The Doors song used in the opening credits of Apocalypse Now is “The End.” The film’s opening sequence places the song over a slow, surreal montage of a Vietnamese jungle, helicopters, smoke and spreading fire.
“The End” was originally recorded by The Doors for their 1967 debut album. The album version is an expansive piece, beginning as a restrained psychedelic ballad before developing into a darker, longer performance with improvisation and Morrison’s spoken-word passages. Its atmosphere made it a natural fit for Francis Ford Coppola’s psychologically intense 1979 Vietnam War film.
The placement transformed the song’s meaning for many listeners. In its original context, “The End” was a breakup song that evolved into something more ominous during live performances; in Apocalypse Now, it became an aural symbol of war, madness and the collapse of moral order. Viewers sometimes remember “Riders on the Storm” because it is another atmospheric Doors recording, but that song was not used for the film’s iconic opening. “The End” is also the closing track on The Doors’ debut album.