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.
From The Sun To The World
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he's heard people shoutin' from the towers in the city
While their babies grow in test tubes over night
Run and fetch the priest 'cos there's a light on in the building
And there's sounds blowin' out in the music of the night
And we should try to get the people out alive
And the demon butcher pointin' out the message on the tide
And the demon light a'sailin at his side
Stormin' down the airwaves comes the protest and the prayin'
And the love that shone down from the sun to world
No longer could support the life it gave
The lyrics of Electric Light Orchestra's song From The Sun To The World depict a world on the brink of collapse. The Governor has received news of people shouting from the towers in the city, while babies grow in test tubes overnight. There is a sense of urgency in the song as they need to get the people out of the building alive, and they call on the priest for help. The music of the night is blowing out in sounds, and they need to listen to the protests and the prayers that are storming down the airwaves. The love that shone down from the sun to the world is no longer enough to support the life it gave.
The song is a reflection of the political landscape of the early 1970s, when environmental and political movements were gaining momentum. The lyrics reflect the fear of nuclear war and the consequences of humanity destroying the planet. The reference to babies growing in test tubes is believed to allude to the increasing use of IVF technology at the time. The song also contains a religious reference, calling on the priest to help save lives in the face of impending doom.
Overall, From The Sun To The World is a powerful and thought-provoking song that examines the fears and anxieties of the time, as well as offering a glimmer of hope in the form of protest and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to me sister, I got news from the Governor
Pay attention to what I'm saying because the Governor has provided important information
And he's heard people shoutin' from the towers in the city
The Governor has received reports that people are shouting from tall buildings in the city
While their babies grow in test tubes over night
These people are taking drastic measures to reproduce, including growing babies in test tubes
Run and fetch the priest 'cos there's a light on in the building
Go get a religious leader because something significant is happening
And there's sounds blowin' out in the music of the night
The atmosphere is filled with noise and excitement
And we should try to get the people out alive
It's important to prioritize saving people's lives
Movin' 'cross the ocean with the flag of death a'flyin
Death and destruction are on the horizon as we travel across the ocean
And the demon butcher pointin' out the message on the tide
An evil person is leading the way and delivering messages through symbolic actions
And the demon light a'sailin at his side
There is a demonic presence accompanying this evil figure
Stormin' down the airwaves comes the protest and the prayin'
A massive wave of people expressing their dissatisfaction and faith is spreading quickly
And the love that shone down from the sun to world
The positive and benevolent energy that once emanated from the sun has spread throughout the world
No longer could support the life it gave
But this energy has become unable to sustain the life it once nourished
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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.