3 Songs From the 1980s With Unforgettable Outros

By the time the outro of a song comes along, the listener is just about done with it. They’ve already been through multiple choruses and heard their favorite lines. An outro is usually just a means to an end. But some artists consider the way their song leaves a listener’s ear. The three songs from the 1980s below have unforgettable outros, whether you noticed them or not.

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“Purple Rain” (Prince)

The outro in Prince‘s “Purple Rain” could be a song in and of itself. While listeners enjoy singing along to the chorus, it’s the extended guitar outro we’re all really here for. This solo comprises what feels like the majority of the song—and we’re not complaining. Prince, while a frontman first, is heralded in guitar circles. His performance in the “Purple Rain” outro lets those outside of that circle know why. You don’t need to be a guitar aficionado to know that this is a great solo. You can feel the power in his playing. This outro remains one of the most famous from the ’80s, and for good reason.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey)

Not many artists today would have the guts to do a fade-out. This technique feels distinctly ’80s (though it has been used across the decades). Journey made use of it in “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Though the volume fades out in this rock outro, the band’s fervor does not. There is really no way to end the stadium-worthy energy in this track. A hard break would feel jarring. They did what they had to, letting the listener fall back down to earth slowly.

The outro certainly isn’t the most famous thing about this song, but it’s an unforgettable aspect of it. Though listeners may not think of this outro often, if it were replaced with something else, they’d notice. It’s one of those latent things that make a song what it is.

“Every Breath You Take” (The Police)

Though meant to be a love song, The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” is markedly creepy. Every night you stay / I’ll be watching you, isn’t the kind of sentiment most of us want to hear. The band mirrors that eerie vibe with the outro of this song. As the backing track starts to fade out, Sting can be heard repeating the titular line, I’ll be watching you. It’s perfectly unsettling. If there was ever any doubt that this song didn’t have a hidden meaning, this outro makes it clear.

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