"The End" is an epic song by the American rock band the Doors. Lead singer Jim Morrison initially wrote the lyrics about his break up with his girlfriend Mary Werbelow, but it evolved through months of performances at the Whisky a Go Go into a much longer song. The Doors recorded a nearly 12-minute version for their self-titled debut album, which was released on January 4, 1967. "The End" was recorded live in the studio with no overdubbing. Two takes were recorded, with reportedly the second being used for the album. It was the last song the original group performed at their last concert on December 12, 1970, at The Warehouse in New Orleans.
Lyrics
In an interview in 1969, Morrison explained about the lyrics: When interviewed by Lizze James, he pointed out the meaning of the verse "My only friend, the End": Shortly past the midpoint of the nearly 12-minute-long album version, the song enters a spoken word section with the words, "The killer awoke before dawn/he put his boots on" That section of the song reaches a dramatic climax with the lines, "Father / Yes son? / I want to kill you / Mother, I want to..." Morrison had worked on a student production of Oedipus Rex at Florida State University. Ray Manzarek, the former keyboard player of the Doors, explained: In John Densmore's autobiography Riders on the Storm, he recalls when Morrison explained the meaning: According to Mojo magazine, The genesis and the use of the word "fuck" is described by Michael Hicks as follows: The Pop Chronicles documentary reports that critics found the song "Sophoclean and Joycean." "The End" was ranked at number 336 on 2010 Rolling Stone magazines list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song's guitar solo was ranked number 93 on Guitar Worlds "100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time".
Other versions
Studio
While the 1967 release of the song is the best-known version, there are other, slightly different versions available.
A significantly shorter edit, sometimes erroneously referred to as a "single version", was released on the CD version of the Greatest Hits album. The edited version is almost half the length of the original.
The version used in Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now is different from the 1967 release, being a remix specifically made for the movie. The remixed version emphasizes the vocal track at the final crescendo, highlighting Morrison's liberal use of scat and expletives. The vocal track can partly be heard in the 1967 release, although the expletives are effectively buried in the mix, and Morrison can only be heard clearly at the end of the crescendo with his repeated line of "Kill! Kill!". This version originated with the original master copy from Elektra's tape vaults; when Walter Murch, the Sound Designer, requested copies of the song from Elektra Records for use in the film, the studio unknowingly sent him the original master tracks to use, which explains the different sonic quality of the song used in the film.
A new 5.1 mix was issued with the 2006 box setPerception. The new 5.1 mix has more sonic details than the original 1967 mix.
While it is officially recognized that the 1967 version is an edit consisting of two different takes recorded on two straight days—the splice being right before the line "The killer awoke before dawn", and easily pinpointed by cut cymbals—the full takes, or the edited parts, have yet to surface.
In the version recorded live in Madison Square Garden, the lyric "Mother, I want to fuck you" can be heard clearly, instead of the unintelligible screaming of the studio version.
January 17, 1970, New York City, Show 2, released on Live in New York
May 8, 1970, Cobo Arena, Detroit, released on Live in Detroit
June 6, 1970, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada, released on Live in Vancouver 1970
Marilyn Manson cover
recorded a cover version of "The End" for use on the soundtrack to the upcoming miniseries The Stand, in which the eponymous vocalist will appear as the character "The Trashcan Man". The song was played over the PA system during dates of the "", the band's summer 2019 co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie. The track was produced by country musician Shooter Jennings, who also produced Marilyn Manson's upcoming eleventh studio album. The pair previously collaborated on a version of David Bowie's "Cat People " for Jennings's 2016 album Countach . The track was released for digital download and on streaming services on November 22, 2019, while the song was scheduled to be issued on a picture disc7" vinyl via Loma Vista Recordings on March 6, 2020. This vinyl was to be limited to 2,000 copies worldwide, with all pre-orders accompanied by an immediate download of the track. Its artwork consisted of an original watercolor piece painted by the vocalist. A music video based on the single's artwork was created by Zev Deans, which utilized watercolor self-portraits created by Manson. For unknown reasons, the 7" vinyl release was canceled, and the song and its music video were removed from all download, streaming and video hosting services shortly after release. Manson had previously recorded a version of The Doors' song "Five to One", released as a b-side on their 2000 single "Disposable Teens". Manson later performed "Five to One" – as well as "Love Me Two Times" and "People Are Strange" – alongside Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger at the 2012 Sunset Strip Music Festival. In 2016, Manson also performed "Not to Touch the Earth" with guitarist Johnny Depp during an event at Amoeba Music.
