EUROPE
KIND ROCK BEHIND THE SMOKESCREEN
Five guys in their 20s. Three years ago they called themselves Force and not many people knew them.
Today they call themselves Europe and are big idols, not only in Sweden but also in Japan, among other places.
KIND ROCK BEHIND THE SMOKESCREEN
Five guys in their 20s. Three years ago they called themselves Force and not many people knew them.
Today they call themselves Europe and are big idols, not only in Sweden but also in Japan, among other places.
It's been quite a few years since the fashion for guys to have really long hair died out. But that's something that Joey Tempest, Ian Haugland, John Leven, Mic Michaeli and John Norom in Europe ignore.
— It's nice to have long hair and we enjoy it, says Joey Tempest, singer and the one who talks the most of the guys.
Ian Haugland:
— Cool (fun) clothes are important but you can't look too sloppy. There are many groups that only focus on outfits, perhaps as compensation for the fact that their music isn't that popular, but they tend to disappear pretty quickly. We're not that kind of band.
But what kind of band is Europe?
Many people think they're Sweden's best hard rock band. But they don't just play hard rock, they also play soft and nice ballads.
— We want to mix the music so that it sounds good, and there's nothing wrong with soft ballads. The most important thing is that people are happy and feel good about our music, says Joey Tempest.
Condemns violence
At the same time, the guys in the band want to dispel the myth that hard rockers are aggressive and like violence.
— Hard rockers are actually calm and kind. We're basically the same people as the synthesizers, says John Levén, and John Norom adds:
— Violence is too damned, we're absolutely not violent people. I don't think anyone really likes violence, not even those who do it.
No one in Europe believes the talk that hard rock is harmful and encourages violence.
English lyrics
The important thing in Europe's music is a good combination of music and lyrics. The lyrics, which are about war and love, are always in English. Why then?
— There is more rhyme and more melody in English than in Swedish. That makes it much easier to write in that language, says Joey Tempest, who writes all the group's songs.
— When I make a song, I write the music first and then the lyrics. It's easiest to do it in that order.
But neither Joey nor anyone else in the band has any real musical education. All of them have certainly "suffered" some form of municipal music school, but most of all they are self-taught.
Various idols have also served as role models.
Right now they don't have any particular idols. However, they do have "sources of inspiration". These include Whitesnake and Garry Moore. These are the people that Europe sometimes look to for tips on how to develop their own music.
From Force to Europe
It is their own music, their own lyrics and the band's way of playing that has made them so enormously popular in just two years. Until 1982, Europe was a relatively unknown local band in Upplands-Väsby, north of Stockholm.
At that time, they called themselves Force. But the guys decided that Europe was a better and “bigger” name.
In 1982, some record producers decided to organize a Swedish rock championship. More than 4,000 cassettes from different bands were entered into the competition. Of these, 240 bands were selected to compete for the title of Sweden’s best rock band.
Europe won. The prize was the opportunity to record an LP. And the album sold really well. About 40,000 copies in Sweden and the same number in Japan.
Suddenly, Joey, Ian, John L, Mic and John N were idols. People wanted to see and hear them.
— It happened quickly. We started touring in 1983. So far, we’ve done about 200 gigs, mostly in public parks. But we have also played in ice rinks and abroad, says Joey Tempest.
Not millionaires
They have become full-time musicians and they earn good money.
— But we have not become any millionaires. I think we will reach the normal Swedish income. But money is not everything, the most important thing is that people listen to our music, says Ian Haugland.
It is not only young people who listen to their music. The guys say that it is common for children to come with their parents to the performances.
The guys also say that they got used to being idols quite quickly.
— It is a dream to be able to do this. It is great to constantly work and live with music. We could do it our whole lives. It would feel wrong to stop and I don't think we could do that either. Even if people stopped asking for us, we would at least keep playing, says John Levén.
But of course there are downsides to the music life. Touring can be hard with long trips and boring hotel rooms. The fans can sometimes be a bit pushy. The guys also find it boring to be interviewed and photographed by journalists so often. But the whole group still gets up and talks to KP for a long time. The guys themselves read KP when they were in school.
Bright future
The future looks bright for Europe. They recently signed a contract with a major American record company to record ten LPs over the next few years. The albums will then be released all over the world.
— The goal is to become big in the US, but also in other countries. Right now we are doing well in Japan. We have been on their top lists and only we and ABBA of Swedish artists have managed to do that, says Joey Tempest.
The group has also appeared in a film that Staffan Hildebrand (the guy from the film “G”) has made for the trade union movement.
— But that doesn’t mean we have taken a political stance. We are apolitical. We were in the film because we wanted to stand up for Staffan, say the guys.
But even though Europe have become famous idols, they at least have one thing in common with the rest of us.
— It always gives you a tingle when you go on stage and know that there are several thousand people sitting below watching us, says Ian Haugland.
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