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SongsAbbey RoadThe End
Abbey Road album cover

The End

1969 · Abbey Road

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”

McCartney composition closing the Abbey Road side-two medley, credited Lennon-McCartney. Features the only drum solo Ringo recorded on a Beatles record and a three-way guitar duel between Paul, George, and John trading two-bar phrases.

What is unique about this song?

The record has a three-way guitar duel (Paul, George, John take turns on lead).

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What happened around it?

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The band were recording 'Sun King' and 'Mean Mr. Mustard' in the same days. By the time they cut it, work on Abbey Road had been going five months. In the run-up to Abbey Road's release, Lennon privately announced he was leaving.

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'Got to Get You into My Life' plays G → G7 → C → G7 → C → G7 → C → G7 and 'The End' plays A → A7 → D7 → A7 → D7 → A7 → D7 → A7: the same progression in different keys.

Got to Get You into My LifeC → C → F → C → F → C → F → C
Year1969
AlbumAbbey Road
Track16 · Side 2
Duration2:19
Songwriter(s)McCartneyCredited as Lennon-McCartney
Lead VocalPaul
RecordedJuly 23 – August 18, 1969
ReleasedSeptember 26, 1969

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Text70 tags

Among its motifs are philosophy and love. It is not the first time the Beatles reached for the philosophy motif, and 'There's a Place' and 'Can't Buy Me Love' did, 6 years before. It refers to another Beatles record (functions as band's farewell), something they started 5 years before and went on doing for 12 songs. The language is literary in reach. Oddly enough, the line "In the end" turns up in 4 Beatles songs, among them 'I'll Follow the Sun', 'I'll Get You' and 'I'm a Loser'.

Motif

PhilosophicalLove

Vocabulary

Poetic lyricsPositive tone

Narrative

ConversationalSecond person

Lyrical device

Beatles referenceRhetorical question

Rhyme type

Extrametrical rhymePerfect rhyme

Song form

Through-composedNo verse-chorusMedley

Sections

Has introHas outroHas bridgeSingle verseNo chorusHas interludeHas coda

Section links

Intro based on verse

Repetition

Consecutive lineConsecutive word
Word cloud

Recurring words

dreamsare yoube inmy dreamsthe endthe loveyou loveyou takein the end

Cover-shared words

ahalrightlovemakemyohtaketonightyeahyougonna bein mylove youoh yeahyou make

Lyric shape

to the [NOUN]the [WORD] the [NOUN][WORD] the [NOUN] you [VERB]

Cover-shared shape

[ADJ] to[VERB] you[WORD] theis [ADJ]my [NOUN]the [NOUN]the [WORD]you [VERB][VERB] you [VERB][WORD] the [NOUN]in my [NOUN]in the [WORD]my [NOUN] [ADV]the [WORD] theyou [VERB] you[VERB] you [VERB] youthe [NOUN] you [VERB]

Rhyme scheme

AAAAB

Line length

Unique line length

Distinctive word

equal
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Music251 tags

'The End' is a hard rock piece, written in A major and taken at about 125 BPM. It is furnished with string players, something the Beatles had reached for on 'Penny Lane' 3 years earlier, and it is counted partly in 3/4. Also, it has a guitar solo. Listen for a hemiola, three against two in the rhythm (the closing section regroups the beat against the metre, turning the tempo down into the coda). This is through-composed, meaning no section comes back, one of eight, such as 'You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)' and 'Revolution 9'. The coda does not behave like the rest of the song (closing couplet distinct from rest). The chords run B → E → A/C♯ → B/F♯ → A7 → D7, the same shape 'When I Get Home' plays as A → D9 → G → A → G → C. 'I'm Looking Through You' plays Am → Cadd9 → G → Cadd9 → G and this song plays Dm7/F → F → C/E → F → C/E, the same progression in different keys.

