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/
Scream of Anger
Europe Lyrics
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There won't be another prayer
None of them will ever sorrow
Those who've sentenced me to death
I've been waiting here for ages
For the hangman to appear (the hangman to appear)
Soon the priest will read some pages
I see a place
An evil place
Coming my way
What can I do
Where can I run
Gonna die anyway
Things are getting clearer
This is the price I have to pay
Oh no
I feel like screaming out my anger
There is so much left here to do
When it happened I was younger
And my destiny was you
I see a place
An evil place
Coming my way
What can I do
Where can I run
Gonna die anyway
Things are getting clearer
This is the price I have to pay
And what can I do about leaving you
We were only halfway through
And what can I say, there was no other way
They wouldn't let me stay
The lyrics to Europe's "Scream of Anger" depict a person who is facing death and accepting their fate. They reflect the feelings of hopelessness, fear, and anger that arise when one is punished unjustly. The first stanza sets the tone of the song, with the singer claiming that they will not live to see tomorrow, and that those who sentenced them to death will not feel any remorse. The second stanza describes the waiting that follows, with the singer waiting for the hangman while the priest reads Bible pages. This waiting period is final and leaves the singer feeling helpless and hopeless.
As the song progresses, the singer begins to see an evil place coming their way, and as they realize that they cannot run or escape, they become even angrier. The third stanza is particularly powerful, as the singer screams out their anger, wanting to do more before it is their time to die. They reflect on how they were younger when their destiny was to be with someone else and how they had so much left to do when punishment was handed down.
In the end, the singer accepts the inevitability of their fate and notes that they were only halfway through life when death was forced upon them. The final lines describe how they had no choice but to accept their punishment, but they do so with bitterness and anger towards the unjust system that has brought them to this point.
Line by Line Meaning
I won't live to see tomorrow
I know that I'm going to die soon, and I won't live to have another day.
There won't be another prayer
I don't think there's any point in praying because there won't be another chance to live.
None of them will ever sorrow
Those who made the decision to end my life won't care about me, and they'll never regret killing me.
Those who've sentenced me to death
Those who have passed the judgement of giving me the death penalty.
I've been waiting here for ages
I've been waiting for a long time, possibly in jail, for my punishment to be carried out.
For the hangman to appear
I've been waiting for the executioner to show up and end my life.
Soon the priest will read some pages
The priest will come to read some prayers from the Bible before I'm executed.
From the Bible for my fear
The priest will read prayers to comfort me and to address my fear.
I see a place
I have a sense of what's coming my way.
An evil place
The place that I've envisioned is horrifying and terrible.
What can I do
I'm powerless, and there's nothing that I can do to escape my punishment.
Where can I run
I don't have a way out, and there's nowhere that I can go to escape my punishment.
Gonna die anyway
I know that I'm going to die, and there's no way to stop it.
Things are getting clearer
As the time of my death approaches, everything is becoming more apparent.
This is the price I have to pay
I'm aware of the punishment that I must face because of my actions.
I feel like screaming out my anger
I want to shout out my anger because I feel helpless and hopeless.
There is so much left here to do
There's so much that I haven't done, and it feels unfair to have my life taken away prematurely.
When it happened I was younger
When I did what I did that led me to be sentenced to death, I was young and inexperienced.
And my destiny was you
I may have made a mistake because of someone else, and that's why I'm in this situation.
And what can I do about leaving you
There's nothing I can do to change the fact that I'll be leaving you behind.
We were only halfway through
We had so much more life to live together, and it's unfair that it's ending now.
And what can I say, there was no other way
I can't change what I did, and that's why there's no other way to fix the situation.
They wouldn't let me stay
The authorities won't allow me to stay alive because of my crime.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOEY TEMPEST, MERCEL JACOBS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind