# Best song outros? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290 "2003-12-27T19:23:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/61 "2015-08-22T04:54:32Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The piano outro to “Layla.” That was composed by Jim Gordon, a matricidal schizophrenic. ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/62 "2015-08-22T10:36:47Z")
Queen - “We Will Rock You” Otis Redding - “Try A Little Tenderness” America - “Sister Golden Hair” ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/63 "2015-08-22T19:56:30Z")
The outro to “Faded” by the Afghan Whigs fits the bill well. Total build and release. “Marquee Moon” by Television is another great example. For a different type of outro, I really like when a whole new musical component is thrown into the mix at the end, such as the plaintive horns at the end of Tom Waits’ “Earth Died Screaming”. Another example would be the urgent keyboard refrain that comes in at the end of “O Superman” by Laurie Anderson. ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/64 "2015-08-25T06:29:54Z")
U2 - With or Without You ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/65 "2015-08-25T11:09:20Z")
What, no mention yet of _Bolero_ by Maurice Ravel? ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/66 "2015-08-25T13:25:09Z")
Eagles’ Take it to the Limit: Randy Meissner’s high and then higher pitch screams are what I wait for every time I hear this. I HATE when the radio cuts it off. Layla (mentioned above)–just such a beautiful melody after a good rock song. Eagles again - dueling guitars at the end of Hotel California (studio version and live) Pink Floyd - Guitar at the end of Comfortably Numb puts me in a comfortably numb trance ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/67 "2015-08-26T03:08:24Z")
From Eagles to Randy Meisner’s other band, Poco. [What Do People Know?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7AC1x4G64) Great energy, but pretty standard Poco until the end. Whoa, some tasty guitar work. Why did they leave that til the song’s fading out? Assume it’s Jimmy Messina and Rusty Young playing off each other. I can’t keep from turning it up and up as it fades out… ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/68 "2015-08-26T04:17:36Z")
Flaming Telepaths by Blue Oyster Cult (Secret Treaties album) Black Blade by Blue Oyster Cult (Cultosaurus Erectus album) To name a couple, they have lots of songs with killer outros as well as killer songs. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/69 "2015-08-26T15:32:39Z")
“Wheels of Confusion” by Black Sabbath (Vol 4) has an awesome outro, with its own name “The Straightener”. Also by Sabbath, “A National Acrobat” (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath) has a great outro. Both of them have Tony Iommi soaring on the guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/70 "2015-08-26T16:43:20Z")
Does “Love Lies Bleeding” count for as outro to “Funeral for a Friend?” If so, then it wins. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/71 "2015-08-27T18:43:35Z")
> [@fjs1fs](#): > > Pink Floyd - Guitar at the end of Comfortably Numb puts me in a comfortably numb trance Another Floyd ending that is beautifully judged (and criminally under-appreciated for my money…pun intended) is [“Stay”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3FpUMI-uTw), 30 seconds that rounds off the song in exactly way that you want. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/72 "2015-09-11T00:00:50Z")
When the [Tigers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19MLI6dLq0E) Broke Free? Specifically: “…from me.” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/73 "2015-09-12T00:25:50Z")
“Throw Down The Sword” by **Wishbone Ash** has a killer dual guitar solo for an outro. A fantastic close-out to an amazing album. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LByiVlc6czA/maxresdefault.jpg "Wishbone Ash - Throw Down The Sword") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LByiVlc6czA) ---
**Author:** ![bunyupp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@bunyupp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunyupp)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/74 "2015-09-12T18:39:51Z")
Babe Ruth [“Livin A Lie”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbNMRgrSoU0). Bernie Marsden on guitar ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/75 "2015-09-12T22:50:21Z")
Can’t think of the song - maybe a Paul Simon tune? - but the outro is a lone alto sax hitting some serious licks, and then tapering to a few single/double notes. Help? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/76 "2015-09-14T05:25:17Z")
Its been 12 years, but I’m still right. (see page one) _Desire Lines_ from Deerhunter has a cool outro and deserves a mention. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/77 "2015-09-14T14:25:31Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Can’t think of the song - maybe a Paul Simon tune? - but the outro is a lone alto sax hitting some serious licks, and then tapering to a few single/double notes. Help? Got it! [Have a Good Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVwTbWmOsfw), Paul Simon ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/78 "2015-09-14T14:32:06Z")
Meat Loaf’s [Paradise By The Dash Board Light](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11MzbEcHlw) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/79 "2015-09-16T10:27:14Z")
Two of my favorites are “Sugar Magnolia” by the Grateful Dead, and “Movin’ Out” by Billy Joel. Both songs introduce new material for the outro, but closely related to the rest of the song – a sort of musical summing-up. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290/80 "2015-09-16T15:14:31Z")
Also, Boston’s _Hitch a Ride_. They stop singing at about 2:30 and then give you close to 2:00 more as an example of why their first album remains one of the best 40 years later. I dunno about “breathless” at the end (like _Foreplay_ can do), but it is a deeply satisfying ensemble. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-outros/221290.md?page=5)