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.
Lonesome Lullaby
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time for me to hear a different song
I waited overtime for things to turn around
Tired of waiting for it all to hit the ground
You said you knew all about it
What was right and what was wrong
You pulled the wool over the eyes of everyone
Cry, baby, cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
Cry, baby, cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
You took me by surprise and like a shot in the dark, shot in the dark
You showed yourself in your truest light, truest light
You saved yourself by saving nobody else
You must have cringed when you heard them tell
Cry, baby, cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
Cry, baby, cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
You took the wrong turn at the city of dreams, city of dreams
You ended up back where you came from it seems, came from it seems
Back there to where there's nothing else to do
Back there where you can sit and think of only you
Cry, baby, cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
Cry, baby, cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
Cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
Cry
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
Your lonesome lullaby
The lyrics to Electric Light Orchestra's song Lonesome Lullaby talk about moving on from a negative situation and admitting one’s own weaknesses. The first verse describes the singer’s acknowledgement that they have been stuck in a negative pattern for too long and need to find a new way forward. The second verse talks about a person who claims to know what is right and wrong, but ultimately fails to live up to their own words. The chorus, "Cry, baby, cry, Tell me about your lonesome lullaby," suggests that the singer wants the other person to open up and be vulnerable about their own struggles, as they have been about their own.
The second half of the song shifts focus to the other person, who the singer believes has made a mistake and ended up back where they started. The city of dreams mentioned in the lyrics may refer to Los Angeles, where many aspiring entertainers move to pursue their dreams. However, for some, it can become a place of disappointment and disillusionment. The use of "lonesome lullaby" in the chorus gives a melancholic feeling to the song and emphasizes the idea of feeling alone and lost.
Overall, the lyrics to Lonesome Lullaby reflect a sense of reflection, self-awareness, and a desire to move on from negative situations. The use of the word "cry" in the chorus may signal that emotional expression and confrontation of difficult feelings is necessary for healing and moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I listened to the whine for way too long
I have been putting up with negative and complaining talk for too much time
Time for me to hear a different song
It is time for me to focus on more positive things
I waited overtime for things to turn around
I have been waiting for a long time for things to improve
Tired of waiting for it all to hit the ground
I am exhausted from constantly worrying that everything will fall apart
You said you knew all about it
You claimed to have knowledge about the situation
What was right and what was wrong
You boasted about knowing what was moral and what was not
You pulled the wool over the eyes of everyone
You deceived everyone with your cunning nature
Maybe I was weak when I should've been strong
Perhaps I showed vulnerability instead of standing up for myself
Cry, baby, cry
Let your emotions out
Tell me 'bout your lonesome lullaby
Share with me the sad and lonely song in your heart
You took me by surprise and like a shot in the dark, shot in the dark
You caught me off guard, like a sudden and unexpected occurrence
You showed yourself in your truest light, truest light
You revealed your real self
You saved yourself by saving nobody else
You protected yourself without regards for others
You must have cringed when you heard them tell
You felt embarrassed when people criticized you
You took the wrong turn at the city of dreams, city of dreams
You made a mistake in the place where hopes and ambitions are usually fulfilled
You ended up back where you came from it seems, came from it seems
You returned to where you started
Back there to where there's nothing else to do
Back in the place where there is no other option but to stay idle
Back there where you can sit and think of only you
The place where you can contemplate about yourself only
Your lonesome lullaby
The sad song that you sing to yourself when alone
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.