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.
03.Oh No Not Susan
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crying at the lions on the garden wall
And then she'd sigh - sneak away
Look at her style - free the day
Oh no not me - I wouldn't
Oh no not me - I couldn't
That's all she says, her money and her place
Susan met the lords and dukes of everywhere
Smiling kissing wishing that they'd go to hell
And then she'd laugh - wonder why
Take a nap - sit and cry
Oh no not me - I wouldn't
Oh no not me - I couldn't
That's all she says, her money and her place
They just don't mean a thing
The lyrics of "Oh No Not Susan" by Electric Light Orchestra, tells the story of Susan, a wealthy woman who spends her weekends in her luxurious estate in the company of lions on the garden wall. Despite her riches and high social status, Susan appears unhappy and discontent with her life. She sneaks away from the fancy lifestyle and contemplates her freedom. Her wealth and position do not hold any value in contrast to her search for something authentic.
The lyrics indicate that Susan has met high profile people such as lords and dukes, and even though she interacts with them smilingly and kissing up to them, she wishes to see them go to hell. Her laughter disguises her sorrow, and she spends her time napping, crying, and wondering why she feels lost.
The overall message of the song is that wealth and social status do not bring happiness and genuine fulfillment. The character of Susan may have everything anyone could dream of, but she is simply not content. The lyrics suggest that the simple things in life hold more value and importance, and not wealth or social status.
Line by Line Meaning
Susan spent the weekend at her stately home
Susan, a wealthy woman, spent her weekend at her grand estate
Crying at the lions on the garden wall
She was upset and crying while looking at the lions on her estate's garden wall
And then she'd sigh - sneak away
After crying, Susan would let out a sigh and sneak away
Look at her style - free the day
The artist comments on Susan's fashionable appearance and how she enjoys living her wealthy lifestyle with no worries
Oh no not me - I wouldn't
The artist is saying they wouldn't act like Susan
Oh no not me - I couldn't
The singer can't act like Susan as they don't have the same wealth and status
That's all she says, her money and her place
Susan only talks about her wealth and status
They just don't mean a thing
The artist implies that Susan's money and status are unimportant and meaningless
Susan met the lords and dukes of everywhere
Susan socializes with aristocrats and people of high status
Smiling kissing wishing that they'd go to hell
Susan puts on a fake smile, kisses up to these people, but secretly wishes they go to hell
And then she'd laugh - wonder why
She would laugh to entertain these people but secretly wonders why she's even bothering
Take a nap - sit and cry
Susan resorts to taking naps and crying to deal with her fake behavior and socializing
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@suzanmoran7854
my Dad introduced me to this band many many moons ago..still holds a special place in my heart..
@michaelstevenklein3696
good name! me mom was a Susan, actually, Suzanna, Hungarian....Oh! Suzanna!
@jeffcraven7376
Suzan Moran, I was 16 when this ELO put "Oh No Not Susan" out, but the band I was in then couldn't play it, but our singer could've done it. The tune breaks my heart because I once knew a Susan like Jeff Lynne wrote and sung about. ELO had some good tunes, but this is one of my favorite recordings since the first Edison Disc was made.
@alexarutherford1137
I very clearly heard you say, "They just don't mean a f***ing thing." What the fudge-face, Jeff?!
@bobdavis4848
@Elisha James I always thought it was "They just don't mean a boogie thing."
@ihqteyall
Fudge face? Oh no, you need something better than that.
@douglaskirkland53
Telephone Line-ish overtones in this one
@michaelkoszowski3716
It's really a backwards message ...
@notanotherjamesmurphy5574
@@michaelkoszowski3716what is?
@ericfoster8411
This song is wildly amazing.