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 ELOās first album of new material in almost 15 years.
The second album under Jeff Lynneās 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.
Poor Boy
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I've traveled many days to reach this place to mke my stand,
I fell in with a merry band, and drank away the hours.
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood
To defy their king and country, save the poor folks from the hand,
Of the thieving dukes and abbotts, and the gentry of the land.
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood
Sweet Maid Marion, don't you do me no wrong,
Stay on the right side, the Greenwood is your home,
The dancing girls and the open fires, the wine that flows like water.
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood
The lyrics to Electric Light Orchestra's "Poor Boy" tell a story of a young man from the southland who has traveled to reach a certain place where he will make his stand. He falls in with a "merry band" and spends his time drinking with them. The second verse describes how boys from the city and the country come from miles around to defy their king and country, saving the poor from the thieving dukes and abbots. The chorus repeats the phrase, "Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on, and my head is high from the battle won, laid down my life for the Greenwood."
The third verse mentions Sweet Maid Marion, imploring her not to do him wrong and to stay on the right side as the Greenwood is her home. The verse ends with mention of the dancing girls, open fires, and wine that flows like water. The chorus repeats, ending with the image of the singer laying down his life for this cause.
The song appears to be set in medieval England and depicts the Robin Hood-like figure of the "merry band" fighting against corrupt authority for the sake of the poor. The references to Sweet Maid Marion and the Greenwood are also consistent with the Robin Hood legend. The lyrics suggest a romanticized view of this period of history, depicting drinking and dancing with the other members of the band, but ultimately valuing the sacrifice that was made for the cause.
Line by Line Meaning
Me I'm just a poor boy, from across the far southland,
I am a humble person from a faraway land, and I have traveled for many days to arrive at this place to take a stand.
And I've traveled many days to reach this place to make my stand,
I have covered a long and arduous journey to get here and stand up for what I believe in.
I fell in with a merry band, and drank away the hours.
I joined a cheerful group and whiled away the time by drinking with them.
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
I have been traveling endlessly, relentless in my pursuit of a cause.
And my head is high, from the battle won,
I have achieved victory and feel proud and confident in my success.
Laid down my life for the Greenwood
I have put my life on the line to protect and preserve the forest and its inhabitants.
The city boys, and the country boys, they come from miles around,
People from different backgrounds have gathered from far and wide to join in my cause.
To defy their king and country, save the poor folks from the hand,
We stand against the tyranny of the rulers and seek to protect the less fortunate from their oppression.
Of the thieving dukes and abbots, and the gentry of the land.
We fight against the corrupt nobles and clergy who plunder and exploit the common people.
Sweet Maid Marion, don't you do me no wrong,
Dear Maid Marion, please don't betray me or my cause.
Stay on the right side, the Greenwood is your home,
Stay true to our shared values and beliefs, and the forest will always be your shelter.
The dancing girls and the open fires, the wine that flows like water.
We celebrate our victories with joyous dances, warm fires, and abundant wine.
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Cinepod_Studios
Lyrics:
Me I'm just a poor boy, from across the far southland,
And I've traveled many days to reach this place to mke my stand,
I fell in with a merry band, and drank away the hours.
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood
The city boys, and the country boys, they come from miles around,
To defy their king and country, save the poor folks from the hand,
Of the thieving dukes and abbotts, and the gentry of the land.
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood
Sweet Maid Marion, don't you do me no wrong,
Stay on the right side, the Greenwood is your home,
The dancing girls and the open fires, the wine that flows like water.
Rollin' on, I've been rollin' on,
And my head is high, from the battle won,
Laid down my life for the Greenwood
@RedKittieKat
I wore out my 45 of this song. Best B side song ever. I grew to love it more than the main attraction, Telephone Line. One of the most underrated songs in my opinion ā¤ļø
@zbird78
I'm 45 and can't believe I'm just hearing this for the first time. Very Dylanesque.
@acapps6341
I had this played at my dad's funeral. He loved ELO. I do too.
@Paulywint
The part where they play the violins just after they sing the chorus of the song sounds like a bad windstorm. This is one of the best songs on this DVD
@znvorz
Underrated
@Danimal1577
Totes š
@mayapeterson3072
I know, right?
@mr.blue7357
Are you sure cause this was certified Gold back in the 70s in the US
@Future_Doggo
AF
@Future_Doggo
I love this song, but jeff is definitely saying pooboy