 6CherokeeJoey Tempest4:13
- 7Time Has ComeJoey Tempest4:01
- 8Heart of StoneJoey Tempest3:47
- 9On the LooseJoey Tempest3:09
- 10Love ChaserJoey Tempest3:28
- Produced by
- Kevin Elson
- Recorded at
- Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, California, US), Powerplay Studios (Zürich, Switzerland), Soundtrade Studios (Stockholm, Sweden), Mastersound Studios, Atlanta, US
- Recorded
- September 1985 – March 1986
- Mixed by
- Wally Buck, Kevin Elson
- Mixed at
- Fantasy Studios, Powerplay Studios, Soundtrade Studios
- Engineered by
- Don Meehan, Wally Buck, Kevin Elson
- Artwork
- Joel Zimmerman, Les Katz
- Photography
- Michael Johansson
- Label
- Epic
- Length
- 39:56
Line-up
- Ian Haugland · drums (drum set), background vocals
- John Levén · bass guitar
- Mic Michaeli · keyboard, background vocals
- John Norum · guitar, background vocals
- Joey Tempest · lead vocals
Singles
- “The Final Countdown” · February 1986
- “Love Chaser” · August 1986 (Japan)
- “Rock the Night” · November 1986
- “Carrie” · January 1987
- “Cherokee” · November 1987
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1986–1987 | 8 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1986–1987 | 9 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1986–1987 | 1 |
| Spain (Spanish Albums Chart) · 1986–1987 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · 1986–1987 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 1986–1987 | 1 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1986–1987 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1986–1987 | 3 |
| Dutch Albums · 1986–1987 | 3 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1986–1987 | 3 |
All 17 charts
| Norwegian Albums · 1986–1987 | 4 |
| Austrian Albums · 1986–1987 | 5 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1986–1987 | 6 |
| German Albums · 1986–1987 | 6 |
| French Albums (SNEP) · 1986–1987 | 10 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1986–1987 | 26 |
| Spanish Albums · 2009 | 69 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1987 | 2× Platinum |
| Canada · 1987 | 2× Platinum |
| Finland · 1987 | Platinum |
| France · 1988 | 2× Gold |
| Germany · 1986 | Gold |
| Greece · 1987 | Gold |
| Italy · 2021 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1986 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Gold |
| Norway · 1987 | Platinum |
| Portugal · 1987 | Gold |
| Spain | 4× Platinum |
| Sweden · 1986 | Platinum |
| Switzerland · 1987 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1986 | Gold |
| United States · 1994 | 3× Platinum |
Awards
- SNEP double gold album
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
84.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
11k
ListenBrainz listeners
81k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
31k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 26 May
Every year →
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More from Europe
Full discography →
Europe
1983
Wings of Tomorrow
1984
On The Loose
1985
Out of This World
1988
Prisoners in Paradise
1991
1982–2000
1993
1982–1992
1993
Definitive Collection
1997
Super Hits
1998
Rock the Night: The Very Best of Europe
2004
Start From the Dark
2004
Secret Society
2006
Extended Versions
2007
Almost Unplugged
2008
The Final Countdown: The Best of Europe
2009
Last Look at Eden
2009
Bag of Bones
2012
Live at Sweden Rock: 30th Anniversary Show
2013
War of Kings
2015
The Final Countdown 30th Anniversary Show (live at the Roundhouse)
2017
Walk the Earth
2017
Come This Madness
2026
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Audioslave · 2002
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Korn · 1994
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1986-06-21 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 21 June 1986 | ignored lone early release dated 1986-05-26 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 26 May 1986 | |
| Wikidata | 26 May 1986 | |
| US release | 1986 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1986 | earliest UK or European date |
21 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Epic | 696998575721 | other |
| — | AU | Epic | 5099702680820 | other |
| 1986 | AT | Epic | 5099746632823 | other |
| 1986 | BR | Epic | 7891073102820 | other |
| 1986 | GB | Epic | 5099746632823 | other |
| 1986 | — | Epic | other | |
| 1986 | US | Epic | 0746440241102 | other |
| 1986 | US | Epic | 07464402414 | other |
| 1986 | US | Epic | 074644024128 | other |
| 1986 | XE | Epic | other | |
| 26 May 1986 | SE | Epic | 5099702680820 | original |
| 21 June 1986 | JP | Victor | 4988002020003 | other |
| 5 July 1986 | JP | Victor | 4988002015528 | other |
| 1991 | ZA | Epic | 6001208331402 | other |
| 21 December 1996 | JP | Epic | 4988010762926 | other |
| 2001 | US | Portrait | 696998575721 | other |
| 2001 | XE | Epic | 5099750449226 | other |
| 28 August 2001 | US | Epic | 886976984328 | other |
| 31 December 2011 | US | — | other | |
| 2013 | JP | Epic | 4547366202342 | other |
| 2 August 2019 | GB | Rock Candy | 5055869569880 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1408x1408, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1408×1408 | upscaled: minor: best source 1408x1408, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |