"End of the Line" is a song by the British-American supergroup the

Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album ' ...

. It was the final track on their debut album ''

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 ''The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1'' is the debut studio album by the English-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys, comprising George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. It was released in October 1988 to commercial success ...

'', released in October 1988. It was also issued in January 1989 as the band's second single. The recording features all the Wilburys except

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

as lead singers;

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has cont ...

and

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

sing the choruses in turn, while

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

sings the verses. The song was mainly written by Harrison and was assigned to his publishing company, Umlaut Corporation. However, all five members of the group received a songwriting credit in keeping with the collaborative concept behind the Wilburys project. In the United States, the single peaked at No. 63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and at No. 2 on the

Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in M ...

chart, blocked from the top spot by both " Driven Out" by

The Fixx The Fixx are a rock band from London, England, founded in 1979. The band's hits include " One Thing Leads to Another", " Saved by Zero", " Are We Ourselves?", and " Secret Separation", each of which charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot ...

and " Working on It" by

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart" known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which t ...

. In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at No. 52 on 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 ...

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for "End of the Line" was directed by

Willy Smax Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scre ...

and filmed in Los Angeles in December 1988. Set in a moving passenger car (carriage) pulled by a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

, it features Dylan playing guitar and session musician

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

(credited as Buster Sidebury on the albums) playing brushes. As Orbison died after recording his vocals but before the video was shot, a shot of a guitar sitting in a rocking chair and a photo of him are shown when his vocals are heard.

Legacy

The song was used over the end credits of the final episode of the British sitcom ''

One Foot in the Grave ''One Foot in the Grave'' is a British television sitcom written by David Renwick. There were six series (each consisting of six half-hour shows) and seven Christmas specials over a period of ten years from early 1990 to late 2000. The first fi ...

'' and the American comedy ''

Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...

''. "End of the Line" appeared in the George Harrison-produced cult comedy '' Checking Out''. The song has also been included in TV spots for the 2004 film ''

The Terminal ''The Terminal'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stanley Tucci. The film is about an Eastern European man who is stuck in New York's John F. Kennedy ...

'', as well as the trailer for the 2007 hit comedy '' Knocked Up''.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...

played this song live during their 2008 North American tour. Harrison was honoured in the parody song "No Where Near the End of My Time" by radio on-air personality

Bob Rivers Robert Rivers (born July 7, 1956 in Branford, Connecticut) is a retired American rock and roll radio on-air personality in the Pacific Northwest, as well as a prolific producer and songwriter of parody songs, most famous for his Christmas son ...

. The song was used on the end credits of the Australian family comedy film '' Red Dog: True Blue'' in 2016 and for an episode of HBO's '' Crashing'' in 2018.

Track listing

7" single, cassette single :A "End of the Line" (LP version) – 3:30 :B "Congratulations" (LP version) – 3:30 12" single, 3" CD single :A "End of the Line" (extended version) – 5:34 :B "Congratulations" (LP version) – 3:29

Personnel

– lead vocals (1st, 4th, and 7th choruses), acoustic guitar,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos t ...

, backing vocals *

– lead vocals (verses), acoustic guitar, backing vocals *

– lead vocals (2nd, 5th, and 6th choruses), electric guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals *

– lead vocals (3rd chorus), acoustic guitar, backing vocals *

– acoustic guitar, backing vocals *

– drums, backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

"End of the Line"
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

{{authority control 1988 songs 1989 singles Traveling Wilburys songs Songs written by George Harrison Songs written by Bob Dylan Songs written by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Roy Orbison Songs written by Tom Petty Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Song recordings produced by George Harrison Music published by Oops Publishing and Ganga Publishing, B.V.