I'll Take Sweden And EUROPE Too!
Europe come from Sweden. Is Sweden part of Europe? “No, I don’t think so,” says the band’s corkscrew-haired, pretty-boy leader Joey Tempest. “Scandinavia is Scandinavia.” Right, land of the midnight sun, Ingmar Bergman, King Gustav, masseuses and meatballs.
I'll Take Sweden And EUROPE Too!
FEATURES
Roy Trakin
Europe come from Sweden. Is Sweden part of Europe?
“No, I don’t think so,” says the band’s corkscrew-haired, pretty-boy leader Joey Tempest. “Scandinavia is Scandinavia.”
Right, land of the midnight sun, Ingmar Bergman, King Gustav, masseuses and meatballs.
“Yes, Scandinavia is part of Europe,” corrects blond-haired (what else?), blueeyed (you expected pink?) drummer Ian Haugland. “Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland are all part of Europe.”
“I hear there’s some heavy nightlife in Reykjavik,” I say hopefully.
“Reykjavik,” muses Joey, “Is that in Iceland?”
So, geography is not Europe’s strong point. Pretty soon, petty things like countries and boundaries will mean nothing in the ongoing European invasion. The mega-hit elpee, The Final Countdown has cracked the Top 10 of nearly a dozen foreign territories, including their native Sweden, West Germany, France, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands, with the title track a hit single in England, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria and Japan. Of course, here in the U.S.A., the band’s middling but melodic brand of Journeyman rock ’n’ roll was lodged in the Top 10 for a number of months, thanks to MTV exposure of those Scandinavian punims.