The story of two of rock band Europe's biggest hits!
Содержание
For most music lovers, the dynamic "The Final Countdown" remains Europe's smash hit. It topped the world charts and became the Swedish band's calling card. But there is no less magnificent thing with unrealistically heartfelt lyrics in the band's discography... We are talking, of course, about the ballad about a certain "Carrie"!
The Story of the Making of "Carrie" (1985)
The lyrics were written by Joey Tempest and Mick Michaeli while touring their homeland. That's when the band played an early version of the ballad for the first time, based on the keyboard part and vocals. The sound of the track was truly magical! Later - when recording for The Final Countdown album - it was diluted with a full instrumental accompaniment. The ballad became more heartfelt, catchy... This is the format in which the band performed it at their subsequent concerts!
Did a muse named Carrie really exist? Tempest answered this burning question as follows:
"...There was no Carrie. We were all very young then, doing stupid and crazy things... We started relationships easily and broke up just as easily... Girls were always changing each other! Rather, in this song we summarised something personal for each of us...".
The romanticised "Carrie" was released as the third single from the album, and quickly entered the Tops of various countries! The biggest breakthrough for her was the 3rd place on the Billboard Hot 100!
For the band itself - the ballad about "Carrie" was a smash hit on the other side of the Atlantic! Nevertheless, many listeners are much closer to the encouraging "The Final Countdown", which became a top leader in 25 countries at once!
A little bit about The Final Countdown....
Europe can hardly be called a one-hit band. Their discography is full of truly worthy tracks... However, domestic listeners know the Swedish band thanks to the explosive "The Final Countdown"!
The story of "The Final Countdown" (1985)
Curiously enough, the history of the hit song dates back as far as four years before its release! It was in 1981 that Tempest composed the legendary keyboard part... It was only in 1985, at the insistence of bassist John Levene, that the song found its sound.
At first, none of the band members took this track seriously. Fortunately, Tempest managed to persuade them to work on this dynamic song.
The band didn't intend to release "The Final Countdown" as a single, but Tempest recognised the song's great potential! Eventually Epic Records agreed to release the track as a single... and... Not for nothing! When it was released in 1986, it instantly became the number one song in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden! In the Soviet Union the song became a big hit even without charts!
Interesting facts about "The Final Countdown"
The lyrics were inspired by David Bowie's track Space Oddity.
Tempest composed the intro on someone else's synthesiser, which he borrowed for a while.
The music video for The Final Countdown was first shown on national television as part of the TV programme Morning Post.
The track has become a favourite anthem for sporting events. It is often played at stadiums, and boxers, wrestlers and bare-knuckle fighters take to the ring to it.
In an interview, John Norum - the band's guitarist - admitted:
"When I first heard that synthesiser playback... I thought, 'This is kind of crazy! We're not playing that!" And how glad I am today that they didn't listen to me then!"
