Born in Vardø, Norway, John was raised in the suburbs of Stockholm where he… Read Full Bio ↴Born in Vardø, Norway, John was raised in the suburbs of Stockholm where he, Joey Tempest, John Leven and Tony Reno formed Europe. Their self-titled debut LP became a springboard for an excellent career with the band, and later, an enormous solo career. Just after the release of the "Final Countdown" album, Norum quit the band and hit back with a gutsy and melodic debut album titled 'Total Control'. This became the first of 6 solo albums and 2 Live CDs that spanned almost 2 decades. Norum and Joey Tempest collaborated on several projects in the 90s, and their meeting once again on millennium eve fuelled rumours the band were to reunite. In 2003 the reunion was finally announced and nowdays John Norum showcases his blistering guitar expertise on tour with EUROPE and on the new studio album "Start From the Dark".

Europe‘s long-time guitarist John Norum will be releasing a new solo album titled 'Gone To Stay' via Gain on October 28, 2022. Norum previously released the solo albums 'Total Control' (1987), 'Live In Stockholm' EP (1990), 'Face The Truth' (1992), 'Another Destination' (1995), 'Worlds Away' (1996), 'Slipped Into Tomorrow' (1999), 'Optimus' (2005) and 'Play Yard Blues' (2010).

We'll Do What It Takes Together
John Norum Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Our reality we must face
We got to stop to this right to race
Cause nuclear war, was there anyone
Unite the people where it is done
We learn
We′ll do what it takes together

Dreaming

Of a better world
Fighting
For the children
Screaming
Or we won't be heard
Or we won′t be heard at all

All that we've done so far is talk
We gotta get started before its much too late
'Cause we′ve got obligations
To coming generations
Time has come for us to make changes

Dreaming
Of a better world
Fighting
For the children
Screaming
Or we won′t be heard
Or we won't be heard at all

Cause nuclear war, was there anyone
Unite the people where it is done
We learn
We′ll do what it takes together

Dreaming
Of a better world
Fighting
For the children
Screaming

Or we won't be heard
Or we won′t be heard at all

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of John Norum's song "We'll Do What It Takes Together" is a call to action for humanity to come together to prevent a nuclear war and to create a better world for future generations. The song talks about the harsh reality that we all must face and illustrates the urgency to end humanity's blind obsession with competing for power and resources - this race we're all engaged in might lead us towards a catastrophic end caused by a devastating nuclear war.

The song proposes the idea of unity - the only way to accomplish something great is to do it together. As individuals, we might feel small and insignificant, but when we join together, we can create lasting change. The lyrics also emphasize that merely talking about creating a better world will never be enough - we must act upon it. The future of our children and the generations yet to come is at stake; hence, we must act quickly to stop the madness.

One fascinating aspect of the song is that it was released in 1990, at a time when the world was dealing with the aftermath of the Cold War. The nuclear arms race between the USA and the Soviet Union had subsided, and people were hoping for the world to become more peaceful. Nevertheless, the fear associated with nuclear war still lingered, making this song timely.

Line by Line Meaning

Our reality we must face
We need to confront the issues of reality.

We got to stop to this right to race
It's time to stop the competition.

Cause nuclear war, was there anyone
Has anyone thought of nuclear war?

Unite the people where it is done
We need to come together where we can.

We learn
We gain knowledge.

We′ll do what it takes together
We will work together to accomplish our goals.

Dreaming
We imagine and hope for something better.

Of a better world
A utopian ideal.

Fighting
We are actively combating.

For the children
For the sake of future generations.

Screaming
We are shouting.