The Final Countdown (song)

"The Final Countdown" is a song by Swedish rock band Europe, released in 1986. Written by Joey Tempest, it was the first single from the band's third studio album which was also named The Final Countdown. The song reached No. 1 in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom, and was certified gold in the United Kingdom in 1986. In the United States the song peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 18 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

Origin and recording

The song was based on a keyboard riff which Joey Tempest had written, as early as 1981 or 1982, on a Korg Polysix keyboard which he had borrowed from keyboardist Mic Michaeli. In 1985, bassist John Levén suggested that Tempest should write a song based on that riff. Tempest recorded a demo version of the song and played it for the other band members. At first the members expressed mixed reactions to it, including guitarist John Norum: "When I first heard the synth intro to 'The Final Countdown', my reaction was: 'No, this is nuts. We just can't use this.' Thank God they didn't listen to me." Tempest described their uncertainty: "Some of the guys in the band thought it was too different for a rock band. But in the end I fought hard to make sure it got used."

The Final Countdown

The Final Countdown may refer to:

Film and TV

Music

The Final Countdown (film)

The Final Countdown is a 1980 alternate history science fiction film about a modern aircraft carrier that travels through time to a day before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Produced by Peter Vincent Douglas and directed by Don Taylor, the film stars Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. This was Taylor's final film.

Produced with the full cooperation of the United States Navy, set and filmed on board the real-life USS Nimitz supercarrier, The Final Countdown was a moderate success at the box office. In the years that followed, the film has developed a cult following among science fiction and military aviation fans.

Plot

In 1980, the USS Nimitz takes on a civilian observer, systems analyst Warren Lasky (Martin Sheen), on the orders of his reclusive and mysterious employer, Mr. Tideman (who, in the fictional storyline, had helped design much of the ship), just before it departs Pearl Harbor for a training mission in the Pacific Ocean. Out in the Pacific, the ship encounters a strange storm-like vortex which disappears after the ship passes through it. Initially unsure of what has happened, and having lost radio contact with Pacific Fleet Command, Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas) orders General Quarters and the launch of reconnaissance aircraft which discover the intact U.S. Pacific battleship fleet at Pearl Harbor.