EUROPE singer Joey Tempest has slammed Britain's Conservative Party for using the band's classic song "The Final Countdown" without his permission. The Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has been playing the track to motivate campaigners at the party headquarters. But Tempest, who wrote the song in 1986, has asked the party to "cease and desist" from using his track. EUROPE's manager, Adam Parsons, told The Times newspaper: "Joey does not condone any use in a political context. This was written as a good-time hard rock song back in 1986." Last year Tempest, who was born in Sweden but currently resides London, told The Big Issue about "The Final Countdown": "The song took a life of its own. It has been used by political parties — both Hillary [Clinton] and [Donald] Trump used it. The song has started to be played more around new year, for new beginnings, but the ironic thing is it’s not really that positive. It's melancholy, in a minor key." Tempest also said that he would have voted "Remain" had he gotten a British passport. During the 2016 U.S. presidential race, Clinton uploaded a video titled "Donald Trump: The Final Meltdown" and set it to the EUROPE song. "The Final Countdown" was the first single released from EUROPE's third studio album, "The Final Countdown", in 1986. The band's most recognizable and popular song, it reached No. 1 in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom. In the United States the song peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 18 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The single was certified gold in the United Kingdom in 1986.
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