Europe (band)

Europe
Europe on stage in Stockholm 2016. From left to right: John Levén, Mic Michaeli, Joey Tempest, Ian Haugland and John Norum.
Europe on stage in Stockholm 2016. From left to right: John Levén, Mic Michaeli, Joey Tempest, Ian Haugland and John Norum.
Background information
Also known asForce (1979–1982)
OriginUpplands Väsby, Sweden
Genres
Years active
  • 1979–1992
  • 1999
  • 2003–present
Labels
  • Epic
  • Edel
  • Sanctuary
  • earMusic
  • UDR Records
  • Silver Lining Music / Hell & Back Recordings
  • Swedmetal Records
Members
Past members
Websiteeuropetheband.com

Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979,[5] by lead vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson, and drummer Tony Reno. They obtained a major breakthrough in Sweden in 1982 by winning the televised competition "Rock-SM" (Swedish Rock Championships); it was the first time this competition was held, and Europe became a larger success than the competition itself.

Since their formation, Europe has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and twenty-four music videos. Europe's current lineup comprises Tempest, Norum, bassist John Levén, keyboardist Mic Michaeli, and drummer Ian Haugland.

Europe rose to international fame in the 1980s with their third album, 1986's The Final Countdown. As of 2003, Europe has sold 10 million albums worldwide.[6] The band has had two top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart (The Final Countdown and Out of This World)[7] and three top 30 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart ("The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Carrie", which reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100).[8]

Europe went on hiatus in 1992, reunited temporarily for a one-off performance in Stockholm on New Year's Eve 1999 and announced an official reunion in 2003. Since then the band has released six albums, Start from the Dark (2004), Secret Society (2006), Last Look at Eden (2009), Bag of Bones (2012), War of Kings (2015) and Walk the Earth (2017).

Europe gained new attention in the US after being featured in a GEICO cable television commercial campaign during 2015–2016.

The band is mainly influenced by Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, UFO and Michael Schenker Group.[9][10]

  1. ^ Thomas, Stephen (n.d.). "Europe: Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  2. ^ Reynolds, Dave (August 1983). "Europe – Europe". Metal Forces. No. 1. p. 22. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  3. ^ McPadden, Mike (24 September 2015). "The Hair Metal 100: Ranking the '80s Greatest Glam Bands, Part 4". VH1. Viacom. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b Simms, Kelley (17 March 2015). "Europe – War of Kings". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Hårdrock tog priset. Enköpingsband vann rock-SM". DN.SE. 27 April 1993. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Rock group Europe plan comeback". BBC News. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  7. ^ "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Europe". Billboard.com. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
  8. ^ "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Europe". Billboard.com. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
  9. ^ "Europe – Interview with Joey Tempest". metal-rules.com. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Joey Tempest - Europe - Uber Rock Interview Exclusive". uberrock.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2014.