Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.
“The End” is the kind of anthemic creation that many bands hope to achieve once in their career. The Doors did it right out of the gate. It has incredible depth and maturity in both the songwriting and instrumentation. And it came off their self-titled debut LP, an album that would be another band’s greatest hits compilation.
“The End” was well-suited for the storyline and mood of Apocalypse Now. It does things musically that no other song has done. In rock history, you’ll be hard pressed to find another track that makes tambourine and hi-hat hits not just integral pieces, but the driving force behind the music. “The End” is also a vocal playground - leading us in a hazy psychedelic fog with Morrison’s slow meanderings and vocal spats and outbursts. The irony of it all is that “The End” isn’t so much a final statement as it is a beginning of new ideas and expressions.
“The end of our elaborate plans. The end of everything that stands.”