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The E.N.D. (2009)

Where the lyrics of The E.N.D. take you, and where it was really made.

The album's title began as From Roots to Fruits and was shortened from The Energy Never Dies to The E.N.D., while its recording was spread across Los Angeles, London and Paris.

Key places

Los Angeles sessions (2009)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Most of the album was recorded in Los Angeles at Ethernet Studios or Jeepney Music Studio. The point marks the city, not a confirmed building address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording completed in London (2008)

Recording site Wild Bunch Studios (London) — The recording was completed on October 15, 2008, at Metropolis Studios in London. The point marks the city, not a confirmed building address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Guetta-produced tracks in Paris (2009)

Recording site Pathé Marconi studios — David Guetta-produced songs Rock That Body and I Gotta Feeling were recorded at Square Prod in Paris. The point marks the city, not a confirmed building address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The E.N.D. is the fifth studio album by American group the Black Eyed Peas
• Released June 3, 2009 by Interscope Records
• Subtitled The Energy Never Dies, an abbreviation that became the album title
• Executive producer will.i.am, with apl.de.ap and longtime collaborators Printz Board and Poet Name Life
• Final sound: pop, hip-hop and EDM with electro-funk elements, clearly different from earlier albums
• Lyrical themes stayed close to Elephunk and Monkey Business

Background

• Work began during The Monkey Business Tour, in support of the 2005 album Monkey Business
• Tentatively titled From Roots to Fruits and first set for a late 2007 release
• Release was retitled and postponed several times
• In 2007 the members focused on solo projects; Fergie promoted her debut solo album The Dutchess (2006)
• will.i.am released his third studio album Songs About Girls during the same period
• Production resumed the following year

Recording

• Recording was completed on October 15, 2008, at Metropolis Studios in London
• Most of the album was recorded in Los Angeles, at Ethernet Studios or Jeepney Music Studio
• David Guetta-produced songs were recorded at Square Prod in Paris
• Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles

Cover

• Cover designed by Mathew Cullen and Mark Kudsi, revealed April 30, 2009
• Shows a green face against a black background

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Los Angeles in 1992 by rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo.
• Started as an alternative hip hop trio; early albums Behind the Front (1998) and Bridging the Gap (2000) were released through Interscope Records.
• Rebranded toward a more marketable pop-rap sound after the early albums.

Members

• Current core members: will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo.
• Fergie was the lead singer from 2002 until her departure in 2018.
• J. Rey Soul joined in 2018 as a touring member and later appeared as a featured artist on recordings.

Career

• Breakthrough with Elephunk (2003) and the single "Where Is the Love?", which topped the UK chart for seven weeks.
• Monkey Business (2005) debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
• The E.N.D. (2009) topped the Billboard 200 and produced three Hot 100 number-one singles, including "I Gotta Feeling".
• Performed at the Super Bowl XLV halftime show in February 2011.
• Went on indefinite hiatus in 2011, briefly reunited in 2015, and released Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 (2018), Translation (2020) and Elevation (2022).
• Estimated to have sold around 80 million records.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The E.N.D. received mixed reviews from music critics upon its release
• Critics described it as containing more anthemic and inspirational songs in the group's bid to reach a new generation of listeners
• On Metacritic it averaged 60 out of 100 from 15 reviews, mixed to average
• Critics agreed the album showed a more dance-oriented sound than its predecessors
• Entertainment Weekly called it pure Top 40 nirvana
• PopMatters concluded that after dancing all night to it, listeners may not be able to respect themselves in the morning
• AllMusic's John Bush described the group's pop and crossover music as effective but limited, with vapid lyrics, clumsy delivery and Auto-Tune smoothed vocals
• Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson wrote that the post-Fergie group had traded its credibility for commercial pop success

Records

• Debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with 304,000 first-week copies, the group's first number-one album there
• Second-week US sales fell 51 percent to 148,000 copies
• UK Albums Chart peak at number three; BPI quintuple platinum on July 22, 2013
• France: debuted at number two, then reached the summit in its second week; SNEP diamond
• Canada: debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart; CRIA quintuple platinum
• Australia: debuted atop the ARIA Top 100 Albums; quadruple platinum on December 24, 2009
• Japan: peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart; RIAJ platinum in 2010
• Over 11 million copies sold worldwide by November 2010
• Nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year; won Best Pop Vocal Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title was changed again to The Energy Never Dies, before being shortened to The E.N.D.
• A double-disc deluxe edition was released alongside the standard edition; in the US it was sold exclusively at Target stores.
• will.i.am said the album was inspired by a trip to Australia, specifically a concert by the Presets.
• The cover's green face had already appeared in the music video for the lead single Boom Boom Pow earlier in April 2009.
• The E.N.D. was originally set for the second half of 2007 before being postponed indefinitely due to the members' solo efforts.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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