Despite early singles success in the UK the band were initially more successful in the United States, billed as "The English guys with the big fiddles".[1] They soon gained a cult following despite lukewarm reviews back in their native United Kingdom. By the mid-1970s, they had become one of the biggest selling bands in music. From 1972 to 1986, ELO accumulated 27 Top 40 hit singles in both the UK and the US. The group also scored 20 Top 20 U.K. hit singles, as well as 19 Top 20 hit singles in the U.S. Billboard charts. The band also holds the record for having the most Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits of any band in US chart history without ever having a number one single.[2]
ELO collected 19 CRIA, 21 RIAA and 38 BPI awards,[3][4] and sold over 50 million records worldwide during the group's active period of recording and touring.[1].
Twilight
E.L.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The early dawn, the shades of time
Twilight crawling through my windowpane.
Am I awake or do I dream?
The strangest pictures I have seen
Night is day and twilight's gone away.
You came down to me from the open skies
It's either real or it's a dream
There's nothing that is in between.
Twilight, I only meant to stay a while
Twilight, I gave you time to steal my mind
Away from me.
Across the light, I saw your face
You disappeared without a trace
You brought me here, but can you take me back?
Inside the image of you light (What!)
That now is day and once was night (What!)
You leave me here, and then you go away.
It's either real or it's a dream
There's nothing that is in between
Twilight, twilight, twilight,
I gave you time to steal my mind
Away from me.
(You brought me here, but can you take me back again?)
With your head held high and your scarlet lies
You came down to me from the open skies
It's either real or it's a dream
There's nothing that is in between.
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile
Twilight, I gave you time to steal my mind.
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile.
Twilight, twilight, twilight, twilight...
The lyrics of E.L.O.'s song Twilight speak of a dream-like state, where the singer describes their visions and unsure reality. The song mentions the shades of time and twilight, which could represent the transition between day and night, or perhaps something more significant, such as the transition between life and death. The singer sees strange pictures and wonders if they are awake or dreaming, as night seems to be day and vice versa. They feel like they have been brought into a different reality, with the line "You brought me here, but can you take me back?" suggesting they are unsure how to return to their previous life.
The chorus of the song contains the word "twilight" repeated multiple times, with the singer seemingly addressing the concept of twilight itself. They gave it "time to steal their mind away" and meant to only stay awhile, suggesting they don't want to become lost in this in-between state forever. The second verse mentions someone who came "down to me from the open skies" with "scarlet lies." This could be interpreted in various ways, but perhaps it represents a temptation or distraction that led the singer into this twilight state.
Overall, the lyrics of Twilight are open to interpretation, but they seem to describe a dream or a state of uncertainty between different realities. The singer is unsure whether they are awake or dreaming and feels like they have been brought into a different world, perhaps by some external force. The chorus echoes the theme of twilight throughout, suggesting the singer doesn't want to become lost in this in-between state forever.
Line by Line Meaning
The visions dancing in my mind
The mental images are jostling around haphazardly
The early dawn, the shades of time
The beginning of the day and the changes in our lives occurring over time
Twilight crawling through my windowpane.
The creeping darkness of evening time entering the room via an opening in the window
Am I awake or do I dream?
Uncertainty between reality and fantasy
The strangest pictures I have seen
The most unusual and perplexing mental images
Night is day and twilight's gone away.
Completely confounding, like the day and night swapped places and now the period of twilight doesn't even exist
With your head held high and your scarlet lies
You approach me with confidence and deceptive behavior
You came down to me from the open skies
Seemingly descending from the heavens to be with me
It's either real or it's a dream
The state is uncertain and one can only speculate whether it's actual reality or mere imagination
There's nothing that is in between.
There is no middle ground or grey area, it's strictly one or the other
Twilight, I only meant to stay a while
I only intended to spend a brief amount of time with this disorienting phenomenon
Twilight, I gave you time to steal my mind
I allowed the confusing twilight to bewitch my thoughts
Across the light, I saw your face
In the shining brightness, I glimpsed your countenance
You disappeared without a trace
You vanished without leaving any signs behind
You brought me here, but can you take me back?
You led me to this point, but can you reverse it?
Inside the image of you light (What!)
Suddenly, a shocking exclamation indicating that the image of the person is the light itself
That now is day and once was night (What!)
An absurd transformation occurring where daylight is now prevailing and the prior night has disappeared
You leave me here, and then you go away.
Now you abandon me where I am, before finally departing completely
Twilight, twilight, twilight,
Repeating the earlier refrain to emphasize the overwhelming strangeness of this time of day
I gave you time to steal my mind away from me.
Again reiterating that the eerie period of twilight has captivated and disoriented me
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile.
Returning to the initial statement that I only intended to remain for a brief period
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile.
Concluding again that I didn't intend to stay long during this otherworldly time of day
Contributed by Katherine N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@oswaldoricolopez81
LYRICS
The visions dancing in my mind
The early dawn, the shades of time
Twilight crawling through my windowpane
Am I awake or do I dream?
The strangest pictures I have seen
Night is day and twilights gone away
With your head held high and your scarlet lies
You came down to me from the open skies
Its either real or its a dream
Theres nothing that is in between...
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile
Twilight, I gave you time to steal my mind
Away from me.
Across the night I saw your face
You disappeared without a trace
You brought me here, but can you take me back?
Inside the image of your light
That now is day and once was night
You lead me here and then you go away.
Its either real or its a dream
Theres nothing that is in between...
Twilight, I gave you time to steal my mind
Away from me.
(you brought me here, but can you take me back again? )
With your head held high and your scarlet lies
You came down to me from the open skies
Its either real or its a dream
Theres nothing that is in between...
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile
Twilight, I gave you time to steal my mind
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile
Twilight, I only meant to stay awhile
Twilight, twilight, twilight, twilight.
@illumaQ
Why does this song feel like something I’ve been missing my whole life
@decimalross
So so many ELO tunes make me feel that. What a gift
@japonsubtitulado
Cuz you've been missing this your whole life
@EHyde-ir9gb
All their songs feel like the dreams of the future we would live in by those before us.
@benjaminlopez7272
Because this song represent the fact of remember yourself, feeling like you've been travel years to find you now, on the future. ELO songs are profoundly spiritually, a sea full of symbolism.
@mrthewubbie
I know right? I ran across Daikon a few years back and was watching it, my wife of 25 years walked in, and it turns out it was her favorite song in high school. It just gives and gives. 😊
@PandamoniumBruu
To Gainax, thank you. To Electric Light Orchestra, farewell. And to all the people who find this video... Congratulations!
@Ancient_Ys
I heard it on the radio a few days ago ❤️❤️
@--.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.2508
Omedetou!
@ShinGallon
Omedetou!