The End: Introduction

And so it was to pass. The Beatles sang their last song together as a band, “The End.” This was also destined to be the last song of the long medley on side 2 of their Abbey Road album. But then again, that’s fitting for a number of reasons. “The End” closes the chapter on what has been a remarkable success story indeed!

However, there’s a twist to this. It wasn’t actually the last song on the Abbey Road record. After a 14-second silence, another song kicks in. That song is “Her Majesty.” The song is by Paul McCartney, which he wanted deleted from the disc. But whether it was by design or a mistake, this “hidden track” became the last song on the album.

In Detail

• Release Date: September 26, 1969 (UK), October 1, 1969 (US)
• Recorded: July 23–August 18, 1969
• Studio: EMI Studios, London
• Genre: Rock
• Track Duration: 2:20
• Record Label: Apple
• Songwriters: Lennon-McCartney
• Producer: George Martin
• Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald

Performers And Instruments

• Paul McCartney: lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, piano, also a guitar solo
• John Lennon: backing vocals, rhythm guitar, also a guitar solo
• George Harrison: backing vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, as well as a guitar solo
• Ringo Starr: drums, backing vocals on the “Love you” chorus
• George Martin: orchestration

Where To Find “The End”

You can still buy this song on the following albums:

**Buy both albums if you are a record collector, but the original version is on the Abbey Road album.

The End: Background

Although the Abbey Road album does close rather fittingly with “Her Majesty,” “The End” was officially to be the final track of the medley on side two. It was indeed the end of an era, but these were living legends, and the world knew it.

Paul McCartney composed “The End,” and the song includes a unique drum solo from Ringo Starr.

“Ringo would never do drum solos. He hated drummers who did lengthy drum solos. We all did. And when he joined The Beatles, we said, “Ah, what about drum solos then?” thinking he might say, “Yeah, I’ll have a five-hour one in the middle of your set,” and he said, “I hate ’em!” We said, “Great! We love you!” And so he would never do them.

But because of this medley, I said, “Well, a token solo?” and he really dug his heels in and didn’t want to do it. But after a little bit of gentle persuasion, I said, “Yeah, just do that; it wouldn’t be Buddy Rich gone mad,” because I think that’s what he didn’t want to do.”

Paul McCartney
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn

Guitar Sparring

As well as the solo drumming from Ringo Starr, “The End” features some guitar sparring from Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison. Geoff Emerick explains things neatly here:

“The idea for guitar solos was very spontaneous, and everybody said, ‘Yes! Definitely’—well, except for George, who was a little apprehensive at first. But he saw how excited John and Paul were, so he went along with it. Truthfully, I think they rather liked the idea of playing together, not really trying to outdo one another per se, but engaging in some real musical bonding.

Yoko was about to go into the studio with John—this was commonplace by now—and he actually told her, ‘No, not now. Let me just do this. It’ll just take a minute.’ That surprised me a bit. Maybe he felt like he was returning to his roots with the boys—who knows?

The order was Paul first, then George, then John, and they went back and forth. They ran down their ideas a few times, and before you knew it, they were ready to go. Their amps were lined up together, and we recorded their parts on one track.

You could really see the joy in their faces as they played; it was like they were teenagers again. One take was all we needed. The musical telepathy between them was mind-boggling.”

Recording Studio

The Beatles started recording “The End” on July 23, 1969, at EMI Studios, London. They recorded seven takes, with the last one being the best because Ringo’s drum solo effort gradually got better over time.

However, this master track was only one minute and thirty seconds long. The total length of the song ended up at two minutes and twenty seconds due to the inclusion of the sparring guitars and a few more extras, such as the orchestral finale.

“The orchestral overdub for The End was the most elaborate I have ever heard: a 30-piece playing for not too many seconds and mixed about 40 dBs down. It cost a lot of money; all the musicians have to be paid, fed, and watered; I screw every pound note out of it whenever I play the record.”

Alan Brown, engineer
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn

On the 5th, 15th, and 18th of August 1969, further recording of vocals and instrumentation took place for the song, which originally had the simple name “Ending.” The curtain was coming down on the Beatles’ stage, but the individual band members continued to satisfy audiences the world over when they went their separate ways.

The End Lyrics

The lyrics are simple enough, but with the drum solo and guitar sparring, the song marks the end of a fantastic journey by the Fab Four.

Oh yeah, all right
Are you going to be in my dreams tonight?

[Drum solo][Guitar solos]

And in the end, the love you take
Is equal to the love you make.

Take A Listen

Finally, take time out and listen to the band’s last recorded song together as a group. Then, give us a review of the song and your impressions of the final chapter. Luckily, the comments section below is not the end, because we have a massive Beatles Forum to explore!