The E.N.D. (an abbreviation of and subtitled The Energy Never Dies) is the fifth studio album by American group the Black Eyed Peas. It was released on June 3, 2009, by Interscope Records.
While on The Monkey Business Tour, which they embarked on in support of their fourth studio album Monkey Business (2005), Black Eyed Peas began recording material for their fifth studio album. Tentatively titled From Roots to Fruits, it was originally set for a late 2007 release before being retitled and postponed several times. Executive producer will.i.am produced The E.N.D. with fellow member apl.de.ap and longtime collaborators Printz Board and Poet Name Life, alongside David Guetta, Jean Baptiste, DJ Replay, Funkagenda, Keith Harris, Mark Knight and Frederic Riesterer. Their final product was a pop, hip-hop and EDM album, with elements of electro-funk and significantly differing from their previous albums. However, its lyrical themes were similar to its predecessors Elephunk (2003) and Monkey Business.
Upon its release, The E.N.D. received mixed reviews from music critics, who described it as containing more anthemic and inspirational songs in the group's bid to appeal to a new generation of music listeners. It was Black Eyed Peas' first number-one album on the US Billboard 200, debuting atop the chart with first-week sales of 304,000 copies. Internationally, it reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand and Portugal. At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for six awards, including Album of the Year, and Record of the Year for "I Gotta Feeling", and won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album. By June 2011, the album had sold over 11 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.
The E.N.D. produced five singles, all of which peaked within the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" led the Billboard Hot 100 back-to-back, putting the band at the summit for a record-breaking 26 consecutive weeks. The group's first two number-one singles on the chart, the former spent 12 weeks atop the chart and the latter spent 14. "Meet Me Halfway" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number one in nine countries. "Imma Be" was the group's third Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, and reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, and Hungary. The final single "Rock That Body" peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and within the top ten in nine countries. To further promote the album, the group embarked on The E.N.D. World Tour (2009–2010).
Recording and production
Black Eyed Peas began recording material for their fifth studio album during their The Monkey Business Tour, on which they embarked in support of their fourth studio album Monkey Business (2005). In December 2006, will.i.am revealed that the group had recorded 12 songs and would "probably do another 30 or 40". The album was put on hold in 2007, as group members focused on solo projects–Fergie was promoting her debut solo studio album The Dutchess (2006), which peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 and produced three US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, and will.i.am released his third studio album Songs About Girls. Production resumed the following year; the recording was completed on October 15, 2008, at the Metropolis Studios in London. Most of the album was recorded in Los Angeles, either at the Ethernet Studios or the Jeepney Music Studio. David Guetta-produced songs–"Rock That Body" and "I Gotta Feeling"–were recorded at Square Prod in Paris.
Apart from Guetta, Black Eyed Peas worked with longtime collaborators Printz Board and Poet Name Life for The E.N.D., as well as first-time collaborators Jean Baptiste, DJ Replay, Funkagenda, Keith Harris, Mark Knight and Frederic Riesterer. apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and will.i.am wrote all the tracks, including the four deluxe edition bonus tracks. Executive producer will.i.am produced 12 out of 15 tracks, while apl.de.ap produced "Showdown" and bonus track "Mare". will.i.am remarked that The E.N.D. was inspired by a trip to Australia, specifically a concert from the Presets, stating: "The energy on the Presets' small little stage was crazy energy. That song "My People" – that is wild. That's the reason why this record sounds the way it does – my three months in Australia." The album was mastered by Chris Bellman, who was assisted by Brian "BC" Catena, at the Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.
Music and lyrics Briefly after the production of The E.N.D. commenced in 2006, will.i.am revealed its songs would address social and political issues, but that the album would be a "fun record" regardless, adding: "We are not complaining. It's not 'Oh everything message up! Oh my gosh, we're doomed!' It's a thinking record. It brings up what's happening in the world. Monkey Business didn't do that." Musically, the album was described by will.i.am as "a lot of dance stuff, real melodic, electronic, soulful. We call it, like, electric static funk, something like that." Vibe called it "a mélange of soulful electro-funk and addictive rave-ready anthems". In addition, other critics labeled The E.N.D. an EDM, hip-hop and pop record. The album opens with a vocally-manipulated spoken word hidden intro by will.i.am, who states: "Everything around you is changing. Nothing stays the same. This version of myself is not permanent. Tomorrow I will be different. The energy never dies." The intro segues into "Boom Boom Pow", which lyrically sees the group declaring their superiority over rivals and enemies through a futuristic quality; the theme is also present on "Electric City" and "Showdown".
