"End of the Night" | ||||
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Single by the Doors | ||||
from the album The Doors | ||||
A-side | "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" | |||
Released | January 1, 1967 | |||
Recorded | August 1966 | |||
Studio | Sunset Sound Recorders Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | Psychedelia [1] | |||
Length | 2:49 [2] | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | The Doors [2] | |||
Producer(s) | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
The Doors singles chronology | ||||
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"End of the Night" is a song by the American psychedelic rock band the Doors. It was featured on the band's debut album and then released as the B-side to the album's first single, "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" in January 1967.
After the band's rise to fame the song was rarely played live in concert; it has since been included in box sets released over the years by the band.
"End of the Night" is essentially a psychedelic track, [1] notated in the key of E Minor, with Jim Morrison's vocal range spanning from D4 to G5. It is also performed throughout in 4/4 time. [3] The song was written in the band's early days, before guitarist Robby Krieger had joined the group. It was recorded in 1965 by the band in an attempt to land a deal with Aura Records; however the band failed to get signed. In 1966, when they were signed to Elektra Records, the song was recorded for their self-titled debut album. [4] In the album recording, Krieger provided a distinct slide guitar, tuned in a minor tuning. [5] [6] [7] As Krieger himself explained, "I'd try different tunings until one worked". [8]
Although the songwriting credit was given to all four members of the Doors, [2] the lyrics were written by lead singer Jim Morrison. [9] Its title is derived from the 1932 French novel Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine. [10] The line "Some are born to sweet delight; some are born to endless night" are lifted from a William Blake poem "Auguries of Innocence", written in 1803 and published in 1863. [9]
Chart (1967) | Position |
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US Billboard Hot 100 | 126 [11] |
The song was chosen as the B-side to the album's first single, "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" and was released in January 1967. The single, however, failed to become a success and only peaked at number 126 in the U.S. [11] Reviewing the "Break on Through" single, Cash Box said that "End of the Night" is a "bluesy shuffler that also merits watching." [12]
PopMatters critic Andy Hermann declared "End of the Night" as one of the "weirder" and moodier songs in the Doors' catalogue. [13] In an AllMusic album review of The Doors, critic Richie Unterberger described the song's melody as being "mysterious", and noted that it was one of several tunes of the album besides "Light My Fire" that "also had hit potential". [14] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised Krieger’s guitar solo, for being "sufficiently trippy," but he wrote that the song was "less ambitious (and less successful)" than the other album tracks. [15] Sputnikmusic reviewer Ian Philips noted that the "dreamy, mysterious 'End of the Night'" highlights "the group's remarkable affinity for shrewd, poetic, profound lyrics." [16]
Personnel are taken from the 50th anniversary edition of The Doors and the 2001 book The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Der Doors: [17] [18]
The Doors is the debut studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on January 4, 1967, by Elektra Records. It was recorded in August 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California, under the production of Paul A. Rothchild. The album features the extended version of the band's breakthrough single "Light My Fire" and the lengthy closer "The End" with its Oedipal spoken word section. Various publications, including BBC and Rolling Stone, have ranked The Doors as one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Strange Days is the second studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on September 25, 1967, by Elektra Records. After the successful release of The Doors, the band started experimenting with new and old material as well in early 1967 for this second record. Upon release, Strange Days reached number three on the US Billboard 200, and eventually earned RIAA platinum certification. It contains the two Top 30 hit singles, "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times".
Waiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released by Elektra Records on July 3, 1968. The album's 11 tracks were recorded between January and May 1968 at TTG Studios in Los Angeles. It became the band's only number one album, topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks, while also including their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". The first single released off the record was "The Unknown Soldier", which peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it reached number 16.
Robert Alan Krieger is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". When the Doors disbanded following the death of lead singer Jim Morrison, Krieger continued to perform and record with other musicians including former Doors bandmates John Densmore and Ray Manzarek.
The Soft Parade is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on July 18, 1969, by Elektra Records. Most of the album was recorded following a grueling tour during which the band was left with little time to compose new material. Record producer Paul A. Rothchild recommended a total departure from the Doors' first three albums: develop a fuller sound by incorporating brass and string arrangements provided by Paul Harris. Lead singer Jim Morrison, who was dealing with personal issues and focusing more on his poetry, was less involved in the songwriting process, allowing guitarist Robby Krieger to increase his own creative output.
