They incorporated the sounds of string ensembles, vocoders and dub echos into rock songs, thereby creating a very sophisticated studio version of rock. The musical content of ELO songs often went far beyond usual chord structures, mixing pop songwriting with classical romanticism and synthesized sounds. The band claim that their music ‘picks up where The Beatles left off.’
Formed in 1970 by Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan (the remaining members of the 1960s rock group The Move). The band used cellos, violin, horns and woodwinds to give their music a classical sound. This was an idea Roy Wood initially had while with The Move, to take rock music in a new direction. In 1970 when Carl Wayne left the The Move, Jeff Lynne, front man with fellow Brum band Idle Race, responded to Wood’s second invitation to join the line-up, with the lure of starting the new band. To help finance the fledgling project, two more Move albums were released during the recording of their eponymous first album in 1971 which produced the UK hit 10538 Overture. In the US this album was released with the mistaken title of No Answer, due to a mix-up with an uncompleted telephone call to the American label and subsequent secretarial message.
However, tensions soon surfaced between Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne. With most of the media attention focused on Roy Wood, differences in musical direction, and a disastrous first live outing, it was no surprise when the band went through the first of its many line-up changes as Wood took Hugh McDowell and Bill Hunt with him to form Wizzard. Despite the music press’s predictions that the band would fold without Wood, Jeff Lynne stepped up to lead the band, with Bevan remaining on drums, bassist Richard Tandy switching to moog synthesizer, Michael d’Albuquerque on bass, Mike Edwards, Colin Walker (cello) and Wilfred Gibson replacing Steve Woolam on violin. They released ELO 2 in 1973, from which came their first U.S. chart hit, a hugely elaborate version of the Chuck Berry classic Roll Over Beethoven. After their second album, violinist Gibson was dismissed and replaced by Mik Kaminski. They also released On the Third Day in 1973, with Mike Edwards playing all the cello parts due to Colin Walker leaving the band. Later that same year saw the return of Hugh McDowell, who had jumped ship the year previous, to replace cellist Colin Walker.
In 1974 Lynne hired a thirty-piece orchestra, choir and Louis Clark, then began work on the next LP Eldorado, A Symphony, a concept album about dreams, scoring their first U.S. Top Ten hit with Can’t Get It Out Of My Head in 1975. Eldorado would become ELO’s first gold album.
After the release of Eldorado, bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt and cellist Melvyn Gale joined, replacing de Albuquerque and Edwards respectively.
Hold on Tight
ELO Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold on tight to your dream, yeah
When you see your ship go sailing
When you feel your heart is breaking
Hold on tight to your dream
It's a long time to be gone
Oh, time just rolls on and on
When you get so sick of trying
Just hold on tight to your dream
When you get so down that you can't get up
And you want so much, but you're all out of luck
When you're so downhearted and misunderstood
Just over and over and over you could
Accroche-toi à ton rêve
Accroche-toi à ton rêve
Quand tu vois ton bateau partir
Quand tu sens - ton coeur se briser
Accroche-toi à ton rêve
When you get so down that you can't get up
And you want so much, but you're all out of luck
When you're so downhearted and misunderstood
Just over and over and over you could
Hold on tight to your dream, yeah
Hold on tight to your dream, yeah
When you see the shadows falling
When you hear that cold wind calling
Hold on tight to your dream
Ooh, yeah, hold on tight to your dream
Yeah, yeah, hold on tight
To your dream
The song "Hold On Tight" by Electric Light Orchestra or ELO, released in 1981, encourages listeners to hold on tight to their dreams despite the challenges and obstacles they might face along the way. The lyrics suggest that dreams are essential to living a fulfilling life, and even though setbacks are inevitable, it's crucial to keep holding on to them. The song begins with a repetition of the phrase "Hold on tight to your dream," which sets the tone for the rest of the song.
As the song progresses, it speaks about the difficulty of pursuing one's dreams. It acknowledges that time can feel like it's moving too fast, leaving one with a sense of emptiness and discouragement. Nonetheless, the lyrics encourage the listener not to give up regardless of how they feel. When things get tough, the song advises the listener to hold on tighter to their dream.
The song ends with a repetition of the phrase "Hold on tight to your dream," as if to hammer home the importance of the message. The lyrics are simple but impactful, and the upbeat rhythm of the song adds to its inspirational tone. Overall, "Hold On Tight" is a song that speaks to everyone who has ever experienced hardship in their pursuit of a dream.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold on tight to your dream, yeah
Don't give up on your dreams and keep pushing through, even when it's tough.
When you see your ship go sailing
When you witness things moving ahead without you and you feel like you're stuck.
When you feel your heart is breaking
When you experience heartache and pain, and everything seems to be falling apart.
It's a long time to be gone
It feels like forever when you're struggling and waiting for things to improve.
Oh, time just rolls on and on
Time keeps moving forward, and it can be challenging to keep up with the pace of life.
When you need a shoulder to cry on
When you require someone to comfort and support you during hard times.
When you get so sick of trying
When you're exhausted and frustrated from putting in so much effort and not seeing any results.
When you get so down that you can't get up
When you're feeling low and depressed, and it appears as though there's no way out of it.
And you want so much, but you're all out of luck
When you desire success and good fortune but seem to experience nothing but failure and bad luck.
When you're so downhearted and misunderstood
When you're feeling hopeless and alone, and it seems like no one understands what you're going through.
Just over and over and over you could
Despite feeling defeated, you continue to persevere and try again and again.
When you see the shadows falling
When darkness and gloom appear to be closing in around you.
When you hear that cold wind calling
When you're facing challenges that seem insurmountable, and it feels like the world is against you.
Ooh, yeah, hold on tight to your dream
Reiterating the importance of not giving up on your dreams, even when things seem tough.
Yeah, yeah, hold on tight to your dream
A powerful sentiment encouraging listeners to never give up on their dreams.
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@horaceosirian8993
Viral Test Hero
Livin' Things
Slowdown
LockDown Low Is King
Contagion (to the tune of Confusion ;)
Don't Bring Me Round
Evil Wuhan
All Over the Ward
Hydroquinone Line
Calling A Medic Up
Perma-Stoned (Turn to Stone)
Cease Talkin' Woman
Ban-A-Dude (Xanadu)
Lock Area (Rockaria)
Hold Non-Tight
@michaelmayhood4286
At 68 years old, I have come to the obvious conclusion that Mr. Lynne and the rest of the ELO band members have helped shape me and most of my entire generation into the happiest and caring people ever! Too bad you other "people" missed it! Thanks to Jeff and the band we had so much fun! Tell the others; You should have been there!
@fredlibby8518
I think John Lennon wrote a songYou should have been there!
@Mato1970
You might be a child of the 80s if you have trouble listening to this song without thinking about coffee.
Some of you out there know what I'm referring to.
@westminsterwatcher5152
A reminder that if your day hasn't gone so well, we go again tomorrow, and our dreams can come to fruition! God bless you all!
@1stdoctor329
Who else is drinking coffee while listening to this?
@classicrockfan8034
Accroche toi à ton rêve! Mon rêve est de voir Jeff Lynne's ELO live en 2023. Le meilleur au monde!!!
@sickofgreyhats
And I don't care who's trying to re-do ELO's song. NO ONE will ever do it like them. 💞 Big love to Jeff and ELO.
@johnwalsh8016
ELO - The best rock and roll band ever!
@akishot6735
Best everything band
@paulagraham3247
Elvis