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.
Across The Border
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the sun is beating down upon the main street
I'll be waiting here at the station,
I gotta move down the line.
They'll be dancin' and singin' and doin' their thing
And they'll be rockin' and rollin' until the day is done.
You know I got to make the deadline.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight,
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
The Mardi Gras will be blowing strong
And the people dancing all across the city.
I'm leaving here tonight,
Gotta move down the line.
I'm gonna catch a ride on the 9:05,
I'm gonna ride the rails until we reach the morning,
maybe three or four hundred miles.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight,
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
When the wind is blowing
Softly through the streets
Of a little town and the music's playin
You're waiting somewhere over the horizon.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight, ooh.
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
The lyrics to Electric Light Orchestra’s “Across The Border” evoke a sense of travel and longing for escape. The song tells the story of a person waiting at a station, wanting to catch a southbound train that will take them far away from the heat of the day, the bustle of the city, and their current circumstances. The lyrics mention the Mardi Gras and the people dancing across the city, painting a picture of a lively and vibrant place far from where the singer is waiting. As they wait, the wind blows softly through the streets of a little town and the music plays, adding to the sense of anticipation and yearning for something more.
The lyrics also suggest that there is a sense of urgency to catch the southbound train tonight. The singer needs to get to the border, but if they don’t make it in time, they will write, implying that they must move on and start anew. The song’s rhythm and beat complement the lyrics, creating a sense of movement and restlessness, while the harmonies and melody give the song a timeless quality.
Overall, “Across The Border” is a wistful ode to the allure of travel and the longing for adventure, with lyrics that invite the listener to imagine the possibilities of a journey towards the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
In the heat of the day many miles away
During the hottest part of the day, far away from here
When the sun is beating down upon the main street
While the sun is shining intensely on the most important street
I'll be waiting here at the station,
I will be waiting for transportation at the station
I gotta move down the line.
I need to travel by train
They'll be dancin' and singin' and doin' their thing
People will be merrymaking and singing in their own way
And they'll be rockin' and rollin' until the day is done.
They will be enjoying themselves until the day is over
You know I got to make the deadline.
I must follow a schedule
I gotta get that southbound train tonight,
I need to catch a train going south tonight
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
If I do not arrive at the border, I will communicate by writing
The Mardi Gras will be blowing strong
The Mardi Gras festival will be in full swing
And the people dancing all across the city.
People will be dancing in every part of the city
I'm leaving here tonight,
I am departing this place tonight
Gotta move down the line.
I need to travel by train
I'm gonna catch a ride on the 9:05,
I plan to board the 9:05 train
I'm gonna ride the rails until we reach the morning,
I will travel by train until sunrise
maybe three or four hundred miles.
Possibly a distance of three or four hundred miles
When the wind is blowing
During a time when the wind is blowing
Softly through the streets
Gently blowing through the town's roads
Of a little town and the music's playin
In a small town where music is playing
You're waiting somewhere over the horizon.
You are somewhere waiting beyond the horizon
I gotta get that southbound train tonight, ooh.
I need to catch a southbound train tonight
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
If I do not arrive at the border, I will communicate by writing
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Takasaki
In the heat of the day many miles away
When the sun is beating down upon the main street
I'll be waiting here at the station,
I gotta move down the line.
They'll be dancin' and singin' and doin' their thing
And they'll be rockin' and rollin' until the day is done.
You know I got to make the deadline.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight,
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
The Mardi Gras will be blowing strong
And the people dancing all across the city.
I'm leaving here tonight,
Gotta move down the line.
I'm gonna catch a ride on the 9:05,
I'm gonna ride the rails until we reach the morning,
maybe three or four hundred miles.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight,
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
When the wind is blowing
Softly through the streets
Of a little town and the music's playin
You're waiting somewhere over the horizon.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight, ooh.
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
Patrick Stocks
In the heat of the day many miles away
When the sun ☀️ is beating down upon the Main Street
I’ll be waiting here at the station 🚉
I gotta move down the line
They’ll be dancin’ and singin’ and doin’ their thing
And they’ll be rockin’ and rollin’ until the day is done ✅
You know I got to make the deadline
I gotta get that southbound train 🚞 tonight
If I don’t get to the border then I’ll write
The Mardi Gras will be blowing strong 💪
And the people dancing 🕺 all across the city 🌃
I’m leaving here tonight
Gotta move down the line
I’m gonna catch a ride on the 9:05
I’m gonna ride the rails until we reach the morning
Maybe 3 or 4 100 💯 miles
I gotta get that southbound train 🚞 tonight
If I don’t get to the border then I’ll write
When the wind 💨 is blowing
Softly through the streets
Of a little town and the musics playin
You’re waiting somewhere over the horizon
I gotta get that southbound train 🚂 tonight, Ooh 😮
If I don’t get to the border then I’ll write
Candy
So many songs on this album could have been released as singles: Across the Border, Night in the City, Steppin Out, and Big Wheels. This album is and always will be EPIC.
Brandon Haygood
Don't forget Jungle!
Cockney Red
epic describes this album perfectly.
i well remember it being released on the blue vinyl and a huge poster with a gatefold sleeve that you could surf on.a true landmark album.
Naomi Caviness
Amen
The ElectrOStudios
Summer And Lightning as well
Sunsetlover
Standin' in the Rain
Ko No Ya Ro
I love how they use that mariachi vibe with his style, this song is a masterpiece.
Raúl Cortés Vega
I'm listening because the coment of a friend who tell me about the mariachi sound in this song.
Jasminne McDonald
Jeff could be an Alien from outer space
Fun For Kids
The entire album is a masterpiece.