Released 15 May 2013 Label Republic | Length 8:07 Producer(s) Rick Rubin | |
Recorded c. August 2012 – January 2013 Writer(s) Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne | ||
"End of the Beginning" is a song by English rock band Black Sabbath featured on the album 13. According to lyricist Geezer Butler, the song deals with the fear of how "technology is going to completely take over the human race", inspired particularly by cloning: "It seems like eventually, people are going to clone the Beatles and stuff like that. I mean, it’s already happening now with a "Tupac" at Coachella, using holograms. But eventually I think they’ll start cloning people like the Beatles, and sending them out on endless tours."
"End of the Beginning" was premiered during the finale of season 13 of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The band guest starred in the episode, and also appeared in a short interview prior to its release. The song was first performed live on 20 April 2013, on the first of the two Auckland shows in New Zealand. The performance was part of their reunion tour. It was also featured in the end credits of the film This Is the End. On 11 June, coinciding with the album's launch, Black Sabbath released a full performance video from the CSI season 13 finale of length 8:20. The single peaked at the number 38 in US Mainstream Rock chart.