Waiting for the End

"Waiting for the End" was announced as the album's second single at the time of the album's release.

The track features minimal distorted guitar and differs from many previous Linkin Park singles. The song features reggae-style verses by Mike Shinoda followed by both chorus and verses sung by Chester Bennington. The breakdown of the song uses remixed portions of Bennington's vocals.

This song was featured in the 10th season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS on October 14, 2010.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/linkinpark/statuses/27376477574 |title=Twitter / Linkin Park: #WaitingForTheEnd will be |publisher=Twitter |date=October 14, 2010 |access-date=2012-01-02}}

File:WFTE.jpg being applied with digital effects.]]

The official music video is directed by Joe Hahn. The video was filmed in September 2010,{{Cite web |url=http://www.joehahn.com/blog/pic-of-the-day/ |title=Pic of the Day |access-date=June 12, 2011 |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727112505/http://www.joehahn.com/blog/pic-of-the-day/ |url-status=dead }} before the release of A Thousand Suns and was released to MTV on Friday October 8, 2010.

The video features the entire band performing the song in darkness along with heavily experimental digital effects and distortion applied to them. The video also carries the themes of the artwork for their album, A Thousand Suns, with many shots of abstract artworks featuring animals and digital-themed media.

Joe Hahn wrote a blog post describing the music video:

{{blockquote|The clip is an experiment in making the most digital version of ourselves in the spirit of the visual palette of A Thousand Suns. If you have been following our visuals throughout this album, this is the next step in our journey. I wanted to push ourselves so far down the digital path that it eventually felt spiritual. As we live our lives in the digital noise of today, we can find our center of humanity in the midst of the chaos. This is my illustration of that.{{Cite web |url=http://www.joehahn.com/blog/waiting-for-the-end/ |title=Joe Hahn's Blog Waiting for the End |access-date=January 22, 2011 |archive-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207232800/http://www.joehahn.com/blog/waiting-for-the-end/ |url-status=dead }}}}

In celebration of the band's North American tour, an alternate live video of the song premiered in the band's official site and YouTube channel. It was filmed by numerous fans on January 26, 2011, at the United Center in Chicago, and January 28 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The version played in the video is the actual live performance of the song.{{YouTube|yZiM3P7Bw-w|"Waiting for the End" live from the 2011 A Thousand Suns Tour}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qF_qbaWt3Q|title=Waiting for the End (Official Video) on Youtube|website=YouTube |date=October 8, 2010 }} From Linkin Park's Youtube Channel.

The video was placed at No. 28 of the year by VH1's Top 40 Videos of the Year.

Michael Menachem of Billboard gave the song a positive review, saying " 'Waiting for the End' offers the grandness of 'Numb' and 'Faint', but producer Rick Rubin's polyrhythmic framework and the group's moralistic lyrics set it apart from Linkin Park's past hits."[http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1068428/linkin-park-waiting-for-the-end Billboard "Waiting for the End" Linkin Park] MTV's James Montgomery praised the song, describing it as "one part soaring, big-boned ballad, one part rattling, slightly Ragga dancehall toast, and zero parts anything LP have previously attempted." Tim Grierson of About.com listed the song as the seventh best rock song of 2010, saying that "Balancing rapped and sung vocals, the hopeful, resilient track builds to a beautifully rousing finale."{{cite web|url=http://rock.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/BestSongs2010.htm|title=2010's Best Rock Songs|last=Grierson|first=Tom|publisher=About.com|access-date=September 10, 2011|archive-date=November 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102004717/http://rock.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/BestSongs2010.htm|url-status=dead}}

During a Twitch stream in 2020, Mike Shinoda revealed that "Waiting for the End" is his favourite Linkin Park song.{{Cite web|date=May 8, 2020|title=MIKE SHINODA'S FAVORITE LINKIN PARK SONG MIGHT COME AS A SURPRISE|url=https://www.altpress.com/news/mike-shinoda-favorite-linkin-park-song/|access-date=2020-05-26|website=Alternative Press}}

The song was performed live at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2010.{{YouTube|7vo_Lrsc-pQ|Linkin Park – Waiting for the End EMA 2010}} It was also performed on Saturday Night Live on February 5, 2011. "Waiting for the End" is the only single to be performed at all concerts in the A Thousand Suns World Tour ("The Catalyst" was not performed at the Sunrise, Florida concert; "Burning in the Skies" never received a full performance until the Australia leg; and "Iridescent" was not performed at most concerts at the Australia leg). The song is a staple in the group’s live performances to date.

"Waiting for the End" debuted at number 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 upon the release of the album. After falling off and re-entering the chart more than once, it has reached number 42, remaining 23 weeks on the chart. It has also obtained number 2 on the Rock Songs chart. After spending 15 weeks on the Alternative Songs chart, it replaced "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys at number 1, giving the band their tenth number 1 song on the chart. As of June 2014, the single has sold over 1,058,000 copies in the US, becoming their 9th best selling single in the US.{{cite magazine | url =http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6128793/ask-billboard-with-nico-vinz-norway-continues-us-chart-invasion?page=0%2C2 | title = Ask Billboard: With Nico & Vinz, Norway Continues U.S. Chart Invasion | last =Trust |first=Gary |magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media| date = June 24, 2014}} Despite peaking lower than "The Catalyst", it was the most successful single in the US from the album. Outside the US, the song was generally less successful than "The Catalyst".

Chester Bennington said this about the success of the single in an interview with MTV on February 7, 2011:{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657422/linkin-park-waiting-for-the-end.jhtml#fbid=KwfO4dtbTP1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211051812/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657422/linkin-park-waiting-for-the-end.jhtml#fbid=KwfO4dtbTP1|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 11, 2011|title=Linkin Park's on "Waiting for the End" Success: "People Are Getting It Now."|last=Montgomery|first=James|publisher=MTV|date=February 7, 2011|access-date=2011-06-24}} {{blockquote|It took two years for us to make that record, and it took that whole process for us to really digest the new music, so we knew that it was going to take people time to really let it settle... And 'Waiting for the End' is a perfect example of that ... it's taken it a while for it to elevate up the charts, and it went to No. 1 at the Alternative charts, and then kinda went back, and then went back to No. 1. ... People are getting it now. And I think, especially for our fans in the States, it was important for it to marinate for a little while before we came back and started playing these shows.}}

All songs written and composed by Linkin Park.

{{Track listing

|headline = Digital single [1st version]

|title1 = Waiting for the End

|length1 = 3:51

|title2 = The Catalyst

|length2 = 3:06

|note2 = "Guitarmagedon" DIOYY? Remix

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = CD • Digital single [2nd version]

|title1 = Waiting for the End

|length1 = 3:51

|title2 = Waiting for the End

|length2 = 4:54

|note2 = The Glitch Mob Remix

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = Promotional radio CD single

|title1 = Waiting for the End

|length1 = 3:51

}}

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|award=Platinum|artist=Linkin Park|access-date=November 7, 2010|title=Waiting for the End|relyear=2010|certyear=2017}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Linkin Park songs}}

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Category:Linkin Park songs

Category:2010 songs

Category:2010 singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin

Category:Songs written by Mike Shinoda

Category:Warner Records singles

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Category:Space rock songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Shinoda