End of Beginning

Core Theme: Nostalgia and the Transition of Adulthood
At its heart, "End of Beginning" is a profound exploration of liminality—the state of being between two phases of life. Joe Keery (Djo) uses the song to process the shift from his early 20s, spent as a struggling musician and student in Chicago, to his late 20s/early 30s as a globally recognized actor and established artist. The title itself, "End of Beginning," suggests that his youth was merely the prologue, and he has now officially stepped into the main chapters of his life.

The "Chicago" Connection
Chicago is not just a setting in the song; it is a character. For Keery, Chicago represents the freedom, anonymity, and camaraderie of his college years at DePaul University and his time in the band Post Animal. When he sings about being "back in Chicago," he isn't just visiting a geographic location; he is visiting a past version of himself. This version was unburdened by fame but perhaps anxious about the future. The lyrics suggest a duality: the "Man" he is now vs. the "Boy/Version" he was then.

Acceptance vs. Regret
Unlike many songs about the past that are filled with regret, this track is about integration. The line "You take the man out of the city, not the city out the man" is an affirmation that his identity is built upon those formative years. He isn't trying to erase the past, nor is he trying to live in it permanently; he is simply acknowledging that it is a permanent part of his soul.

The song opens with a reflective monologue, establishing a sense of distance between the narrator's current reality and a specific, cherished past. The speaker describes a routine of keeping emotions in check, suggesting a calm, perhaps detached, demeanor in their daily life. However, this composure is merely a facade that crumbles when they return to a specific place—Chicago.

As the narrative progresses, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of this return. The city itself acts as a trigger, unlocking a flood of memories and a distinct feeling of becoming a past version of oneself. The narrator confesses that while they have physically left the city, the essence of the city—and the person they were while living there—remains deeply embedded within them. There is a recognition that one can change their environment ('take the man out of the city'), but the internal imprint of that place is permanent ('not the city out the man').

The chorus serves as an emotional crescendo, acknowledging the inevitability of moving forward. The narrator waves goodbye to the 'end of beginning,' a poignant phrase symbolizing the conclusion of early adulthood or a formative chapter. Despite the sadness of this farewell, there is an acceptance that this 'beginning' is now over, and they are firmly established in a new phase of life. The song concludes with a lingering sense of affection for that past self, admitting that a part of them will always belong to that time and place, even as they continue to evolve.

Origins and Recording
"End of Beginning" was released on September 16, 2022, as part of Djo's second studio album, Decide. The song was written by Joe Keery and his long-time collaborator and producer, Adam Thein. The track was recorded during the pandemic era, a time that naturally fostered introspection. In interviews, Keery has mentioned that the song was a "last-minute addition" to the album, stemming from a session involving himself, Thein, and drummer Teddy Matthews (of the band Slow Pulp). Keery noted that the song felt incredibly specific to his own life, leading him to wonder if it would resonate with a wider audience.

Viral Resurgence
While the song was a fan favorite upon the album's release, it experienced a massive explosion in popularity in early 2024, nearly two years later. It went viral on TikTok, where users began pairing the chorus with montages of their own "Chicago"—the places or times in their lives that made them who they are. This organic trend catapulted the song onto the Billboard Hot 100, marking Djo's first entry on the chart and exposing his musical project to millions who previously only knew him as Steve Harrington from Stranger Things.

Rhyme Scheme
The song utilizes a mix of perfect and slant rhymes. The chorus relies heavily on the 'E' sound ("me", "city", "beginning") and the 'I' sound ("it", "in it"). The repetition of "Chicago" and "beginning" creates a rhythmic anchor point. The rhyme scheme is relatively simple (AABB or ABCB depending on the section), which allows the repetitive, mantra-like lyrics to take center stage without complex poetic distraction.

Rhythm and Tempo
The track is set to a driving, mid-tempo beat (approx. 130-135 BPM) that feels like a heartbeat or the rhythm of walking fast through a city. The motorik beat (a constant, driving 4/4 beat often associated with krautrock) propels the song forward, symbolizing the unstoppable passage of time. The interplay between the steady, mechanical drum beat and the swirling, free-flowing synths creates a tension between the rigid reality of time and the fluid nature of memory.

Musical Atmosphere
The track is a prime example of synth-wave and psychedelic pop. It utilizes a heavy, washing synthesizer pad that creates a dreamlike, underwater quality, perfectly mimicking the haze of memory. The production builds slowly, starting with a steady, driving rhythm and expanding into a massive wall of sound.

Vocal Delivery
Keery employs a robotic, vocoder-style effect on his voice during the verses. This stylistic choice creates a sense of detachment, as if the narrator is speaking from the future or through a digital filter. In the chorus, the vocals become clearer and more emotive, shouting out the realization, which mirrors the breakthrough of emotion piercing through the numbness of daily life.

Crescendo Structure
The song avoids a traditional verse-chorus-verse pop structure in favor of a linear build. It repeats the central mantra ("And when I'm back in Chicago...") with increasing intensity, layering more instruments and vocal harmonies until it reaches a euphoric peak, representing the overwhelming nature of nostalgia.

TikTok Virality and The "Chicago" Trend
"End of Beginning" is a modern example of how social media can revive a "sleeper hit." In early 2024, the song became a global phenomenon on TikTok. Users interpreted the lyric "And when I'm back in Chicago" as a prompt to showcase their own "Chicago"—the place where they felt most themselves. This trend saw millions of users, including celebrities and brands, posting montages of their hometowns, study abroad trips, or "glow up" transformations.

Chart Performance
Due to this viral success, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 51 in early 2024, nearly two years after its initial release. It also topped charts in the UK and globally on Spotify viral charts. This success legitimized Joe Keery's music career to the general public, separating his identity as "Djo" from his acting role, ironically mirroring the song's theme of shedding old skins.

• Chicago: A metonym for formative youth. While literal for Keery, for the listener, "Chicago" symbolizes any place or era where they felt most alive, authentic, or unguarded before the responsibilities of true adulthood set in.
• "The End of Beginning": A temporal metaphor. If life is a story, the "beginning" is childhood and early adulthood. Waving goodbye to the "end of beginning" implies crossing a threshold of no return—accepting that the introductory chapter is finished.
• "Another version of me": Represents the concept of the fractured self. It suggests we leave ghosts of ourselves in the places we used to live, and those versions of us continue to exist in memory, separate from who we are today.
• "Caroline": The specific name drop ("And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it / Another version of me, I was in it / I wave goodbye to the end of beginning / Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye") is often misheard or debated, but the lyrics focus on the farewell. *Note: Some listeners hear a name, but the official lyrics emphasize the "Goodbye" or references to the self. If interpreted as a name in fan theories, it represents a specific person tied to that era, but the text primarily supports the self-reference.*

"And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it"
This is the central hook of the song. Its repetition reinforces the involuntary nature of the emotional response. He doesn't choose to feel it; the city forces the feeling upon him.

"You take the man out of the city, not the city out the man"
A twist on the classic idiom ("You can take the boy out of the country..."). By repeating this, Keery solidifies the theme of permanent identity formation. It serves as the philosophical thesis of the track.

"Goodbye"
The repeated "Goodbye" at the climax serves as a cathartic release. It is not a sad goodbye, but a necessary one, chanted like a spell to release himself from the grip of the past.