Europe is a Swedish hard rock band that formed in Upplands Väsby, Sweden in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest and guitarist John Norum. Since its formation, Europe has released eight studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and seven videos. The band rose to international fame in the 80s with their third album, ‘The Final Countdown’, and it continues to be perhaps their best known work. A strong commercial success, that release sold over three million copies in the United States alone.
Europe was one of the most successful rock acts of the 80s. Incorporating a bombastic sound in debt to both heavy metal and progressive rock, the band has achieved 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”). From 1986 to 1992, Europe sold over 20 million records worldwide, making them the 4th most successful act from Sweden in musical history. For a non-American group, their success in the U.S. has been immense, selling over four million albums over their career.
Europe went on hiatus in 1992, reunited temporarily for a one-off performance in Stockholm on New Year’s Eve 1999, and finally announced an official reunion in 2003. Since then, Europe has released four studio albums: ‘Start From the Dark’ (2004), ‘Secret Society’ (2006), ‘Last Look At Eden’ (2009), and ‘Bag of Bones’ (2012). They continue to have popular tours.
