Endgame

Words & Music by James Kennedy

'Endgame' is an Alternative Rock song & the 7th song on the 2015 Kyshera album 'Circle'. The words, music & production are by James Kennedy.

'Endgame' is a fast paced, heavy Alt Rock song with half time choruses & breakdowns, EDM style synths, gang vocals and intricate Bass solo work by Matt Warr during the verses. The song was a live favourite during Kyshera's European 'Vicious Circle Tour'. Lyrically, the song is the point in the album where the central character of the story attempts to commit suicide live onstage in front of their audience. It is not stated by which method they attempt this but as the song races through, the character sings his final words to the audience where he berates them for being a consumer of his misery & that now he's going to 'really' share with them the reality behind the scenes. Kennedy uses this as a platform to explore the mythologisation of tortured (or dead) celebrities and the disturbing demand for that in society.

The song ironically also features a positive philosophical message of the Yin and Yang in that in order to fully appreciate the good things in life, we need the bad for comparison. Further, Kennedy sings in the chorus that 'Death is the giver of Life', in that an honest awareness of your mortality should motivate you to live a fuller life while you can. The song opens with the line 'This is The End', a line which repeats in the final song on the album, entitled 'The End'. By doing this, Kennedy is demonstrating that the protagonist is still conforming to the values of celebrity culture by thinking that his death will be sensationalist, when in fact, his actual death on the final song is quiet & normal.

As the song progresses, the suicide attempt fails, leaving the singer somehow unconscious and the story continues on the following track 'Coma'.

LYRICS

This is the end, I’d rather leave quietly

But lets not pretend that this ain’t what you want to see

My memory a gift to the industry

Forever young, a sensational tragedy

And you got a front row ticket to it

You want more, bigger, louder, brighter, I can do it

It’s gonna be a show you’ll never forget

‘Cos I know you expect nothing less

Than the best in a death

Death, the giver of life

You know we can’t live forever

Now or never

The dark, the giver of light

So I am gonna be your maker

Be my maker tonight

Show time and I’m leaving this behind

If you ever would have known, would you try to change my mind?

Too kind but I don’t believe ya

Shall I make it easier and just relieve ya?

There ain’t gonna be no encore tonight

But if you turn up the lights I’ve got a special surprise

I’m gonna show you the nightmare behind the dream

And on the count of 4 I’m gonna hear you scream