I’m still a little reluctant to post a diary whose title is in the form of a question, as BFSkinner/CameronProf often did. There’s a void now for which there is no direct replacement.
That said, I would like to know what song endings you dig.
What exactly makes a good song ending? I mean, there are the long and grandiose endings, such as in Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”, or Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “Paradise City”, and yes, those are good, and a lot of people will cite things like that when you ask them for good endings.
But for me, “good endings” seem to come in two varieties: 1) short and sweet, and 2) a changed-up segment at the end that adds something to the song.
In the short-and-sweet category, it’s hard to come up with a more iconic ending than the one-second burst at the end of Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks”. I think what makes it good is that it’s almost random and yet you can’t imagine the song without it:
It’s such a quintessential ending that it got picked up (rather hilariously, I’d say) by Liz Phair at the end of her song called “Jealousy”. Phair’s first album, “Exile In Guyville”, which came out thirty years ago now (!), was supposed to be a song-by-song response to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile On Main Street”, so I think the ending to “Jealousy” is Phair perhaps making fun of herself a little bit with this micro-”response” to Led Zeppelin, but it also supplies an even randomer context for the mini-guitar riff. The fact that it comes out of truly nowhere makes me laugh:
Another terrific short ending is the one that concludes Sufjan Stevens’ “Casimir Pulaski Day”. While the Zeppelin ending seems almost random, the Stevens ending needs the rest of the song to set it up. This is a cathartic (and excellent) song about losing a significant other to bone cancer at a young age and trying to make sense of it from a lot of different angles. You need the whole weight of the song to set up the perfect ending, just a simple guitar strum. Another very good single second of music:
And of course you absolutely can’t leave out the crashing gong at the end of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” that implies what became of our pro(?)tagonist. Any way the wind blows …. pshhhhhhhh. There’s another one where you need the weight of the song to set that up.
But of course sometimes a great “ending” can be a lot longer. I like to say that the single minute that set the tone for ‘90s post-grunge pop/alternative radio is the final one of The Cranberries’ “Dreams” (and R.I.P. Dolores O'Riordan). Here was something that could have pop appeal and yet be a little different. This came out in 1992, and it along with the Breeders’ “Cannonball” got played to death on both coasts, but it was the start of a really good 5-year run for a kinder, gentler “alternative” music:
I have a soft spot for cathartic songs. “Sad songs say so much”, as someone once said. “Hey, won’t you play another somebody-done-somebody-wrong song,” as someone else once said. I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve in real life, but those kinds of songs give me an outlet.
Well, in 2017, First Aid Kit, a band with lots of other great songs, released their fourth album, “Ruins”, and on this album was “Hem Of Her Dress”, which I’m choosing specifically because of its ending. The song was written almost spontaneously by singer Klara Söderberg after a tough breakup. “You say you’ve found yourself; oh, in someone else,” she laments. But the end of the song turns her pain into an almost euphoric drunken singalong. That’s the way to do it, Klara! We’re all here to help….
Other endings I’d like to acknowledge for various reasons:
Simon & Garfunkel — “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Led Zeppelin — “Going To California”
Stone Temple Pilots — “Seven Caged Tigers”
The Doors — “The Unknown Soldier”
Nancy Sinatra — “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’”
Tanya Donelly — “Far Away And Hard To See”
The Sundays — “Joy”
Neko Case — “Fox Confessor Brings The Flood”
Depeche Mode — “Somebody”
Melanie — “Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)”
Captain & Tenille — “Love Will Keep Us Together”
Whew! So … how about you?
Wishing you a delightful Fourth of July. We will keep this country together, and the insanity will eventually pass….