Weekend Whimsy: The 5 Greatest Moments in the History of “The Final Countdown”

As our regular readers know well, we occasionally step outside the realm of sports here at MSF if we think a non-sports post will be entertaining, funny, enlightening, or help out a good cause.

The fact of the matter is that I am in Internet junkie and come across stuff all the time that I think readers will enjoy and, well, until I have another site to post this stuff on, it will continue to get dumped on MSF…and hopefully you will continue to be entertained by it.

Today, I stumbled across a video of some dudes doing an a capella version of “The Final Countdown” by Europe. This song has one of the most unique and recognizable synthesizer openings in the history of music and, for whatever reason, has always caused KVB and I to giggle like idiots whenever we hear it.

Because I am a blogger, which means I am trained to aggregate and create lists, I decided to spend a few productive moments this morning rounding up the greatest moments in the history of “The Final Countdown”.

Enjoy, and submit your vote after the final video for which moment you think is the greatest in the history of this iconic (and amazingly cheesy) song.

Also, if there are any great moments that I missed, feel free to drop links in the comment section so we can all click through and enjoy.

1. A Magician Named Gob

For me (and I know KVB will agree) this moment trumps all others. You may not appreciate it if you aren’t Arrested Development fanatics like he and I are (in which case, well, you suck), but even without context the combination of the song, Will Arnett’s goofy dancing and facial expressions, and the audience reactions makes this one a classic.

2. Awesome Orchestral Interpretation

This is actually a great version of the song from a purely musical and can-I-actually-listen-to-it standpoint, as interpreted by an orchestra and its energetic, head-banging lead cellists. For whatever reason, the juxtaposition of this goofy song with an orchestra, and then how into the cellists are, make this a must-watch video.

3. A Capella Version

I assume that this is at some sort of talent show. It places #2 not necessarily because it is a particularly listenable version of the song, but because it obviously required a lot of practice and one guy gets to recreate the infamous “ba-da-ba-bum, ba-da-ba-ba-bum” using only his high-pitched voice. We’ve all done that…in the car, while out for a Sunday stroll, or – if you’re KVB – while leaning in for your first kiss with a girl you really like. (Just kidding on that last one…I think.)

4. “Kazookeylele” Version

You will smile and chuckle when you watch this guaranteed. First of all, kazoo sounds are funny. Second of all, ukeleles are funny and always make me think of Tiny Tim…who is funny in a strange, disturbing way. Thirdly, you have to give the person doing the performance here credit for really getting into it and actually doing a pretty damn good job.

5. Air Band Interpretation

Air bands can be funny. Lip syncing, when done well, can be funny. 20-something college dudes with extra time on their hands and a camera can be funny. And pretty much anything set to the tune of “The Final Countdown” is funny. So here you go.

And now, it is your opportunity to cast your vote. Which of the five videos above stands out above all the rest?

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And then there is this…

1,276. Terrible Cover of “The Final Countdown”

This one pretty much sucks, is why it was not the in the running for the greatest moment in the history of “The Final Countdown”. But watching it will help you the appreciate the great moments above.

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