Time Has Come

Recorded across studios in four cities on two continents, Time Has Come emerged during an itinerant production process. The song was pieced together in sessions that began in September 1985 and didn’t wrap until March of the following year, shuttling between Europe and the technicians who elevated the band’s sound to another level. The result was a 4:01 track that, while not the lead single, ended up as one of the most recognizable cuts on The Final Countdown: the album that sold over three million copies in the United States alone and propelled them to the top of the Billboard charts. What’s striking is that, although the entire record was tracked in studios as varied as those in Zurich, Stockholm, Atlanta, and Berkeley, the final mix was entrusted to Kevin Elson, a producer used to working with bands like Journey and Lynyrd Skynyrd, yet here had to navigate the logistics of moving equipment and sounds across continents.

The album became their biggest commercial success, yet Time Has Come wasn’t a song distinguished by its lyrics or intricate structure. Instead, its power lies in the groove it builds from the first downbeat—a rhythm that feels like a ticking clock marching forward without pause. Written by Joey Tempest, the track was never released as a single, yet it became a fan favorite for the sense of urgency it conveys, as if every note were counting down the seconds to something inevitable. By the time the album topped the Billboard Hot 100, this song was already a staple of their live sets, almost serving as a bridge between the anthemic title track and the rest of the material. They weren’t trying to sound like anyone else: they wanted hard rock that felt epic, and in that pursuit, Time Has Come stands as proof of how the band’s sound became impossible to ignore.