The End (The Beatles song)

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"The End"
Song by The Beatles
From the album Abbey Road
Album released	September 26 1969
Genre	Rock
Song Length	02:19
Record label	Apple Records
Producer	George Martin
Abbey Road Album Listing
Carry That Weight (Track 15)	The End (Track 16)	Her Majesty (Track 17)

"The End" is the last song recorded by the Beatles. Composed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, it was the final song ever recorded collectively by all four Beatles, and was released on Abbey Road (1969) as the final song of the climactic medley, and the final full piece from the last album they recorded. Ringo Starr quit the band during its recording for four days before returning to finish the album. It is seen by many as a fittingly grandiose finish to their career.

While "The End" was initially intended to be the final track on Abbey Road, it is followed by Her Majesty by mistake. The latter was added to the end of the master tape by tape operator, John Kurlander, instead of deleting it as Paul McCartney wished. When McCartney heard this unfinished pastiche at the end of the record, he thought it was a more fitting end to the Beatles' career, which was disintegrating during the recording of Abbey Road.

The album's preceding track, "Carry That Weight", segues into "The End". The song is unique in that it features Ringo Starr's only drum solo in the Beatles' catalogue. Starr hated solos and had to be persuaded to do it. Additionally, there are three extended guitar solos performed in turn by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon, although it is not positively known when each one begins and finishes. Each had a distinctive style which McCartney felt reflected their personalities.

The final line, "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make", in the view of many fans, captures the essence of the Beatles' message. An alternate version of the song (with additional George Harrison guitar work and George Martin orchestration not in the released version) appears on the Beatles Anthology 3 CD.

External links

• [Lyrics]

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