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' 1967 song I Am the Walrus 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.
The band split in 1983. In 1985, Lynne, Tandy and Bevan reunited and recorded the album "Balance of Power". This reunion was short lived and the band split once more in 1986. Bev Bevan and Louis Clark, with the consent of Lynne, toured and recorded as ELO Part II from 1988 until Bevan's retirement in 1999. In 2000, Lynne and Tandy reformed Electric Light Orchestra and released a new record, "Zoom". "Zoom" proved to be a commercial failure, and the duo split once more in 2001.
In 2014, following support from BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans, Lynne and Tandy reunited as a part of BBC Radio 2's "Festival in a Day" to perform under the new billing, "Jeff Lynne's ELO", a name Lynne devised as a response to ELO tributes, imitation bands, and offshoots who used ELO to promote their own tours.
In February 2015, Jeff Lynne's ELO performed at the Grammy Awards with Ed Sheeran, and in September of that year they announced a new album would be released under Columbia Records. Jeff Lynne's ELO - Alone in the Universe was released on November 13, 2015, and was ELO’s first album of new material in almost 15 years.
The second album under Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Jeff Lynne's ELO - From Out of Nowhere, was released on November 1, 2019.
There is more than one artist with the name "ELO". The vast majority of scrobbles to "Electric Light Orchestra" are for the rock band from England.
ELO, is a South Korean singer, who debuted with the album, 8 Femmes, on August 26, 2016.
ザナドゥ
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The love that we came to know
They call it Xanadu
(It takes your breath and leaves you blind)
And now open your eyes and see
What we have made is real
We are in Xanadu
A million lights are dancing and there you are
A shooting star
An everlasting world and you're here with me
Eternally
Xanadu, Xanadu (now we are here)
In Xanadu (Xanadu)
Xanadu, Xanadu (now we are here)
In Xanadu
Xanadu your neon lights will shine
For you Xanadu
The love, the echoes of long ago
You needed the world to know
They are in Xanadu
(With every breath you drift away)
The dream that came through a million years
That lived on through all the tears
It came to Xanadu
(The dream you dream, well it will happen for you)
A million lights are dancing and there you are
A shooting star
An everlasting world and you're here with me
Eternally
Xanadu, Xanadu (now we are here)
In Xanadu (Xanadu)
Xanadu, Xanadu (now we are here)
In Xanadu (Xanadu, Xanadu)
Now that I'm here
Now that you're near in Xanadu
Now that I'm here
Now that you're near in Xanadu
Xanadu
The song Xanadu by Electric Light Orchestra is about a mystical and mythical place that existed in ancient times where love and all your dreams come true. The lyrics describe the place as a location that nobody dared to go, and the love that the characters in the song discovered there. The song's writer refers to the place as Xanadu, which is named after the ancient city in China, near the river Xanadu, on the Orkhon Valley. This fantasy land is described as taking your breath away and blinds your vision from the staggering beauty.
The song goes on to tell the listener to open their eyes and see that the fantasy world is real. They invite the listener to join them in Xanadu and offer them a dream. A million lights are described, which are dancing, and you can visualize them with your imagination. The character in the song talks about an everlasting world, and they will be together eternally. The final lines of the song invite the listener, saying that if you come to Xanadu, your neon lights will shine, and you will be part of this magical place.
