Europe’s Joey Tempest to Tories: Stop playing The Final Countdown

Europe's Joey Tempest
Europe's Joey Tempest (Image credit: Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns - Getty)

Europe frontman Joey Tempest wants the UK’s Conservative Party to stop using the band’s 1986 smash hit track The Final Countdown for political purposes.

It’s reported the song has been played at Tory HQ to motivate staff during the current general election campaign – but Tempest wants them to “cease and desist” as it’s not a political song.

Tempest made his feelings known to The Times through Europe’s manager Adam Parsons, who said (via the Daily Mail): “Joey does not condone any use in a political context. This was written as a good-time hard rock song back in 1986.”

Parsons added the Conservatives had misconstrued the lyrics of the track if they were playing The Final Countdown with Brexit in mind. The UK is due to leave the European Union on January 31, 2020.

Speaking to The Big Issue last year, Tempest said he would have voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum.

He said: "I was born in Sweden but I consider London and the UK my home. I married an English girl and I’ve paid taxes for many, many years. I’m a domicile but I don’t have a British passport. 

"If I’d had the vote, I’d be a Remainer. I’m in the music business, I’m an entertainer. Musicians all over the world, we write for each other and it doesn’t matter what country you’re from. Music is a free place and therefore we don’t want to fence anybody in.”

Many musicians have complained about their tracks being used for political means –in the US in particular.

In June, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne blasted Trump for using Crazy Train in a video, while in November last year, Axl Rose hit out at Trump’s campaign team for using Guns N’ Roses material during the midterm elections.

In August 2018, lawyers representing Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler send a cease and desist letter to the White House to insist that they stop playing Livin’ On The Edge, while the Rolling Stones, the estate of George Harrison and Queen have all objected to their music being associated with Trump.

Europe will tour across the UK in 2020 with Whitesnake and Foreigner – with the shows getting underway at The O2 in London on May 31.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.