outro
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The closing section of a song, providing a sense of conclusion or resolution.
Outros can fade out gradually, end with a hard stop, or vamp on a repeated phrase. The fade-out was enormously popular from the 1960s through the 1990s, but modern pop increasingly favours definitive endings. Some outros become iconic in their own right. In live performance, outros often extend into improvised jams or audience singalongs.
Did you know?
The fade-out became popular partly because early radio DJs needed a smooth way to transition between songs, and partly because songwriters could not decide how to end.