The Bitter End (song)
"The Bitter End" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Sleeping with Ghosts (2003), on 10 March 2003. The song is based on the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. There are several references to it throughout the song, one of the most noticeable being the reference to 2 May - the date on which the two main characters, Winston and Julia, first spend the night together. "The Bitter End" and "Every You Every Me" are the two most often played songs in the Placebo's live shows. Critical response Critics generally praised the single upon its release. Reviewing Sleeping with Ghosts, BBC.co.uk's rock/indie reviewer Dan Tallis described "The Bitter End" as "a good pop tune", having "just the right amount of dark, gothic atmosphere to please their fans and enough radio friendly guitars to please the new generation of indie kids." The Times thought the song "ramped up the energy level to devastating effect." Rock Sound reasoned that the track's "kick ass romp" reinforces "their status as purveyors of pure indie pop in the vein of The Smiths." However, NME saw differing influences woven in the