The Living End got their first big break in 1995 when, after sending a t-shirt and a demo tape to Billie Joe Armstrong, they landed a support slot in Green Day's upcoming Australian tour. After the tour, the group went into the studio to record their debut EP Hellbound which received moderate support from community radio stations.
In November 1995, the band went back into the studio to record their second EP (It's for Your Own Good which they released several months later. This recording yielded their first major radio airplay with the song From Here On In, which was placed on high rotation on the youth radio network Triple J. Shortly after the release of the second EP, drummer Joe Piripitzi left the band and was replaced with Travis Dempsey who was soon playing with the band at major festivals such as Pushover and the Falls Festival. After a year touring Australia, The Living End again headed into the studio to record something new to sell at their now very popular shows. The result was the Second Solution / Prisoner of Society double single.
Prisoner of Society quickly became a national hit and the band signed on to Modular Recordings for the release of their debut self titled album, The Living End. The album was an instant hit with Australian audiences and resulted in six Australian singles (counting the "Second Solution" release as two because both songs received major airplay). The Living End became the second-highest-selling debut rock album in Australian music history, now five times platinum.
The Roll On album in 2000 was a more creative work, but did not manage to achieve the status of their earlier album. Cheney later stated that he was trying to prove to critics that The Living End were not a band simply defined by their hit Prisoner of Society, and the album showed this by displaying other influences, as well as their traditional fast-paced rockabilly music. The album even garnered comparison, by a few critics, to seminal punk band The Clash's creative breakthrough, London Calling.
The band hit a quiet period after that during which Chris Cheney had a tragic car accident on the Great Ocean Road, rendering him unable to play for a significant period of time. He had been on the road to the house of a member of fellow Australian band Bodyjar.
In 2003, after Chris's recovery and with new drummer Andy Strachan, the band made a comeback, releasing One Said to the Other, Who's Gonna Save Us? and getting air play once again. This was followed by heavy touring (including Big Day Out) and a release of Modern ARTillery.
In late 2004, the band has released a singles collection From Here on In: The Singles 1997-2004 as well as a DVD, which included all video clips and a "supergig", collections of the band's most famous songs performed in Australia, Japan and the USA. The DVD also features the band's history- documented in interviews and home footage.
Recently, Chris performed at the 2004 ARIA awards as part of the supergroup The Wrights, featuring members of many other Australian rock bands.
Chris Cheney and Scott Owen have won the Best Guitarist and Best Bassist awards for 2004 and 2005, in the Jack Awards.
The band performs regularly in Melbourne, one performance recently was for the Channel V Music Bus at Federation Square Melbourne, Australia (15th of December 2005) which saw a capacity crowd of between 4,500 and 5,000 people attend. The event saw many under 18's get the chance to see their idols for free, and for a lucky few, the chance to sing with Chris Cheney, unplanned of course.
The Living End's fourth album, titled State of Emergency, was released on February 4 2006 and was recorded in Byron Bay after they played in the Splendour in the Grass festival. They had finished the recording and the artwork for State of Emergency in mid December 2005. The single "What's on Your Radio was released on November 20, 2005, and debuted at #9 on the ARIA singles chart. The second single, "Wake Up" was released on February 19 and debuted at #5 on the ARIA singles chart. The group is currently signed to Adeline Records, owned and run by Billie Joe and Adrianne Armstrong.
In 2008 The Living End released their fifth studio album titled as White Noise, showing more hard rock influenced sound of The Living End. First single from the album was a double A-side single White Noise/How Do We Know which was released physically and digitally 5 July 2008. The second single Moment in the Sun was released 25 October 2008. The third single, Raise the Alarm, was released 22 December 2008. In 2009 The Living End started the Raise the Alarm Tour.
End Of The World
The Living End Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The end of the world could be seen
No sign of life could I feel son
Nothing was what it had been
Black as the night, life out of sight
You can't imagine the scene
The end of the world could be seen
I didn't know where to turn son
The absence of life was obscene
The end of time or just in my mind
I know that it's hard to believe
And I can almost see the end of the world
And I can almost see the end of the world
So give me a minute
And I'll put you in it
But you must never return
It could occur any day son
Just you remember and pray
You have what you love
Now love what you have
And maybe then you will last a bit longer
Last night I had me a dream son
The strangest that I'd ever seen
Yes you were there and you were
Telling everybody not to worry
Just let it be
Then you led me to believe
Everything happens in threes
But as you spoke then I awoke
Only to find that we'd arrived
At the end of the world.
The Living End's song "End of the World" explores the idea of a catastrophic event that ultimately leads to the end of the world. The song's opening verses describe a dream in which the end of the world is very much a reality. The lyrics convey the sense of hopelessness and existential angst that comes with such a realization. The line "black as the night, life out of sight" reinforces the idea of complete and utter devastation.
The dream segues to a message of hope when the singer is comforted by a loved one who urges them to cherish what they have and to embrace the present moment. The message is that while destruction and pain may be inevitable, it is possible to find some solace in the relationships and experiences we have in the here and now. In this sense, the song can be seen as a call for gratitude and mindfulness - reminding the listeners that life is fleeting and that we should appreciate every moment we have.
Overall, "End of the World" is a poignant commentary on the human condition and our relationship with the future. It evokes a range of emotions, from fear and despair to hope and reassurance.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I had me a dream son
The singer had a dream about the end of the world.
The end of the world could be seen
The end of the world was visible in the dream.
No sign of life could I feel son
The dream showcased how there was an absence of life.
Nothing was what it had been
The end of the world had changed everything.
Black as the night, life out of sight
The world was dark and there was no sign of life in this dream.
You can't imagine the scene
The end of the world was too unimaginable to comprehend.
I didn't know where to turn son
The singer was lost in the dream.
The absence of life was obscene
The complete lack of life was disturbing in the dream.
The end of time or just in my mind
The singer questions whether it was real or just a dream.
I know that it's hard to believe
The end of the world is hard to believe or accept.
And I can almost see the end of the world
The singer can imagine the end of the world.
So give me a minute
The singer requests the listener's attention.
And I'll put you in it
The singer wants the listener to imagine the end of the world.
But you must never return
The end of the world is permanent and there's no turning back.
It could occur any day son
The end of the world can happen unexpectedly.
Just you remember and pray
The singer suggests that the listener should be prepared and pray.
You have what you love
The singer reminds the listener of the things they cherish.
Now love what you have
The singer encourages the listener to appreciate what they have.
And maybe then you will last a bit longer
If the listener loves what they have, they might survive longer.
The strangest that I'd ever seen
The dream was the most unusual that the singer had ever had.
Yes you were there and you were
Someone the singer knew was present in the dream.
Telling everybody not to worry
This person was reassuring others not to panic about the end of the world.
Just let it be
This person was advising others to just accept the end of the world.
Then you led me to believe
This person made the singer believe something.
Everything happens in threes
This person believed that events occur in threes.
But as you spoke then I awoke
The singer woke up while this person was still talking.
Only to find that we'd arrived
When the singer woke up, they realized they were already at the end of the world.
At the end of the world.
The end of the world was the end of the dream.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER JOHN CHENEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind