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.
10538 Overture (7
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did you see him run through the streets and far way?
Did you see him run? Did you see him fall?
Did his life flash by on the bedroom door?
Did you hear the news came across the air today?
Someone has been found on the rocks down in the bay.
Did you see him hide? Did you see him crawl?
Does his life mean more than it did before.
Did you see that man running through the streets today?
Did you catch his face, was it 10538?
"10538 Overture" is a song by Electric Light Orchestra that was released in 1972 on their debut album. The song's lyrics are somewhat enigmatic, and there are many possible interpretations of what they might mean. One possible interpretation is that the lyrics describe a person who is feeling lost and disconnected from the world around them. This person may be struggling with difficult emotions or experiences, such as the loss of a friend or loved one.
The song opens with the line, "Did you see your friend, crying from his eyes today?" This line suggests that the person being described is aware of someone else's pain and suffering. The next line, "Did you see him run through the streets and far way?" suggests that the person being described is trying to escape from his pain and is running away from his problems. The following lines, "Did you see him run? Did you see him fall? Did his life flash by on the bedroom door?" depict the emotions of this person as they become overwhelmed by the experiences that they are going through, and may be experiencing a sense of panic and anxiety.
The song further talks about the news that someone has been found on the rocks down in the bay, which may suggest that the person being described may have encountered a desperate and tragic end. The lyrics "Did you see him hide? Did you see him crawl?" refers to the struggles of the person to deal with their emotions and may suggest that they are experiencing a sense of shame and worthlessness. Finally, the lyrics "Does his life mean more than it did before?" raise the question about the intrinsic value of human life – something that becomes more uncertain in difficult and trying times.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you see your friend, crying from his eyes today?
Have you witnessed your friend expressing sorrow through tears today?
Did you see him run through the streets and far way?
Did you see him sprinting away through the streets and getting far from sight?
Did you see him run? Did you see him fall?
Did you observe him running and later tripping or stumbling?
Did his life flash by on the bedroom door?
Was there a moment of reflection when his life events rapidly came to mind?
Did you hear the news came across the air today?
Were you aware of the information conveyed through radio or TV broadcasts today?
Someone has been found on the rocks down in the bay.
There was a discovery of someone's body on the seashore rocks near the bay.
Did you see him hide? Did you see him crawl?
Did you watch him taking refuge and attempting to conceal himself by crawling?
Does his life mean more than it did before.
Is his existence valued more highly now than previously?
Did you see that man running through the streets today?
Did you witness that man moving swiftly on foot through the roads at present?
Did you catch his face, was it 10538?
Did you scrutinize his facial features? Could it be the person with identification number 10538?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Cochran
on State of Mind
An overlooked album which more people should listen to
Rodney
on Rockaria!
Weit in die Ferne , man hört, man hört die Musik
Philip Kassabian
on Starlight
A nice ELO song.
Philip Kassabian
on Starlight
A lovely ELO song.
Philip Kassabian
on Wild West Hero
An absolutely beautiful song.
Philip Kassabian
on Last Train to London
Never heard this ELO song before.
Philip Kassabian
on All Over the World
An ELO song that surprisingly few people know about. To me this rivals Mr. Blue Sky.
Philip Kassabian
on Ticket to the Moon
A song about a person being utterly confused in a difficult situation. He can't even fathom the journey he's about to take to the moon. It's surreal to him.
Philip Kassabian
on Strange Magic
A very mysterious and awe inspiring song. Definitely one of ELO's better songs.
Philip Kassabian
on Livin' Thing
It's a great song and to me it symbolizes the meaning of loss and how absolutely devastating it can be for a person.