Carrie

The ballad Carrie is not just another track by Europe, but the moment when the Swedish band proved that hard rock could also carry melodies that stuck on the radio without losing power. Recorded in 1986 and released the following year as the third single from The Final Countdown, this 4:30-minute song —with its radio edit cut down to 3:09— became their biggest hit in the United States: it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Radio and Records chart, even surpassing their own anthem, The Final Countdown. Yet the most curious detail is that, on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, it peaked at #36, showing that its impact extended beyond rock’s usual boundaries.

Behind that polished sound lies a story of teamwork. Joey Tempest and Mic Michaeli wrote the song in 1985, and its first version —backed only by keyboards and vocals— had already premiered during a tour in Sweden that same year. For the album, however, the band gave it its final form: Kevin Elson, a producer with experience in works by Journey and Lynyrd Skynyrd, recorded it across four different studios (Powerplay in Zurich, Soundtrade in Stockholm, Mastersound in Atlanta and Fantasy in Berkeley) between September 1985 and March 1986. The result was a track that, decades later, remains part of the band’s acoustic setlist in their live performances.