Anthrax's Dallabnikufesin reaches its lyrical climax right at the end, particularly the last line. It's kind of a parody song, though, and arguably the solo in the middle is the musical climax.
So did you mainly want songs that reach their musical climax right at the end?
For me, the ultimate build-up-to-a-climax-at-the-very-end song is Peter Gabriel's The Rhythm of the Heat. posted by Flunkie at 6:48 PM on January 28, 2010
Painkiller; Judas Priest. Keeps up-ing the intensity till ... BLAM! posted by bebrave! at 6:53 PM on January 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
It's originally by Nick Cave, but I personally prefer Cash's version, and I think it suits your requirement better anyway. posted by Flunkie at 7:07 PM on January 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Joe - stop me if I've got the wrong idea. posted by Lutoslawski at 7:25 PM on January 28, 2010
Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits posted by hal_c_on at 7:38 PM on January 28, 2010
An obscure, but great example, of this genre: "Excuse Me While I Drink Myself to Death" by the sorely underrated 90's indie band Spent. posted by Ike_Arumba at 7:38 PM on January 28, 2010
Any number of Guided by Voices songs, including "The Enemy," "The Closets of Henry", "Big Boring Wedding", "Drag Days"... posted by Ike_Arumba at 7:49 PM on January 28, 2010
and I can't agree more with eggplantplacebo, this is done expertly by LCD Soundsytem in "All My Friends" and, like the aforementioned Day in the Life, packs an emotional punch that i have rarely come across in my adventures with pop/rock music. posted by holdkris99 at 8:09 PM on January 28, 2010
"To free my mind and break my neck To free my mind and break my neck To free my mind and break my NECK." posted by supremefiction at 5:29 AM on January 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
How about Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"? (Literally.) posted by booth at 7:06 AM on January 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Mogwai, "New Paths to Helicon, pt. 1", "Christmas Steps", "Two Rights make One Wrong", among many others. posted by harlan at 7:58 AM on January 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
The Rolling Stones - "You Got the Silver" -- soft and quiet love song that turns into an explosive plea at the end. And by that token, also consider their "Moonlight Mile."
Santana - "Taboo" -- Slinky, Latin-tinged tune with a great crescendo at the end. posted by DeWalt_Russ at 8:31 AM on January 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Golden Star" by My Brightest Diamond
"Secretly Minnesotan" by Tullycraft
"The Reflecting God" by Marilyn Manson
"Pyrite Pedestal" by Pretty Girls Make Graves posted by PunkSoTawny at 10:07 AM on January 29, 2010
"Don't Stop Believin'" and "Sultans of Swing" fade out. posted by kirkaracha at 11:38 AM on January 29, 2010
A lot of Grateful Dead songs, especially their live material, feature a closing climax but the strongest example would be Morning Dew, particularly 1977 versions. I like the version from May 8, 1977 the best.
"Rocket Queen" by Guns'n'Roses has a hard-rocking opening section, a weird porny bridge, and then ends with an incredibly cathartic climax that is completely unlike the opening section. The last 2 minutes or so of that song just blows me away.
U2 did this a lot, too, from "Elvis Presley and America" through "All I Want Is You" and "One" and many more. It was a formula that worked pretty well for them. posted by Mendl at 12:17 PM on January 29, 2010
This is not a rock song, but I think it's fair to say that whole chunks of rock would never have existed without it. Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" is an excellent example of a song that builds to a climax at the end. posted by koeselitz at 2:11 PM on January 29, 2010
"Sing me no more hymns" by Lucero. posted by ws at 8:34 PM on January 29, 2010
Still Loving You - Scorpions posted by Witty at 8:41 PM on January 30, 2010
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posted by drjimmy11 at 6:04 PM on January 28, 2010