L.A. Woman is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on April 19, 1971, by Elektra Records. It is the last to feature lead singer Jim Morrison during his lifetime, due to his sudden death exactly two months and two weeks following the album's release. Even more so than its predecessors, the album is heavily influenced by blues. It was recorded without record producer Paul A. Rothchild after he quit the band over a perceived lack of quality in their studio performances. Subsequently, the band co-produced the album with longtime sound engineer Bruce Botnick.
"Moonlight Drive" is a song by American rock band the Doors, released in 1967 on their second album Strange Days. It was edited to a 2:16 length for the 45 rpm single B-side of "Love Me Two Times". Though a conventional blues arrangement, the track's defining feature was its slightly off-beat rhythm, and Robby Krieger's "bottleneck" or slide guitar, which creates an eerie sound.
Other Voices is the seventh studio album by the Doors, released by Elektra Records in October 1971. It was the first album released by the band following the death of lead singer Jim Morrison in July 1971 with keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger sharing lead vocals. Tracks for the album had begun before Morrison's death and the band hoped that Morrison would return from Paris to finish them.
"Peace Frog" is a song by the Doors, which was released on their fifth studio album Morrison Hotel in 1970. Guitarist Robby Krieger explained that the music was written and recorded first, with the lyrics later coming from poems by singer Jim Morrison. Although the song was never released as a single in the US, it was issued as the B-side of "You Make Me Real" in France.
"Five to One" is a song by American rock band the Doors, from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. The song's lyrics were written by lead singer Jim Morrison, though the songwriting credit identified each member of the Doors as songwriters.
"Love Me Two Times" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. First appearing on their second studio album Strange Days, it was later edited to a 2:37 length and released as the second single from that album. The single reached number 25 on the charts in the United States.
"Back Door Man" is a blues song written by American musician Willie Dixon and recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1960. The lyrics draw on a Southern U.S. cultural term for an extramarital affair. The song is one of several Dixon-Wolf songs that became popular among rock musicians, including the Doors who recorded it for their 1967 self-titled debut album.
"The Crystal Ship" is a song by American rock band the Doors, from their 1967 debut album The Doors, and the B-side of the number-one hit single "Light My Fire". It was composed as a love song to Jim Morrison's first serious girlfriend, Mary Werbelow, shortly after their relationship ended.
Live at the Hollywood Bowl is the third official live album by the American rock band the Doors, released in May 1987 by Elektra Records. The concert was recorded on July 5, 1968, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the Doors' hometown.
"When the Music's Over" is an epic song by the American rock band the Doors, which appears on their second album Strange Days, released in 1967. It is among the band's longer pieces, lasting 11 minutes.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American rock band the Doors, released in 1980. The album, along with the film Apocalypse Now, released the previous year, created for the band an entirely new audience of the generation that did not grow up with the Doors. The album went on to become one of the highest-selling compilations of all time, with combined CD and vinyl sales of 5,000,000 in the United States alone.
"People Are Strange" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears on the band's second studio album, Strange Days, released in September 1967. The song was written by the Doors' vocalist Jim Morrison and guitarist Robby Krieger, although all of the band are credited on the sleeve notes.
"Tell All the People" is a song by American rock band the Doors and was written by band guitarist Robby Krieger. It was the A-side backed with "Easy Ride" – an outtake from Waiting for the Sun recorded in March 1968 – and was released in June 1969. Also known as "Follow Me Down" due to the use of the phrase, it was the third single from the Doors' fourth album The Soft Parade. The song's instrumentation incorporates brass instruments and other orchestral instruments.
"Soul Kitchen" is a song by the Doors from their self-titled debut album The Doors. Singer Jim Morrison wrote the lyrics as a tribute to the soul food restaurant Olivia's in Venice Beach, California. Because he often stayed too late, the staff had to kick him out, thus the lines "let me sleep all night, in your soul kitchen".
The Future Starts Here: The Essential Doors Hits is a compilation album by the rock band the Doors. It was released in the U.S. in 2008 to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary and contains new stereo audio mixes of the songs.
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