"End of the Beginning" is a song by English

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

, the opening track on their nineteenth studio album, '' 13'' (2013).

Composition

"End of the Beginning" has been described as a doom metal song. According to lyricist

Geezer Butler Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is a English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He has also recorded and performed with Heaven & Hell ...

, the song deals with the fear of how "technology is going to completely take over the human race", inspired particularly by

cloning Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, c ...

: "It seems like eventually, people are going to clone

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

and stuff like that. I mean, it’s already happening now with a "

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

" at Coachella, using holograms. But eventually I think they’ll start cloning people like the Beatles, and sending them out on endless tours." Music Scholar and Black Sabbath fanatic, Nolan Stolz, notes that there are apparent similarities between "End of the Beginning" and "Black Sabbath", the first song off of the first album released by Black Sabbath. It is probable that this was an artistic statement signifying the band getting back to their roots.

Release

"End of the Beginning" was premiered during the finale of season 13 of '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. The band guest starred in the episode, and also appeared in a short interview prior to its release. The song was first performed live on 20 April 2013, on the first of the two Auckland shows in New Zealand. The performance was part of their reunion tour. It was also featured in the end credits of the film ''

This Is the End ''This Is the End'' is a 2013 American apocalyptic stoner action fantasy black comedy film written, directed and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, in their directorial debuts. It is a feature-length film adaptation of the short film ...

''. On 11 June, coinciding with the album's launch, Black Sabbath released a full performance video from the CSI season 13 finale of length 8:20. The single peaked at the number 38 in US Mainstream Rock chart. "End of the Beginning" was ranked the 21st best Black Sabbath song by Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.

Personnel

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

– vocals *

Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...

– guitar *

– bass guitar Additional musician *

Brad Wilk Brad Wilk (born September 5, 1968) is an American drummer. He is best known as a member of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine (1991–2000, 2007–2011, 2019–present), Audioslave (2001–2007, 2017), and Prophets of Rage (2016–2019 ...

– drums

Chart performance

References

{{authority control Black Sabbath songs Songs written by Geezer Butler Songs written by Tony Iommi Songs written by Ozzy Osbourne Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin 2013 songs Republic Records singles 2013 singles