|
"End of Time" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her fourth studio album, ''4'' (2011). It was written by Knowles, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Shea Taylor and David "Switch" Taylor while its production was handled by Knowles, Nash and Taylor. Initially rumored to be titled "Till the End of Time", a demo of the song leaked online on May 20, 2011, giving rise to speculation that the song was a potential follow-up to the lead single, "Run the World (Girls)" (2011). However, "Best Thing I Never Had" was ultimately chosen as the second single. In February 2012, it was announced through Knowles' website that "End of Time" will be the fifth and final single from ''4''. It was sent to contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2012. An uptempo R&B, dance and funk song, "End of Time" exhibits the influence of late Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti; its bass line was inspired by the multi-instrumentalist's work. Also displaying elements of Afrobeat, the song's instrumentation includes marching band drums, percussion and horns. The high energy level provided by its instrumentation has similarities to several songs by Michael Jackson from the ''Off the Wall'' era (1979–80). "End of Time" was lauded by music critics, who coined it as one of highlights on ''4'' thanks to Knowles' boldness and its dance beat that makes the song a catchy one. Critics also commended the uplifting lyrics and Knowles' confident vocal delivery. Following the release of ''4'', "End of Time" charted at number 62 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 20 on its R&B Chart, based solely on downloads. It also opened at number 26 on the South Korea Gaon International Singles Chart. The song performed poorly in the U.S., peaking at number 13 on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The song was part of Knowles' set list for her 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé, Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live and The Mrs. Carter World Tour revues; critics generally agreed that the song sounds great when performed live, and showed much appreciation for the choreography. ==Development and recording== From June 16 to June 27, 2011, the songs from ''4'' were available to listen to in full each day on Knowles' official website, paired with its accompanying photo spread from the album packaging and a quote. On June 26, 2011, "End of Time" was the tenth song to be chosen.〔 Knowles was motivated to record a song in the vein of "End of Time" after listening closely to the material of several rock musicians she saw at music festivals around the world; she analysed their lyrics and melodies, and the way they mixed different instruments at the same time.〔 Knowles noted, "The instrumentation was just so beautiful. I felt I needed some classics like that." The bass line used in "End of Time" was inspired by the work late Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti, whom she appreciated for "the feel for the soul and heart of his music; it's so sexy, and has a great groove you get lost in. I loved his drums, all the horns, how everything was on the one. What I learned most from Fela was artistic freedom: he just felt the spirit." "End of Time" was conceived at the MSR Studios in New York City,〔 where Knowles and her team spent a few days with the band from ''Fela!'' - a Broadway musical based on Kuti's life.〔〔 As stated Jordan "DJ Swivel Young, this period is accountable for the "Fela () influence" in the song; this influence is further illustrated in its instrumentation that includes horns and percussion instruments.〔 At the beginning, the production team played music with the band as they experimented with horns, percussion, drums, guitars and keys. DJ Swivel explained: "We'd be taking loops, like a section of percussion — congas for example — and then using them on a completely different record; and that record might be a completely different tempo or in a different key, so we'd literally be pitching it as we went. I used Elastic Audio (Pro Tools ) to fit and stretch it. Having fun is the best way I can put it; there were no rules."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=DJ Swivel: Recording Beyoncé's 4 )〕 Knowles, Terius Nash, Shea Taylor and Dave Taylor wrote the lyrics of the song while its production was handled by Knowles, The-Dream, Switch and Diplo. The-Dream and Switch incorporated elements of electronic music, modified some vocals, and created a synth intro sound, which is actually a vocal by the former producer.〔 DJ Swivel noted, "The bass line is very musical, it's not just a plain (TR-808 ) bass: It's got a vibe to it."〔 End of Time speeds up a sample from the song 'BTSTU' by acclaimed British-Indian electronic musician, songwriter and record producer, Jai Paul.〔http://www.thefader.com/2011/05/23/beyonce-til-the-end-of-time-mp3/〕 The duo then arranged the music and Knowles worked on the vocal arrangements.〔 Alex Asher, Johnny Butler, Jack Daley, Cole Kamen-Green, Drew Sayers, Nick Videen and Josiah Woodson played the instruments, and Pat Thrall recorded the music; Jordan Young recorded Knowles' vocals.〔 Serban Ghenea then audio mixed the track before mix engineer did the final mixing with assistance from Phil Seaford, and audio engineers Chris Soper and Pete Wolford.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「End of Time (song)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|