End of the Line

Hey there, Zoo Freaks, your hippie DJs at THE ZOO are spinning a classic for you—End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys from their debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. This song’s got a laid-back, folksy vibe with a railroad theme, symbolizing life’s final stop. It’s the perfect groove for chilling out, and it’s packed with some wild stories. Did you know this track was mainly penned by George Harrison, but all five Wilburys—Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan—got songwriting credit to keep the collaborative spirit alive? Harrison laid down the main chord sequence, and you can hear his Beatles-esque touch in the melody. The recording features everyone but Dylan taking lead vocals: Petty handles the verses, while Harrison, Lynne, and Orbison trade off on the choruses, creating a rich, layered sound that’s unmistakably Wilbury.

Sadly, this song became a kind of eulogy for Roy Orbison, who passed away from a heart attack on December 6, 1988, just six weeks after the album dropped. His death hit the band hard, especially since his work with the Wilburys had sparked a major comeback after years of playing smaller venues. The music video for End of the Line, directed by Willy Smax, pays tribute to him in a heart-tugging way—when Orbison’s vocals come in, the video shows a black-and-white photo of him and his guitar rocking in a chair. Jeff Lynne later shared in an interview, “I was devastated for ages ... Me and Roy had had plans to do much more together, and his voice was in really good shape. It was just so sad for that to happen.” The video’s restoration in stunning 4K, announced on X by the official Wilburys account on December 10, 2024, brought fresh life to this touching homage, with Tom Petty’s daughter, Adria Petty, noting on Instagram that it was her dad’s favorite Wilbury song.

Another cool tidbit? The Wilburys recorded this track, along with most of Vol. 1, in just ten days at Dave Stewart’s Los Angeles house, using his kitchen for basic tracks and a drum machine for rhythm. Talk about a vibe! They’d jam acoustic guitars in a circle, then record vocals after dinner—pure, unfiltered creativity. Tom Petty once said the sessions were so fun because they treated each other like equals, even with Bob Dylan’s legend status. Harrison set the tone, saying, “We know that you’re Bob Dylan and everything, but we’re going to just treat you and talk to you like we would anybody else.” That loose, friendly energy shines through in End of the Line, which hit No. 2 on the U.S. Album Rock Tracks chart in 1989, though it was kept from the top spot by The Fixx and Chris Rea.

Now, let’s rewind to how the Traveling Wilburys got started. This supergroup was a happy accident, born in 1988 when George Harrison needed a B-side for his single This Is Love from his album Cloud Nine. Harrison and Jeff Lynne, who were working together, roped in Roy Orbison, who was cutting tracks for his comeback album Mystery Girl. They borrowed Bob Dylan’s garage studio in Malibu, and when Harrison stopped by Tom Petty’s place to grab a guitar, Petty tagged along. Their jam session produced Handle with Care, a track so good that Warner Bros. refused to let it be just a B-side. Instead, the five decided to record a full album, adopting the playful Wilbury pseudonyms—like Nelson Wilbury (Harrison) and Lefty Wilbury (Orbison)—and pretending to be half-brothers from a fictional family. The result was Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, a triple-platinum hit that Rolling Stone later called one of the 100 best albums ever.

The Wilburys were all about fun, not ego, and their name came from a studio joke. During Cloud Nine sessions, Harrison and Lynne called recording glitches “wilburys,” joking they’d “bury ‘em in the mix.” Lynne suggested tweaking Trembling Wilburys to Traveling Wilburys, and the name stuck. After Orbison’s passing, the remaining four released Vol. 3 in 1990, skipping Vol. 2 as a quirky nod to their Monty Python-esque humor. Jeff Lynne once said, “The Wilburys was such a wonderful band, such a marvellous thing to be part of. They were the best people I could ever wish to work with.” That camaraderie made their music timeless, and we’re stoked to share it with you, Zoo Freaks!

Wanna dive deeper into the Wilburys world? Check out their official website at travelingwilburys.com for an interactive timeline, videos, and more. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates, like the recent 4K video restoration post. Fans are keeping the vibe alive on sites like uDiscover Music, which has killer articles and playlists. You can also join the Traveling Wilburys Fan Group on Facebook, where Zoo Freaks like you share memories and rare pics. Keep it groovy, and let’s keep spinning those records!