Trance track "Rock That Body" features heavy usage of Auto-Tune, with Fergie's vocals notably high-pitched. Lyrically, the song is among The E.N.D.s party-themed tracks, alongside "Imma Be", "I Gotta Feeling", "Party All the Time" and "Rockin to the Beat". In an interview for Marie Claire, will.i.am claimed "I Gotta Feeling" was "dedicated to all the party people out there in the world that want to go out and party", adding that nearly every track on the album "is painting a picture of our party life. It was a conscious decision to make this type of record. Times are really hard for a lot of people and you want to give them escape and you want to make them feel good about life, especially at these low points." The album's mid-tempo tracks deal with relationships–"Meet Me Halfway" features two partners trying to work on their struggling relationship, while "Alive" features a male protagonist trying to "rekindle love's spark". The love song theme continues with "Missing You", which features "wild basslines and vocal snarling". "Ring-A-Ling" speaks about casual sex, mentioning the term "booty call". Inspirational lyrical themes prevail on "Now Generation", a power pop guitar and harmonica-driven track, and the world peace-themed "One Tribe". "Now Generation" additionally references iChat, Mac, Myspace, Facebook, Google and Wikipedia.
Title and artwork The title for the Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album had been thought about since 2006, around the time Fergie released her debut solo studio album The Dutchess. It was originally titled Evolution, but that was also the title for what would become Ciara's second studio album. The title was then tentatively changed to From Roots to Fruits, before the group decided it might be better suited for a future compilation album. The title was changed again to The Energy Never Dies, before being shortened to The E.N.D.
In an interview with Billboard, will.i.am stated that the title The Energy Never Dies described his model for a project that would be living and frequently updated throughout its designated cycle: "It's a diary [...] of music that at any given time, depending on the inspiration, you can add to it", adding: "I'm trying to break away from the concept of an album. What is an album when you put 12 songs on iTunes and people can pick at it like scabs? That's not an album. There is no album anymore."
Designed by Mathew Cullen and Mark Kudsi, the album cover for The E.N.D. was revealed on April 30, 2009, showing a green face against a black background. will.i.am explained: "This is the face of digital energy. This is what we look like when Fergie, apl, Taboo, and will.i.am combine digitally. We are one in this image. This is the E.N.D.!!!!" The green face had already appeared in the accompanying music video for the album's lead single "Boom Boom Pow" earlier that month, directed by Cullen and Kudsi.
Release and promotion
The E.N.D. was originally set to be released within the second half of 2007, before being postponed indefinitely due to the group members' solo efforts. In October 2008, will.i.am expressed his hopes of releasing the album by the end of the year. However, it was pushed back to March 2009, before ultimately being set for June 9 in the United States. Leading up to the release, a campaign titled "The Countdown to The E.N.D." was organized, producing three promotional singles–"Imma Be" on May 19, "Alive" on May 23, and "Meet Me Halfway" on June 2. A double-disc deluxe edition was released simultaneously with the standard edition; in the US, it was released exclusively at Target stores. The album and its deluxe edition were promoted by a Target commercial featuring the group perform "I Gotta Feeling". Black Eyed Peas performed at various festivals across the US and Europe from May to September, most notably Wango Tango and the Glastonbury Festival 2009. In addition, the group performed "Boom Boom Pow" on the eighth season finale of American Idol on May 20. They promoted the album in Japan by performing "Boom Boom Pow" with Koda Kumi as guests on her tour on May 31, and "I Gotta Feeling" on Music Station on June 5.
In the US, "I Gotta Feeling" was performed on the Late Show with David Letterman on June 9 and the 2009 Teen Choice Awards on August 9. In Canada, Black Eyed Peas performed "Boom Boom Pow" at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 21. The group also headlined the NFL Kickoff Game for the 2009 season on September 10. In Germany, the group promoted The E.N.D. by performing "I Gotta Feeling" on Wetten, dass..? on November 7. They further promoted the album in the United Kingdom on November 8 by performing "Boom Boom Pow", "Meet Me Halfway" and "I Gotta Feeling" on BBC Switch, and "Meet Me Halfway" on The X Factor. On November 14, Black Eyed Peas performed "I Gotta Feeling", "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow" on Saturday Night Live. They then performed "Boom Boom Pow" and "Meet Me Halfway" at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2009 on November 19, and at the American Music Awards 2009 on November 22. In France, the group performed "Meet Me Halfway" and "I Gotta Feeling" at the NRJ Music Awards on January 23, 2010. At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 31, where they won three awards, Black Eyed Peas performed "Imma Be" and "I Gotta Feeling".