"Halfway To Heaven" by Europe

Swedish metal turned hard rock turned hairband turned back to hard rock band, Europe, skyrocketed onto the US music charts in 1987 with their monster hit, "The Final Countdown". Most people don't realize, however, that this song was not their best chart performance. "The Final Countdown" soared to #8, but their power ballad "Carrie" slow danced its way to #3.

I never understood why Europe faded away after this breakout success. Their follow-up record only produced one minor hit with "Superstitious" going to #31 in 1988. It came from a masterpiece of an AOR album called "Out Of This World" that was loaded with hits that just didn't materialize.

The same could be said for their 1991 album, "Prisoners In Paradise". Another classic AOR album, "Prisoners" is filled with potential hits that just weren't right for the changing musical climate. "Halfway To Heaven" is just a taste of the catchy pop rock this record had to offer.

Europe has steadily cranked out plenty of records ever since, returning more to their hard rock roots, but often at the expense of their melodic sensibilities.