The Traveling Wilburys – End Of The Line

“End of the Line” – Single by Traveling Wilburys from the album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1
B-side “Congratulations”
Released 23 January 1989
Label Wilbury
Songwriters Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty
Producers Otis Wilbury and Nelson Wilbury
Charted No.63 in US; No.52 in UK, No.8 in Canada; No.12 in Australia; No.14 in Ireland.

The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup made up of Jeff Lynne (ELO), Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. This song contains the folksy wisdom that comes from their experiences. It has a railroad theme, as the “end of the line” represents the train’s last stop. Fittingly, it was the last song on their debut album, Volume One.

The recording features all the Wilburys except Bob Dylan as lead singers; George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison sing the choruses in turn, while Tom Petty sings the verses. The song was mainly written by Harrison and was assigned to his publishing company, Umlaut Corporation. However, all five members of the group received a songwriting credit in keeping with the collaborative concept behind the Wilburys project.

The music video for “End of the Line” was directed by Willy Smax and filmed in Los Angeles in December 1988. Set in a moving passenger carriage pulled by a steam locomotive, it features Dylan, Harrison, and Lynne playing guitar, Petty playing bass, and session musician Jim Keltner (credited as Buster Sidebury on the albums) playing drums with brushes. As Orbison had died after recording his vocals but before the video was shot, his guitar is shown sitting in a rocking chair inside the carriage, and a photo of Orbison is shown when his vocals are heard.

“End Of The Line” became a eulogy of sorts for Roy Orbison, who died on December 6, 1988, just six weeks after the album was released. His work in the Traveling Wilburys brought him back to the fore after many years of obscurity. Orbison was one of the biggest stars of the ’60s, but his ’70s albums had little impact, and by the ’80s he was struggling to fill small theaters. Before his death, he completed a comeback album with his fellow Wilburys called Mystery Girl, which was released on January 31, 1989, just as “End Of The Line” was climbing the charts. The album did very well, selling over a million copies in America and a lot more worldwide. The single “You Got It” landed at #9 in the US in April 1989, giving him his first Top 10 hit since “(Oh) Pretty Woman” in 1964.

George Harrison – lead vocals (1st, 4th, and 7th choruses), acoustic guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals
Tom Petty – lead vocals (verses), acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Jeff Lynne – lead vocals (2nd, 5th, and 6th choruses), electric guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
Roy Orbison – lead vocals (3rd chorus), acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Bob Dylan – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Jim Keltner – drums