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.
NIGHTRIDER
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
the faces of the passers-by, staring faces, broken blinds,
I recall the situation clearly standing in a crowded car,
I can feel the need in me.
Hold on, nightrider baby, hold on you're a nightrider
Riding the night, searching for what is gone,
Never reaching the end, so you must travel on.
I still see that vision of delight,
While cruising on the black of night,
but she keeps a step ahead
Looking out the corner of her world, nobody ever knows a girl,
who once lived along this way.
Hold on, nightrider baby, hold on you're a nightrider
Riding the night, searching for what is gone,
Never reaching the end, so you must travel on.
Desolation degradation row,
Go on don't let the feeling show,
She's a ten a penny dream,
Faces with no name no address, keep staring in on my distress
But she kills me with her smile.
Hold on, nightrider baby, hold on you're a nightrider
Riding the night, searching for what is gone,
Never reaching the end, so you must travel on.
The lyrics to Electric Light Orchestra's "Nightrider" take the listener on a journey through the city at night, with the singer recalling a particular moment in the rain, observing the faces of passers-by through broken blinds. The situation is vivid in their mind, recalling the crowded car they were standing in and feeling a need within themselves. The chorus repeats the phrase "hold on, nightrider baby" several times, emphasizing the idea of searching for something that is gone and never quite reaching the end, but ultimately continuing to travel on.
The second verse focuses on a particular vision of delight, seen while cruising through the black of night. The woman in the song keeps a step ahead and looks out at the world from the corner of her eye, adding a sense of mystery to the lyrics. No one knows who she is or where she came from, but she once lived along this way. The chorus repeats again, reinforcing the idea of persisting through the night to find something.
The final verse takes a darker turn, with the singer describing desolation and degradation. They urge themselves to not show their feelings, although they are clearly distressed. They mention a "ten a penny dream," emphasizing the sense of disillusionment and disillusionment with the world around them. The final lines focus on the woman's smile, which despite everything, still manages to affect the singer deeply.
Overall, the lyrics to "Nightrider" paint a vivid picture of the nighttime world, emphasizing the idea of searching and persevering through the night to find something elusive.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember somewhere in the rain,
I have a clear memory of being in the rain in some unspecified location.
the faces of the passers-by, staring faces, broken blinds,
I saw the faces of people passing by, and some of them were peering through broken window blinds.
I recall the situation clearly standing in a crowded car,
I remember standing in a crowded car and the situation is still clear in my mind.
I can feel the need in me.
I sense a strong desire within myself.
Hold on, nightrider baby, hold on you're a nightrider
Keep going, nighttime traveler, you're in it for the long haul
Riding the night, searching for what is gone,
Traveling through the darkness, trying to recover something lost
Never reaching the end, so you must travel on.
The journey has no certain conclusion, so the traveler must continue onward.
I still see that vision of delight,
I still have a brilliant image in my mind.
While cruising on the black of night,
During a drive through the dark night.
but she keeps a step ahead
However, she always seems to remain one step ahead of me.
Looking out the corner of her world, nobody ever knows a girl,
She looks out at the world from an unusual angle that nobody else can understand.
who once lived along this way.
Someone who used to live in this area.
Desolation degradation row,
An area of rundown and isolated locations.
Go on don't let the feeling show,
Don't let emotions take over.
She's a ten a penny dream,
A common fantasy or dream.
Faces with no name no address, keep staring in on my distress
Unnamed individuals with nowhere to go keep staring at me in my troubles.
But she kills me with her smile.
Her smile makes me feel overwhelmed and paralyzed.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@smokinjz
I remember somewhere in the rain,
the faces of the passers-by, staring faces, broken blinds,
I recall the situation clearly standing in a crowded car,
I can feel the need in me.
Hold on, nightrider baby, hold on you're a nightrider
Riding the night, searching for what is gone,
Never reaching the end, so you must travel on.
I still see that vision of delight,
While cruising on the black of night,
but she keeps a step ahead
Looking out the corner of her world, nobody ever knows a girl,
who once lived along this way.
Hold on, nightrider baby, hold on you're a nightrider
Riding the night, searching for what is gone,
Never reaching the end, so you must travel on.
Desolation degradation row,
Go on don't let the feeling show,
She's a ten a penny dream,
Faces with no name no address, keep staring in on my distress
But she kills me with her smile.
Hold on, nightrider baby, hold on you're a nightrider
Riding the night, searching for what is gone,
Never reaching the end, so you must travel on.
@izzynutz2000
Two of the greatest voices in Rock and Roll history with Jeff Lynne and Kelly Groucutt
@michaelkoszowski3716
Yes ...groucutt vastly underated member of the band . 👍....when I got tickets to see elo part 2 , in the summer of 97 , I was a little skeptical on how they would sound without Lynn , but they blew me away !!! ...as well as the group of people I was with . Kelly , Bev , & Mik were fantastic !
@sajadm9625
Most underrated song of history
@isaiahorsborn6097
In today's episode of underrated music
@ericvigil1782
It is I never heard this one besides the others
@beeman2434
I love ELO so much it’s my favorite band of all time
@davidmartin4297
I'm so glad I grew up in the 70's and had such awesome music. ELO played a major roll of my music enjoyment.
@BarbDonnelly
Me too!
@ndschau
I grew up in the 90s, but trust me they still make music like this, you just gotta know where to look.
@steverakes6182
It must be hidden well, I can't find it.@@ndschau