Upbeat Western Music Songs Ranking [2025]

The Final CountdownEurope99rank/position

Europe – The Final Countdown (Official Video)

Everyone must have heard this song at least once: The Final Countdown by Europe, the hard rock band from Sweden in Northern Europe.

It’s often used as an entrance theme by boxers and fighters, and most famously as the entrance music for professional wrestler Keiji Mutoh.

Europe, which started performing in 1979, scored a massive hit with this song in 1986 and is said to have established the Nordic style of hard rock.

Indeed, within the hard, heavy sound, there’s a blend of dreamy melodies and chord progressions, creating a distinctive kind of hard rock that hadn’t existed before.

True to the “countdown” in the title, the intro gives a feeling of advancing step by step, which I think matches the mindset of athletes heading into a match.

Livin’ On A PrayerBon Jovi100rank/position

Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer

This song is trademarked by guitarist Richie Sambora’s use of a slightly unusual effects unit called a talk box.

John Bon Jovi’s powerful vocals are inspiring, and it’s a track released during the band’s prime.