"It Ends Tonight" was written by Nick Wheeler and Tyson Ritter. Along with the title track, it was one of the last songs written for Move Along and as revealed by the band in an interview on Soundstage is about a "dude" rather than addressed to a female love interest. The song utilizes a string section, with an arrangement by composer Deborah Lurie.
Reception
Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. About.com commented: It Ends Tonight' will provide a suitably dreamy sounding late evening mood for the band's eager fans, but it fails to reach the distinctiveness of the previous hits 'Dirty Little Secret' and 'Move Along'. The lyrics kick off in intriguing fashion with 'Your subtleties / They strangle me,' but that is as good as it gets. Ultimately, it's a grandly ambiguous tune about the end of a generic relationship." Contactmusic.com responded positively to the track, saying that they loved hearing the band "take a break from the perfect guitar power-pop of recent singles and show their softer side with a piano-led ballad. The track shows off singer Tyson Ritter's powerful vocals and has provided their legion of fans with a perfect lighters-up pause in the set."
Chart performance
"It Ends Tonight" peaked at #8 on the BillboardHot 100, making it The All-American Rejects' highest charting song in the U.S and Australia, until the release of their single "Gives You Hell" in 2008 which reached position #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2009.
Music video
The music video for "It Ends Tonight" was directed by Wayne Isham and shot in July 2006 in Moapa Indian Reservation in the Nevada desert, before premiering on Total Request Live a month later on August 28. The video portrays the band throwing an impromptu concert/fireworks show near a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. Prior to the performance, a road-weary Tyson Ritter is seen shopping at a nearby fireworks store, stocking up on a huge supply before hauling them out to the desert in his shopping cart and releasing them. The fireworks also serve as a backdrop for the concert, and the audience joins in setting them off, including an attractive brunette Ritter had met at the fireworks shop earlier that night. Morning breaks as the band sings the lyric "When darkness turns to light," and the band members are seen walking off into the distance.
"It Ends Tonight" is featured in the television shows ' and All My Children as well as various commercials for TV shows such as One Tree Hill and Battlestar Galactica. The song has also made an appearance in the video game'. The song is also used as the background music for the Surface Studio commercial, with Julie Delpy and Scarlett Johansson The band performed the song on an episode of Smallville. "It Ends Tonight" has also been covered by bands such as Overboard and Joy Electric.
