Since their formation, Europe has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and nineteen music videos.
Europe rose to international fame in the 1980s with their third album, 1986's The Final Countdown, which has sold over 3 million copies in the United States and 15 million copies worldwide (including album and single). Europe has sold over 25 million records worldwide. The band has had two top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart (The Final Countdown and Out of This World) and two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart ("The Final Countdown" and "Carrie").
Europe went on hiatus in 1992, reunited temporarily for a one-off performance in Stockholm on New Year's Eve 1999 and announced an official reunion in 2003. Since then the band has released six albums, Start from the Dark (2004), Secret Society (2006), Last Look at Eden (2009), Bag of Bones (2012), War of Kings (2015) and Walk The Earth (2017). They continue to have popular tours.
Europe has achieved new attention in the US due to being featured in a GEICO Insurance cable television commercial campaign viewed for many months across the US in 2015-16.
The band is mainly influenced by Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, UFO and Michael Schenker Group.
Born in 1979 from the underground rock music scene in the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, a young band called 'Force' sprung from the suburbs to win national acclaim in the early 80s, emerging victorious in a nationwide talent contest. Their main influences were arena-ready British hard rock bands of the 70s such as UFO, Thin Lizzy, and Led Zeppelin. Winning a recording contract, core members Joey Tempest (vocals), John Norum (guitar) and John Leven (bass) re-named themselves 'Europe'.
They went on to record and release two spirited albums, 'Europe' and 'Wings of Tomorrow'. They broke through the musical mainstream in both Scandinavia and Japan. The band toured widely on the strengths of these two records, and, in 1984, they recruited new members Mic Michaeli (keyboards) and drummer Ian Haugland. The success these albums generated on their home soil as well as in the Far East landed them an international record deal with Epic Records in New York.
In 1986, Europe went on to release their third album, 'The Final Countdown', which was produced by Kevin Elson (who had notably worked with Journey and Mr Big). Upon its release, gaining major momentum from Moscow to Manhattan and Stockholm to Sydney and elsewhere, that album conquered the airwaves and the epic arena rock anthem that was its title track succeeded in penetrating the global psyche. The prominent (and now arguably legendary) keyboard riff and memorable melodies catapulted "The Final Countdown" into the top ten charts in the U.K and U.S., and it ended up reaching number one in 24 countries. Selling in excess of six million units and resulting in an extensive world tour, 'The Final Countdown' became a global phenomenon.
It was at this time that John Norum chose to leave Europe to pursue a solo career, and he was replaced by another well-known Swedish guitarist, Kee Marcello. About two years later, Europe emerged again with their fourth album, titled 'Out of This World'. Produced by Ron Nevison (who had worked with UFO, Thin Lizzy, and Heart), this album delivered what had become the trademark Europe melodies and inspiring musical arrangements. Also a remarkable success, Europe embarked on a second world tour, and they notably were the first international rock-act to perform behind the 'Bamboo Curtain' in Bombay, India in front of a 60,000-strong audience.
The follow-up to 'Out of This World' approximately came two years later. That album, titled 'Prisoners in Paradise', was inspired by the band's time residing in Los Angeles, California. Upon completion of yet another world tour in 1993, the members of Europe decided to take time out to pursue personal projects and record solo albums.
After an extended hiatus, the band came together again in 1999 (including original guitarist John Norum) on new year's eve in Stockholm Sweden to perform "Rock the Night" and "The Final Countdown", helping to usher in the new millennium. The performance not only marked Europe's first public appearance in almost a decade but also inspired a permanent reunion. Still, the band's members had difficulties getting their plans to come together.
In 2004, with John Norum firmly back in the band, the original Europe lineup returned to the world stage with "Start From the Dark" - a raw, cutting-edge rock album that delivered a brand new style of melodic rock. The release saw the band's welcome return to the road as they embarked on an extensive tour in Europe, the United States, and the Far East. Shortly thereafter, the band returned to the studio to record their 7th studio album titled "Secret Society" which was released in October 2006. Marking the most daring and innovative Europe album to date, "Secret Society" is both a return to their roots as well as a celebration of their collective musical experience and willingness to explore brand new territories. Followed by another world tour, the band continues to work hard to establish themselves yet again. It can be said that there are few bands from the 80's that still remain creative and relevant today with an edgy and modern sound.
