A to Z of the 80s - E is for Europe

The band. Not the place. 

by Jo Michelmore

I've always thought being in a band required a certain amount of ego. You write music, you play music and expecting people to be entertained by it takes a certain amount of self-confidence (and we already know what you look like so stop pretending to be shy, yes I'm talking to you Sia). The ultimate egos were probably in the 80s, being the decade of decadence and all. Ego and decadence go hand in hand. This can be evidenced by the naming of ones band and I see no bigger ego than naming yourself after an entire place.


Boston named themselves after the city they were from.

Lucky they weren't from this place in Pennsylvania.

Considering they are named after my favourite city ever in the world, I'm not sure why Berlin are not my favourite band ever.

Oh wait, that's why.

Chicago named themselves after the same place Oprah is from. That's all that city is known for, right?

But even Chicago itself is hoping for something better. They won't even give her an actual street name, just an honorary one.

And probably as egotistical as Oprah, naming themselves after an entire continent rather than a simple place, were the Swedish band, Europe.

And yes, you'll now have that keyboard riff stuck in your head for a good 48 hours. You're welcome. Just be thankful it's not the Dannii Minogue version.