As a teenager, I had a phase where I listened to Europe’s The Final Countdown every single day. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something about it. The melody, the high-pitched synthesizer noises, the guitars – it was just epic, despite being basically five minutes of repeating one riff and line.
Nowadays it’s mostly a New Year’s song. It barely plays on the radio during the year. I annoyed a good amount of people with my Final Countdown frenzy. “How often can you listen to the same song?” my parents would say. Especially since on most days, there was nothing to, you know, count down to.
Looking back, I think I was on to something. There is a final countdown, and it’s ticking away for each of us – not just on New Year’s Eve but every single day. Maybe we should all listen to the song more often. It creates a sense of urgency.
10, 9, 8… What will you do today? How will you spend your good hours? 7, 6, 5… Will you choose the work that matters? The people you care about? 4, 3… Or trifles that won’t make a difference? 2, 1… Boom! Time’s up. Life goes fast, doesn’t it?
“Will things ever be the same again?” the song lyrics ask. They won’t be – at least not once you realize your final countdown has already begun.