The official continental breakfast of Antarctica…. and my Millionaire Journey.
It’s time to go on our weekly Monday expedition into the lost pyramids of music history and seek out that eighth wonder of the world… that buried tomb of cursed songs we like to call the Dusty Vinyl Archive! DJ Scratchy and her staff of Ra are ready to walk…. er, gallop like an Egyptian, while the Sponkies make a quick phone call to their Mummy. If you don’t like this song, well you can just kiss my asp…
In the 80’s, a Swedish rock band decided to name itself Europe after its home continent (Or maybe the continent was named after the band, I’m not really sure). Europe, perhaps not too surprisingly, was much bigger on their side of the Atlantic than they were in the US. In a related coincidence, the band America was better known in the States than it was in the Old World…
And the band Asia was much more popular in….. er, nevermind.
Anyway, Europe did make a small dent in the US charts, as well as in our 80’s lore with their classic song “The Final Countdown,” maybe the best known of the many, many nuclear apocalypse themed anthems that defined the decade. But they also had a couple of other minor hits, including this forgotten little rocker from 1986 that only made it up to #30 on Billboard’s countdown, but deserved to be ranked much, much higher…. here’s “Rock the Night.”
I love this one way more than the ubiquitous “Countdown” and their ballad “Carrie.” This song has fallen so far into the cracks of our pop music heritage, that I swear I’ve only heard it one one occasion in the past 30 years… otherwise I’d have never remembered “Rock the Night” even existed. Thank you so much to the DJ at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City for playing some old school hair metal before the baseball game I attended back in 2009…
Maybe you should try a mullet…
In other ESN music news… I’m working on a new (not final) countdown that should begin in the middle of next month. I know you’re all on the edge of your seats in anticipation of what musical surprises I’ll have waiting for you then in my next Top 30 list….
Thankfully, you can’t smash an embedded YouTube video out of frustration…
I’ll have another song that got lost on European vacation next Monday…
oh i remember … the song was for a movie they presented in schools… loved it…and I was a fan of their hairstyle in the 80’s … I needed 40 minutes every morning to arrange my wild fur… and at the end I looke not europed but doped… sigh…
You and my sisters. The stale smell of hair spray that lingered in the house every morning made me so sick, and probably took about 20 years off of my life (And the ozone’s life)…
yes… before we had internet we had aquanet ;O)))
At least this time I know the band ..
You’re a point up on most of my other readers then, judging from the comments…
Well, I live on this continent …
Hmmm…not familiar with this band but great guitar riffs.
Yep, even though their other popular songs are more keyboard driven. This song does rock the night…
I was prepared to hate it because I hate everything this morning but I have to admit it’s much better than the Final Countdown or Carrie. It didn’t quite energize me enough to make me feel up to Rocking the Night though. Now I just feel like hopping a plane to Europe! It’s probably a good thing I don’t have a passport….
Well, if you head up to Sweden where Europe hails from, there won’t be much night for you to not feel like rocking to. I’d guess they wrote this song during the winter when the sun probably sets at 2 in the afternoon….
Ugh. That midnight sun business would make me crazy! I seriously think I would end up in a padded cell if I lived that far north. I get anxious and irritable and start hating on the sun in June and July here as it is.
Well I’ve mentioned before that the 80s were a mess for me in many ways but I really don’t remember this song or this group. Sad isn’t it? Well, I enjoyed hearing this one anyway because it totally rocked.
Pam
The song I can believe, because it’s really, really lost. I’m surprised more people don’t remember the band… though I guess they blended in with all the other hair bands of the time.
ody N biskit….will hafta give thiz a listen two later; we rememburr final countdown but
knot this toon ♫ ! 🙂 ♥
I think you’ll like this one!
I don’t remember the band Europe, but I sure remember the final countdown. Now I just don’t know who’s fault is this worm in my ear ” Lemmmon tree very pretty…” The third day, maybe that countdown takes its place.
These posts makes me remember the time when I was younger, I like them, thank you.
I like nostalgia, and I think we all like to remember our younger days from time to time. Even if they are full of earworms…
Not familiar with this song, but I like it. And when I hear it again sometime in the next 30 years, I’ll be able to identify it.
You never know when you might hear a faintly familiar song again. But when you do, I know you’ll say “Hey, this is that song Evil Squirrel played that one Monday!”
Holy crap, where was I? I thought I knew all of the 80’s pretty boy rock bands like Asia and Survivor and Toto and Loverboy. I’ve never heard of these guys. They did the Final Countdown? Jeeze I’m out of touch. I assumed it was some other blond haired guy band. Europe. What a shitty name. No wonder I didn’t remember it. And they’re Swedish (I looked it up – of course because they’re all blonde.)
After the band Tesla came out everyone around my neck of the woods thought there would be more bands with inventor names. A little history: Tesla is from Sacramento (the band, not the inventor.) There is a section of town where all of the main streets are named after inventors. Watt, Howe, Marconi, Fulton, Whitney, Bell, Edison…but Tesla is just a teeny tiny street. Go figure. Guess the guy who named the streets never heard of the death ray or direct current.
As long as Tesla Street is still bigger than Popeil Avenue, it’s all good.
The only Tesla song I know of is that horrible cover version of Signs. But at least you can claim Cake as well, and they’re pretty awesome…
I never thought much of Tesla except they get a lot of play time here. I love Cake – they are pretty awesome to say the least. You need to do a Cake post in the near future (from the girl in the short skirt and the long jacket)
So, what you are saying is “Europe” was better known … in Europe … and “America” was better known here. Wow. I’m almost breathless because I didn’t know that. But, to be fair. I know so little about this period of music, it is all magic and fascination for me. Whatever I learn, it’s always something new and exciting!
You’ll probably like my next countdown I’ll be starting in about a month, because it’s actually got a few songs in it from your era, and at least one that (I think) predates the rock and roll era.
Can’t say I remember this song, although I remember their others! Hey! they had my hair doo back then! lol..
They may have been wearing your makeup as well…
LOL, probably!
Okay. I am not sure I know Final Countdown, definitely not this one.
Let’s see..80s hairband…NO! Maybe even a hell no! My god how I despise hair bands. And their awful power ballads. Gack. And that squeeky singing.
And the spandex! Oh ES you outdid yourself this time.
This one was hardly a ballad. Carrie was, and The Final Countdown was more a schmaltzy synth pop anthem… though an iconic one that I’m surprised so many people have said they don’t know. Spandex and big hair made the 80’s go round….
Hahaha, no I didn’t mean this particular song. I just meant hairbands always used to have them.
Did you have that crazy hairsprayed mane & wear spandex in the 80s?
I knew one guy who did. He was in a hair band. I asked him if he could lay off the spandex when he came over. He said noway! That would ruin his image. Lol
You had to know this would be a big no for me. There WERE some good songs in the 80s but NONE from a hair band.
Can’t wait to see your next list. They are always enjoyable.
I’m pretty sure I would have been kicked out of grade school had I shown up like that!
Hahaha.
Same sort of vibe as Bon Jovi with this one. (And again I had to go to the tube of you to get a version to play….)
How is that none of “your” videos work but Alexa can play everything? ‘Cos Alexa rules, that’s how.
In any case, great song!
I know what your next musical countdown will be. “30 songs only draliman would touch with a barge pole.” With special guest stars, all the way from Russia…