Beginning of the End

"Beginning of the End" is the fifth track from Van Weezer.
===Appearances===
*Bill & Ted Face the Music Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2020) (Wyld Stallyns Edit)
*Van Weezer (2021)
==Overview==
"Beginning of the End" is a re-working of the song "Rock and Roll Cockroach". The bridge is a modified version of the chorus for the song "Volunteers".
The song was originally revealed to be a track for Van Weezer in a leaked review of the album from an issue of the publication Guitar Player released in June of 2020. In early August, Rivers Cuomo made a post to the chatroom Riverchat "Video tomorrow" along with the lyric "Nostradamus predicted a bomb would drop and all the guitars would be hung in an old pawn shop" Screenshot: :File:Riverchat_bote2.jpg, suggesting that the band was in the process of recording a new music video. When asked about it, Cuomo implied that the video would be for "Beginning of the End." Screenshot: File:Riverchat_bote1.jpg On August 12, Weezer's official Twitter account tweeted "Time to be Excellent, dudes" with an accompanying video of Cuomo performing a heavy metal guitar riff in his home.@weezer "Time to be Excellent, dudes - Friday August 14th" Twitter. 12 August 2020. https://twitter.com/Weezer/status/1293638716628643840 The song was released alongside its music video on August 14 in the form of "Beginning of the End (Wyld Stallyns Edit)" as part of the soundtrack to the film Bill & Ted Face the Music. This version of the song removes the intro, removes a line in the first verse, removes two lines from the bridge, and has a slightly different ending.
Musician Billy Joel is a credited writer on "Beginning of the End". When asked about it on Riverchat, Cuomo clarified: "Just a clearance thing. Very common in recent years. I don't think Billy Joel's written a song since the 90's."Screenshot: :File:Riverchat_billjoel.jpg The film credits for Bill & Ted Face the Music note that the song "Contains an interpolation of '' (B. Joel)"
Jonathan Leahy, music supervisor for Bill & Ted Face the Music, spoke about the process of selecting the song in an interview with Stereogum:Schonfeld, Zach. "Bill & Ted‘s Music Team On Wyld Stallyns, Air Shredding, And Helping Keanu Reeves Learn To Play Bagpipes" Stereogum. 26 August 2020. https://www.stereogum.com/2096012/bill-ted-face-the-music-keanu-reeves-weezer-soundtrack-jonathan-leahy-interview/franchises/interview/
When Leahy reached out to Weezer’s management, he learned that Rivers Cuomo was a fan of Bill & Ted. Conveniently, the band had a trove of unreleased material for Leahy to consider. When Leahy heard “Beginning Of The End” (recorded for the forthcoming Van Weezer), he was struck by one lyric: “Watch us brush off the dust/ In heavy metal we trust.”“When I heard that line, I was like, ‘OK, I think this might be the song,'” Leahy says. “Then 30 seconds later, when it goes into the guitar solo and it’s just epic, two-handed tapping, I was like, ‘OK, this is definitely the song.'"
The song was added to the BMI/ASCAP repertoire in April 2021Songview BMI/ASCAP Repertoire https://repertoire.bmi.com/Search/Search?SearchForm.View_Count=&SearchForm.Main_Search=Title&SearchForm.Main_Search_Text=Beginning+of+the+End&SearchForm.Sub_Search=Performer&SearchForm.Sub_Search_Text=Weezer&SearchForm.Search_Type=all, wherein it listed a writing credit for British composer Patrick David Wilson.Songfacts. https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/weezer/beginning-of-the-end This was apparently in error, as it has since been corrected.
==Personnel==
*Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals
*Brian Bell – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*Scott Shriner – bass, backing vocals
*Pat Wilson – drums
*Suzy Shinn – producer
*Matty Green – mixing
*Joe Laporta – mastering
==Video/Audio==
===Van Weezer===
<youtube>YlAGX46eOmk</youtube>
===Wyld Stallyns Edit===
The music video for "Beginning of the End" was directed by Brendan Walter with cinematography by Eric Bader, and produced by Carling French. It was released alongside the song on August 14, 2020.
<youtube>0LwmWk_EPPg</youtube>
<youtube>wrXZZ4cR8xA</youtube>
==Lyrics==
<tabber>
|-|Album version=
Knockin' on my door, they tell me it's time to go on
Last check in the mirror to see if anything's wrong
The writing's up on the wall
A warning shot to them all
It looks like this volcano is gonna blow
My head is spinning
It's the beginning of the end
The people freak out when I walk out there, so scared
Nostradamus predicted a bomb would drop
And all the guitars would be hung in an old pawn shop
Watch us brush off the dust
In heavy metal we trust
Then kick back and read The Sunday Times
My head is spinning
It's the beginning of the end
The people freak out when I walk out there, so scared
Fifteen-hundred-thousand years
Wouldn't be enough to dry these tears
I'll still be here hanging on
And on and on
Things will never be the same
Save the pieces of your brain
Scrounging and scavenging down in the dirt
Better enjoy what you got
My head is spinning
It's the beginning of the end
The people freak out when I walk out there, so scared
|-|Wyld Stallyns=
Knockin' on my door, they tell me it's time to go on
Last check in the mirror to see if anything's wrong
The writing's up on the wall
A warning shot to them all
My head is spinning
It's the beginning of the end
The people freak out when I walk out there, so scared
Nostradamus predicted a bomb would drop
And all the guitars would be hung in an old pawn shop
Watch us brush off the dust
In heavy metal we trust
Then kick back and read The Sunday Times
My head is spinning
It's the beginning of the end
The people freak out when I walk out there, so scared
Fifteen-hundred-thousand years
Wouldn't be enough to dry these tears
I'll still be here hanging on
And on and on
Things will never be the same
Save the pieces of your brain
My head is spinning
It's the beginning of the end
The people freak out when I walk out there, so scared</tabber>
==Known recordings==
==See more==
*Van Weezer
*List of Weezer songs
*List of Rivers Cuomo songs
==References==
Category:Weezer songs
Category:Weezer singles
Category:Songs on Van Weezer
Category:Rivers Cuomo songs
Category:Weezer songs produced by Suzy Shinn
Category:Copyright songwriting credits