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Previously Unreleased Toby Keith Demo, “End Of The Night” Gets Released Along With New Studio Version From Ernest
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a year and a half since Toby Keith’s tragic passing on February 5, 2024.
As one of the most beloved artists in the history of country music, the Big Dog Daddy’s passing has left a major hole in the hearts of many. Though we’ve gotten plenty of tributes over the past 18 months, notably the star-studded NBC special last August, Toby Keith: American Icon, nothing can quite fill the void of losing a legend of his status. While Toby may be gone, it’s become abundantly clear, both by the outcry of support from both fans and colleagues alike, that his music will live on forever.
If you recall, HARDY’s HIXTAPE release of Joe Diffie’s “Ships That Don’t Come In” featuring Keith, along with Luke Combs, marked the first posthumous release from the “Should Have Been a Cowboy” singer just a month after his passing in March 2024.
Today, in partnership with Apple Music in their Lost & Found series, a 10-year-old demo, “End Of The Night,” written by Keith, David Lee Murphy and Bobby Pinson, is being released exclusively to the streaming platform along with a studio cover from Ernest.
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Discussing the release of the unused demo, Pinson expressed just how happy he was that Apple Music approached them with the project.
“When they asked me about this project and said, “What do we have?” it was like Christmas. It was like finding a dollar in your pocket. This is always one of my favorites, and it was Ernest’s favorite too. He just did a great job on it. Fantastic. But I always felt like, man, if we can just get this on tape, this will be probably more than he realizes it is.”
Murphy also reminisced about how much fun the trio had while writing the song a decade ago, noting how he thought he had a hit on his hands upon completing it.
“The day we wrote that, we were laughing so hard. [We were] feeling like it was a hit.”
Tasked with bringing the “found” portion of the “End Of The Night” project to completion, Ernest knew he had some major shoes to fill recording the song in tandem with the late legend. Noting just how much power even Keith’s demo had, the “Flower Shops” singer said he could never sing the Oklahoma native’s songs as good as him, but he was going to deliver regardless.
“It’s cool to hear how raw [the demo] was and how much energy and power and torque. To the day he died, [Toby Keith] sang with everything. It’s an honor and a duty as country singers to keep the spirit alive of those who went on before us. I think it is what makes country music great.
We live in the greatest city for songwriting of all time, so there are an endless amount of songs. Every now and then, you get to pull a little diamond out of there and a little piece of history, and this is no exception. I’ll never be able to sing a Toby Keith song as good as Toby Keith can sing a Toby Keith song, but I’m gonna give it hell to sing it the best I can for sure.”
What results is an incredibly interesting and ultimately satisfying release. It should go without saying that receiving any form of new music from the late legend should call for celebration. Centering around comforting a friend after a breakup, the track immediately places you in a conversation between Keith and the friend at 3 a.m. on a beer-soaked night. Giving the always-timely advice of moving on, Keith proclaims that it’s not the end of the world, just the end of the night in the infectious chorus.
“It ain’t the end of the world
Naw, it ain’t even close
Can’t keep holding on
To the end of that rope
It ain’t the end of the road
Still a whole lot of ride
It ain’t the end of the world
It’s just the end of the night”
Though I wouldn’t place “End Of The Night” at the top of Keith’s legendary discography, it’s a rock-solid release that sounds way better than it has any business of sounding, given that it’s a 10-year-old demo. Ernest’s version, which has additional instrumentation complete with more fiddle and steel, is also an incredibly pleasant listen.
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