The End of the World (Skeeter Davis song)
"The End of the World" is a pop song written by composer Arthur Kent and lyricist Sylvia Dee, who often worked as a team. They wrote the song for American singer Skeeter Davis, and her recording of it was highly successful in the early 1960s, reaching the top five on four different charts, including No. 2 on the main Billboard Hot 100. It spawned many cover versions.
| "The End of the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Reissue single cover | ||||
| Single by Skeeter Davis | ||||
| from the album Skeeter Davis Sings The End of the World | ||||
| B-side | "Somebody Loves You", "Blueberry Hill" | |||
| Released | December 1962 | |||
| Recorded | June 8, 1962 | |||
| Studio | RCA Victor Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Country pop | |||
| Length | 2:33 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Chet Atkins | |||
| Skeeter Davis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
"The End of the World" is a sad song about the aftermath of a romantic breakup. Dee, the lyricist, said she drew on her sorrow from her father's death to set the mood for the song.
Davis recorded her version with sound engineer Bill Porter on June 8, 1962, at the RCA Studios in Nashville, produced by Chet Atkins, and featuring Floyd Cramer.[1] Released by RCA Records in December 1962, "The End of the World" peaked in March 1963 at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (behind "Our Day Will Come" by Ruby & the Romantics), No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart,[2] No. 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart, and No. 4 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart.[3] It is the first, and, to date, only time that a song cracked the Top 10 (and Top 5) on all four Billboard charts.[4] Billboard ranked the record as the No. 2 song of 1963.
In the Davis version, after she sings the whole song through in the key of B-flat-major, the song modulates up by a half step to the key of B, where Davis speaks the first two lines of the final stanza, before singing the rest of the stanza, ending the song.
"The End of the World" was played at Atkins' funeral in an instrumental by Marty Stuart. The song was also played at Davis's own funeral at the Ryman Auditorium. Her version has been featured in several films, TV shows, and video games (see "Appearances in media" below).
Chart performance
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 32 |
| UK Singles Chart[5] | 18 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot Country Singles | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 4 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[6] | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 2 |
| US Cash Box Country Singles | 2 |
Covers
Sonia version
| "End of the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Sonia | ||||
| from the album Everybody Knows | ||||
| B-side | "Can't Help the Way That I Feel" | |||
| Released | 13 August 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Arthur Kent, Sylvia Dee | |||
| Producer(s) | Stock, Aitken & Waterman | |||
| Sonia singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1990, English singer Sonia covered "End of the World". The fifth and final single from her debut album, Everybody Knows, it reached number 18 in the UK,[7] the same chart position as the original.[5] The single's B-side "Can't Help the Way That I Feel" also appeared on Sonia's debut album. This was her final single with Stock Aitken Waterman.
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Charts)[8] | 153 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] | 53 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 18 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 18 |
Other notable versions
In June 1965 during the height of the British Invasion, English pop group Herman's Hermits released their cover of the song as a B-side on their international hit "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" with a slower tempo. Despite its success, the single was not released in the UK. Derek Leckenby's distinctive lead guitar cadences were achieved by using a volume pedal, an experimental technique possibly influenced by The Beatles song "Yes It Is". This version was included on the band's debut album Herman's Hermits and on their second North American album Herman's Hermits on Tour, both from that same year.
During the summer of 1966, Swedish pop group Mike Wallace & The Caretakers recorded the song.[10] Released as a single in August of that year, it was backed by the song "Whitsand Bay" written by Wallace, based on the tourist destination he'd often visited.[11] It became a hit on Tio i Topp, entering the chart on August 6, 1966 at a position of number five.[12] It topped the chart on August 27, staying on the top for a week.[12] It exited the chart on October 29, at a position of number 14, having spent 13 weeks on the chart.[12] On sales chart Kvällstoppen, it entered on August 16, 1966 at a position of 18.[13] It would reach its peak of number two on September 6, being kept off the top by the Beatles "Yellow Submarine".[13] It exited on November 8, at a position of 18, having spent 13 weeks on the chart.[13]
To capitalize on the Caretakers version, Anna-Lena Löfgren recorded the song in Swedish, as "Allt är förbi",[14] scoring a Svensktoppen hit for seven weeks between 9 October–19 November 1966.[15]
A version by Allison Paige peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in May 2000.[16]
Nina Gordon, formerly of Veruca Salt, also covered the song on her 2000 album Tonight and the Rest of My Life.
The Band Girls released a cover on an expanded version of their album Album in 2009.
Appearances in media
- The song is featured in the 1960s period drama film Girl, Interrupted (1999)[17]
- The song appears in the 2005 movie Daltry Calhoun, starring Johnny Knoxville
- The song is played during episode 9 ("What Kate Did") of the second season of Lost, .[18]
- The song appears at the end of episode 12 ("The Grown-Ups") of the third season of Mad Men[19]
- The song is used as the opening and closing theme for the 2012 political thriller radio drama Pandemic, produced by BBC Radio 4.[20]
- The version by Herman's Hermits is played during the closing scene of the third episode of The Queen’s Gambit.[21]
- The song is featured in the Japanese post-apocalyptic film Attack on Titan: End of the World.
- Patti Smith's cover is played during the end credits of the 2017 film Mother!.[22]
- A version is played at the end of episode 9 ("The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)") of the third season of the HBO show, The Leftovers.
- The song is featured in the 2021 Marvel Studios's Eternals (film).
- The song is featured on Bethesda Softworks game Fallout 4's in-game radio and was also used in one of the game's promotional trailers.
- The song is used at the end of the episode 8 of the first season of The End Of The F***ing World.
- The song is used diegetically in the 2017 short film Black Eyed Susan, which stars Denise Welch and her son, Louis Healy.[23]
- The song plays in the 2022 film Don't Worry Darling.
References
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 10 – Tennessee Firebird: American country music before and after Elvis. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944–2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 180.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 147.
- ^ ""The End of the World" – Skeeter Davis: 1963". The Pop History Dig.
- ^ a b "SKEETER DAVIS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 73.
- ^ "SONIA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-06-17". Imgur.com. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. September 22, 1990. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "The Caretakers - The End Of The World". svenskpophistoria. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ Stål, Jonas (2013). Stora Popboxen (Svensk Pop 1964-1969 Volume 1) – liner notes (CD) (in Swedish). Premium.
- ^ a b c Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 451. ISBN 919727125X.
- ^ a b c Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p. 230. ISBN 9163021404.
- ^ "Låt oss tro". Swedish Mediadatabase. 1966. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Svensktoppen" (in Swedish). Sveriges radio. 1966. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (May 13, 2000). "Country Is Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Girl, Interrupted OriginaL Soundtrack". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ "What Kate Did". IMDb. November 30, 2005. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ Levinson, Paul (November 2, 2009). "Mad Men 3.12: The End of the World". InfiniteRegress.tv. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Drama, Pandemic". Bbc.co.uk. October 11, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "The Queen's Gambit Soundtrack Is Gloriously '60s". refinery29.com. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ September 14, Bill PearisPublished; 2017. "Patti Smith played the 'Mother!' premiere @ Radio City, plays SummerStage tonight (win tix!)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Percival, Ash (November 22, 2017). "Denise Welch Exclusively Premieres Her Mental Health Short Film, 'Black Eyed Susan'". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2022.