"Don't Let It End" is the third track and the second top 10 single on the 1983 album '' Kilroy Was Here'', by

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, ...

. The song was written and sung by

Dennis DeYoung Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx, and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was th ...

. The track is a mid-tempo ballad about one who breaks up with a lover and pleads to get the person back. The song reached No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the week of July 2, 1983''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - and No. 56 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It also reached No. 15 on the Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singles chart the week of July 2, 1983. At the time, it was the seventh Styx single to peak in the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. '' Cash Box'' noted that the song is "a return to eYoung'ssoft romantic side" after the more futuristic " Mr. Roboto and that guitarist Tommy Shaw "breaks up the weak-kneed plea with sturdy rock guitar work." According to Dennis DeYoung in a 2005 interview with classicrockrevisited.com, the track was originally slated as the first single from ''Kilroy Was Here'' until the staff at A&M suggested " Mr. Roboto".

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

criticized the compilation album ''

Come Sail Away – The Styx Anthology ''Come Sail Away – The Styx Anthology'' is a greatest hits album by Styx, released on May 4, 2004. It is a compilation consisting of two compact discs and contains a thorough history of the band. The album encompasses many of the band's most po ...

'' for excluding this song. Despite the song's enormous success, along with " Show Me the Way", " Babe" and " The Best of Times" it has not been performed live by the band since singer

was dismissed in 1999. DeYoung, however, still performs the song regularly on his solo tours.

Video

The video of the track was directed by Brian Gibson. It starts out with Dennis portraying Kilroy looking at a picture of a girlfriend he lost (the picture is of Dennis' wife in real life, Suzanne) and then gets up to go in another room which morphs into the prison that his character of Kilroy was in. Then Dennis morphs into the Kilroy as prisoner character and joins the members of Styx who play prisoners in the video performing the track and then the end shows Dennis as he appeared at the intro. The reprise of the track was more to do with not letting rock and roll die and had a teaser of the riff to "Mr. Roboto" before ending like a 50s rocker with Tommy Shaw singing the first section and DeYoung the finale. The live version ends with the ending guitar chords from "Twist and Shout".

Personnel

- lead vocals, keyboards * Tommy Shaw - lead guitar, backing vocals * James "J.Y." Young - rhythm guitar *

Chuck Panozzo Charles Salvatore Panozzo (born September 20, 1948) is an American musician best known as a co-founder of the rock band Styx. He is currently a part-time bass player in the band, sharing bass duties with Ricky Phillips. Panozzo suffers from HIV ...

- bass *

John Panozzo John Anthony Panozzo (September 20, 1948 – July 16, 1996) was an American drummer best known for his work with rock band Styx. Early life and career Panozzo grew up in the Roseland neighborhood, the south side of Chicago, Illinois, with his ...

- drums

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Let It End 1983 singles Styx (band) songs Songs written by Dennis DeYoung A&M Records singles 1980s ballads 1983 songs