David Chase, the creator of the hit HBO show The Sopranos, penned a piece for the Directors Guild of America giving his analysis of the hotly debated final scene of the series.

The Sopranos was a top hit in HBO’s lineup for six seasons from 1999- 2007, and it’s final scene which leaves fans guessing the fate of the main character Tony Soprano has haunted fans for the past eight years. Up until now Chase has remained very tight-lipped about the meaning behind the scene and the fate of Tony.

Many fans theorize that the abrupt cut to black symbolizes that Tony was whacked by a rival which Chase neither confirms or denies in the piece. He does give interesting insight into the importance of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ in scene.

“When I wrote it, there were three songs in contention for this last song, and ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ was the one that seemed to work the best,” Chase stated. “The song dictates part of the pace. And having certain lyrics of the song, and certain instrumental flourishes happen in certain places, dictates what the cuts will be. I directed the scene to fit the song. The singing gets more and more strident and more invested as the song goes along. Musically it starts to build and build into something as it’s just about to release. And when you look at the scene, you get that feeling.”

Chase wanted to give viewers that feel of tension and suspense and set the scene accordingly. In regards to the abrupt cut to black all Chase provides is his view that “when it’s over, I think you’re probably always blindsided by it. That’s all I can say.”

“Life is short. Either it ends here for Tony or some other time,” Chase penned in conclusion. “But in spite of that, it’s really worth it. So don’t stop believing.”