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Endings

If the way you start a song can be compared to how you first greet a stranger, the way you end a song is how you say goodbye. You want to leave a good impression with your listeners so they'll listen to your songs again.

There's nothing worse than a band sounding like they've fallen apart at the end.
Steve Hillier

It is often said that in any given situation, human beings remember the first and last things that happen to them most clearly鈥he things in the middle don't often make anywhere near as much of an impression. With that in mind, you need to make a musically satisfying impact at the end of your songs.

Here are some ideas:

Repeating a chorus 'to fade' at the end of your song is fine when you're making a record, but doesn't work when you sing it live. Repeating your chorus two or three times at the end of a song is fine, but make sure you know when to stop!
With that in mind, make sure your endings are well rehearsed; there's nothing worse than a band sounding like they've fallen apart at the end of a song.
How about ending on a chord that is not the root chord of your key? For example, if your song is in the key of C major, ending on the chord of G major will sound like there's more to be said on the subject matter of the song. This leaves the audience wondering what's coming next.
The last line of your song could be a twist on the subject matter. For example, 'Save Your Kisses For Me' by Brotherhood of Man appears to be a simple love song until the last line, when we discover that the object of his affections is "鈥nly three". Quite a surprise.
Using the opening line of the song as the last line can be very musically satisfying; it can feel like you have taken the listener on a musical journey. To be extra clever, make sure the line is also the title of your song!

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