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.
Mandalay
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That wind their way down to the sea
I see the birds that fly beneath the darkened sky
They are the messengers of dreams
Mandalay, now i know what you try to be
Mandalay, now i wish you were here with me
Without fear of contradiction
Walking through the fields of evergreen
I see a turn and walk away
And from the east there comes a breeze
That flows up high into the blue
Mandalay, now i know what you try to be
Mandalay, now i wish you were here with me
The sound of retribution
In total disillusion, mandalay
Mandalay, now i know what you try to be
Mandalay, now i wish you were here with me
Admidst the confusion
The only conclusion
Mandalay of the misty eyes
Have gazed into the coming door
The leaves that turn to gold and brown
I've watched them falling to the ground
Mandalay, now i know what you try to be
Mandalay, now i wish you were here with me
The song "Mandalay" by Electric Light Orchestra is a dreamy and introspective piece that explores the thoughts and emotions of the singer as he traces his footsteps through the multi-colored avenues that lead him to the sea. The imagery of birds flying beneath the darkened sky and the breeze from the east flowing high into the blue creates a sense of peace and calm, as if the singer is contemplating the beauty of nature and the world around him.
As the song progresses, the singer speaks of pages filled with science fiction and walking through fields of evergreen, suggesting a longing for an alternative reality or a sense of escape from the mundanity of everyday life. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Mandalay, now I know what you try to be" as if addressing the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, known for its rich history and culture, and longing to be there in person to experience it firsthand.
The final verses of the song speak of the sound of retribution and total disillusionment, as if the singer is struggling to find his place in the world and is searching for some kind of answers or resolution. The use of the phrase "Mandalay of the misty eyes" suggests a sense of nostalgia or yearning for a time or place that is not within his reach, and the reference to the leaves turning to gold and brown and falling to the ground brings a sense of melancholy and wistfulness to the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
I traced the footsteps through the multi-colored avenues
I followed a path through various colorful streets
That wind their way down to the sea
The path leads to the ocean
I see the birds that fly beneath the darkened sky
I notice birds soaring in the dim sky
They are the messengers of dreams
I believe the birds symbolize dreams
Mandalay, now i know what you try to be
I understand your purpose, Mandalay
Mandalay, now i wish you were here with me
I desire for you to be with me, Mandalay
Pages filled with science fiction
Books of science fiction exist
Without fear of contradiction
Without doubt or opposition
Walking through the fields of evergreen
I traverse green fields that never fade
I see a turn and walk away
I notice a bend in the path and depart
And from the east there comes a breeze
A wind travels from the east
That flows up high into the blue
The wind circulates upward into the sky
The sound of retribution
The noise of punishment
In total disillusion, mandalay
Mandalay is completely disillusioned
Admidst the confusion
In the middle of chaos
The only conclusion
The sole inference
Mandalay of the misty eyes
Mandalay with ambiguous, unclear actions
Have gazed into the coming door
Mandalay has peered into the future
The leaves that turn to gold and brown
Foliage transitions to golden, then brown
I've watched them falling to the ground
I've observed them descending
Mandalay, now i know what you try to be
I realize your aim, Mandalay
Mandalay, now i wish you were here with me
I yearn for you to be by my side, Mandalay
Contributed by Skyler W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.