| "A Movie Script Ending" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Death Cab for Cutie | ||||
| from the album The Photo Album | ||||
| Released | February 8, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | Spring 2001 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Ben Gibbard | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Walla | |||
| Death Cab for Cutie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"A Movie Script Ending" is a song recorded by the American rock band Death Cab for Cutie for their third studio album, The Photo Album (2001). It was released as the lead single from The Photo Album on February 8, 2002 through Barsuk Records.
"A Movie Script Ending" was written by frontman Ben Gibbard shortly after he moved to Seattle from the band's hometown of Bellingham, Washington. He found himself nostalgic for the simpler times the group had in the quieter college town. [2] The song's lyrics features numerous references to Bellingham; examples include "the air on Railroad" and "the shopfronts on Holly," Railroad and Holly being two intersecting streets in downtown Bellingham. The song also refers to The Beaver Inn with the line: "We peered through the windows, new bottoms on barstools but the people remain the same, with prices inflating." The song's arrangement has evolved in the years since its release, at least when played live by the group: typically, live renditions tend to be slightly faster. [3] A band demo of the song was later included on the twentieth anniversary reissue of The Photo Album in 2021. [4]
The song's music video was directed by Josh Melnick and Xander Charity. "A Movie Script Ending" was the band's second music video; it was preceded by an obscure home-made clip for "I Was A Kaleidoscope". [5] Ian Cohen extolled the video in a review for Uproxx, calling it "a monumentally sad visual [...] the simplest video they’ve ever made and the only one that actually enhanced its underlying narrative." [6]
"A Movie Script Ending" was released through the band's overseas distributor Fierce Panda in the United Kingdom. [7] It became a fan favorite quickly, [8] garnering airplay and becoming the band's song to chart, reaching number 123 on the UK Singles Chart. Gibbard has called it one of his personal favorite songs by the band. [9]
It was the first of three songs by the band to be included on the television show The O.C. , appearing in the episode "The Escape". [10] Representatives from Fox Broadcasting Company contacted Barsuk head Josh Rosenfield to license the track. "We were just blown away. 'Somebody’s licensing one of our songs, and they’re gonna pay us real money?'" Gibbard remembered. The band also supplied an acoustic rendition of the song for the 2004 film Wicker Park . [11]
Pitchfork Media writer Joe Tangari considered it a logical extension of their previous work, complimenting its "spacious drumming, intertwining guitar arpeggios and Gibbard's impassioned tenor." [12] Stereogum columnist Chris DeVille wrote that "Rarely have Death Cab been more potent than on 'A Movie Script Ending'." [5]
The song was ranked #333 in Pitchfork's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s. [13]
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) [14] | 123 |
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr (drums).
Benjamin Gibbard is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup The Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives, in 2012, and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I'm Gone (2009) with Jay Farrar.
Something About Airplanes is the debut studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released August 18, 1998, on Barsuk Records. A tenth-anniversary edition of the album was released November 25, 2008, featuring redesigned artwork, liner notes by Sean Nelson, and a bonus disc including the band's first ever Seattle performance at the Crocodile Cafe in February 1998.
Transatlanticism is the fourth studio album by rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on October 7, 2003, by Barsuk Records. At this point in their career, the group had toured and recorded for nearly a half-decade. With tensions rising, the band decided to take time away from one another; notably, Ben Gibbard collaborated with electronic musician Dntel, and released an album, Give Up, under the name the Postal Service. Death Cab regrouped in late 2002 to create Transatlanticism, which was recorded in a leisurely manner over five-day stretches until June 2003.
We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes is the second studio album by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on March 21, 2000, through Barsuk Records. The band, which originally included singer-songwriter Ben Gibbard, guitarist/producer Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good, formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. Their debut studio album, Something About Airplanes, was released in 1998 through Barsuk, after which Good exited the band. Between the two albums, both Gibbard and Walla released music via side projects, ¡All-Time Quarterback! and Martin Youth Auxiliary, respectively.
You Can Play These Songs with Chords is an early (1996-97) demo from the rock band Death Cab for Cutie, which at the time consisted entirely of founder Ben Gibbard. This demo was originally released on cassette by Elsinor Records. It proved so popular, Gibbard recruited other musicians to make a full band, which would go on to record Something About Airplanes, the band's debut studio album.
The Photo Album is the third studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released October 9, 2001 on Barsuk Records.
The Forbidden Love EP is an EP by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released October 24, 2000, on Barsuk Records.
All-Time Quarterback was a solo side-project of Ben Gibbard, best known as the singer/guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie and as one third of the Postal Service.
Christopher Ryan Walla is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie.
Plans is the fifth studio album by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released August 30, 2005 on Atlantic Records. Emerging from the Pacific Northwest in the early 2000s, Death Cab first rose to prominence on the strength of its confessional lyricism and textured indie rock sound. Following a longstanding partnership with indie label Barsuk, the band made the leap to a major label, Atlantic, for Plans. The LP was the band's first time recording outside of their Seattle home; it was produced at Long View Farm, a rural Massachusetts property.
Jason McGerr is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie.
"I Will Follow You into the Dark" is a song by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie, the third single from their fifth album, Plans, released in 2005.
"Soul Meets Body" is a song recorded by the American rock band Death Cab for Cutie for their fifth studio album Plans (2005). It was released as the lead single from Plans on July 16, 2005, through Atlantic Records. Death Cab for Cutie emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the early aughts and built a following with its confessional lyricism and straightforward indie rock sound. "Soul Meets Body" was their first single for Atlantic, the major label with which they signed in 2004. The song is thematically existential, examining the intersection of soul and body though a relationship metaphor.
Death Cab for Cutie has released ten studio albums, five extended plays (EPs), a demo tape, a digital album, one live album, thirty-two singles, nine music videos, and two DVDs. Death Cab for Cutie is an American indie rock group from Bellingham, Washington and was formed in 1997 by Ben Gibbard as a side project from Pinwheel. After releasing a demo tape, he added guitarist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good to the band. Death Cab signed to Barsuk Records and released four extended plays (EPs) and four studio albums through the label. The fourth album, Transatlanticism, reached number 97 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified gold in the United States. The group also issued nine singles and a demo tape through Barsuk.
"The Ghosts of Beverly Drive" is a song by American indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It is the second single from their eighth studio album Kintsugi.
"Northern Lights" is a song recorded by the American rock band Death Cab for Cutie for their seventh studio album, Thank You for Today (2018). It was released as the third single from Thank You for Today on November 16, 2018, through Atlantic Records.
Asphalt Meadows is the tenth studio album by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on September 16, 2022, through Atlantic Records.
"Here to Forever" is a song by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie, the fifth track on their tenth studio album, Asphalt Meadows (2022). It was released as the second single from Asphalt Meadows on July 13, 2022, through Atlantic Records.
"Stay Young, Go Dancing" is a song recorded by the American rock band Death Cab for Cutie for their seventh studio album, Codes and Keys (2011). It was released as the third single from Codes and Keys on September 26, 2011, through Atlantic Records.
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