For loyal readers of cinema and music blogs, you might recall discussions about songs overstaying their welcome. Think back to the debate about Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing” and its unfortunate comedic resurgence. This brings us to a similar crossroads, but this time with a different 80s anthem: Europe’s iconic power ballad, “The Final Countdown.” After witnessing its latest appearance in the film “The Lost City,” it’s worth asking: has “The Final Countdown” song reached its final curtain call?
In a similar vein to arguments for retiring “You Sexy Thing” after its ironic deployment in “Boogie Nights,” the case for shelving “The Final Countdown” hinges on its transformation from a dramatic rock anthem into a comedic punchline. The original argument for “You Sexy Thing” suggested that Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterful (and darkly humorous) use of the song in “Boogie Nights,” specifically during Scotty J.’s awkward entrance, irrevocably changed its meaning. It became pathetic where it was once provocative. This same phenomenon seems to be happening to “The Final Countdown,” and “The Lost City” might just be the tipping point.
“The Lost City,” while enjoyable in its own right as a modern take on “Romancing the Stone,” utilizes “The Final Countdown” in a way that underscores this shift in perception. The film introduces Alan, the well-meaning but clueless book cover model played by Channing Tatum. Alan’s doofy nature is immediately highlighted by his exaggerated actions – fake hair blowing in the wind, awkward karate poses reminiscent of Mac from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – and, crucially, his entrance music: yes, you guessed it, “The Final Countdown” by Europe.
While some might argue that “The Final Countdown” is still a powerful song – and its initial critical reception was certainly mixed, with Rolling Stone even initially praising its “genuine drama” despite nonsensical lyrics – its legacy has become inextricably linked with comedy. Doug Stone of Allmusic even described it as “bombastically brilliant” and “glorious garbage,” acknowledging its inherent over-the-top nature. However, the turning point for many was its masterful and hilarious use in the cult television show “Arrested Development.”
“Arrested Development” cemented the song’s ironic fate by adopting it as the entrance theme for the pompous, insecure, and spectacularly inept magician, GOB Bluth, played by Will Arnett. In this context, the song’s soaring synthesizers and triumphant melody become hilariously misplaced, highlighting GOB’s delusions of grandeur. As Nick Greer astutely noted in his analysis of the song’s comedic re-appropriation, “in the hands of Arrested Development the song becomes ‘a critique of the same bluster it was meant to celebrate.'”
Greer even delves deeper, pointing out the slightly absurd context of the song’s lyrics themselves. Released shortly before the Chernobyl disaster, “The Final Countdown,” with its themes of leaving Earth and hinting at civilizational decline, takes on an unintended layer of dark humor in retrospect. The fact that it continues to be played, even in mundane contexts like car insurance commercials, only amplifies the joke.
Therefore, when Channing Tatum’s character in “The Lost City” makes his entrance to “The Final Countdown,” it’s difficult to perceive it as anything other than a deliberate comedic choice, echoing GOB’s iconic bits. Using the song in this way feels less like a fresh comedic take and more like, as the original article suggests, simply “stealing Will Arnett’s bit.” The song’s bombastic intro, once signifying epic journeys and dramatic tension, now primarily signals comedic ineptitude and self-delusion, at least for a generation familiar with “Arrested Development.”
So, is it time to retire “The Final Countdown” from our cultural playlists, at least in contexts where dramatic or sincere effect is desired? Perhaps its fate is sealed as a purely comedic anthem. While the song itself remains undeniably catchy, its cultural baggage, heavily laden with GOB Bluth’s illusionist persona, might be too much to overcome. What do you think? Has “The Final Countdown” reached its final, ironic countdown?
