Stephanie G. Mathis The last thing that you consider when writing a song may be the last word your listeners will hear. There’s definitely something to be said about leaving a positive impression or ending on a high note! The final breath in your song is more important than most artists realize.
It can be difficult to decide how to end a song, especially when preparing for a live performance with your band. Here are ten interesting and fun ways to end the song you started, whether you’re on stage or behind the mixing desk.
Trash can cacophony
The drummer will signal to everyone to stop.
Here, the excess is the best. Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” and Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy are perfect.
Subtraction
This is a subtler method whereby parts are removed one by one until only the bare minimum remains.
You can hear this in Old Town Road – remix by Lil X X (feat. Billy Rae Cyrus’s beat returns to the strangely addictive scratchy vocal/guitar sample. When Lil Nas X & Billy perform this song live, Lil Nas X & Billy ends hard, but I guess that’s how biz.
A great example is “This Is America” by Childish Gamino. It starts with a detuned kick beat, followed by a solo vocal line, then isolated kick/claps/synth notes/off vox. This keeps it poignant as Childish runs to save his life.
A capella
It is always effective to end with your voice. It can be a solo voice, like Billie Eilish, who ends her song ‘Bellyache’ by saying, ‘Now I have a stomachache.’ Or it can be a four-part harmony with the entire band on a shared microphone in Aerosmith’s ‘Love in an Elevator.’
You can go epic by using the entire town as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis did with ‘Downtown’ (feat. Eric Nally. Melle Mel. Grandmaster Caz. Kool Dee. Special mention to Tom’s Diner, by Suzanne Vega. She ends the song acapella with the vocal riff and then sings the entire shtick solo!
False/trick ending
It’s not a joke, but a funny ending! Fatboy Slim’s ‘Weapon of Choice,’ featuring the amazing Christopher Walken, has a seemingly hard ending, but after four beats of silence, the air conditioner sample that sounds like Jaws is revealed!
Kanye’s ‘Fade’ also does it; it lurches at the end, with the surprise vocal “I can feel.”
Unresolved chord
The song ends on a chord or note other than the root or tonic. It’s a very effective way to end a song. The “Shake It Off” version by Taylor Swift is a notable example. Olivia Rodrigo also has a “Driving Licence” that uses a subtraction chord first. An unresolved final chord (second inversion Eb minor instead of the home base Bb) leaves us hanging off the edge.
7a. Full fade
Everyone is in, and everyone plays on at the pace set. When the master fader pulls everything down, it’s a recorded music classic. TLC’s “Waterfalls” is a good example.
7b. Full instrumental fade
The chorus ends here, but the instrumentals continue to play with variations indefinitely until they fade out. Toto’s classic “Africa” shows this nicely. The bass will be played up and down the neck. Otherwise, it is almost identical to the original intro.
Guitar oblivion
The outro of “Hotel California” is a prime suspect.
Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side,’ with its crescendo background vocals and rampant saxophone solo, gets an honorable mention. The solo in both of these songs is an important part of the song.
Rubato
Rubato is a way to slow down the pace, either a little bit or a lot, before stopping. It’s worth revisiting Lou Reed. His “Perfect Day is a good example. By Electric Light Orchestra, “So Fine” is a bit more – but it’s not a mistake.
Segue
This is a common and easier way to introduce songs to each other live. Sometimes, you’ll find it in the studio. A classic example comes from the disco era. Gloria Gaynor’s Never Can Say Goodbye has three tracks that are segued together:”—Honey Bee,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and “Reach Out—into a wonderful, continuous disco delight.
This video from 12tone will help you learn more about its techniques.
You should have a few options to finish those songs you left unfinished.