Arrangement

Lead vocalsBacking vocalsElectric guitarLead guitarRhythm guitarBass guitarPianoDrumsPercussionTambourineViolinViolaCelloDouble bassTrumpetTromboneFrench hornBass trombone

Instrument group

GuitarsOrchestralStringBrassKeyboardsPercussion

Guitar work

Guitar solo

Bass work

Stepwise bass line

Drum work

Drum solo

Music genre

Hard rockRock

Vocal work

Aah vocals

Solo / Riff

Guitar soloDrum soloSolo on verse

Melody

Hemiola

Tempo

Upbeat

Key

A majorKey change

Time signature

3/44/4

Song form

Through-composedNo verse-chorusMedley

Sections

Has introHas soloMultiple solos (2+)Has outroHas bridgeSingle verseNo chorusHas interludeHas instrumentalHas codaThrough-composed

Section traits

Unique outroUnique coda

Section links

Intro based on verseSolo on verse

Section transition

I to IIV to I

Harmony

Circle of fifthsParallel harmonyChromatic mediantModal mixtureBorrowed chordPerfect cadenceSecondary dominantBackdoor cadencePlagal cadencePedal point

Composition

No dominantAll natural rootsNo subdominantTonic openingNon-tonic endingVerse in IBridge in ITonic verseTonic bridge

Mode

LydianIonianMixolydian

Chord type

majorminordom7min7slash chord

Scale degree

II7IIii7ii♭III♭iiiiiiIV7IViv7V♭VIVIvi7♭VII♭VII7

Chord degree

I–IV–II–VIV–IIII–III–VI–III–♭VIII–IV–III–IVII–V–IV–IV–I–III–I–IVIV–I–♭VII♭VII–Ivi–iiiii–iiVI–IVI–IIV–IV–I–IVI–IV–IV–I–IV–Iii–viIV–I–♭VII–IIV–iii–iiI–I–IV–IIV–I–IV–I–♭VIII–I–IV–I–IV–III–V–I–IV–Ivi–ii–IVI–I–IV–I–IV–I–IV–IIV–I–IV–I–♭VII–IIV–I–III–I–IV–Iiii–ii–viii–IVIV–II–V♭VII–I–IVIV–iiiI–IV–I–♭VIIii–IV–II–♭VII–I–IVIV–II–V–III–V–I–IV

Chord shape

C → F → D → GC → AC → F → B♭C → B♭C → GC → DC → FC → F → G → FC → D → CC → F → GC → F → DC7 → F7C → CC → B♭ → E♭C → B♭ → C → FC → D → GC → G → FC/E → FC → G/BAm → CAm → DmAm → EmAm → GmC → BmC → A♭C → C → FC → F → B♭ → FC → C7C → F → CC → F → B♭ → E♭C → A → D → GC → D → G → DAm → C → G → CC → C → F → CC7 → F7 → CC → C → F → C → F → CC → F → B♭ → E♭ → B♭Am → Gm → DmAm → Em → AmAm → Em7C → F/AC → C → F → C → F → C → F → CC → F → B♭ → C → B♭ → E♭C → G → C → G → F → GAm → C → G → C → GAm → Gm → Dm → GmAm → Em → Am → CC → B♭ → E♭ → B♭Am → Dm → F → CAm → C → GC7 → G → G7C → A → DC7 → GC → G → GC7 → G7C → F → C → B♭C → G → F → GAm → Dm → FC → G → C → G → FC → C7 → F7C → Bm → Am

Chord literal

A → D → B → EE → AF → CB → EA → DB → AA → D → BA → BA → AA → A7B♭ → C → FC → B♭C → FAm → DmEm → DmF → EmD → AA → D → AD → BA → A → DDm → F → CF → C → B♭Dm → AmF → Em → DmAm → Dm → FEm → Dm → Am → DmAm → Dm → F → CC → B♭ → C → FB♭ → C → F → CB♭ → CA7 → D7B → A → D → AA → A → D → AA7 → D7 → AB → E → AE → A → DE → A → D → AD → B → EDm → FB → E → A → DE → A → BD → A → AD7 → A7D7 → AA → FD → B → E → A
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Studio13 tags

Backing track cut at EMI Studio 2. The closing couplet was added later with a 30-piece orchestral overdub of strings and brass. Lennon and McCartney each played one in the three-way solo trade-off, and the Beatles used close mic'ing on it, as on 42 of their records. Counting the 30 songs they began recording in 1969, this was the 25th, and the 208th they ever made.

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Info14 tags

The track came out with Abbey Road on September 26, 1969. This track was the 23rd of 26 released in that year, and the 199th of the Beatles' career.

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Sources & references

Tags on this page are original analysis, transcribed and cross-checked against the fine work of others: Alan W. Pollack's “Notes on…” series, the Beatles Complete Scores (Hal Leonard), Mark Lewisohn's session histories, Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, Dave Rybaczewski's Beatles Music History and Andy Babiuk's Beatles Gear for the instruments and studio equipment, and others besides - then verified by ear against the recordings. Full bibliography: Sources & thanks.

External entity links: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz recording · MusicBrainz work · Wikidata

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