Yesterday Once More

1 Sep 2015

Crescendos and Fade Outs

Hi Listeners

This week we are concentrating on one part of a song: the ending. Most of us can feel the exhiliration when a song builds up to a climax or crescendo. Bur many of us never contemplate the opposite. Why do some songs fade out at the end? Some of the most successful ‘crescendos’ come from regular power ballad singers like Roy Orbison (Running Scared), Air Supply (Makin’ Love) and the Righteous Brothers (Unchained Melody). Other singers mix power ballads with more uptempo songs such as Paul Anka (All of A Sudden My Heart Sings), ‘Without You’ by Nilsson and ‘You’re My World’ from the late Cilla Black. Russell Morris’s classic ‘The Real Thing’ probably falls into this category too – it certainly ends with a bang and then a fade out.

So why do some songs fade out? Is it because a suitable ending couldn’t be found or is it for effect? Originally the fade out was a necessity because songs were restricted to 3 minutes only and any song which went beyond that was faded out. The fade out is also appreciated by DJs because it allowed them to mix tracks more effectively. But even more the fade out can be seen as ‘a lingering in the listener’s ear’ and a sense that there is a continuation after the song has finished. As one researcher put it ‘it’s like they’re shutting the door, but the party’s still going on’. So you be the judge. Listen to our fade out songs, the Beach Boy’s ‘God Only Knows’, Dionne Warwick’s ‘Walk On By’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ and see if you think the fade out ending is effective or not?

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