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.
Shangri-La
Electric Light Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone calling at my door,
Too bad,
I'm getting out of love.
What's the use of changing things,
Wonder what tomorrow brings,
Who knows,
CHORUS
My Shangri-la has gone away,
Faded like the Beatles on Hey Jude
She seemed to drift out on the rain
That came in somewhere softly from the blue
Clouds roll by and hide the sun,
Raindrops fall on everyone,
So sad,
I'm getting out of love.
CHORUS -- repeat x2
In Electric Light Orchestra's song "Shangri-La," the singer is wondering about the point of making any changes in their life because the future is so uncertain. As they sit around waiting for someone to knock on their door, they realize they are falling out of love, and they are not sure what tomorrow will bring. The person they were in love with and considered their Shangri-La has faded away and disappeared, almost like the Beatles in "Hey Jude." The singer feels as though they are left out in the rain, feeling sad and disappointed that they've lost something so special.
The lyrics imply that sometimes in life, things can change so quickly and unexpectedly that it's easy to become pessimistic, feeling like something is lost forever. The use of the name Shangri-La, which traditionally refers to a fabled utopia or paradise, highlights the concept of loss and disappointment. The soft melody of the song, coupled with the poetic lyrics, enhances the sad tone of the song. Overall, "Shangri-La" is a poignant reflection on love and loss that many people can relate to throughout different stages of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting here, waiting for,
I am currently waiting for someone to come by and see me.
Someone calling at my door,
I'm hoping someone might come by and knock on my door for a visit.
Too bad,
Unfortunately, I don't think this is going to happen.
I'm getting out of love.
I'm losing my feelings of love and affection for someone.
What's the use of changing things,
Why bother with change if things aren't going to work out as they should?
Wonder what tomorrow brings,
I'm thinking about the future and all the uncertainty that it holds.
Who knows,
It's impossible to tell what the future holds for me.
I'm getting out of love.
I'm no longer in love with the person I once felt such strong emotions for.
My Shangri-la has gone away,
The perfect, idyllic place or situation I was so happy with no longer exists.
Faded like the Beatles on Hey Jude
Just like the Beatles song 'Hey Jude' has faded away with the passage of time, so has my happiness and contentment.
She seemed to drift out on the rain
The person I was with seems to have left me slowly and without warning, like a raindrop falling gently from the sky.
That came in somewhere softly from the blue
The sadness and emptiness I feel came seemingly out of nowhere, as if a storm cloud appeared in a clear blue sky.
Clouds roll by and hide the sun,
The bright, warm feelings I once had have been obscured and lost, like clouds that cover the sun.
Raindrops fall on everyone,
Pain and sorrow are universal, affecting everyone in their own way.
So sad,
It's a very heartbreaking and depressing situation.
I'm getting out of love.
I'm falling out of love or losing my affection for the person I was once deeply in love with.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFF LYNNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paulm749
Easily one of the most beautiful, magnificent outros in the history of rock music.
@timonousiainen354
November rain also have an epic finale. Ballads both. I wonder if Axl Rose knows Shangri-La?
@michaelbarry5933
The word "epic" is often overused. But it describes this outro (and the whole song) very nicely.
@evertvdb000
@@timonousiainen354 Agree.
@MrGmanishere
The ELO is probably the best ever rock band that hardly anyone ever mentions when they talk about great rock groups.
@thomaspalazzi7795
Their Own Style!
@thomaspalazzi7795
I had roll over Beethoven on a 45 in 1972 I was 12
@puck30
They certainly deserve their space in time.
@EHyde-ir9gb
Listen just remove the part after "best ever rock band" and youre spot on
@lucalone
that's because they were always a lil bit too poppy ... but great music nontheless !