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.
Ordinary Dream
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The writing on the wall
From you to me
A jigsaw puzzle of a twisted tale
That set its lonely sail
From you to me
But it's not understood
Wide apart and so far away
It mattered at the start until I realized instead ....
I'm flying in a troubled sky
Watching you as you go by
In an ordinary dream
I'm sailing on a troubled sea
Watching you as you watch me
In an ordinary dream
I couldn't understand a word it said
The letter that I read
From you to me
I couldn't fathom out the stuff you wrote
So I guess it's just a joke
From you to me
Though reality keeps calling me away from my dream
And the wreckage isn't all it might have been
Didn't matter at the start until I realized it did
I'm flying in a troubled sky
Watching you as you go by
In an ordinary dream
I'm sailing on a troubled sea
Watching you as you watch me
In an ordinary dream
I'm floating in a troubled sky
Watching you as you go by
In an ordinary dream
I'm sailing on a troubled sea
Watching you as you watch me
In an ordinary dream
Ordinary dream
Ordinary dream
The lyrics of Electric Light Orchestra's song, Ordinary Dream, seem to be about a failed communication or a lack of understanding between two people. The singer of the song tried to comprehend and interpret the message that he received, but he was unable to do so due to different reasons (jumbled words, twisted tale, etc.) resulting in a feeling of hopelessness and confusion. Despite the difficulty in interpreting the message, the singer is aware of the presence of the other person nearby, watching over him as he navigates the troubled sky or sea of his dreams.
The lyrics are metaphorical in nature and suggest that the singer is struggling to make sense of some situation or relationship in his life that is causing him distress. The dream that he speaks of is an ordinary one, yet it is troubled, emphasizing the turmoil he is experiencing. The phrase "ordinary dream" can also refer to a state of mind that is not unique, but a common experience shared by many.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't really understand at all
The singer was unable to comprehend the situation.
The writing on the wall
There were clues present, but the singer was unable to decipher them.
From you to me
The message being conveyed was from the sender to the singer.
A jigsaw puzzle of a twisted tale
The message was complicated and difficult to understand.
That set its lonely sail
The message had an isolated quality to it.
'Cause I tried to get the message
The singer attempted to understand what was being communicated.
But it's not understood
However, the message did not get through to the singer.
Wide apart and so far away
The sender and the artist were distant from each other in various ways.
It mattered at the start until I realized instead ....
Initially, the miscommunication did not seem important, but the artist changed their mind.
I'm flying in a troubled sky
The artist is feeling restless and uncertain.
Watching you as you go by
The singer is observing the situation unfold.
In an ordinary dream
All of this is happening within the context of a dream.
I'm sailing on a troubled sea
The singer is feeling adrift and unsteady.
Watching you as you watch me
The sender is also observing the situation.
I couldn't understand a word it said
The singer was unable to comprehend the message.
The letter that I read
The miscommunication was conveyed in written form.
I couldn't fathom out the stuff you wrote
The message was confusing and difficult to interpret.
So I guess it's just a joke
The singer eventually dismisses the importance of the message.
Though reality keeps calling me away from my dream
The singer is becoming more aware of the real-world implications of the situation.
And the wreckage isn't all it might have been
The consequences of the miscommunication were not as severe as they could have been.
Didn't matter at the start until I realized it did
The artist initially did not see the importance of the situation, but then changed their mind.
Ordinary dream
Despite the complexities of the situation, it is still happening within the context of an ordinary dream.
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.