The E.N.D.

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), the 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 the 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, being one of the best-selling albums of its era.

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).

The 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, the 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.

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.