Unfortunate coincidence or a telling heartbreak, whatever the case, End of the Line is an interesting single from The Traveling Wilburys. It would mark the end of Roy Orbison, a tragic passing which came just as the Pretty Woman hitmaker was re-entering the musical conversation. His work would come to a sudden end, a sad shame given the strength which had returned not just to his voice, but his writing, too. Would End of the Line work without the death of one-fifth of the group? Yes. Just as George Harrison‘s or Tom Petty’s death has not affected the song in recent years, the passing of Orbison had little effect on the making of End of the Line. It was a song wrapped and in the can before his demise. But it’s the sentimentality, the emotional overload, which defies our usual ability to see clearly, which makes End of the Line easy fodder for those needing more of a reason to listen.
Irrespective of death, End of the Line is a touching read on where each man found themselves. For Bob Dylan, it was in a career slump. For George Harrison, it was in the days before he reacted well to recording as a solo artist. Cloud Nine would mark his final album release in his lifetime, but he was spurred on by The Traveling Wilburys. It’s this end of the line which marks the start of a new one. That’s the crucial point here. Jeff Lynne, too, was still reacting to the final days of Electric Light Orchestra. A band which had been massive in the 1970s was reduced to synth-pop slop and a cancelled tour less than a decade after their career-defining album. Each member of this supergroup had something to prove and did just that with End of the Line. The wider album songs are strong works too, but there is a delicacy present in the musical overlap which forms End of the Line.
A guitar-led beauty which describes a literal end of the line. It is the last song of the album, after all. Were The Traveling Wilburys meant to go further than this? It doesn’t seem so, and yet they did. A song of reflection, one where the protagonist is not the reflector, but hopes someone no longer in their life does. We may never know who thinks of us, when, or why. But End of the Line at least hopes we are thought of, at some point. Orbison is certainly thought of in connection with this track, but it’s the strong vocal work he offers that’s best remembered. What makes End of the Line so special is the carousel of quality each artist brings. Everyone takes a turn, no matter how brief it is, to share a part of the story and capture that hopefulness.
Wondering what tomorrow will bring is the reason to continue on from the so-called end of the line. When the train stops, board another. Each member of The Traveling Wilburys had, to some degree, reached the end of their first line. Some would stick here, others would reinvent themselves in new avenues. Whatever the case, End of the Line highlights the truly extraordinary quality of the band. Five of the all-time greats who happened to be like-minded when it came to the creative pursuit. What they believed was their end is reacted to. In unity there is strength, and in that strength is a confident approach to music-making, something which some members of The Traveling Wilburys had lost years before they formed. End of the Line is a magnificent song which lights a fire under each member, and it’s incredible to see it’s still burning.
