“I didn’t want to have anything to do with the song. To me, it was like: ‘Are we turning into Depeche Mode?’”: Europe’s John Norum says he thought The Final Countdown was “dreadful” at first

John Norum.

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Best of 2023: A rock jukebox would not be complete without it. It would become a staple of karaoke and weddings, and of sports montages. And it transformed the careers of Swedish rockers Europe. But not everyone was a fan of The Final Countdown, with guitarist John Norum admitting that he thought it was “dreadful” when he first heard it.