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.
Dark City
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the girls dance in the night
In the city there's a dark dark house
Where no one dares to go...
Oh Oh...
The lyrics of Electric Light Orchestra's song Dark City paint a picture of a city with a stark contrast between its bright and lively exterior and the unrevealed darkness lurking beneath the surface. It opens with a description of the city's alluring imagery, with the bright lights and dancing girls of the night painting a vibrant picture of what it may look like on the surface. However, the song then shifts its focus to a "dark dark house" that seems to be shrouded in mystery and perhaps even danger, as implied by the line "where no one dares to go." This change in tone suggests that despite the city's outward appearance, there is a deep and unsettling underbelly to it that is not immediately visible.
In many ways, the lyrics of Dark City speak to the duality of both people and places. Just as a person may appear friendly and upbeat on the surface, there can be lingering darkness or pain hidden behind closed doors. Similarly, a city may appear lively and buzzing with energy, but there can also be hidden corners or dangerous parts lurking in the shadows. Through its lyrics, Dark City hints at the idea that things are not always what they appear to be, and that there can be a complex and often dark side to seemingly bright and appealing things.
Line by Line Meaning
In the city where the lights are pretty
The city is filled with bright lights and attractive scenes.
And the girls dance in the night
The girls in the city enjoy nightlife and partying.
In the city there's a dark dark house
Within the city, there exists a very ominous and gloomy house.
Where no one dares to go...
People are afraid to even attempt to enter this foreboding dwelling.
Oh Oh...
The short phrase 'Oh Oh' potentially denotes the singer's realization or apprehension regarding the dark city.
Contributed by Madison N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Isaac Spencer
Such a fantastic song. I wish they finished the full length version. (same with Second Time Around)
Wilsondude
agreed
Matt Drummond
This album is so inspiring. So much effort
Jose Gomez
Tremendous song!
Barbara Keen
Another awesome album by ELO.
Mark Armendariz
Man, I wish they finished this song. It's gorgeous.
Fruebie
awesome!!
JaidCortez
sounds like a song from no answer
Emma Pearl
“Early idea for Laredo Tornado” is what Jeff Lynne said about this one
Whatamadoo
i feel like at the start they forgot to cut the part when they hit play