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.
Nobody's Child
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Painted lady, you're supposed to be a dream,
Painted lady, you better stay away from me.
Painted lady, why you loosinin' my tie,
Painted lady, what's that twinkle in your eye,
Painted lady, you better stay away from me.
Painted lady, don't you do these dirty deeds,
Painted lady, you better stay here with me.
Nobody's child til I saw the light of your smile.
Painted lady, nobody's child, you have set me free.
Nobody's child, you came in and stayed for a while.
Painted lady, nobody's child, you have set me free.
The song "Nobody's Child" by Electric Light Orchestra tells the story of a man who finds himself being pursued by a woman he refers to as "painted lady." He seems to be both attracted and repelled by her, using contradictions to describe her, such as "you're supposed to be a dream" and "don't you do these dirty deeds." He recognizes that she is trying to seduce him, but he also seems powerless to resist her charms.
In the chorus, the man acknowledges that he was "nobody's child" until he met the painted lady. This could be interpreted to mean that he was lost or unfulfilled before she came into his life, but her presence has given him a sense of purpose or direction. Despite his initial reluctance, he ultimately acknowledges that she has "set him free."
Overall, the lyrics suggest a tension between desire and caution. The man is drawn to the painted lady's beauty and seductiveness but is also aware of the potential danger in getting involved with her. The song could be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of succumbing to temptation or as a celebration of the transformative power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Painted lady, stop that closin' in on me
A woman who's manipulated me in the past, stop trying to impose your will on me
Painted lady, you're supposed to be a dream
The woman I thought I knew and loved was actually not real, only a figment of my imagination
Painted lady, you better stay away from me
I don't want to have anything to do with you because you're not the person I thought you were
Painted lady, why you loosinin' my tie
Stop trying to take control of me and manipulating me
Painted lady, what's that twinkle in your eye
I don't trust your intentions and I want you to stay away from me
Painted lady, you better stay away from me
I don't want to be around you because you're deceitful
Painted lady, with your jewels and your beads
You may try to impress me with your material belongings, but it won't work
Painted lady, don't you do these dirty deeds
I know you have ulterior motives, but I won't play your game
Painted lady, you better stay here with me
I'm not falling for your tricks, but I'm willing to give you a chance because I'm attracted to you
Nobody's child til I saw the light of your smile
I felt lost and alone until I met you and your smile gave me hope
Painted lady, nobody's child, you have set me free
You've helped me find my way and I'm grateful for that
Nobody's child, you came in and stayed for a while
You entered my life and enriched it for a period of time
Painted lady, nobody's child, you have set me free
You've taught me to see things differently and helped me find my own path
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@takasaki3109
Painted lady, stop that closin' in on me,
Painted lady, you're supposed to be a dream,
Painted lady, you better stay away from me.
Painted lady, why you loosinin' my tie,
Painted lady, what's that twinkle in your eye,
Painted lady, you better stay away from me.
Painted lady, with your jewels and your beads,
Painted lady, don't you do these dirty deeds,
Painted lady, you better stay here with me.
Nobody's child til I saw the light of your smile.
Painted lady, nobody's child, you have set me free.
Nobody's child, you came in and stayed for a while.
Painted lady, nobody's child, you have set me free.
@bgbstrm2352
Haven't listened to this since it came out. Forgot how good it is. Nobody's Child is a 💯🎶🎵. Underrated!!!
@rodionrebenyar
Wow! I didn't remember how much they crammed into this particular cut on the album. It doesn't get any better than this!
@lapacesiaconvoi
a roommate at university switched over this album. i kind of understand hearing this now. it's probably unusual. she was into lionel richie and the comodores.
@D600Active
Everybody talks about 'when the bass drops' but the piano drops so hard in this
@joshgellis3292
Mom used to play THIS WHOLE RECORD when she'd do Sunday housecleaning from the living room. May she rest in peace. This is Opera-Rock.
@abbysennett
Out of all the songs in this album, this would be the song that feels like the villain of a movie just entered the room.
@apooyosucks
Especially a femme fatale-esque villainess
@mr.blue7357
This is literally one of the best jazz songs ever
@briancarter3936
this is like a big 1940's broadway production ! love the horns. love the lyrics. love his vocal. he really acts this one out. i wish he had explored this style of music and production a bit more. just fantastic for a rock band huh ? painted lady indeed !
@marlonpatrick647
+Brian Carter I know what you mean... and the way the lyrics progress from you'd better stay away from me to you'd better stay here with me is such a guilty pleasure.