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.
Ocean Breakup / King of the Universe
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's all doing what you gotta do
I know "A"
I see my life come shine
Golden sunrise
Tragic day dream
I am so afraid --
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Earth
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Sky
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Sky
The opening lyrics of Electric Light Orchestra's "Ocean Breakup / King of the Universe" evoke a sense of preparation, of a person getting ready for something significant or life-changing. The repetition of "It's all" highlights the sense of completeness and totality that the person is feeling. They are doing everything they need to do to prepare for this moment, including facing their fears ("I am so afraid"). The second verse introduces the concept of duality: the golden sunrise is a beautiful and awe-inspiring sight, but it is accompanied by a "tragic day dream." This juxtaposition suggests that the person's preparation is not without sacrifice, that they are aware of the potential pitfalls and setbacks that lie ahead.
The chorus introduces the central question of the song: who is the real King of the Universe? Is it a literal king, someone who reigns over both the Earth and the sky? Or is it something more abstract, like fate or destiny? The repetition of the question, and the variations on it, suggest that the answer is not clear-cut. The person singing the song seems to be grappling with their own idea of what the universe is and who or what is in control of it. The song as a whole creates a sense of tension and uncertainty, as the person prepares for something unknown and greater than themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
It's all making me ready
Everything happening is preparing me for something important.
It's all doing what you gotta do
Everything is following the natural course of actions.
I know "A"
I am familiar with the subject matter.
I see my life come shine
I foresee a bright future for myself.
Golden sunrise
The sunrise is magnificent and full of hope.
Tragic day dream
My daydreams are filled with sadness.
I am so afraid --
I am overwhelmed with fear.
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Earth
As King of the Universe, do you also reign over the Earth?
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Sky
As King of the Universe, do you also rule over the skies?
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Sky
As King of the Universe, do you also govern the heavens?
Contributed by Austin W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tropicwave1
Ocean Breakup/King of the Universe
Electric Light Orchestra
Album: On the Third Day
[Verse 1]
It's all making me ready
It's all doing what you gotta do
I know "A"
I see my life come shine
[Bridge]
Golden sunrise
Tragic daydream
I am so afraid
[Chorus]
King of the Universe
Are you King, King of the Earth?
[Chorus]
King of the Universe
Are you King, King of the Sky?
[Outro]
King of the Universe
Are you King, King of the Sky?
Michael Morgan
Very underrated album from ELO. Gr8 songs, musicianship, and Jeff's genius. NWR, Eldorado, and then this- my 3 faves.
Michael Koszowski
Face the music !!!! ..lol.
Charles Lopez
I Couldn't agree more. This was ELO breakthrough album way before Our Of The Blue. A masterpiece.
VJTheHandsome
For me it's Out of The Blue, New World Record, and Face The Music.
Vince Scaglione
So relaxing and smooth!
trowelfess
Made to be played straight through. Great memories.
Lawrence Davis
I'd sit by the sea back home and listen to this for hours
Theodore Chonski
It's ELO'S BEST ALBUM
Anthony Martino
Every track even the intros to each other track are outstanding.
Jasminne McDonald
This could be used for an epic sci Fi movie.