The album version of The Doors’ “The End” is 11:41 long. It appears as the closing track on the band’s self-titled debut album, released on January 4, 1967.
The song began as Jim Morrison’s farewell to his former girlfriend, Mary Werbelow, but expanded dramatically during months of live performances. At the London Fog and Whisky a Go Go, The Doors gradually lengthened it into an extended, theatrical piece.
The studio recording was made at Sunset Sound in Hollywood in September 1966. Although it sounds like a continuous performance, the released master was assembled from two takes recorded on consecutive days. The song includes a spoken-word passage, a dramatic Oedipal section, and long instrumental passages.
Listeners sometimes confuse the 11:41 album version with shorter edits or longer live performances. The version remixed for the film Apocalypse Now also sounds different, because it was created from the original master tracks and emphasizes Morrison’s vocal more strongly.