Line by Line Meaning
A place where nobody dared to go
Xanadu is a place that was once considered inaccessible or forbidden
The love that we came to know
We have discovered a love that is unique to Xanadu
They call it Xanadu
This place, with all its glory, is known as Xanadu
(It takes your breath and leaves you blind)
The beauty and grandeur of Xanadu are overwhelming to the point of taking one's breath away and leave them awestruck
And now open your eyes and see
It's time to finally witness the wonders of Xanadu
What we have made is real
We have brought our dream to life and it now exists in reality
We are in Xanadu
We have arrived at Xanadu, the place we've always dreamed of
(A dream of it, we offer you)
We invite you to indulge in the dream that is Xanadu and experience it for yourself
A million lights are dancing and there you are
An indescribable beauty illuminates Xanadu, making you shine
A shooting star
You are now an inseparable part of the dream that is Xanadu
An everlasting world and you're here with me
Xanadu is a world that exists forever, and you can stay here with me forever too
Eternally
Our time in Xanadu is infinite, never-ending
Xanadu, Xanadu (now we are here)
We are finally in Xanadu, the place we've dreamed of forever
In Xanadu (Xanadu)
We are living, breathing, experiencing Xanadu
Xanadu your neon lights will shine
The glowing neon lights of Xanadu will attract and mesmerize you
For you Xanadu
Xanadu is for you, the dreamer
The love, the echoes of long ago
The love and memories of the past are still present in Xanadu
You needed the world to know
We want to share the beauty of Xanadu with the entire world
They are in Xanadu
All the world's treasures can be found in Xanadu
(With every breath you drift away)
The enchanting aura of Xanadu is so intense that you might get lost in it if you're not careful
The dream that came through a million years
The dream of Xanadu has been alive and evolving for millions of years
That lived on through all the tears
The dream of Xanadu has persevered even through difficult times
It came to Xanadu
The dream of Xanadu has finally materialized in this magical place
(The dream you dream, well it will happen for you)
Believe in your dreams and you too can find your own Xanadu
Now that I'm here
Now that I've found Xanadu, my journey is complete
Now that you're near in Xanadu
Now that you're here with me in Xanadu, nothing can destroy our perfect world
Xanadu
A place where all your dreams come true
Writer(s): Jeff Lynne
Contributed by Bailey H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
비정한세상
A place where nobody dared to go,
아무도 가보려 하지 못한 곳
the love that we came to know
우리가 깨닫게된 사랑
They call it Xanadu
사람들은 그것을 제너두라고 해요
It takes your breath and it'll leave you blind
숨을 멈추게 하고 눈을 멀게 하죠
And now, open your eyes and see
그리고 이제 눈을 뜨고 한 번 보세요
what we have made is real
우리가 겪고 있는 것이 실제라는 것을
We are in Xanadu
우리는 제너두에 있는 거에요
A dream of it, we offer you
꿈은 현실로, 우린 당신을 위해
A million lights are dancing
수백만의 불빛들이 춤을 춰요
and there you are, a shooting star
그중에 당신은 운석처럼 빛나요
An everlasting world and you're here with me
영원한 세계에 당신은 저와 함께 해요
eternally
앞으로도 쭈욱~~~~
(now we are here)
(이제부터 우리는 함께 해요)
in Xanadu(Xanadu)
제너두(제너두)
Xanadu your neon lights will shine for you Xanadu
제너두 당신 주변엔 네온 불빛이 빛나요 제너두
The love, the echoes of long ago
사랑 그 오랜 시간의 메아리
You needed the world to know
세상이 그 것을 알았으면 해요
They are in Xanadu
그들이 제너두에 있다는 것을
(With every breath you drift away)
(당신이 내쉬는 모든 숨결속에)
The dream that came through a million years
수백만 년 동안 꿈꾸던 세상
that lived on through all the tears
수많은 눈물들이 고여서 만들어진 것
It came to Xanadu
그것은 제너두
(The dream you dream, well it will happen for you)
(당신이 꿈꿔 오던 것 지금 그 것이 당신을 위해 펼쳐지고 있어요)
A million lights are dancing
수백만의 불빛들이 춤을 춰요
and there you are, a shooting star
그중에 당신은 운석처럼 빛나요
An everlasting world and you're here with me
영원한 세계에 당신은 저와 함께 해요
eternally
앞으로도 쭈욱~~~~
Now that I'm here,
난 이제 여기에
now that you're near
그리고 당신은 내 곁에
in Xanadu
제너두에서
1980년 뮤지컬 영화[Xenadu]의 타이틀 곡이다.
Xenadu는 몽골제국의 Khubilai Khan이 별궁을
세운 땅의 이름에서 유래한 단어로
중국식으로 하면 무릉도원, 서양식으로하면
Utopia(유토피아), Eldorado(엘도라도)같은
의미를 지니고 있는데 영화에서는 클럽의
이름으로 사용되었다
Laurie Croad
What a glorious, harmonic song, all the audience singing along, with Jeff's soft voice ringing out, perfect!
Ann Storella
I love Jeff's voice too!
jws1272
I actually have a plan to put together an ELO tribute group........and I would have whatever soprano backup singer we have sing this.........but I DO love this version too.......I have the "Wembley Or Bust" Blu/CD set.........thank you so much, Wifey.......
AndyRob
It is atrocious live.......none of the spark of the original. Stop romanticising.
🌸Carina🌸
It's absolutely divine! 🥲💘
Antonio Veritas
@AndyRob Let's hear your version. Got a YouTube video? Or just jealous, maybe? 😉
Cid Weinberg
Bravo Jeff, thank you for writing this unforgettable masterpiece! Cheers. RIP Olivia
Beta Call
With Olivia Newton-John's recent passing, it makes this performance all the more nostalgic. I remember when the song and movie came out in the summer of '80. The world seemed so much happier back then. What a genius Jeff has been for 50+ years and what a beauty Olivia will always be.
lee robinson
Love Olivia RIP,Jeff Lynne's xanadu song is perfect for her.Miss the old days
Billy
Yes. Yes. Yes.