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.
08.Illusions in G Major
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shinin' in the dead of night,
I heard the crew a hummin'
Tunes that sounded like the Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen.
But they didn't know the words,
So I assumed that they was foreign.
But I heard them just the same doctor let me teach 'em,
I looked up in the sky there was a phantom plane a comin',
Shinin' in the dead of night,
I heard the pilot saying,
Poems that were written by John Keats and Robert Browning.
But he didn't know the words so,
I suppose that it was nothing.
But I heard them just the same doctor let me teach 'em,
I just want to please 'em, doctor let me teach 'em.
Doctor please believe me, I know you won't decieve me,
But do these things I'm seein', have any hidden meaning.
It's all good entertainment and it doesn't cost a penny.
So please doc, let me teach 'em, if I could only reach 'em.
But I heard them just the same doctor let me teach 'em,
I just want to please 'em, doctor let me teach 'em.
The song "Illusions in G Major" by Electric Light Orchestra features lyrics that describe the singer's experience of encountering phantom ships and planes. The singer hears the crews of these vessels humming tunes that sound like those of popular musicians like the Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen, as well as pilots reciting poems by John Keats and Robert Browning. While the crews and pilots don't know the exact words to these songs and poems, the singer hears them just the same and offers to teach them.
The line "But do these things I'm seein', have any hidden meaning" suggests that the phantom ships and planes represent something more than just entertainment. The singer seems to want to understand the significance of these illusions and share them with others. The phrase "Illusions in G Major" could be a metaphor for the idea that what we perceive as reality may not be entirely accurate, and that there is deeper meaning to be found if we are open to it.
The song's lyrics also play with the idea of language as a means of communication and connection. The crews and pilots on the phantom ships and planes are foreign and don't know the exact lyrics to the songs and poems they're humming or reciting, but the singer hears them anyway and offers to teach them. This emphasizes the universal appeal of music and literature, and suggests that even without a shared language, we can still find ways to connect with each other.
Overall, "Illusions in G Major" is a playful and thought-provoking song that encourages us to question our perceptions of reality and seek deeper meaning in the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
On the seven seas there was a phantom ship acoming,
There was an imaginary ship on the sea, shining in the dark night.
Shinin' in the dead of night,
It was shining in the dark night.
I heard the crew a hummin',
I heard the members of the crew humming tunes.
Tunes that sounded like the Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen.
The tunes sounded like music from the Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen.
But they didn't know the words,
The crew didn't know the lyrics of the songs.
So I assumed that they was foreign.
I presumed that they were from another country.
I looked up in the sky there was a phantom plane a comin',
I saw an imaginary plane in the sky.
Shinin' in the dead of night,
It was shining in the dark night.
I heard the pilot saying,
I heard the pilot reciting poems.
Poems that were written by John Keats and Robert Browning.
The poems were written by John Keats and Robert Browning.
But he didn't know the words so,
However, the pilot didn't know the exact lyrics of the poems.
I suppose that it was nothing.
It seemed like it wasn't significant.
Doctor please believe me, I know you won't deceive me,
I'm asking the doctor to believe me, as I know they won't trick me.
But do these things I'm seein', have any hidden meaning.
I wonder if there's any underlying meaning to what I'm witnessing.
It's all good entertainment and it doesn't cost a penny.
Regardless, it's all entertaining and doesn't cost anything.
So please doc, let me teach 'em, if I could only reach 'em.
Therefore, I request the doctor to allow me to educate them, if only I could communicate with them.
I just want to please 'em, doctor let me teach 'em.
All I want is to make them happy, and I hope the doctor will let me do so.
But I heard them just the same doctor let me teach 'em,
However, I still heard them despite the language barrier, and I wish to instruct them.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ivanmay7890
That guitar solo is so sick sounding
@apooyosucks
gotta love that fuzz effect
@akishot6735
The range of ELO my god
@michaelnorman3393
Rocking tune....
@JoseGomez-ys3zs
Michael Norman
1950's-inspired 1970's rock music. How about that? The real meaning of timeless.
@anderson088
Whatta rock 'n roller 👊
@stevenlawrence3614
I just can’t stop listening to this song! I must be driving my neighbors crazy, but, I just don’t care! The hell with them! Btw, I have it on a loop! I’m dancing a lot to it, man I’m out of breath!
@PressuredSpeechBand
Get after it bud! <3
@connormichalec3201
AHH Such a jam
@trfesok
This should have been on the "Afterglow" set, but it isn't. So, I put this in my ELO playlist. Thanks for the upload!