Damn Daniel! Back at it again with the white Vans, er … NBA Jams! Today’s featured song is a real hair-raiser y’all.
Ten seconds left on the game clock. Your favorite team down by two points. You need a bucket. Where you gonna go?
Europe! Go to Europe. No, not the continent. The band!
Fine, fine. I’ll chill with the dad jokes.
Europe’s 1986 smash single “The Final Countdown” has proven itself quite versatile over the years. It’s an ideal song to get the crowd fired up prior to tip-off AND it’s the apex hype song for the waning seconds of a game.
This track begins with perhaps the most recognizable keyboard riff in Rock ’n’ Roll history. Scratch that qualifier; “The Final Countdown” contains the most recognizable keyboard riff in Rock ’n’ Roll history, full stop.
Anytime I hear that keyboard riff it’s like a signal, a warning beacon that tells me, “Shit is about to go down.” At least that’s how it felt when the Detroit Pistons used this song for their lineup intros spanning several decades.
I’m not the only one who feels this way. Writer Kory Woods has been petitioning the Pistons to bring back “The Final Countdown” for lineup intros as the franchise has strayed away from it in recent years.
The “Bad Boys” and “Goin To Work” eras of the Detroit Pistons contain the franchise’s most significant moments. There is one thing that is memorable about the glory days of Detroit Pistons basketball, outside of the winnings.
It’s the intimidating player introductions when “Final Countdown” by Europe was the song of choice. When that song came on, fans knew that they were about to watch Pistons basketball.
“The Final Countdown” has enjoyed years of commercial success outside of being one of the most oft-used arena rock songs. It peaked at №1 on several charts across the globe although 8th was the highest position it reached on the Billboard Hot 100 here Stateside.
More recently, in 2015, a wildly popular Geico commercial featured the band playing the song in an office breakroom. As an employee waits for their microwave burrito to warm up, that catchy keyboard riff blasts off and once again you just know something great is about to happen.
It seemed apropos to write about this song given it’s December 1st, a date that signifies the imminent dawn of a new year.
In 2022, NFTs look to continue their ascension into the mainstream. Ironically, this NFT journey we’re on together reminds me of the opening lyrics for “The Final Countdown,” as lead singer Joey Tempest sings:
We’re leaving together
But still it’s farewell
And maybe we’ll come back to earth, who can tell?
