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20 of the best closing tracks from Classic Rock albums
23 February 2025, 10:00
How do you bring the curtain down on a masterpiece? Let's look at the outstanding tracks that closed some classic albums.
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Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Now Baby Blue
- From the album Bringing It All Back Home, released April 1965
After the "electric" experimentation of the opening side, Dylan's fifth album concludes with a series of more traditional acoustic songs, which includes this perfect kiss-off.
Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Official Audio)
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The Beach Boys - Caroline, No
- From the album Pet Sounds, release date 16th May 1966
One of the most romantic albums of all time ends with this heartbreaker: "It's so sad to watch a sweet thing die... Oh, Caroline, why?"
Caroline, No
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The Doors - The End
- From the album The Doors, release date 4th January 1967
Jim Morrison's Oedipal epic was mildly censored on its initial release, but there's no denying the alluring power of this jazz-influenced saga.
The End
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The Beatles - A Day In The Life
- From the album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, release date 26th May 1967
The Fab Four close their landmark album with their masterpiece - the perfect collaboration between John Lennon and Paul McCartney, beautifully orchestrated by producer George Martin.
The Beatles - A Day In The Life
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Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
- From the album Electric Ladyland, release date 16th October 1968
In stark contrast to the bluesy version of Voodoo Chile that opens this ambitious double album, this is a psychedelic maelstrom that proves Hendrix was king of the electric guitar.
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
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The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want
- From the album Let It Bleed, released 5th December 1969
The London Bach Choir offers a feeling of redemption at the climax of one of the Stones' most apocalyptic albums.
The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want
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Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks
- From the album Led Zeppelin IV, release date 8th November 1971
John Bonham's sledgehammer drum beat spawned a thousand samples, calling time on Zeppelin's most accomplished album.
When the Levee Breaks (Remaster)
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The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
- From the album Who's Next, release date 27th August 1971
The epic closer to this 1971 album is the very essence of a great final track, complete with Roger Daltrey's triumphant scream at the climax.
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
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David Bowie - Rock 'N' Roll Suicide
- From the album The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars, release date 16th June 1972
"You're not alone!" Bowie's plea to his audience connected at a deep emotional level with his fans, although in the story of Ziggy Stardust they're the very same fans that ultimately destroy the alien rock star.
Rock 'n' Roll Suicide (2012 Remaster)
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Genesis - Supper's Ready
- From the album Foxtrot, release date 15th September 1972
The British band established themselves as the masters of progressive rock when the second side of their fourth album concluded with this 23-minute, seven-part epic.
Genesis - Supper's Ready [Full Song]
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Pink Floyd - Eclipse
- From the album Dark Side Of The Moon, released 1st March 1983
One of the greatest albums of all time ends with this short track that summarises the themes of life and mortality, winding up with the Abbey Road doorman Gerry O'Driscoll claiming: "There is no dark side in the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun."
Pink Floyd - Eclipse (2023 Remaster)
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Wings - Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
- From the album Band On The Run, release date 30th November 1973
This urgent, piano-led song closes Paul McCartney's masterpiece of an album.
Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five (Remastered 2010)
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Nick Drake - From The Morning
- From the album Pink Moon, release date 25th February 1972
One of the most poignant closing tracks of all - it's the final song on the final Nick Drake album released before his untimely death in November 1974 at the age of 26. The lines "Now we rise / And we are everywhere" were used on the headstone where Drake's ashes were scattered.
From The Morning
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Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland
- From the album Born To Run, release date 25th August 1975
A nine-and-a-half minute epic closes Springsteen's 1975 triumph and showcases the talent of saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
Jungleland
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The Clash - Train In Vain
- From the album London Calling, release date 14th December 1979
The epic double album from the punk pioneers ended with this upbeat track that wasn't listed on the original sleeve.
The Clash - Train in Vain (Official Audio)
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Peter Gabriel - Biko
- From Peter Gabriel III, release date 30th May 1980
Gabriel's impassioned protest at the death of South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko offers an emotional finale to this album's themes of alienation.
Biko
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AC/DC - Rock 'N' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
- From the album Back In Black, release date 25th July 1980
The Aussie legends' big comeback album after the death of singer Bon Scott ends with this rock manifesto.
AC/DC - Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution (Official Video)
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U2 - "40"
- From the album War, release date 28th February 1983
Bono took the words to Psalm 40 from the Bible to cap off U2's leap into the big leagues - the communal chorus in the ending quickly became the traditional climax to the band's live shows.
U2 - "40" (Live From Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado, USA / 1983 / Remastered 2021)
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Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
- From the album Speaking In Tongues, release date 1st June 1983
The art rockers' fifth album spawned the hits Burning Down The House and Slippery People, plus the final track was also issued as a single, which sneaked into the UK charts in January 1984.
Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Official Video)
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Queen - Is This The World We Created...?
- From The Works, release date 27th February 1984
Freddie Mercury and Brian May's plea for humanity gained immortality when they performed this gentle song at Live Aid in July 1985; as a finale to the bombastic sounds of The Works, it's perfection.
Queen - Is this the World We Created...? (Official Lyric Video)