Following their summer 2008 European tour, Europe returned to the studio to record and then release their eighth studio effort, " the Last Look at Eden." The band's latest work is "Bag of Bones," which they released in April 2012. Vocalist Joey Tempest remarked that he thought he'd "made a hardcore classic rock record with the blues knocking on the door." Showing that the group has still got it, the album debuted at #2 on Sweden's top album chart and has been certified Gold in Sweden while also receiving strong sales throughout Europe and in the U.K.
www.europetheband.com/
In the Future to Come
Europe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They were laughin'
They didn't think of anything else
Than love and peace
But generations failed to see
That they were causin'
Trouble for the future
They didn't know that one single war
Would continue to increase
But I'll be beside you
'Cause I want to hide you
I'll cover my pain
Or I'll gone insane
Oh Lord where will it end
When tomorrow is done
Oh Lord can we stop to pretend
That we can survive in the future to come
As long as you can see
As long as you can feel
There's no cause for alarm
As long as you can touch
As long as you can more
It ain't too bad
But one day or another
This world would maybe
Be destroyed forever
A holocaust maybe be spread
And drive us all mad
The song "In the Future to Come" by Europe talks about the consequences of the actions of the previous generations and the possibility of a grim future. The lyrics describe how people on earth used to be happy and carefree, not thinking about anything other than love and peace. However, subsequent generations failed to see the consequences of their actions, and the world fell into chaos and wars, causing a doubtful future. The singer understands the gravity of the situation and wants to protect his loved ones, despite the uncertainty of the future. The song ends with a stark warning of a possible world-ending event, and the potential for humankind's destruction.
The lyrics of this song are quite thought-provoking, and the music video further accentuates the message with visuals of destruction and chaos. The song itself is a perfect representation of the political climate of the time it was released, where tensions between nations were high, and the threat of nuclear war was ever-present. The song has a somber and melancholic feel to it, with its slow and mellow music that adds to the overall atmospheric impact of the song. Europe has managed to strike a balance between the dystopian message and the soothing melody, making it an impactful and memorable song.
Line by Line Meaning
So many tears ago the people on this earth
Long ago, the inhabitants of this planet lived in harmony
They were laughin'
They were happy and carefree
They didn't think of anything else
They were content with only thoughts of love and peace
Than love and peace
They were only focused on the ideals of love and peace
But generations failed to see
Over time, people became blind to the consequences of their actions
That they were causin'
They were creating problems for the future
Trouble for the future
They were creating a difficult future for generations to come
They didn't know that one single war
They were unaware that a single war
Would continue to increase
Would lead to a never-ending cycle of war
But I'll be beside you
I will support and comfort you
'Cause I want to hide you
Because I want to protect you
I'll cover my pain
I will conceal my own suffering
Or I'll gone insane
Otherwise, I may lose my sanity
Oh Lord where will it end
I wonder where this cycle of destruction will stop
When tomorrow is done
When the future arrives
Oh Lord can we stop to pretend
Can we stop pretending
That we can survive in the future to come
That we can continue to exist in the uncertain future
As long as you can see
As long as you can see
As long as you can feel
As long as you can feel
There's no cause for alarm
There is no reason to panic
As long as you can touch
As long as you can touch
As long as you can more
As long as you can keep moving forward
It ain't too bad
It's not so terrible
But one day or another
However, there may come a day
This world would maybe
When this world may
Be destroyed forever
Be destroyed permanently
A holocaust maybe be spread
A destruction on a large scale may occur
And drive us all mad
And make us all insane
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOEY TEMPEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MetalBere
So many years ago the people on this earth
They were laughin'
They didn't think of anything else
Than love and peace
But generations failed to see
That they were causin'
Trouble for the future
They didn't know that one single war
Would continue to increase
But I'll be beside you
'Cause I want to hide you
I'll cover my pain
Or I'll gone insane
Oh Lord where will it end
When tomorrow is done
Oh Lord can we stop to pretend
That we can survive in the future to come
As long as you can see
As long as you can feel
There's no cause for alarm
As long as you can touch
As long as you can move
It ain't too bad
But one day or another
This world would maybe
Be destroyed forever
A holocaust maybe be spread
And drive us all mad
Alina Urbansky
Very underrated song and album. I wish more people could see this ‘power metal’ side of the band.
David Harris
Increíble ver a Europe y a Joey Tempest ...19 años y una voz impresionante...gracias mil por subir esto...que gran banda...Suecia Nos ha entregado a maestros...
Peleador
Comparto 💯💥
Ieda Maria
💙Há 40 anos 💙o surgimento da banda 💖💖mais linda ❤❤e talentosa!🤩🤩🥰🥰💕💕👏👏🎸🎸
Dystopian Dogs
Awesome band, awesome album, awesome video. Thanks for posting!
Corinthians Contra tudo e Contra Todos
Os dois primeiros álbuns do Europe são bem pesados, diferente de The Final Countdown (álbum), que é mais comercial mais também um disco bem legal. Mostra que o Europe também tem boas letras.
Nora A. Valdez
Me encanta !!!. por siempre mi grupo favorito y mi ídolo Joey Tempest.
Ieda Maria
Banda maravilhosa até os dias de hoje. Para sempre
John Katsoudas
I always had a hard time as a kid deciding which Europe album was my favorite between their first self titled album and Wings Of Tomorrow. Wings Of Tomorrow was my favorite for about 15 years but than the first album's raw sound won me over. So now for these past 15 years their first album has been my favorite. I love all ten of their studio albums but their first two albums will probably always be my favorite.
Eddie Burton 666
Europe one of the fathers of power metal