Here Comes The End

Album: single release only (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Gerald Way wrote and recorded this track for Umbrella Academy, a Netflix show based on the comic book series of the same name created by the My Chemical Romance frontman. The storyline revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who band together to stop the apocalypse.
  • The global despairing song finds Way dueting with Judith Hill. The LA singer-songwriter was chosen as Michael Jackson's duet partner for "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" during his ill-fated 2009 This Is It concert tour. She also was a contestant on the fourth season of The Voice, reaching the Top 8.
  • The song soundtracks the trailer for Umbrella Academy's second run, set in Dallas, Texas, 1963, just before the John F. Kennedy assassination. Now the heroes find themselves in the Cold War era where the impending threat is nuclear apocalypse.

    The clock is moving
    Hands to midnight
    Can we get through this?
    While the walls come down we all pretend
    Here comes the end


    Way said he was originally inspired to write "Here Comes The End" when series 1 of The Umbrella Academy was being shot. At the time, Corona was for most people just the name of a brand of Mexican beer, but when he finished the track, "2020 was in full swing, the world had taken a profound turn and the song was finished in a surreal new reality."
  • According to a press release, the song's lyrics were "inspired by current global events," while The Rolling Stones and 1990s Primal Scream served as sonic muses.
  • "Here Comes The End" actually dates back to the shooting of the show's pilot episode. Speaking on the Behind the Scenes | The Umbrella Academy podcast, Way revealed that he first started writing the track when Aidan Gallagher's Five tells Ellen Page's Vanya that the world is about to end. It was her response, "I'll put on a pot of coffee," that inspired him.

    "After Ellen would deliver her line, 'I'll put on a pot of coffee,' I kept picturing it cutting to black," Way recalled. "And then I heard this song in my head."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.