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.
Livin' Thing
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like magic
Oh, rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin'
It's magic
And you, and your sweet desire
You took me, oh, higher and higher, baby
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose
I'm taking a dive
Dive
Making believe this is what you conceived
From your worst day (I'm taking a dive)
Oh, moving in line then you look back in time
To the first day (I'm taking, I'm taking)
And you, and your sweet desire
(Don't you do it, don't you do it)
You took me, oh, higher and higher, baby
It's a livin' thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose
I'm taking a dive on the slide, hey
Takin' a dive 'cause you can't halt the slide
Floating downstream (I'm taking a dive)
Oh, so let her go don't start spoiling the show
It's a bad dream (I'm taking, I'm taking)
And you, and your sweet desire
(Don't you do it, don't you do it)
You took me, oh, higher and higher, baby
It's a livin' thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose
It's a livin' thing
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
The lyrics of Electric Light Orchestra's "Livin' Thing" describe the feeling of being swept away by life's ups and downs. The opening lines draw a comparison between the experience of being carried by a wave and the feeling of magic. The subsequent lines use a variety of action verbs to emphasize the unpredictable and sometimes tumultuous nature of life's journey.
The chorus repeats the phrase "It's a livin' thing" four times, shifting in the final repetition to "It's a given thing." This phrase can be interpreted to mean that living, with all of its ups and downs, is an inevitable and necessary part of the human experience. Losing that livin' thing, whether it be through death or some other kind of loss, is a terrible thing.
The second verse shifts the focus to the idea of acceptance and surrender. The singer imagines himself "taking a dive" and going with the flow of life, even if it means confronting unpleasant memories or experiences. The chorus then repeats, with an added phrase urging the listener not to "spoiling the show." This could be interpreted as a plea to embrace life even when it's difficult, rather than trying to fight against it.
Overall, "Livin' Thing" is an ode to the unpredictable nature of life and the importance of accepting its ups and downs. However, it also emphasizes the value of life itself and the importance of cherishing it while we have it.
Line by Line Meaning
Sailin' away on the crest of a wave
Starting over, experiencing something new and exciting
It's like magic
It's unreal or amazing, almost unbelievable
Oh, rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin'
Describing the feeling of being on a high or on an adventure
It's magic
It feels incredible or fantastical
And you, and your sweet desire
Talking to someone who is desired and attractive
You took me, oh, higher and higher, baby
Being with this person made me feel amazing
It's a livin' thing
Life is full of highs and lows
It's a terrible thing to lose
Losing something meaningful is devastating
It's a given thing
Loss is inevitable, part of life
What a terrible thing to lose
Emphasizing how hard it is to give up something valuable
I'm taking a dive
Willing to take risks and experience something uncertain
Making believe this is what you conceived
Trying to convince myself that this is what I really want
From your worst day (I'm taking a dive)
Even from my lowest point, I'm willing to take a leap of faith
Oh, moving in line then you look back in time
Reflecting on past experiences while moving forward
To the first day (I'm taking, I'm taking)
Going back to the beginning, starting anew
Takin' a dive 'cause you can't halt the slide
Taking a chance because there's no other option
Floating downstream (I'm taking a dive)
Going with the flow, accepting whatever comes my way
Oh, so let her go don't start spoiling the show
Don't let one loss ruin everything else, keep moving forward
It's a bad dream (I'm taking, I'm taking)
The loss feels unreal and almost like a nightmare
Don't you do it, don't you do it
Urging someone not to give up or quit
I'm taking a dive on the slide, hey
Taking a chance on a risky move
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jeff Lynne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
It's a great song and to me it symbolizes the meaning of loss and how absolutely devastating it can be for a person.
@ymnjalen5558
Who’s here in 2024???
@JOANNEH47
Me 😂
@flashbang5075
@@JOANNEH47I am here too!
@flashbang5075
American ELO is touring. They will do just fine!
@fatimasouza8570
Me too!! By Japan
@bixby9797
The genius of Jeff
@leokimvideo
One of the mid 70's masterpieces
@luciomauro1501
o caminh~´ao cata véio
@laurafouto4511
Love the 70's 🎉